Need Your Advice [moved from Christian advice]

[ReformedHeathen01]

Hello Christians,

I am not a christian, so being that you all are Christians and your expertise is the Holy Bible and Christianity, I would like your knowledgeable guidance on some things I have been thinking about since I have started reading the Holy Bible.

I read in the new testament where Jesus said for me to love my enemies. What I want to know is, do I have to love God's enemies?

I am stupid compared to the wise. So as that I will not be confused by my own stupidity when you give me your answer. I have taken the liberty to simplify it for my own benefit.

Please pick 1.

A. Yes, I have to love the enemies of God.

B. No, I do not have to love the enemies of God.

May the Lord bless you for your kindness to me with the right answer.

Thank you very much
Christians.

 

[Pal Handy]

Hello Christians,

I am not a christian, so being that you all are Christians and your expertise is the Holy Bible and Christianity, I would like your knowledgeable guidance on some things I have been thinking about since I have started reading the Holy Bible.

I read in the new testament where Jesus said for me to love my enemies. What I want to know is, do I have to love God's enemies?

I am stupid compared to the wise. So as that I will not be confused by my own stupidity when you give me your answer. I have taken the liberty to simplify it for my own benefit.

Please pick 1.

A. Yes, I have to love the enemies of God.

B. No, I do not have to love the enemies of God.

May the Lord bless you for your kindness to me with the right answer.

Thank you very much
Christians.

Do you have to love your enemies?

If you follow Christ then yes we as Christian must love our
enemies and to pray for those that use and abuse us.
We as Christians are to forgive our enemies as Christ has forgiven us.

Each person has freewill so they still have a choice even though Christ has given
us a comandment to love others as He has loved us.

We have a choice to allow Christ to be more that our savior and to mature as Christians
and allow Christ to be our Lord so He can direct us for His glory and purposes.

Faith in Christ brings salvation.

Surrender to Christ as Lord brings fruit and works that will last forever
in the form of souls that will be brought into the kingdom of God by our
allowing Christ to have His way and perform His perfect will in our lives.

Those who get it and believe that we are to follow Christ and His
teachings over what men would say and teach will move toward love.

The problem with loving your enemies and forgiving them and
praying for them when they use and abuse you is that in our human
strength and power it is IMPOSSIBLE TO DO.

So inorder for Christians to follow Christ and accomplish what He has given
us to do, we need His Holy Spirit within us to empower us to love
others as He has loved all men and has died for the sins of all men.

Acts 1:8
But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you;
and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem,
and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

Again we see the relationship of the believer to Christ and the emphasis
on the fact that apart from Christ we cannot do what God has called us to do.

John 15:5
“I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me,
and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.

Those that walk in power will be those believers who have surrendered
their lives to Christ and allowed Him to be Lord of their lives so that they will
be empowered by the Holy Spirit of God to love others as God loves us all.

I am not talking about salvation at this point but of becoming Christ like
and sanctified or set apart for the works of Christ that God calls us to
as believers.

I am talking about becoming a mature Christian who
has allowed Jesus Christ to become Lord of their lives.

Salvation is what God freely gives to all who believe or have faith in Jesus
Christ as their savior, as their forgivness and as their way to inherit eternal life
because God has pronounced that all who trust in Christ will be pardoned from their
sins and given eternal life.

What I am talking about is becoming Christ like or as some would say,
sanctified or set apart for God's purposes and plans for their lives while
still on the earth.

It is sad to say that many will find Jesus Christ as their savior but many
will not allow Him to be their Lord and allow Him to do as He pleases
in their lives so they can produce fruit that will glorify God.

There is so much more to say but the important thing for you to realize
is that Jesus Christ is the way to God His Father and eternal life.

Without Christ you cannot come to the Father of Jesus Christ.

Many would say that Christ is exclusive of other ways or
religions but I would say that Christ is not the way to
Allah or any other god but is the way to His Father who inspired the writings
of the Holy Bible and who sent His Son Jesus Christ into the world to prove to
all men that He is the one true God above all other ways or religions.

