Grace Alone and Faith Alone: What is Wrong with the First Two Solas? The Old Testament is love your neighbor and your neighbor includes your enemy. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him; Behold, you delight in truth in the inward being, and you teach me wisdom in the secret heart. Whos my neighbor? For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law until all is accomplished. "Continue to love your enemies and to pray for those who persecute you." Now we will come back to the third and the fifth but Im looking at the ones First of all, theyre the most obvious that make it so plain to us that the ethic that Jesus was subscribing to and conveying to his disciples was in every case Old Covenant ethics of morality. Then hed notify the Israelite king Jehoram so he could pull a no-show. Youve heard it was said but it wasnt said. I realize this doctrine poses a significant . We have to pick up here on our next little lesson. Several years ago I wrote a book called Hit by Friendly Fire: What to do when other believers hurt you. Suppose ten are found there. He answered, For the sake of ten I will not destroy it., For I have chosen him, that he may command his children and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing righteousness and justice, so that the Lord may bring to Abraham what he has promised him., I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.. Matthew 5:43-48 ESV / 168 helpful votesHelpfulNot Helpful. If someone takes your coat, do not withhold your shirt from them. 13. In other words, Gods character is loving and merciful. Tradwives are heterosexual women who prefer the traditional roles where men work outside the home, and they work by Matt Slick | Mar 8, 2023 | Bible Verses, Questions. Were out of time. The Twisting and Truth About Jesus' Olivet Discourse Parables, Surprising Biblical Truths About Grace and Works, The Hyper-Grace Twisting of Paul's Teaching About Salvation. 6506007), WTC is a Registered Charity (No. . Hes not correcting the Law of Moses. Luke 6:35-36. Jesus gets His teaching on loving enemies from the Old Testament. And he made him a robe of many colors. And the second is like unto it: Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. As David Holwerda wrote of Luke 6:17-26: Thus both the beatitudes and the woes [of the Sermon on the Mount and the Sermon on the Plains] are intended to shape the lives of disciples who live in this world as citizens of Gods kingdom., In both Matthew 5:44 and Luke 6:27, Jesus calls for believers to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us. Witchcraft is a practice that involves the use of spells, incantations, special objects, symbols, and ceremonies to by Matt Slick | Mar 22, 2023 | Questions, Marriage, Sexuality. Ill focus on one in this first post, and offer it in the form of a positive thesis. Peacock's 'Mrs. But if we keep reading what Jesus said here in the context of the fact that hes correcting pharisaical teaching seems pretty safe to conclude that the scribes and Pharisees had determined your neighbor is the person who loves you. Responding to evil with more evil does not solve the problem. No, the Old Testament never teaches to hate our enemies any more than the New Testament does. We can learn how to apply Jesus' command in our own lives by following the fullness of the teaching. Salem Media Group. Psalm 136:1-26 ESV / 2 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful. How easily a unified people become Balkanized (broken into competing groups, divided) when pride and self-interests supersede love and a common heritage in God. Youre proving that youre sons of your father when you love your enemies and pray for those who persecute. You shall love your neighbor.. This remains a challenge for our generation, as well. Matthew 5:43-47 (RSV)You have heard that it was said, `You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.[44] But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,[45] so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. Hes raising the standard, so under the Law of Moses, God didnt want Israel to love their enemies? 43 "You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' 44 [] But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, 45 that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends . In reality, the Old Testament and the New both teach that we are to love even our enemies. And one could support it from the Old Testament ( Lev. I think anyone whos ever read the Old Testament knows that and so Jesus is correcting this idea thats so prevalent in his day that not only is it okay to hate certain people that you label as enemies, its commanded by God but it wasnt. And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? This is why Paul writes, And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love (1 Corinthians 13:13, NKJV). The Lord said to Moses, Cut for yourself two tablets of stone like the first, and I will write on the tablets the words that were on the first tablets, which you broke. Jesus said the greatest commands were to love God and to love our neighbor as ourself ( Matt. God loves his enemies. "Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven" (Matthew 5:44-45). Dont misquote me on that. Matthew 5:35: Psalm 48:2 . He believed it was nearly as vital as loving God with your whole heart. The reasons will be suggested below. Today's climate makes it easy to harbor feelings of resentment toward others or toward a specific group of people. There is only greater pain. In this article, we'd like to share six prayers for guidance. Its not in all caps because its not a quote. The Arameans no longer came raiding into the land of Israel. (v. 23), [In my next post Ill look at the relationship between Jesus views on revenge and the Old Testament teachings on that topic (e.g., Matt 5:38).]. That sounds like something out of the New Testament, no? Yet, there are those who cry foul here, saying that Jesus statement is predicated on a misquotation of the Old Testament and a false assumption that the Old Testament taught people to hate their enemies. He does not retain his anger forever, because he delights in steadfast love. However, in the end, we must come to accept one another as children of God. You bet! While no Bible verse explicitly says "hate your enemy," the Pharisees may have somewhat misapplied some of the Old Testament passages about hatred for God's enemies (Psalm 139:19-22; 140:9-11). Thank you for your interest in supporting CARM. He and his wife, Mae, reside in Western North Carolina. But they came to Baal-peor and consecrated themselves to the thing of shame, and became detestable like the thing they loved. Do not turn to idols or make for yourselves any gods of cast metal: I am the Lord your God. He is defending the actual teaching of the Old Testament against this popular misrepresentation of its intent! 