The greatest teacher of all time, the God-man Jesus, taught this timeless truth in Matthew 5:43-48:
“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,’ 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. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? You therefore must be perfect, as your Heavenly Father is perfect” (ESV).
As we reel from another seemingly senseless slaughter of human life in recent days, questions swirl in our hearts and minds. It may arise as anger in our hearts, or sometimes in guilt of our own making, taking responsibility for the evil that we witness as a way to feel as if we can then exercise control over it. As Jesus tells us, we cannot control evil, only our response to it.
What was perpetrated by those who followed their own devices or the orders of those they represent, should not elicit a desire for a personal vendetta toward the individual. Ultimately a human is not our real enemy; Paul the apostle wrote these words to the church in Ephesus:
“For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, again the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 6:12, ESV).
We are witnessing a spiritual battle and it must be seen with spiritual eyes. Unfortunately, many will not see it this way. What tragically happened in Orlando, FL will be politicized from every direction and the main point will be missed in the resulting fog.
Evil is real, and it comes from outside flesh and blood, yet is prevalent in our society as evidenced by many recent world events. Yet, this man who laid out so much carnage is not an enemy of a Christian nor are Muslims. Christians also must remember that homosexuals are not our enemy and there is no room for hateful words or actions.
God is the ultimate Judge in the universe and not mankind. When man was created he was placed in a perfect world. Yet, man thought he knew better than God and wanted more, following instead the temptations of the serpent in the perfect garden. The result was ruin of all mankind for all time, until Jesus’ presence upon the earth as the ultimate Savior from evil in the world.
What Adam and Eve thought was a good thing ended up as ruin for the history of man, yet God had an eternal plan that neither man nor Satan could set aside. Apart from God, life is a prison, but with God, through belief in Jesus Christ is perfect freedom. Perfect freedom is following the Scriptures in both Old and New Testaments. Jesus is the fulfillment of all God’s promises to mankind; Adam and Eve or Satan could not thwart what was planned in eternity past.
Christians are to love God and our fellow man. We are not to do offensive injury in any way to those we do not agree with, whether Muslim or one who designates themselves as homosexual. It is true that much hurt has been initiated by those who call themselves followers of Jesus but when one would look at what Jesus did and what He taught it would be clear that revenge or anger or physical injury of any type is not appropriate for a Christ follower.
We must pray for those who oppose us, due to our belief, but never strike a vengeful blow. In closing, the words of Scripture are extremely appropriate in this day and age as we see anger and spite in our world.
“Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.
Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight. Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, ‘Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.’ To the contrary, ‘if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.’ Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good” (Romans 12:9-21, ESV).
This is how a person who claims to be a follower of Jesus is to act towards fellow Christians and those who are not. Before a Christian goes on a verbal rampage, or worse, go to the Book to find out how to respond to the evils of the world in which we live.
The only true answer to the evils of this world is Jesus Christ! To begin following Him all one needs to do is believe that God raised Him from the dead and to confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and you will be saved. Pretty simple, but life-changing.
The same God who said to love our enemies and to do good to those who persecute us also said: “If a prophet says in the name of God things which God has not commanded him to say, that prophet must die . . . if a man shed the blood of another, by man shall his blood be shed . . . whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves.”
The same God who commands us to love also commands us to choose life, which can sometimes demand that we choose to put murderers and seditionists to death, especially when their crimes are aggravated by idolatry and blasphemy, as they are in the case of Muslims.