So if you want the God and Father of Jesus Christ, then follow Christ.

 

[wayfaring man]

B. No, I do not have to love the enemies of God.

One of the main reason why Jesus commanded us to love "our" enemies, is because our fellow humans, are not our true enemies. Our true enemies are the unclean spirits which seek to have us at each other's throats...among other ungodly, incriminating things.

And we are told to wage war against such spiritual wickedness...so no, we are not to love God's (our true) enemies.

For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. <-----> Ephesians 6:12

(For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds)
Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ; <-----> 2nd Corinthians 10:4+5

Though it may be questioned whether God actually has any enemies...the expression has been taken to be a reference to demons, devils, unclean spirits, defiling imaginations, etc.

wm

 

[znr]

Hello Christians,

I am not a christian, so being that you all are Christians and your expertise is the Holy Bible and Christianity, I would like your knowledgeable guidance on some things I have been thinking about since I have started reading the Holy Bible.

I read in the new testament where Jesus said for me to love my enemies. What I want to know is, do I have to love God's enemies?

I am stupid compared to the wise. So as that I will not be confused by my own stupidity when you give me your answer. I have taken the liberty to simplify it for my own benefit.

Please pick 1.

A. Yes, I have to love the enemies of God.

B. No, I do not have to love the enemies of God.

May the Lord bless you for your kindness to me with the right answer.

Thank you very much
Christians.

If you don't know the bible then you can't really know if what we're telling you is the truth, but if you keep reading you can answer your own question and probably be more satisfied that you've experienced the answer, as opposed to being told. Not trying to be difficult at all but most people are as ignorant about a lot of things as you claim to be, myself included. By asking for one of us to define the answer to your question you're also asking for our interpretation, too. So I would suggest that you read all the scriptures pertaining to your question, find and ultimately know the answers for yourself as well as take the interpretations given here. Frankly, I feel like I'm in the same boat a you a lot of the time, and I'm a believer.

 

[paul1149]

Yes, love the enemies of God. But understand that love here is not "like". It is desiring their true best interest. And what is the true best interest of the enemies of God? That they repent and turn to Him.

You don't have to enjoy, applaud or be reconciled to those aligned with darkness. But the Holy Spirit may call you to intercede for them. And some - no, many - enemies of God have turned and become some of God's greatest disciples. Paul of Tarsus is but one example.

 

[Arc Angel]

I am not a christian, (SIC) so being that you all are Christians and your expertise is the Holy Bible and Christianity, I would like your knowledgeable guidance on some things I have been thinking about since I have started reading the Holy Bible.

I read in the new testament (SIC) where Jesus said for me to love my enemies. What I want to know is, do I have to love God's enemies? I am stupid compared to the wise. So as that I will not be confused by my own stupidity when you give me your answer. I have taken the liberty to simplify it for my own benefit. Please pick 1.

A. Yes, I have to love the enemies of God.

B. No, I do not have to love the enemies of God.

May the Lord bless you for your kindness to me with the right answer. Thank you very much, Christians.

Hello! I've got to ask, 'Are you being real?' Without intending to be rude there's something (almost) facetious about your question. Because you've limited each person's response to one of two choices I'm going to go with answer, 'B'. 'No, I do not have to love the enemies of God.'

All of which causes me to wonder, 'Do you honestly believe, or are you able to provide scriptural documentation to support, the proposition that God loves His enemies?' Frankly I think you need to, 'get your head around this subject' from an entirely different direction. We (Christians) are admonished by scripture to:

(1) 'To me belongeth vengeance and recompence; their foot shall slide in due time: for the day of their calamity is at hand, and the things that shall come upon them make haste.' - Deuteronomy 32:35

(2) 'Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: Fret not thyself in any wise to do evil. For evildoers shall be cutoff: But those that wait on The Lord, they shall inherit the Earth. For yet a little while, and the wicked shall not be: Yea, thou shalt diligently consider his place, and he shall not be.' - Psalms 37:8-10

