Topical Studies
What the Bible says about
Enemies, Loving
(From Forerunner Commentary)
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2 Chronicles 15:1-2
When Asa, one of the better kings of Judah, needed some advice during a crisis, God sent a prophet to teach him this important truth. Other verses in the Bible expand on the principle that underlies what Azariah says here. Jesus uses the same principle when He says that God judges us as we judge others (Matthew 7:1-5), so we need to be careful about the kind of judgment we use in evaluating others whose hearts we cannot read. Jesus also teaches in the Lord's Prayer that God will forgive us as we forgive (Matthew 6:12). The underlying principle speaks to reciprocity in spiritual matters. In this case, God tells Asa that faithfulness or loyalty to God is a two-way street. Our actions, good or bad, will receive a corresponding reaction from God. If we are faithful, He will be with us, but we can expect His wrath if we rebel. We cannot count on past good behavior to excuse us in the present. Notice what Paul tells Christians in the church at Colossae: And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled [He has granted repentance], in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His sight—if indeed you continue in the faith, grounded and steadfast, and are not moved away from the hope of the gospel [salvation], which you heard, which was preached to every creature under heaven, of which I, Paul, became a minister. (Colossians 1:21-23) God works the same way today under the New Covenant as He did during the reigns of Joash, Amaziah, and Uzziah. They all began well, doing “good in the sight of the LORD . . ..” But when their godly, human anchors died, or their pride swelled, they began to turn aside. God soon found fault with them and sent them a prophet to turn them to repentance, but they hardened their hearts and rejected God's offer of mercy. They did not continue in the faith. Continuing steadily on God's path tests the reality of our faith. Will we remain loyal to God despite setbacks and trials or even through persecution? We must. As Jesus says in Matthew 24:13, “But he who endures to the end shall be saved.”
John W. Ritenbaugh
Three Missing Kings (Part Two)
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Matthew 5:42
Some commentators cannot understand why Jesus places this example with the other three, as it does not seem to show having a good attitude under trial. However, having a godly attitude in parting with what we hold dear can be a test for us as well. The parallel scripture in Luke 6:30 shows that it follows the pattern of the previous illustrations: "Give to everyone who asks of you. And from him who takes away your goods do not ask them back." Many believe that what Jesus requires here is foolish, that is, to give to everyone who asks of us and to allow our goods to be plundered without objection. Perhaps Luke 6:34-35 helps to clarify what Jesus intends: And if you lend to those from whom you hope to receive back, what credit is that to you? For even sinners lend to sinners to receive as much back. But love your enemies, do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Highest. For He is kind to the unthankful and evil. His illustration in Matthew 5:42 deals with borrowing and lending, not with allowing oneself to be plundered. As in the other illustrations, His primary point is that it is preferable to suffer loss or harm than to retaliate or worsen the situation. When we give to someone in need, we should not expect to be repaid for our generosity, and we should certainly not take steps to force reimbursement. Christian charity should be done without expectation of gain. Yet, God sees, and He will show us favor: "He who has pity on the poor lends to the LORD, and He will pay back what he has given" (Proverbs 19:17). If a person asks for a loan of money or goods, we should approach the request assuming that he makes it in good faith, if there are no extenuating reasons to doubt his sincerity. We should, however, keep in mind other principles from God's Word, such as being good stewards of what God has given us, taking care of our own, not encouraging laziness or sustaining the idle, not supporting vices (alcohol, drugs, or other addictions), and not being a party to shady or dubious get-rich-quick schemes. Jesus' suggestion is that, if we do lend to others, we might as well consider that money to be gone forever. The struggle to regain it will probably not be worth the effort, not to mention the damage it could do to relationships and one's character. In short, what does His final illustration require of us? It asks of us, not only that we should lend without suspicion and with no eye to profit, but that we also should have a generous spirit of outgoing concern for a brother or sister in need.
