What does 'love thine enemy' really mean?

[OakWood]

 

We didn't love the Nazis. We went to war against them.

We didn't love the Taliban, we fought them.

We don't love al-Qaeda.

 

When you read Revelation, and God is sending disasters to the earth and its inhabitants,disasters that lead to death, do you think God loves the people any less?

 

 

No, not at all.

[OakWood]

Hang on, I've just replied to the wrong post there on both occasions. I meant one to reply to the be to the other, and vice-versa, I think.

I've just confused myself.

Anyway carry on.......

[Sevenseas]

LOL!...I hesitate to reply until I am sure you have posted as you actually want to....

 

what is ok to respond to?  the answer you gave to my post?

[OakWood]

LOL!...I hesitate to reply until I am sure you have posted as you actually want to....

 

what is ok to respond to?  the answer you gave to my post?

 

What it was, was, I noticed that you replied to one post and claimed that it was not sensible. I was also going to reply to that post, but thought perhaps that I should defend my own position in starting the thread as my opening post sounded naive, but then I jumped to the next post but got carried away and somehow mixed both replies together, but fortunately the reply to the next post was the correct one anyway, but going back to my reply to your post, yes it was more or less correct and I was agreeing with most of what you said.

 

So yes, you can respond to my post.

[Sevenseas]

yuh sure now?    ok...here goes

 

 

By the way, I'd just like to point out that when I started this thread, I knew that I wasn't making sense myself. I was trying to spur discussion. You'll have to excuse my not always apparent sarcasm.

I agree with everything you've said by the way, but sometimes it's nice to get assurance that people think the way that you do. I had to be sure. I was always a bit confused between the statement 'love thine enemy' and the apparently contradictory statement 'fight evil', but for some time I've guessed that there is such things as 'just' wars.

I also realise that despite Jesus's statement about turning the other cheek, Christians still have a right to defend themselves.

I believe that Christians should never seek revenge (that is for God only) but we are allowed to fight evil, in fact it is our duty to.

 

 

 

Truly had no idea you were disguising sarcasim in there so took your op seriously

 

If you agreed with everything I wrote, then how can I disagree?

 

Now that defintiions are working at becoming clearer, I believe there is a time to turn the other cheek, but in the case of the scenerios you mentionned, the application is too broad to

apply to the words of Jesus (in the sense of all Christians now do nothing)  IMO

 

Jesus did not defend Himself....so there must be a point where neither should we...although I have on occasion, I have also just kept silent

 

I agree that we are not to seek revenge.  In God's economy, what He allows to happen, occurs with no desire to hurt, but rather is the outcome of the deeds of the person (hopefully that is not confusing...

I think it's a deep subject actually)

[OakWood]

yuh sure now?    ok...here goes

 

 

By the way, I'd just like to point out that when I started this thread, I knew that I wasn't making sense myself. I was trying to spur discussion. You'll have to excuse my not always apparent sarcasm.

I agree with everything you've said by the way, but sometimes it's nice to get assurance that people think the way that you do. I had to be sure. I was always a bit confused between the statement 'love thine enemy' and the apparently contradictory statement 'fight evil', but for some time I've guessed that there is such things as 'just' wars.

I also realise that despite Jesus's statement about turning the other cheek, Christians still have a right to defend themselves.

I believe that Christians should never seek revenge (that is for God only) but we are allowed to fight evil, in fact it is our duty to.

 

 

 

Truly had no idea you were disguising sarcasim in there so took your op seriously

 

If you agreed with everything I wrote, then how can I disagree?

 

Now that defintiions are working at becoming clearer, I believe there is a time to turn the other cheek, but in the case of the scenerios you mentionned, the application is too broad to

apply to the words of Jesus (in the sense of all Christians now do nothing)  IMO

 

Jesus did not defend Himself....so there must be a point where neither should we...although I have on occasion, I have also just kept silent

 

I agree that we are not to seek revenge.  In God's economy, what He allows to happen, occurs with no desire to hurt, but rather is the outcome of the deeds of the person (hopefully that is not confusing...