(3) 'Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord. Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head. Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.' - Romans 12:19-21

(4) 'Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy; but, I say unto you: Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you. That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: For He maketh His sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? Do not even the publicans the same? And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? Do not even the publicans so? Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.&#8217; - Matthew 5:43-48

(5) &#8216;But I say unto you which hear, Love your enemies, do good to them which hate you. Bless them that curse you, and pray for them which despitefully use you. And unto him that smiteth thee on the one cheek offer also the other; and him that taketh away thy cloak forbid not to take thy coat also. Give to every man that asketh of thee; and of him that taketh away thy goods ask them not again.&#8217;

&#8216;And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise. For if ye love them which love you, what thanks have ye? For sinners also love those that love them; and, if ye do good to them which do good to you, what thanks have ye? For sinners, also, do even the same.&#8217;

&#8216;And if ye lend to them of whom ye hope to receive, what thanks have ye? For sinners also lend to sinners, to receive as much again. But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great; and ye shall be the children of The Highest: For He is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil. Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful.&#8217; - Luke 6:27-36

The way I see things the fundamental mistake in your reasoning is that you are confusing men who might, indeed, be your personal enemies with others who are, in demonstrable fact, the enemies of God. This is not an, &#8216;apples for apples&#8217; comparison.

As a mere flesh and blood creation of The Most High God, it is not your place to hate anyone. Instead you are instructed by divine command to love your enemies, to pray for those who despise you, and to forgive those who harm you no matter how often, or how much, they might sin against you.

All of which is not to say that God has not given you a right of self-defense. You DO have that right! The skill comes in knowing how to exercise it properly. (Refer: Exodus 22:2-3) So, within the confines of your stated logic the most appropriate answer is, &#8216;B&#8217;. &#8216;No, I do not have to love the enemies of God.&#8217; However, there is a caveat: My suggestion would be for you to make absolutely certain that you do not, IN ANY WAY, fancy yourself to be equal to God.

In my studied opinion: It is not any man's place to either love or hate, 'the enemies of God'. The Lord&#8217;s enemies are, perhaps, your enemies; but, trust me on this, you are no match for them. &#8216;Why?&#8217; Because of the, 'powers and principalities' mentioned above; and, The Lord is very well able to exact vengeance for Himself. In fact, within this realm of being, God reserves the judgment of all mankind (vengeance) for Himself, alone. He doesn&#8217;t need, either you or me to exact vengeance for Him; nor is it within the normal boundaries of Judeo-Christian scripture for a Christian to do so.



PS: You might want to return to your original post and edit it. It is widely considered to be an insult to write the word, &#8216;Christian&#8217; with the, &#8216;C&#8217; in lower case - OK. (The same convention applies to the noun, 'New Testament' which you have, also, failed to write in title case.)

 

[ChrisHolland619]

Hello Christians,

I am not a christian, so being that you all are Christians and your expertise is the Holy Bible and Christianity, I would like your knowledgeable guidance on some things I have been thinking about since I have started reading the Holy Bible.

I read in the new testament where Jesus said for me to love my enemies. What I want to know is, do I have to love God's enemies?

I am stupid compared to the wise. So as that I will not be confused by my own stupidity when you give me your answer. I have taken the liberty to simplify it for my own benefit.

Please pick 1.

A. Yes, I have to love the enemies of God.

B. No, I do not have to love the enemies of God.

May the Lord bless you for your kindness to me with the right answer.

Thank you very much
Christians.

Welcome.

Do you have to love GOD'S enemies? Yes, you do. Everyone who is not FOR Christ is against Christ. IE, His enemies. But those enemies are powerless against Christ. But yes, we have to love our enemies. Christ makes that very clear.

The answer to your question is "A".

The very words of Christ (God) Himself:

"But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;" Matthew 5:44

 

[jimfish]

Hello Christians, I am not a christian....I read in the new testament where Jesus said for me to love my enemies. What I want to know is, do I have to love God's enemies?....Thank you very much
Christians.