3:6 ), and He cannot hate any person, nor can He command anyone else to do so. 29 If someone slaps you on one cheek, turn to them the other also. I can't love my enemies without your help. Matthew 5:43-48 NIV. Therefore my heart yearns for him; I will surely have mercy on him, declares the Lord. If you see the donkey of one who hates you lying helpless under its load, you shall refrain from leaving it to him, you shall surely release it with him, (Exodus 23:4-5). In the New Testament, Jesus spoke of God's desire for His people to pray for enemies and to love one's neighbor as one's self. He has authored numerous books, including a 500-page equipping manual titled The Disciple Making-Minister, which has been translated into more than 30 languages. Love your neighbor and hate your enemy. "Think of what this admonition alone [to love your enemies] would do in your neighborhood and mine, in the communities in which you and your children live, in the nations which make up our great global family. Create a free PRAY account and we'll send you our Weekly Wisdom Devotional emails each Tuesday. Then Jehoram even asks Elisha twice, Shall I strike them down? How long has God been loving his enemies? God doesnt change. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. But some folks were saying that thats something that the world never heard before and that a new ethic, a new standard of morality. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.". 12:19; Heb. Matthew frequently records Jesus challenging the Pharisees with phrases like, Have you not read?1For example, Matthew 12:3, Matthew 12:5, Matthew 19:4, Matthew 21:16, Matthew 21:42 Matthew 22:31 Never, have you not heard? When speaking from the Prophet Daniel, Jesus bids let the reader understand, not let the hearer understand. This pattern is extremely consistent. Wealth & Archaeology. But thats all I could find in the Old Testament. Jesus is demonstrating what God really commands over against the teachings and practices of his day. For as often as I speak against him, I do remember him still. Loving your enemies, is that a New or an Old Testament concept? What does it mean to pray for your enemies? I dont know what their conclusion was. Part of it was what was said but not all of it. The Old Testament nowhere requires Israel to hate its enemies. Is that something that started with the New Covenant? The statement "You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy" in Matt 5:43 turns out to be a good summary of the sectarian interpretation of Lev 19:17-18. The Gospel of Matthew doesnt present Jesus as speaking of the Scriptures themselves as something heard, but rather as something read. So in Matthew 5, when Jesus uses the formula of you have heard it saidbut I say, Jesus is not arguing with the passage itself. In both passages, Jesus provides the theological necessity for loving our enemies, as well as the blessed consequence of obedience. I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore I have continued my faithfulness to you. . And that is not only how to love your enemies, but also why we must love them. This article is part of our larger resource library of popular Bible verse phrases and quotes. Solution: God never commanded His people at any time to hate their enemies (see comments on Mal. But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Everybody thinks about it very long because, well, obviously not everybody is not my neighbor that Im supposed to love because how can I be loving to kill somebody under the orders of God? "You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.'. We are also concerned with Luke 6:27: But I say to you who hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. Luke 6:38. Copyright 2023, Bible Study Tools. The ox knows its owner, and the donkey its master's crib, but Israel does not know, my people do not understand. Ah, sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, offspring of evildoers, children who deal corruptly! So he takes that straight out of the Old Testament, but he also says "you have heard it said that you should 'hate your enemy.'" That is a little more difficult, because nowhere in the Old Testament is there ever a command to hate one's enemy. You may even be surprised at what you find out. All the law and the prophets hang on these two commandments.. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. Set bread and water before them, that they may eat and drink and go to their master. So the king prepared for them a great feast, and when they had eaten and drunk, he sent them away, and they went to their master. (2 Kgs 6:21-22), Did this non-violent response work? Whoever then annuls one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever keeps and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven,, love your neighbor and hate your enemy,, If you have any issues, please call the office at 385-246-1048 or email us at. But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. When Jesus said we are to love our enemies, He was creating a new standard for relationships. Each time the Syrian King tried to attack Israel, Elisha used his prophetic radar to anticipate his attacks. Verse Concepts. 4:12; 1 Pet. And Jesus knew this when he said, Forgive them, Father.. When you offer a sacrifice of peace offerings to the Lord, you shall offer it so that you may be accepted. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. The second part, "hate your enemy," doesn't appear anywhere in the Old Testament. 