How do I love an enemy?

[Who me]

21 hours ago, Justin Adams said:

Yeshua was the great atonement for ALL sins. Leviticus had no moral forgiveness for hi-handed sin. Yeshua PURGED the way thru the veil so we could approach the Most High Lord God. The Throne of Grace.

Substitutionary atonement is what it is all about. Like the DEATH ANGEL that passed over the houses with lamb's blood on the doorways. The Death Angel was God Himself, so I think He would know all about it.

 

I am posting about the biblical teaching that without repentance, there is No forgiveness.

That is how God/Jesus works and that is our example.

If someone who has offended/hurt us does notrepent, we do not have to forgive them.

However if they repent we Must forgive them.

[Jayne]

42 minutes ago, Rosie1jack2pauline3 said:

I never knew that...that they must repent of how they have hurt us.😮😮

That's because, sister, it isn't true.

There are people who have harmed us - knowingly and unknowingly - who will NEVER say "I was sorry.  I was wrong."

We must forgive them anyway.

This is what the Bible says:  Matthew 6:14-15 = "For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins."

That passage that teaches us to forgive says NOTHING about our enemy apologizing to us first, making amends first, or admitted their own sin first.  

Here's another verse that teaches to forgive - just forgive.

Ephesians 4:31-32 = "Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.

[enoob57]

I believe the real fact to point out forgiveness

Romans 5:8 (KJV)

[8] But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

 

[appy]

Regarding "only if they repent"

There are multiple verses that outweigh the one that mentions "Only if they repent".  Below is only a couple that shows what it means to be Christlike.  Forgiveness helps us to be more like Christ,  Forgiveness brings us closer to God.  Forgiveness releases us from anger, pain,  bitterness and resentment.  These things drag us down. They hinder our walk with the Lord.

 Forgiving others  does NOT mean that the bad behavior is condoned. It is not forgetting what has happened. But it does mean that we are to do as multiple scriptures teach.  Forgive one another. Remembering that we too fall short at times. Forgiveness is for the offended individuals benefit. Forgiving someone even if they haven’t apologized is about your freedom, your spiritual life, trusting God, and your responsibility to move forward.

People find it hard to forgive, because as human's we don't want to see the offender get off the hook.  We would rather the offender feel the pain and hurt more than we do. And we want to see them punished, not forgiven.  Revenge,  is NEVER satisfied.  It never releases us from pain and hurt. This is why forgiving others even if they do not say "I'm sorry" is important.  Scriptures indeed teach us to let others off our hook as the Lord commands us to.  

We often forget that we ourselves have offended others at times too and appreciate being forgiven, but then when we ourselves are offended, we don't want to do extend the offender the same grace shown to us by someone else. In Matthew 18, Jesus tells the story of a king who showed grace to a servant.  The servant instead of paying it forward, dishes out revenge.  

The story itself, teaches us that we are to emulate Christ.  He has shown us and bestowed undeserved and unmerited grace upon us, .... Should we NOT also do the same towards each other?

1 Peter 2:23
When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly.

Luke 23:34
Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.

[Who me]

On 1/15/2022 at 3:45 PM, Jayne said:

That passage that teaches us to forgive says NOTHING about our enemy apologizing to us first, making amends first, or admitted their own sin first.

Yes, but you ignore all the emails ample and teaching of the O T about repentance before there is forgiveness, which is the background to Jesus's  teaching and what he said in Luke 17:3, as well as his example on the cross.

He did not pray, Father Iforgive them, but Father forgive them.

[Jayne]

1 hour ago, Who me said:

Yes, but you ignore all the emails ample and teaching of the O T about repentance before there is forgiveness, which is the background to Jesus's  teaching and what he said in Luke 17:3, as well as his example on the cross.

He did not pray, Father Iforgive them, but Father forgive them.

I think you and I are talking about two different things.

You seem to be talking about God's forgiveness of us.

I am talking about our forgiving others.  

[Willa]

When this happened to me I determined to be a better friend to them than they had been to me.  That meant that I waited till they were in a similar situation and reached out to them.  I would suggest that you send her a fruit basket or a deli tray with a card simply with your name.

In one case it was my pastor who hurt me.  The man had believed every evil rumor about us and every evil accusation.  I told him that we had always supported him, even when others had turned against him.  He accused me then of lying!  I was aghast, but still am determined to forgive because I also need forgiveness.  That means that every time I remember the hurt I also remember this.  I also need forgiveness.  Likewise, the "friends", who had spread the rumors and accused me I had to forgive.  But my pastor's wounds were the deepest.

We can only love the unlovable and forgive the unforgivable when we remember that the Spirit of Jesus Christ lives in us.  We tell Him we can't do it, and He reminds us that He has done it.  He lives in us praying "Father, forgive them, they know not what they do".   He died to forgive that person.  He loves and forgives them when we can't.  It its Christ in me Who forgives them.

Read the book of Job.   Satan had said "take all his blessings away and he will curse you".  So God allowed satan to attack Job.  God did it to prove what a righteous person Job was. .  He had lost his children and all his possessions, his body was covered with painful boils, and he had 3 "friends" that came to "comfort" him.   They had said that Job had sinned and and his sin had brought all this on him.  Job wanted to defend himself before God. He claimed he hadn't done anything to deserve this.  He should have let God vindicate him.  Instead he accused God of wrongfully doing these things to him.   God said "who do you think you are to accuse me".  Then He turned on the 3 friends who had accused him when he was down, and instructed Job to pray for them.  God restored Job's blessings to him when he prayed for his 3 friends.   I lived in the book of Job many times over.  

Rom 8:9  You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him.

2Co 13:5  Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you fail to meet the test!

Ask God to refill you with His Spirit to enable you to do His will and allow Christ to live in you to love the unlovable and forgive the unforgivable through you.

