In Matt 5:37-48, I think Jesus is saying that in order to be perfect like our Father we need to love our enemies.
It seems like loving our enemies is not the "eye for an eye and tooth for a tooth" method because that is the equivalent of hating our enemies. It kinda seems like Jesus is saying the kind of love that our enemies deserve is something that only God is capable of providing like sunshine and rain for the Earth, without which we wouldn't even be able to have life on Earth as we know it.
The only thing we can do is not resist evil and to pray. Not resisting evil seems like it means we don't require our enemy's eye if they hurt our eye, but that doesn't rule out the possibility there can be no punitive measures taken against an enemy. After all, the passage does clearly define them as our enemies and that didn't change. Also, loving our enemies has to involve providing necessities for them.
So in conclusion, an enemy is the opposite of a neighbor and an enemy would be someone who wants to harm you or someone who won't provide material or physical necessities and blessings for you. Pray for them. I guess just saying their name in prayer and asking God's will be done for them is enough.
It seems like loving our enemies is not the "eye for an eye and tooth for a tooth" method because that is the equivalent of hating our enemies. It kinda seems like Jesus is saying the kind of love that our enemies deserve is something that only God is capable of providing like sunshine and rain for the Earth, without which we wouldn't even be able to have life on Earth as we know it.
The only thing we can do is not resist evil and to pray. Not resisting evil seems like it means we don't require our enemy's eye if they hurt our eye, but that doesn't rule out the possibility there can be no punitive measures taken against an enemy. After all, the passage does clearly define them as our enemies and that didn't change. Also, loving our enemies has to involve providing necessities for them.
So in conclusion, an enemy is the opposite of a neighbor and an enemy would be someone who wants to harm you or someone who won't provide material or physical necessities and blessings for you. Pray for them. I guess just saying their name in prayer and asking God's will be done for them is enough.
If this became our law
“But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil.
Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful.
Judge not, and ye shall not be judged:
condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned:
forgive, and ye shall be forgiven: give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall be given into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.”
Luke 6:35-38 KJV
We could then see that it’s about being perfect in mercy towards others Matthew is talking about it isnt sinless perfection but being perfect in mercy
This is contemporary to Luke 6 there
“But I say unto you, 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; that ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.”
Matthew 5:44-45, 48
as he’s explaining this law of mercy to his disciples lovong enemies really turning Moses word upside down in many areas we learn from the gospel that none of us is sinless we’ve all sinned before so we all need mercy because one sin is the same as many it means we now are sentenced to death
the idea is to see our own sinful past lives when dealing with others who are acting sinful towards us. Like God has done for us all we all sinned and are worthy of death by the law , but he gave us mercy anyways our deeds deserved punishment like the person offending us but how will we deal with thoer offense ? Like God the father ? Or like man ?
“So speak ye, and so do, as they that shall be judged by the law of liberty. For he shall have judgment without mercy, that hath shewed no mercy; and mercy rejoiceth against judgment.”
James 2:12-13 KJV
Jesus isn’t going to judge us like Moses would he’s not going to say “ well you sinned so your lost “ we all have already sinned Sonora going to be judgement according to what the gospel says like for instance
judge not and you won’t be judged , forgive and you will be forgiven ect That’s Jesus speaking forward to judgement we want to make sure to always forgive and not retaliate evil for evil but instead leave room for the judge to judge the other person whom offended us like he judges us for all the offended we have been guilty of
if it’s about being sinless everyone is lost of it’s about sinners repenting and believing the gospel and receiving remission of sins then many can be saved as many as will hear and believe the gospel sent to save sinners from jidgement through repentance and changing our belief from corrupt to correct and pure
that happens because we begin hearing and believing the gospel it changes our minds belief our hearts desire. We need to make positively sure we don’t hold thkngs against others so Christ won’t hold anything against us
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