"Jesus said to him, ‘you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment and the second is like it you shall love your neighbour as yourself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.’”
Matthew 22:37- 40
“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”
The words of Jesus Matthew 5:44
“Now abides faith hope and love but the greatest of these is love.”
1 Corinthians 13:13
“If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love,
I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal.
If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge,
and if I have a faith that can move mountains,
but have not love, I am nothing.
If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love,
I gain nothing.
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude,
it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.
Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.
It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
Love never fails.”
I Corinthians 13:1-8a
The verses quoted above say it all. God set an example, He loved the world so much he sent His one and only Son to die for us.
There are no records of Jesus ever complaining about the treatment He received here on earth.
He spoke out against those within his own Jewish community that would misinterpret scripture or were hypocritical in their ways. But he never spoke against the secular authorities or those of other faiths or beliefs.
He showed only love to even His worst persecutors.
The same is true throughout the New Testament with regards to the apostles. They followed the example of Jesus. They never criticised or berated anyone. They presented the Gospel to their world in obedience to the command of Christ. In so doing they built the early church. They reached out to hundreds of ethnic groups and brought many to Christ.
The apostle Paul wrote this in Romans 12:9-21
“Let love be without hypocrisy.
Abhor what is evil.
Cling to what is good.
Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love,
in honour giving preference to one another;
not lagging in diligence,
fervent in spirit,
serving the LORD, rejoicing in hope,
patient in tribulation,
continuing steadfastly in prayer,
distributing to the needs of the saints,
given to hospitality.
Bless those who persecute you,
bless and do not curse.
Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep.
Be of the same mind toward one another.
Do not set your mind on high things,
but associate with the humble.
Do not be wise in your own opinion.
Repay no one evil for evil.
Have regard for good things in the sight of all men.
If it is possible, as much as depends on you,
live peaceably with all men.
Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath, for it is written:
“Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the LORD.
Therefore“If your enemy is hungry, feed him;
If he is thirsty, give him a drink;
For in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head.”
Do not be overcome by evil,
but overcome evil with good.”
No comments:
Post a Comment