[Willa]

Mat 5:2  And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying:

Mat 5:3  "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Mat 5:4  "Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.

Mat 5:5  "Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.

Mat 5:6  "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.

Mat 5:7  "Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.

Mat 5:8  "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.

Mat 5:9  "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.

Mat 5:10  "Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Mat 5:11  "Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account.

Mat 5:12  Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Salt and Light

Mat 5:13  "You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people's feet.

Mat 5:14  "You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden.

Mat 5:15  Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house.

Mat 5:16  In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.

Isa 61:1  "The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon Me, Because the LORD has anointed Me To preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives, And the opening of the prison to those who are bound;

Isa 61:2  To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, And the day of vengeance of our God; To comfort all who mourn,

Isa 61:3  To console those who mourn in Zion, To give them beauty for ashes, The oil of joy for mourning, The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; That they may be called trees of righteousness, The planting of the LORD, that He may be glorified."

 

[Willa]

1Jn 4:20  If someone says, "I love God," and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen?

1Jn 4:21  And this commandment we have from Him: that he who loves God must love his brother also.

I had always pointed this at my father in law, who was the most hate filled person I had ever known.  One day at a Bible study God pointed this at me.  I knew I was lost.  No way could I love that man, who had threatened me, shoving his fist in my face.  But that verse said that I was a liar and didn't love God.  So I asked what I could do.  One lady told me to thank God for him and ask God to love him through me.  I did that and God filled me with His Spirit.  Then started several years of trials that humbled me and removed my self righteousness that had hindered my forgiveness.  

I never did love the man the way Christ did.  As soon as I forgave and tried to show him grace he would do something else that was so offensive or that angered me.  I would go home and get my attitude right and try again.  But I did manage to witness to him and tell him the way of salvation, which he rejected saying that it was fine for us but he didn't want any part of it.  A few months later he crashed his plane and died.  I had asked God to move him away from us if there was no hope for his salvation so he wouldn't become a stumbling block to our sons.  That was much farther away than I expected.  

However, God had used him for good.  He had used him to show me my need for God's grace in my life and He had filled me with His Spirit.  He had started a deep work of sanctification, cleansing my heart.  Learning to love that man taught me how to love most anyone, no matter how unlovable.  It doesn't depend on my feelings.  It depends on my will.  Nevertheless, not my will be done but Thine.

[enoob57]

1 hour ago, Willa said:

When this happened to me I determined to be a better friend to them than they had been to me.  That meant that I waited till they were in a similar situation and reached out to them.  I would suggest that you send her a fruit basket or a deli tray with a card simply with your name.

In one case it was my pastor who hurt me.  The man had believed every evil rumor about us and every evil accusation.  I told him that we had always supported him, even when others had turned against him.  He accused me then of lying!  I was aghast, but still am determined to forgive because I also need forgiveness.  That means that every time I remember the hurt I also remember this.  I also need forgiveness.  Likewise, the "friends", who had spread the rumors and accused me I had to forgive.  But my pastor's wounds were the deepest.

We can only love the unlovable and forgive the unforgivable when we remember that the Spirit of Jesus Christ lives in us.  We tell Him we can't do it, and He reminds us that He has done it.  He lives in us praying "Father, forgive them, they know not what they do".   He died to forgive that person.  He loves and forgives them when we can't.  It its Christ in me Who forgives them.

Read the book of Job.   Satan had said "take all his blessings away and he will curse you".  So God allowed satan to attack Job.  God did it to prove what a righteous person Job was. .  He had lost his children and all his possessions, his body was covered with painful boils, and he had 3 "friends" that came to "comfort" him.   They had said that Job had sinned and and his sin had brought all this on him.  Job wanted to defend himself before God. He claimed he hadn't done anything to deserve this.  He should have let God vindicate him.  Instead he accused God of wrongfully doing these things to him.   God said "who do you think you are to accuse me".  Then He turned on the 3 friends who had accused him when he was down, and instructed Job to pray for them.  God restored Job's blessings to him when he prayed for his 3 friends.   I lived in the book of Job many times over.  

Rom 8:9  You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him.

2Co 13:5  Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you fail to meet the test!

Ask God to refill you with His Spirit to enable you to do His will and allow Christ to live in you to love the unlovable and forgive the unforgivable through you.

 

42 minutes ago, Willa said:

Mat 5:2  And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying:

Mat 5:3  "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Mat 5:4  "Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.

Mat 5:5  "Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.

Mat 5:6  "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.

Mat 5:7  "Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.

Mat 5:8  "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.

Mat 5:9  "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.

Mat 5:10  "Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Mat 5:11  "Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account.

Mat 5:12  Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Salt and Light

Mat 5:13  "You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people's feet.

Mat 5:14  "You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden.

Mat 5:15  Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house.

Mat 5:16  In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.

Isa 61:1  "The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon Me, Because the LORD has anointed Me To preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives, And the opening of the prison to those who are bound;

Isa 61:2  To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, And the day of vengeance of our God; To comfort all who mourn,

Isa 61:3  To console those who mourn in Zion, To give them beauty for ashes, The oil of joy for mourning, The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; That they may be called trees of righteousness, The planting of the LORD, that He may be glorified."

 

Willa I am reminded by your post 

Philippians 2:5-11 (NKJV)

 

The Humbled and Exalted Christ

[5] Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, [6] who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, [7] but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. [8] And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. [9] Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, [10] that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, [11] and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

 

Matthew 5:43-48 (NKJV)

Love Your 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 rain on the just and on the unjust. [46] “For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? [47] “And if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the tax collectors do so? [48] “Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.

The only way this can be done if you are not of this world and renewed in thinking... when the promise is more substantial then the very place we are in according to the flesh...