Chapter 13 - The Enemy -- the "Extraordinary"
Bonhoeffer- 'The love for our enemies takes us along the way of the cross and into fellowship with the crucified. The more we are driven along this road, the more certain is the victory of love over the enemy's hatred. For then it is not the disciple's own love, but the love of Jesus Christ alone, who for the sake of his enemies went to the cross and prayed for them as he hung there. In the face of the cross the disciples realized that they too were his enemies, and he had overcome them by his love. It is this that opens the disciple's eyes and enables him to see his enemy as his brother. He know that he owes his very life to One, who though he was his enemy, treated him as a brother and accepted him, who made him his neighbor, and drew him into fellowship with himself. The disciple can now perceive that even his enemy is the object of God's love, and he stands like himself beneath the cross of Christ. God asks us nothing about our virtues or vices, for in his sight even our virtue was ungodliness. God's love sought out his enemies who needed it, and who he deemed worthy of it. God loves his enemies -- that is the glory of his love, as every follower of Jesus knows; through Jesus he has become a partaker in this love. For God allows his sun to shine upon the just and the unjust. But it is not only the earthly sun and the earthly rain: the "Sun of Righteousness", and the rain of God's word which are on the sinner, and reveal the grace of the Heavenly Father. Perfect all-inclusive is the act of the Father, it is also the act of the sons of God as it was the act of the only-begotten Son.'
My thoughts-
Luk 23:34 Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. And they parted his raiment, and cast lots.
Mat_5:45 That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.
Mal_4:2 But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall.
*******
Upon His cross...in excruciating pain, feeling agony unlike we can know, our Savior asked the Father to forgive those who were crucifying Him.
Our Savior PRAYED to the FATHER to forgive those killing Him!
Our Savior believed that if they really understood what they were doing, if they really knew they were killing the Son of God, then they wouldn't have done it. But they didn't know what they were doing. To them all they were doing was following orders. They were killing yet another criminal. There were three right then they were putting to death and to them, not one was different than the other, they were all guilty and sentenced to death. They didn't know, and Jesus did not want them to have the weight of that sin laid to their charge. Jesus wanted His murderers forgiven.
Forgiveness.
Loving our enemies. Doing good to our enemies. Praying for our enemies. This is all a part of forgiveness.
We know this--
Mat 6:14 For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you
If we do NOT love our enemies then we do NOT forgive them. If we do NOT forgive them, then we are NOT forgiven.
We can't say we are Christ's and forgiven by Christ, saved by Christ, and continue to hate others, even those others who say we have a right to hate- our enemies.
And our hate is displayed in many ways.
People might think hate is only manifested vehemently, but that's not true. You can hate someone and never express it or show any negative emotion towards them. You can hate someone simply by ignoring their needs, this is truth. Indifference can be hatred. We need to LOVE and love is active. We need to love ALL and hate NONE. We can hate their deeds, but not them. As we hate the deeds of sin we must love the one sinning and pray for the one sinning just as our Savior loves us and prays for us- sinners.
Our Savior LOVED from the cross, and He LOVED those killing him!
We can scarcely love those who love us, let alone love those who hate us. Only by the mercy of our Savior and the gift of the Holy Spirit will we be able to love, truly love.
All in HIM ALWAYS IN HIM! OUR SAVIOR, OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST.
Bonhoeffer- 'The love for our enemies takes us along the way of the cross and into fellowship with the crucified. The more we are driven along this road, the more certain is the victory of love over the enemy's hatred. For then it is not the disciple's own love, but the love of Jesus Christ alone, who for the sake of his enemies went to the cross and prayed for them as he hung there. In the face of the cross the disciples realized that they too were his enemies, and he had overcome them by his love. It is this that opens the disciple's eyes and enables him to see his enemy as his brother. He know that he owes his very life to One, who though he was his enemy, treated him as a brother and accepted him, who made him his neighbor, and drew him into fellowship with himself. The disciple can now perceive that even his enemy is the object of God's love, and he stands like himself beneath the cross of Christ. God asks us nothing about our virtues or vices, for in his sight even our virtue was ungodliness. God's love sought out his enemies who needed it, and who he deemed worthy of it. God loves his enemies -- that is the glory of his love, as every follower of Jesus knows; through Jesus he has become a partaker in this love. For God allows his sun to shine upon the just and the unjust. But it is not only the earthly sun and the earthly rain: the "Sun of Righteousness", and the rain of God's word which are on the sinner, and reveal the grace of the Heavenly Father. Perfect all-inclusive is the act of the Father, it is also the act of the sons of God as it was the act of the only-begotten Son.'
My thoughts-
Luk 23:34 Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. And they parted his raiment, and cast lots.
Mat_5:45 That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.
Mal_4:2 But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall.
*******
Upon His cross...in excruciating pain, feeling agony unlike we can know, our Savior asked the Father to forgive those who were crucifying Him.
Our Savior PRAYED to the FATHER to forgive those killing Him!
Our Savior believed that if they really understood what they were doing, if they really knew they were killing the Son of God, then they wouldn't have done it. But they didn't know what they were doing. To them all they were doing was following orders. They were killing yet another criminal. There were three right then they were putting to death and to them, not one was different than the other, they were all guilty and sentenced to death. They didn't know, and Jesus did not want them to have the weight of that sin laid to their charge. Jesus wanted His murderers forgiven.
Forgiveness.
Loving our enemies. Doing good to our enemies. Praying for our enemies. This is all a part of forgiveness.
We know this--
Mat 6:14 For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you
If we do NOT love our enemies then we do NOT forgive them. If we do NOT forgive them, then we are NOT forgiven.
We can't say we are Christ's and forgiven by Christ, saved by Christ, and continue to hate others, even those others who say we have a right to hate- our enemies.
And our hate is displayed in many ways.
People might think hate is only manifested vehemently, but that's not true. You can hate someone and never express it or show any negative emotion towards them. You can hate someone simply by ignoring their needs, this is truth. Indifference can be hatred. We need to LOVE and love is active. We need to love ALL and hate NONE. We can hate their deeds, but not them. As we hate the deeds of sin we must love the one sinning and pray for the one sinning just as our Savior loves us and prays for us- sinners.
Our Savior LOVED from the cross, and He LOVED those killing him!
We can scarcely love those who love us, let alone love those who hate us. Only by the mercy of our Savior and the gift of the Holy Spirit will we be able to love, truly love.
All in HIM ALWAYS IN HIM! OUR SAVIOR, OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST.
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