Posted on 08/13/2018 11:57:53 AM PDT by metmom
"Love is patient" (1 Cor. 13:4).
Love does not retaliate.
We usually think of patience as the ability to wait or endure without complaint—whether it's with people or circumstances. But the Greek word translated "patience" in 1 Corinthians 13:4 refers specifically to patience with people. It literally means "to be long tempered," and speaks of one who could easily retaliate when wronged but chooses not to.
That kind of patience is a spiritual virtue reflective of God Himself (cf. Gal 5:22). It can't be duplicated on a purely human level. But for Christians, it's to be a way of life. Paul said, "I . . . entreat you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing forbearance to one another in love" (Eph. 4:1-2).
God Himself is the supreme example of patience. Peter said, "[He] is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance" (2 Pet. 3:9). Those who reject His grace are despising "the riches of His kindness and forbearance and patience" (Rom. 2:4).
In the Greco-Roman world of Paul's day, retaliating for a personal insult or injury was considered a virtue. Non- retaliation was interpreted as a sign of weakness. Our society is much the same. Our heroes tend to be those who fight back with physical strength or litigation. But that isn't God's perspective, nor was it Christ's in praying for His killers, "Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing" (Luke 23:34).
As you consider your own patience, remember that retaliation isn't always blatant and forceful. It's often subtle—like withholding affection from your spouse when he or she has wronged you, or withdrawing from a friend who has hurt you. But godly love never retaliates. It cares more for the feelings of others than for its own.
Remember the Lord's patience toward you, and allow His Spirit to produce similar patience in you.
Suggestions for Prayer
If you are harboring resentment toward someone who has wronged you, confess it to the Lord and do everything you can to reconcile with that person.
For Further Study
Read Genesis 50:15-21.
What fear did Joseph's brothers have? How did Joseph react to their plea for forgiveness? How did God use the brothers' sin to accomplish His own purposes?
Studying God’s Word ping
So there should be no consequences for evildoers?
Jesus’s remarks were about an individual’s interactions with other individuals, not about a whole society’s rules and law enforcement. For example, He said, “If someone strikes you on your right cheek, turn to him your left as well.” He did not say, “There should be no laws against assault and battery,” or, “You should just stand there while someone beats up an old lady.”
Legal disputes should be resolved without going to court if at all possible. Once a person has fulfilled their duty to attempt a peaceful resolution, going to court is permissible.
I don’t get mad...
What I get is even.
Thers a time for war, and a time for peace.
The trick is knowing when which one should be employed.
yup.
and you can make that clear in court as well you tried to avoide court.
Absolutely there should be.
This is talking about retaliation, a person deciding to get even because they were hurt or offended.
That is not the same as self-defense when being attacked, nor does it preclude justice being done for crimes committed.
Matthew 18:15-20 “If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses. If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector.
Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.”
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