To love your enemy (to feed, to pray, to care for those who hate you)

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   eternaltreasuresposted 14 years ago

   Isn't this a wonderful virtue? Men instinctively defend themselves against attackers and generally take revenge after pain is inflicted on them. But check out this mind-boggling verse from the Bible:
   
   Sons of the Perfect Holy Father in heaven:
   
   Mat 5:43  "You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.'
   Mat 5:44  But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,
   Mat 5:45  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.
   Mat 5:46  For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same?
   Mat 5:47  And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same?
   Mat 5:48  You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

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      (Q)posted 14 years agoin reply to this

      This isn't "mind-boggling" in the least, it is a facade of dishonesty not unlike any confidence trickster could come up with...
      
      I've heard better opening lines from vacuum and used car salesmen.

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         eternaltreasuresposted 14 years agoin reply to this

         it becomes a facade of dishonesty for DISHONEST PERSONS, but for the real sons of God -- this is their sole purpose: to be persecuted, killed, maltreated, abused and serve as a LIGHT to the world. Their oppressors in turn will be judged by the same wrong doings against their fellowmen. Thus GOD's JUSTICE shall prevail.

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            (Q)posted 14 years agoin reply to this

            "As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left.
            
            Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come." Matthew 24:37-42

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            Brenda Durhamposted 14 years agoin reply to this

            All Scripture is good!
            And yes we're commanded to Love our neighbors, even our enemies!
            With the Love of God, not with unconditional friendship, sorry.
            Yes it's a given fact that Christians will be persecuted;  yes the Bible says turn the other cheek.
            
            
            The thing about Scripture is that it must be taken in context, rightly divided.
            
            No one should make a religion out of one specific verse or set of passages.  Many separate religions and denominations have done just that!
            
            
            2John talks about the same Love you've mentioned!  But other passages define who our "brothers" and "sisters" are, and when speaking Spiritually they are not by biological birth as you've said;  they are other Christians.   Even if they're not our brothers and sisters, we should Love them and pray for them.
            
            But the last few passages in the book of 2John warns us about deceivers, with whom we are to have no fellowship, not even let them in the door of our homes (some would consider THAT very "un-neighborly" and "un-brotherly"), but it too is the Gospel!
            
            "If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, (((the doctrine of Christ))))receive him not into your house, neither bid him Godspeed.
            For he that biddeth him Godspeed is partaker of his evil deeds."
            
            Did you get that?-----we're not even supposed to bid them well as they leave!  How very "unfriendly"!  Yet that is what we should do.
            
            So, taking into account the Scriptures you posted as well as the other Scriptures which seem contradictory but are not, we find that a Christian will often handle one situation differently from another, being able to discern the wicked intent of some "enemies" while seeing a possibility of openness to salvation in others.

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               (Q)posted 14 years agoin reply to this

               And, only if it is in the best interest of the Christians personal agenda. They will divorce their spouses and remarry, thus committing heinous sins against their gods, but will ignore that because they are too busy spewing hatred towards homosexuals. 

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                  Brenda Durhamposted 14 years agoin reply to this

                  Perfect example of an attack.
                  
                  Reckon which way it should be handled?
                  
                  
                  Both ways.
                  
                  
                  I Love you Q.  God Loves you.  Jesus died for you. I'll pray for you, just as I already have before right here on these forums and in solitude as well.
                  
                  And I will not receive you nor wish you Godspeed because your smiley-face icon is false and your bad intentions are obvious.

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                     (Q)posted 14 years agoin reply to this

                     I'm sorry if you think it is an attack, Brenda, but it is exactly what we are observing here. The best way to handle it is to change the way you're handling homosexuals. Simple, really.

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               eternaltreasuresposted 14 years agoin reply to this

               hi brenda,
               
               those "brothers" that you said not to bid Godspeed are those who were ONCE brothers (or members) of the Church but still they deliberately done what is evil (even if they consciously know it is wrong), then consequently are forced out (expelled, given to Satan, as in the case of Alexander and Hyminaeus) out of the church. These are those who have given up, abandoned the truth. As in the case of Judas Iscariot (who was once a member of the Church), he betrayed Jesus which caused him to be expelled out from the Church.

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      eternaltreasuresposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      I don't see why suicide bombers, terrorists, oppressors and other violators do what they do against the good of their fellow men. This verses from the Bible I hope can open your hearts and minds:
      
      Luk 6:35  But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil.
      
      Mar 12:28  And one of the scribes came up and heard them disputing with one another, and seeing that he answered them well, asked him, "Which commandment is the most important of all?"
      Mar 12:29  Jesus answered, "The most important is, 'Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.
      Mar 12:30  And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.'
      Mar 12:31  The second is this: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no other commandment greater than these."
      
      Rom 13:9  For the commandments, "You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet," and any other commandment, are summed up in this word: "You shall love your neighbor as yourself."
      
      Gal 5:14  For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: "You shall love your neighbor as yourself."
      
      1Jn 4:20  If anyone says, "I love God," and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen.
      
      1Jn 4:21  And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother.
      
      -----------------
      
      If you really look in a more BIGGER PICTURE, tracing history and our origins, the conclusion will be inevitable that we all descended from only one man and only one woman (our common human father and mother), thereby saying "WE ARE ALL COUSINS" no matter what degree, first, second, third or thousandth cousin --- therefore WE ARE ALL BROTHERS living in one common planet EARTH and we are commanded to LOVE OUR BROTHERS.

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   Twenty One Daysposted 14 years ago

   The whole human purpose in a nutshell.

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