I think it's a deep subject actually)

 

Sorry, my thread was serious but the sarcasm was in the content. I wrote it from the viewpoint of somebody of somebody who was confused. That's what I meant.

But yes, back to the point.

I believe that fighting evil and fighting wars when necessary does not conflict with the phrase Love Thine Enemy.

[Willa]

We didn't love the Nazis. We went to war against them.

We didn't love the Taliban, we fought them.

We don't love al-Qaeda.

These are organizations or regimes that bear the spirit of antichrist. We can grieve over them because they have chosen to believe deception and for the evil they have done. We can even feel compassion for them as we might for sociopaths and seriel killers who are still at loose and a threat to our communities. But we do want them to be brought to justice for the safety of all. Godly love is also righteous and just. It often is tough love.

[OakWood]

 

We didn't love the Nazis. We went to war against them.

We didn't love the Taliban, we fought them.

We don't love al-Qaeda.

These are organizations or regimes that bear the spirit of antichrist. We can grieve over them because they have chosen to believe deception and for the evil they have done. We can even feel compassion for them as we might for sociopaths and seriel killers who are still at loose and a threat to our communities. But we do want them to be brought to justice for the safety of all. Godly love is also righteous and just. It often is tough love.

 

 

Great answer.

[Butch5]

 

 

We didn't love the Nazis. We went to war against them.

We didn't love the Taliban, we fought them.

We don't love al-Qaeda.

This is one of the reasons many reject Christianity.

 

 

 

um...no.

 

They reject Christ...not Christianity.

 

God has already offered His love through His Son.

 

The book of Romans makes it plain that people are without excuse when they reject God and turn away from Him.

 

Saying we did not love the Nazis is a ridiculous statement.

 

Did an army of Christians go to war against Germany and its allies?  did everyone else just stay home and hope that "Christians" saved the world from a demonic beast?

 

Were all the leaders of various countries Christians and by default everyone in that country was too and they all went to war and hated Nazis?

 

Think about what you saying here.  It really makes no sense.

 

If anyone who was a Christian just stayed home and said "I am a Chrisitan and I will love those who are murdering men, women and children in concentration camps", 

how do you think that would go over?  Do you think everyone would accept Christ then?

 

How about God?  What things did He command the Israelites to do in the OT?  Did He say love everyone and just sin along with them and worship false gods because

if you don't, people will one day hate Christians?

 

There is only one reason a person does not accept Christ.  They are rebellious.  Not everyone who says they are a Christian is actually a believer.....but those who are,

recognize the falseness of saying that believers are the reason that people reject Christ as their Savior.

 

There are quite a few people who have and do reject Christ because of the actions of Christians. People look at Christians and the way they act is not in keeping with their words, thus they are deemed Hippocrates and as such are rejected. If they believe that being a Christian is what they see in the Christian they reject everything about it. 

 

Let me ask you, do you think God is capable of taking care of what happens on earth? If so why would you as a Christian be concerned about stopping the Nazis? 

[kwikphilly]

Blessings Oakwood...

      I do believe that this is very much the same as "pray for thine enemies"  for the same reasons we are given when we are told in Eph6:12 that we "wrestle not against flesh & blood but principalites etc...." and so we have the popular saying"hate the sin but not the sinner"

        Sometimes it is hard to distinguish God's righteousness from self righteousness,there is a righteous wrath that prompts us to despise God's enemies ,those who hate God & reject Christ but still we need to pray for them & there should not be hatred in our hearts....only with the Heart & Mind of Christ can we walk that walk and be reminded what it is that oppresses them,blinds them & deafens them......it is the god of this world that is at work today.......keeping this in mind & walking in spirit & in truth by the Power of the Holy Spirit is the only way to "love thine enemy"& all Glory to God

                                                                                                                                                                              With love-in Christ,Kwik