Chapter 12 - Revenge
Mat 5:38 Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth:
Mat 5:39 But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also.
Mat 5:40 And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloke also.
Mat 5:41 And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain.
Mat 5:42 Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away.
Bonhoeffer - 'At this point it becomes evident that when a Christian meets with injustice, he no longer clings to his rights and defends them at all costs. He is absolutely free from possessions and bound to Christ alone. Again, his witness to this exclusive adherence to Jesus creates the only workable basis for fellowship, and leaves the aggressor for him to deal with.
The only way to overcome evil is to let it run itself to a standstill because it does not find the resistance it is looking for. Resistance merely creates further evil and adds fuel to the flames. But when evil meets no opposition and encounters no obstacle but only patient endurance, its sting is drawn, and at last it meets an opponent which is more than its match. Of course this can only happen when the last ounce of resistance is abandoned, and the renunciation of revenge is complete. Then evil cannot find its mark, it can breed no further evil, and is left barren.'
My thoughts-
Reread the above, please.
'Absolutely free from possessions and bound to Christ alone.'
We've accumulated so many things, our hearts are wrapped around our possessions. Can you even imagine not having possessions? We mourn the loss of our things when we lose them. Some people would rather die than lose their possessions. Some people would rather kill others than lose their possessions. Some endlessly dwell on their possessions- and the possessions they are looking forward to acquiring. It's true that some people live for their possessions, and some even try to control their possessions after they're dead.
When we belong to Christ we need to be FREE FROM POSSESSIONS.
No, I'm not saying you need to get rid of everything you own. I'm saying you have to get rid of the HOLD the things you possess have over you. You have to put CHRIST first in ALL THINGS.
Mat_6:33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
The kingdom of God - Our Savior! Our Savior's righteousness- these are the things we should desire to possess more than anything else.
Free from possessions and bound to Christ alone, this is the ONLY way we can truly live in Christ and even have the hope that NO person will EVER provoke us to evil.
We almost instinctively want to fight back when we feel ourselves threatened. When someone hits us, we want to hit back. The ONLY thing that stands between us and that instinct is our SAVIOR. When we STOP living for ourselves and start living for CHRIST we are choosing to live as Christ would have us live. And Christ wants us to live this way-
Mat 5:38 Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth:
Mat 5:39 But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also.
Mat 5:40 And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloke also.
Mat 5:41 And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain.
Mat 5:42 Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away.
Do we live this way?
Do we live for others?
We need to by the GRACE of GOD!
This is truth-
'Absolutely free from possessions and bound to Christ alone.'
Bound to Christ alone.
Are you bound to Christ alone?
This needs to be our prayer, our desire, to be bound to Christ alone. Christ first and last in our lives, Christ our all in all.
Mat 5:38 Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth:
Mat 5:39 But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also.
Mat 5:40 And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloke also.
Mat 5:41 And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain.
Mat 5:42 Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away.
Bonhoeffer - 'At this point it becomes evident that when a Christian meets with injustice, he no longer clings to his rights and defends them at all costs. He is absolutely free from possessions and bound to Christ alone. Again, his witness to this exclusive adherence to Jesus creates the only workable basis for fellowship, and leaves the aggressor for him to deal with.
The only way to overcome evil is to let it run itself to a standstill because it does not find the resistance it is looking for. Resistance merely creates further evil and adds fuel to the flames. But when evil meets no opposition and encounters no obstacle but only patient endurance, its sting is drawn, and at last it meets an opponent which is more than its match. Of course this can only happen when the last ounce of resistance is abandoned, and the renunciation of revenge is complete. Then evil cannot find its mark, it can breed no further evil, and is left barren.'
My thoughts-
Reread the above, please.
'Absolutely free from possessions and bound to Christ alone.'
We've accumulated so many things, our hearts are wrapped around our possessions. Can you even imagine not having possessions? We mourn the loss of our things when we lose them. Some people would rather die than lose their possessions. Some people would rather kill others than lose their possessions. Some endlessly dwell on their possessions- and the possessions they are looking forward to acquiring. It's true that some people live for their possessions, and some even try to control their possessions after they're dead.
When we belong to Christ we need to be FREE FROM POSSESSIONS.
No, I'm not saying you need to get rid of everything you own. I'm saying you have to get rid of the HOLD the things you possess have over you. You have to put CHRIST first in ALL THINGS.
Mat_6:33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
The kingdom of God - Our Savior! Our Savior's righteousness- these are the things we should desire to possess more than anything else.
Free from possessions and bound to Christ alone, this is the ONLY way we can truly live in Christ and even have the hope that NO person will EVER provoke us to evil.
We almost instinctively want to fight back when we feel ourselves threatened. When someone hits us, we want to hit back. The ONLY thing that stands between us and that instinct is our SAVIOR. When we STOP living for ourselves and start living for CHRIST we are choosing to live as Christ would have us live. And Christ wants us to live this way-
Mat 5:38 Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth:
Mat 5:39 But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also.
Mat 5:40 And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloke also.
Mat 5:41 And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain.
Mat 5:42 Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away.
Do we live this way?
Do we live for others?
We need to by the GRACE of GOD!
This is truth-
'Absolutely free from possessions and bound to Christ alone.'
Bound to Christ alone.
Are you bound to Christ alone?
This needs to be our prayer, our desire, to be bound to Christ alone. Christ first and last in our lives, Christ our all in all.
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