So I guess you are asking if we as Christians are required to love you, since you claim to not be a Christian and Jesus says that "whoever is not for Me is against Me."

For us as Christians, God's enemies are our enemies, and ours His. They are the same. So, yes, we as believers must Love God's enemies. (But some people are best loved from a distance, from the heart and spirit but not necessarily in deed.)

When Jesus came to earth in the flesh, He gave from God the Father three Commandments all human beings must obey: Love God with all facets of our being, Love ALL people MORE THAN we love our own selves ("...a NEW commandment I give you"), and believe that through Jesus and His Grace we can do numbers 1 and 2. The "catch" is, this is only TRULY possible via the Fruit of the Spirit of Agape' Love, and such Fruit is only available to the committed born-again Christian ("the ways of man SEEM right in his own eyes"), so....

...good luck with that (facetious but not sarcastic, your post most likely Socratic anyway, but a wonderful launching platform, thank you Jesus).

P.S. But it IS God's will and mine that "none should perish," that all might find The Way.

 

[joey_downunder]

Only when you love God will you will be able to love your enemy. Without God it is impossible to do that.

 

[Arc Angel]

Well, ........ If I accept the premise that, 'I must love God's enemies' (Hardly an entirely spiritual proposition!) does not this mean that in order to love, &#8216;God's enemies&#8217; I must, also, underwrite (or tacitly condone) evil as well?

In trying to fathom what is being said, here, it seems to me that there is an enormous contradiction-in-terms present. As with any problem in logic (either spiritual or material) the first thing that has to be done is to accurately define the terms. Consequently I'm curious to know exactly who are, 'God's enemies'?

The way I read sacred scripture I'm unable to get past the ideas that I should love my brother and be quick to forgive those other people who have in any way harmed me - Personally, I find nothing inside the Holy Bible that exhorts me to love (or forgive), 'the principalities, powers, or rulers of the darkness of this world, or against spiritual wickedness in high places' - Nothing!

Clearly - and by an accurate definition of terms - 'God's enemies', and a man's enemies are NOT precisely synonymous, the one with the other. In my opinion (No, I'm not being Socratic; I'm being didactic, instead!) a Christian should be very careful with whomever he either does, or does not love. &#8216;Loving&#8217;, in a strictly unqualified fashion, is not the eleventh commandment.

'Love YOUR enemies' means exactly that. In issuing this command, Christ does not, also, give anyone a license to extend the concept of love into the spiritual realm. I know of no spiritual admonition within the Holy Bible that goes beyond exhorting men to, 'love God and do all that is good'. On the precise topic of loving, 'God's enemies' sacred scripture is entirely silent.

I find it intriguing to notice that it has taken someone who is, by his own definition, 'not a Christian' and, by a simple extension in logic, also not a Jew to expand the concept of agape (awe inspiring Christian love) to include all those whom God The Father has sworn by Himself to someday destroy.

My own suggestion would be to, 'keep things real'. Let God and The Lord Jesus Christ deal with the spiritual realm - Acting on our own, neither you nor I is an adequate match for even the least of spirits. Our responsibility to BROADLY love or not to love does not extend beyond the material realm.

Unless, of course, the implication in logic is that it is permissible to destroy any other person who falls under a presumed, 'intellectual umbrella' of being an, 'enemy of God'; and THAT is - as should be recognized - the unmistakable and all too common rationale behind Jihad. (Which would, of course, mean that you and I are, in fact, the, &#8216;enemies of God&#8217;; and, by foolishly condoning this question, we have - albeit without specific intention - given someone else an inadvertent license to attack us with impunity.)

There are places where you should go in life; and there are other places where you should not. Personally, I think all mere mortals - and especially Christians - should be extra careful about whom they allow themselves to love.