John O. Reid
Go the Extra Mile
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Matthew 24:12-13
In some areas, chaos and anarchy already approach the level of “lawlessness,” and the exasperation of many “Lawlessness” is from the Greek word anomia, which denotes a condition of contempt and violation of law. With all the uprisings, crimes, and hostility continuously populating our newsfeeds, we are witnessing an abundance of this prophesied lawlessness nearly every day. In this verse, the Greek word for love is agapē, godly love, the kind of love God expresses toward us and which we are to learn to express toward both Him and each other. Jesus is warning us that many of His called people—the only humans who can possess the love of God in their hearts because of the Holy Spirit in them (Romans 5:5)—are passively letting love grow stone-cold through feelings of frustration and hopelessness! The Contemporary English Version translates this verse, “Evil will spread and cause many people to stop loving others.” Despite how we may feel, we cannot let anger at sin and sinners get in the way of our responsibility to continue loving our fellow man. Doing so is a sign of returning to the carnality of our pre-conversion lives when we allowed our emotions to cause us to react to difficult circumstances in ungodly ways. Our Savior set the proper example by loving His potential brothers and sisters so much that He gave His life for every one of us “while we were still sinners” (Romans 5:8)! We must overcome these feelings of resentment and not let the pervasive spread of hatred and evil in this world derail us from our divinely assigned responsibilities. Jesus states in the next verse, “But he who endures to the end shall be saved” (Matthew 24:13). Only those who patiently continue to live according to Christ's teachings even amidst the most troubling times will enter God's Kingdom. But enduring through chaos is not something God's people can do alone. This prophecy is a message to the church at the time of the end, to those who have the love of God because He has chosen to bestow His grace upon them. A Christian's responsibility is to reciprocate this love back to Him in obedience and out to others in acts of service. In this way, we strengthen our bonds between God and our brethren, giving us extra faith and unity to weather the stormy times. We do not need to be too concerned with the fulfillment of prophecy, particularly about the when of Christ's return. We will never figure out the correct dates since they are under the Father's control (Matthew 24:36). We may not even be able to determine the right players beforehand! Trying to know these things beforehand is futile and time-wasting. Instead, what the Bible teaches is to be ready. Jesus counsels His disciples in Matthew 24:44, “Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.” Being ready entails, in part, meeting life's daily challenges now to overcome our faults and grow in righteous character. That is job one: preparing ourselves to live like God in His Kingdom. Despite its seeming pessimism, Matthew 24:12 actually provides some hope. It reads, “. . . the love of many will grow cold” (emphasis ours). Jesus says “many,” not “all.” Some people's love will not grow cold; some will remain faithful. What can we do to be part of the lesser number, keeping our godly love alive? Most of all, we must keep our focus on Jesus Christ and His example of loving behavior and strive to imitate it. In this way, as Paul writes in II Timothy 1:6 (ESV), we will “fan into flame the gift of God” and keep it boiling hot. If we do these things, the pervasive spread of evil will not cause us to stop loving others.
John Reiss
Waxing Cold
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Luke 6:27-38
Jesus emphasizes giving, not just to those who love us, but also those who hate us, curse us, despise us, and persecute us. Jesus is letting us know that godly giving contains an element that separates it from the common sorts of charity. We know this as agape love—a kind of love that can be done without emotion, if need be. It is a kind of love that does for another what is truly best for that person rather than what will make that person happy. It is a love that looks beyond present circumstances toward the ultimate realization of the act, primarily toward the effect of our own behavior. It is not just a love that, out of concern, gives to somebody to plug a gap and that only. It is a type of love done with a great deal of thought, in which a person thinks through the effects and consequences of his actions to their ultimate end. Therefore, the result is that he does good for the other person whether that person likes it or not. Of course, God would want us to do these acts of agape love with a great deal of feeling out of true concern. So, it should not be a cold love. But, if necessary, it can be. It is a love with which one must be very careful. If we read between the lines here in Luke 6, we can see that Jesus is aiming for the Kingdom of God, not for somebody's temporary help. Why would one do good to those that hate him or to someone who curses him or persecutes him unless there was an ultimate, good end for that other person? A person who performs an act of agape love makes a witness so that in the end it will come to the other's mind in the resurrection—it might take that long—and help to convert him. It will make a stunning impact on that person's mind that this was a Christian practicing love and true good works. Jesus mentions that in godly giving there is greater merit when there is no hope of repayment or even of gratitude because it is done selflessly. There is nothing coming back to pay or repay one for his sacrifice or gift. He is quick to say, "Look, if you do it this way, there are good returns! There are rewards!" But going into it, a Christian must not have those things in mind. Godly living is done without respect of persons. It is done in mercy, love, and kindness, as He says in the Golden Rule, just as we would like to be treated. It is done without condemnation and thus done out of a pure heart that truly desires the other's well-being.
Richard T. Ritenbaugh
"If I Have Not Charity"
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