Imitating God's Grace
Mt 5:44,45 Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.
If God is gracious to his enemies, so are his children. Now don't confuse being gracious with unconditional forgiveness. Remember that God is gracious, but his forgiveness is condtional. "Do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, tolerance and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness leads you toward repentance? But because of your stubbornness and your unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against yourself for the day of God’s wrath, when his righteous judgment will be revealed." Rom 2:4 Thus one way to be gracious to one's enemies is to tolerate abuse and yet respond with kindness with a view towards their repentance. Practicing graciousness is not about you getting something out of it. It's about the other person. Christ died for the sins of the world, but such grace was wasted on many.
Likewise we should be gracious not expecting anything in return. "But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked." Luke 6:35 Grace is not fair. You give to your enemies and you may not get anything back. That's been God's experience. But that's grace.
The Berean Christian Bible Study Resources
Mt 5:44,45 Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.
If God is gracious to his enemies, so are his children. Now don't confuse being gracious with unconditional forgiveness. Remember that God is gracious, but his forgiveness is condtional. "Do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, tolerance and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness leads you toward repentance? But because of your stubbornness and your unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against yourself for the day of God’s wrath, when his righteous judgment will be revealed." Rom 2:4 Thus one way to be gracious to one's enemies is to tolerate abuse and yet respond with kindness with a view towards their repentance. Practicing graciousness is not about you getting something out of it. It's about the other person. Christ died for the sins of the world, but such grace was wasted on many.
Likewise we should be gracious not expecting anything in return. "But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked." Luke 6:35 Grace is not fair. You give to your enemies and you may not get anything back. That's been God's experience. But that's grace.
The Berean Christian Bible Study Resources
