Posted on 02/08/2020 5:31:30 AM PST by Kaslin
The author pays lip service to the justice of loving your enemy while highlighting and fighting their evil. Then he bumps President Trump for getting out the spotlight and fighting back.
If loving your enemy means a political leader cannot eliminate active subversion against the government and people, then loving your enemy becomes nothing more than capitulation.
I note that the author did not demand Christ apologize to the moneychangers at the temple.
Perhaps Jesus was quoting Hillel (110 BC-10 AD), whose teachings he studied, who was quoting Levititcus 19:17-18 “Thou shalt not hate thy brother in thine heart: thou shalt in any wise rebuke thy neighbour, and not suffer sin upon him”.
18 “Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself: I am the Lord”.
Hillel was referring to fellow Jews, and the commandment was to advise the fellow Jew of his ways and allow him the chance to repent, but not take revenge yourself - that is the job of God. It is more akin to the saying “Hate the sin, but love the sinner”...God will judge all sin.
Love them like a low income women’s unborn baby?
I think President Trump loves his enemies so much he’s willing to help them BE BETTER stewards of freedom by fighting their hateful policies.
Loving your enemies does NOT mean helping them succeed or ignoring the evil they do. Real love includes calling on them to repent of their evil.
Either way, President Trump is not my pastor. I adore him as president but have no desire to be given spiritual counsel by him. I heard and loved his Post-Impeachment Party. It was fantastic. And calling Pelosi evil and/or slamming her hypocrisy IS for her own good. SOMEONE needs to tell her to repent!
I spent some time on the authors web site...He grossly misinterprets scripture regarding the great falling away and the rapture....and that diminishes the import of his message here.
I think I I’ll go with Conan the Barbarian on this one.
What is best in life?
To crush your enemies, see them driven before you, and to hear the lamentations of their women!
judgemental...
Yes, the favorite attack word of the Left to describe their hatred of Christians. Perhaps you don’t know that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”?
We are all flawed, you and me included. Trump has become a very good President, but he’s no saint. Fortunately, he’s not running for church elder, only a government job.
I’m not being judgemental as much as I am being honest and discerning. But to admit these would make your posts pointless, wouldn’t they?
No!
From Regan onward they have waged relentless political and cultural war. The GOP always got played as they “appealed to their higher angels.” The only thing this got us was advancing their agenda as we watched our values, institutions and culture get destroyed. Take the prayer breakfast out of Washington if you must. I frankly have had enough of politicians preening at such events.
This war goes on.
“I hate the fact that the country is so divided, and I understand I have been a big part of that division. But today, I choose not to retaliate. It’s true that I have been acquitted, and I believe that justice has been done. But I choose to forgive those who sought to remove me from office. And I call on my political enemies and my enemies in the media to work together for the good of our country. I will lead the way.”
The manner in which he phrases this supposed statement is telling.
Removing corrupt (unwise) people from his counsel is not wrong or evil. To intimate that it is does great disservice.
Perhaps the story of Rehoboam (1 Kings 12) would have been a good starting point for this writer about following bad advice.
Someone tell this insufferable douche he's not a priest - he's a DC dweller with an opinion.
So I’m supposed to love Hitler?
Before the war was over Robert E. Lee had inflicted at least 200% casualties on the Army of the Potomac, but in discussion after the war with a pastor Lee said, “Doctor there is a good old book which I read, and you preach from, which says, ‘Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you and persecute you’. Do you think that your remarks this evening were quite in the spirit of that teaching? I have fought against the people of the North because I believed they were seeking to wrest from the South dearest rights. But I have never cherished toward them bitter or vindictive feelings and have never seen the day when I did not pray for them.”
By the way, these dearest rights did not include slavery which Lee opposed, because Lincoln had already said at his first inauguration before Lee resigned his commission, “the Federal Government shall never interfere with the domestic institutions of the States, including that of persons held to service”.
He did a pick and choose through the chapter in Romans. For instance...
9 Let love be without dissimulation. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good.
As well as...
18 If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men.
Sometimes you just can't live peaceably with all men.
The book of Romans (letters of support actually) was also directed, overall, towards the people who were already Christians in Rome (Romans 1:7 To all that be in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ.) and how they should interact with those who were within that congregation to prevent discord.
It’s not about love it’s more like the Mafia says keep your enemies close very close.
Always stay on step ahead
It is that I based my comment on 67 years of life on this plant, in my beloved country and without, witnessing human nature, both Pentecostal and not.
To add to your fine post.
I Peter 2:13 Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human authority: whether to the emperor, as the supreme authority,
14 or to governors, who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right.
15 For it is God’s will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish people.
Verse 14 implies that the God-given mission of those who govern is to punish wrong-doers and commend those who do right. It appears that President Trump is such a person, as compared to a number of previous administrations. At the time this was written, Rome ruled with an iron fist and a very sharp sword. Still, this instruction was given by Peter. It appears that the Lord gave some latitude to those who rule. It’s rather confusing to me.
One option available to Christians in that day was to flee; see Matthew 24. Even so, tradition holds that only one apostle, John, died a natural death. Paul was beheaded; Peter was crucified; James died “by the sword” etc.
Being slapped on the cheek is not a life-threatening event. It is, perhaps, the public insult, being fired for being a Christian, being ostracized. The teaching is that after being slapped on the cheek, let it go, carry on. In contrast, the Democrats didn’t appear to give President Trump a slap, they were out to figuratively kill Donald Trump, and, by extension, to “kill” those citizens who love the Constitution and wish to be governed by it.
Are there two moral positions to take with respect to Donald Trump? (1) Turn the other cheek and be destroyed. The moral high-ground is passively turning the other cheek. (2) As a leader, commend those who are good and punish those who are unrighteous. By so doing, he is protecting the citizens of the USA and upholding his oath of office. In so doing, perhaps he is an agent of God; you choose. Justice is moral punishment. The shortcomings of human justice, notwithstanding, all accounts will be balanced on the judgment day to come
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‘Love Your Enemies’ is not the same as “DONT STOP CRIMINALS FROM COMMITTING CRIMES”
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