Refer: Proverbs 23:6-7, Matthew 6:21-24

 

[jimfish]

I'm wondering if the confusion appearing in this thread is simply due the thread starter's ambiguous use of the phrase "God's enemies." When I first read it I assumed they meant such as Islamic fundamentalist terrorists, Buddhist priests, etc. (I even questioned in my mind as to whether the starter actually was a non-Christian.) So since others have interpreted this thread differently, believing the starter meant SPIRITUAL/unseen enemies....well, duh to me if I was wrong, amen?

 

[razeontherock]

Hello Christians,

I am not a christian, so being that you all are Christians and your expertise is the Holy Bible and Christianity, I would like your knowledgeable guidance on some things I have been thinking about since I have started reading the Holy Bible.

I read in the new testament where Jesus said for me to love my enemies. What I want to know is, do I have to love God's enemies?

I am stupid compared to the wise. So as that I will not be confused by my own stupidity when you give me your answer. I have taken the liberty to simplify it for my own benefit.

Please pick 1.

A. Yes, I have to love the enemies of God.

B. No, I do not have to love the enemies of God.

May the Lord bless you for your kindness to me with the right answer.

Thank you very much
Christians.

I pick B. I say that the main purpose of this life is to learn to love what G-d Loves, (which is usually pretty easy for me) and also to learn to hate what G-d hates. (Which is usually very difficult for me) I consider this to be the "ministry of reconciliation" spoken of in 2 Corinthians 5:18.

I think the really important thing here, is to be un-assuming as to what these things are, and I commend you for your non-assuming attitude on display in your OP!! Here's everything in the Bible that I know of that G-d actually hates:

"These six [things] doth the LORD hate: yea, seven [are] an abomination unto him: (Proverbs 6:17) A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief, A false witness [that] speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren."

I do very adamantly understand this not to say that the Lord hates such a human being as has done these things, but rather the acts themselves. (And further, the spirit in or by which said acts are performed)

Good to see you reading the Bible! May I suggest starting with John's Gospel, and reading straight through the NT?

 

[hedrick]

Well, ........ If I accept the premise that, 'I must love God's enemies' (Hardly an entirely spiritual proposition!) does not this mean that in order to love, ‘God's enemies’ I must, also, underwrite (or tacitly condone) evil as well?

No. That's why one of the previous poster's comments was relevant. Loving in this context means wanting the best for someone, being willing to forgive them, but not necessarily liking them. But even with people you like, family, etc, love doesn't mean you approve everything they do.

It's possible to love someone and still realize that they do harmful things and that you need to protect yourself or others from that.

The situation when extended to God gives more information. Jesus says we love our enemies because God does. See Mat 5:43-48, which says our love is based on God's. However looking at the description of God, it says that God does good things for evil people, but not that he always likes them or approves of what they do. The version in Luke, 6:27 ff seems more explicit that loving enemies means doing good for them.

 

[ViaCrucis]

Hello Christians,

I am not a christian, so being that you all are Christians and your expertise is the Holy Bible and Christianity, I would like your knowledgeable guidance on some things I have been thinking about since I have started reading the Holy Bible.

I read in the new testament where Jesus said for me to love my enemies. What I want to know is, do I have to love God's enemies?

I am stupid compared to the wise. So as that I will not be confused by my own stupidity when you give me your answer. I have taken the liberty to simplify it for my own benefit.

Please pick 1.

A. Yes, I have to love the enemies of God.

B. No, I do not have to love the enemies of God.

May the Lord bless you for your kindness to me with the right answer.

Thank you very much
Christians.

If Christ is our Lord, which is what every Christian confesses, then His commandments are absolute.

So yes, we are to love our enemies and love any who regard themselves God's enemy or our enemy. In fact Jesus says it is precisely in loving those who hate us, who are hostile toward us and who wish us harm and even death that we imitate the love and kindness of God the Father "who is kind to the thankless and wicked" and "who makes His rain fall upon the just and the unjust". We show ourselves children of the Father in our love and kindness toward our enemies.

-CryptoLutheran