Love your Enemy

[quatona]

One such as you has either lived a completely sheltered life or a completely blessed one. To have lived to adulthood and never to have had anyone trespass against you, to the point that he was your enemy. Yes, that's a rare find.No doubt about it.

If I refuse to accept someone to be my enemy he can trespass against me until the cows come home - without becoming my enemy.

 

[Soul Searcher]

Well, even if you don't bear any grudges, you still have enemies. For instance, you are an American, no? There are easily thousands of people in the world would would kill you with barely a thought for that fact. Or for being rich. Or being white... How you interact with such people says a great deal.

Yes I understand what you mean, I was using the definition given by the other poster. It would be more accurate of me to say that there is no one that I consider my enemy.

 

[Soul Searcher]

If I refuse to accept someone to be my enemy he can trespass against me until the cows come home - without becoming my enemy.

Yes using his definition of enemy this is true. I think a better understanding of an enemy though would be those who intentionally seek to do you harm or suffering.

 

[Soul Searcher]

One such as you has either lived a completely sheltered life or a completely blessed one. To have lived to adulthood and never to have had anyone trespass against you, to the point that he was your enemy. Yes, that's a rare find.No doubt about it.

Nope no sheltered life, I just get along well with people and when they make a mistake I realize that we are all human and make mistakes then I move on.

You still haven't answered my question though about what it actually means to love your enemies?

 

[Lisa0315]

Well.. I'll just say that Satan did not enter into Peter. Satan was already there just waiting to show himself. Satan is the adversary, that part of us that tempts us to do things which we know we should not do. Satan is not some being with a pitch fork and horns that lives inside the earth, nor is he some evil spirit being that jumps from person to person but rather something that is in us all just as the holy spirit is in us all.

Consider the verse that speaks of the war in heaven, then consider the verse that says the kingdom of heaven is within. Then consider the ongoing struggle within us all to do good vs evil.

It was not some other being that Jesus called Satan... it was Peter.

Not to sideline this thread, but Satan is not IN me. Satan is an outside force. To paraphrase scripture, "Greater is He in me, than the prince of this world" Jesus resides IN me. Satan and temptation is without.

1 John 4:4-6 4 Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world. 5 They are of the world: therefore speak they of the world, and the world heareth them. 6 We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error.
Lisa

 

[Soul Searcher]

Not to sideline this thread, but Satan is not IN me. Satan is an outside force. To paraphrase scripture, "Greater is He in me, than the prince of this world" Jesus resides IN me. Satan and temptation is without.

Lisa

So you never feel temptation from within? Never the urge to lie, cheat, steal, lash out at others or some such thing?

 

[quatona]

I think a better understanding of an enemy though would be those who intentionally seek to do you harm or suffering.

I consider myself fortunate in that I am unable to read the minds of others. Thus, should I by all means feel the need to speculate about them, it takes as much interpreting effort to assume intentional harm as it takes to assume the opposite, and in my experience with way less desirable results.

 

[Soul Searcher]

I consider myself fortunate in that I am unable to read the minds of others. Thus, should I by all means feel the need to speculate about them, it takes as much interpreting effort to assume intentional harm as it takes to assume the opposite, and in my experience with way desirable results.

A wise man

 

[Lisa0315]

So you never feel temptation from within? Never the urge to lie, cheat, steal, lash out at others or some such thing?

Sin is within me, but Satan is not the source of sin. He is simply the enemy of God, who does whatever he can to turn our eyes and hearts away from God. One of his best tools is by emphasizing those things that are already within us. Old Man vs New Man.

Lisa

 

[ReluctantProphet]

If it matters to anyone,

Satan is the name used (along with Lucifer) to depict the "temptor" who uses lust to tempt into error in accurate decisions (sin).

Satan is used as a trainer in some cases and a destroyer in others.

As a trainer, he tempts and you see your error when you follow the temptation and err. When he destroys, you missed your error and thus don't realize what you are doing wrong and thus confound the error with greater lusting for resolve. You basically "fall" from the height you had gained.

 

[Harlan Norris]

Nope no sheltered life, I just get along well with people and when they make a mistake I realize that we are all human and make mistakes then I move on.

You still haven't answered my question though about what it actually means to love your enemies?

To love ones enemy is to do nothing to him that you would not have him do to you. This would not be possible though, without a change of heart.

 

[Harlan Norris]

If I refuse to accept someone to be my enemy he can trespass against me until the cows come home - without becoming my enemy.

If one is able to do as you say, in truth, then that one has done what is expected.

 

[quatona]

If one is able to do as you say, in truth, then that one has done what is expected.

I always seem to have problems understanding statements in passive tense, and I wonder why the speaker withholds an important information.
What do you mean - "is expected"? By whom?

 

[Soul Searcher]

To love ones enemy is to do nothing to him that you would not have him do to you. This would not be possible though, without a change of heart.

 

[Rowan]

Species ~

Does love = like?

((It's not a thread zombie if the last post was only six days ago...right? ))

 

[Emmy]

Dear Species8472, Jesus told us to love, enemies as well, and love can be shown in many ways. Satan is also our adversary, he wants us to become his slaves, to be disloyal to God, our Saviour. We cannot be friend and foe at the same time, but we can treat Satan with truth and outspokenness, " Get thee behind me, Satan, I am not your enemy, but I am on God`s Side." Satan is an adversary to be met only, when clad with the armour of God. I say this humbly and kindly, Species, and send greetings. Emmy, your sister in Christ.

 

[Gentle]

I find it impossible not to love Lucifer as well
He is the divine of the darkness, the other half of the "whole' or 'all' without which it wouldn't exist.
thats how I see it always
peace