22:36-37, 39 ). I am the Lord your God. This is a worthwhile act of empathy that anyone can do in any situation.. Pray.com provides people from all walks of life inspiration through Daily Prayers, Bible in a Year Programs, and Bedtime Bible Stories. It was not because you were more in number than any other people that the Lord set his love on you and chose you, for you were the fewest of all peoples. There was such a big problem with escalating vendettas that this law of retaliation was a way to limit those crimes., The sentencing was carried out by a court of elders, who assessed the damage done and distributed a monetary punishment to the guilty party., In the Old Testament, there is a verse in Leviticus 19:18 that states, Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against anyone among your people.. They have forsaken the Lord, they have despised the Holy One of Israel, they are utterly estranged. Z. So Isaac was comforted after his mother's death. Because if its a new ethic, a new standard, what youre saying is it cant be found in the Old Covenant anywhere. Whether its a loss of a job, a loved one, self-esteem, or their own health, there are plenty of reasons people do what they do., The next step is to accept where they are in their life. He knows the Bible pretty well. "1 Samuel 25-26: Love Your Enemies," Old Testament Seminary Student Study Guide . While you handily dismantle his claim ". You shall not do as they do in the land of Egypt, where you lived, and you shall not do as they do in the land of Canaan, to which I am bringing you. Used by permission. Luke 6:35-36 states, But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil. In exasperation, the king of Syria laid siege to the city of Dothan, where Elisha lived, hoping to root out the source of his military frustrations. If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. You shall therefore keep my statutes and my rules; if a person does them, he shall live by them: I am the Lord. . Jesus goes on . Throughout the Scriptures, we are commanded to treat even those who hate us with dignity and compassion as men and women created in the image of God. 1:3 ). Isaac loved Esau because he ate of his game, but Rebekah loved Jacob. John Donne (1572-1631), the poet-preacher of St. Pauls, London, wrote of Matthew 5: All the articles of our religion, all the canons of our church, all the injunctions of our princes, all the homilies of our fathers, all the body of divinity, is in these three chapters, in this one Sermon on the Mount.1The Sermon on the Mount, on a hill north of Galilee, has been called a radical re-interpretation of the Old Testament Scriptures by Jesus. To follow Jesus, you must love your enemies. Oba 1:12). These words have been a central part of Christian ethics for nearly two thousand years and resonate even with many unbelievers around the world. The word perfect, in the original Greek, means complete. Knowledge of the Old Testament should lead us to reject what we might call a docetic ethics, a belief that Jesus ethical teachings just dropped from heaven. I will love them no more; all their princes are rebels. Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world. Let no flocks or herds graze opposite that mountain. So Moses cut two tablets of stone like the first. But the casual, easy interpretation by the Pharisees and the Sadducees led the people of Israel to see all the Gentile nations as prominent and perennial enemies. Jesus says: You have heard that it was said, You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy. But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you. Learn about religious freedom in the workplace, and read Bible verses about work. As with other Jewish teachers of His day, Jesus validated it through reuse and reappropriation. That youre only obligated to love the people who love you, but you have no obligation to ever show mercy and grace to undeserving people? You will show faithfulness to Jacob and steadfast love to Abraham, as you have sworn to our fathers from the days of old. But I say, love your enemies! All rights reserved. To the choirmaster. Early Christians sought to take the . Proverbs 25:21-22 If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat, and if he is thirsty, give him water to drink, You will heap burning coals of shame on their heads, and the LORD will reward you. Love Your Enemies Matthew 5:43-48 Delivered 11/24/2002. Oops! God is an unchanging God of love (cf. 12. Proverbsand we have to remember that these were popular sayingseven states that those who rejoice over anothers misfortune will not go unpunished (17:15). For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil. Then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature. And he did so along the grain of its core ethical teachings. Read beyond verse 16 to consume the fullness of the meaning: For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. Police officers do a dangerous, but necessary job. There are different examples in the bible of people showing love even to their enemies. However, your enemies will force you to take a closer look at your life. The question were asking today is about a very familiar commandment, love your enemies. It simply means moving on from the past. New King James Version (NKJV). But the Lord takes pleasure in those who fear him, in those who hope in his steadfast love. Elisha prayed, and miraculously, the enemy army was struck with blindness until Elisha led them bound into the middle of the capital city Samaria, where they stood before Jehoram. 5:14]; James 2:8, Leviticus 19:18 in all English translations, Luke 23:34; Acts 7:60; 1 Cor. By submitting your email address, you understand that you will receive email communications from Bible Gateway, a division of The Zondervan Corporation, 3900 Sparks Drive SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49546 USA, including commercial communications and messages from partners of Bible Gateway. [46] For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? It's not Jesus, it's the Jewish law of Moses, it's the Pentateuch of the Old Testament. Unless otherwise indicated, all content is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License. Pray that God will help you to love them and forgive them as you remember how God loved and forgave you. This makes it sound as if Yeshua was replacing the Torah's law "to hate our enemies" with a new law of love for our enemies: "But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you" (Matthew 5:44). Elisha the prophet and Jesus both taught the importance of loving your enemies. He is the recipient of the Legion of Merit. Well that's the Old Testament. Some critics challenge, however, that this creates a problem with Jesus own teaching, which seems (they claim) to indicate that the Old Testament taught hate of enemies and that Jesus replaced this with the stricter ethic of love for even ones enemies.