Loving one's enemies

Originally posted by BigDoggProblem
Or I could stick to talking to people willing to plainly state their points. 😉

I guess you could. Thinking can be so taxing.

Originally posted by KellyJay
Love means love, none of us live alone in this life. Each one of us were at one time
completely lost, and God has reached out to save us all. We are forgiven, for each sin,
each wicked hateful word, each thought that is against another and God Himself.

Since we are forgiven so much if we go to God for salvation we need to forgive all that
have wronged ...[text shortened]... ssues.

Loving the next guy and God has always been the proper way to live, its never changed.

Why don't you address the content of my post KellyJay?

Would you like me to get someone you are not sulking with to post it and can feel ok about replying...? 🙂

Originally posted by divegeester
Why don't you address the content of my post KellyJay?

Would you like me to get someone you are not sulking with to post it and can feel ok about replying...? 🙂

Good luck with that. There doesn't seem to be many left.

Originally posted by KellyJay
Love means love, none of us live alone in this life. Each one of us were at one time
completely lost, and God has reached out to save us all. We are forgiven, for each sin,
each wicked hateful word, each thought that is against another and God Himself.

Since we are forgiven so much if we go to God for salvation we need to forgive all that
have wronged ...[text shortened]... ssues.

Loving the next guy and God has always been the proper way to live, its never changed.

I haven't even looked at the passage but do you think it is possible to experience love without being saved?

Originally posted by Executioner Brand
I haven't even looked at the passage but do you think it is possible to experience love without being saved?

You must be really screwed up by religion for you to ask such an insane question.

The Good Samaritan was not 'saved',yet his actions were used by Christ as a prime example of brotherly love.

On the other side of the coin you think that all 'saved' people show love?
No, they dont.

Originally posted by BigDoggProblem
Reading the passage from Rajk's recent thread, I thought the topic deserved a side thread.

I find the concept of "loving my enemies" extremely unnatural. I can understand not always letting your enemy provoke you with cheap jibes. I can understand being less harsh with an enemy than they might deserve, because none of us are perfect and we tend to ...[text shortened]... ve? Can't get there. Almost seems like we couldn't be enemies anymore if that change came about.

I find the concept of "loving my enemies" extremely unnatural. I can understand not always letting your enemy provoke you with cheap jibes. I can understand being less harsh with an enemy than they might deserve, because none of us are perfect and we tend to appreciate some mercy when we ourselves screw up. I can understand subduing my ego so that my enemies cannot easily manipulate me. But love? Can't get there. Almost seems like we couldn't be enemies anymore if that change came about.

It is not "natural" to any human being.
it requires another life.
It requires another person.

All of the matters spoken about by Christ in Matthew 5 through 8 as the Beatitudes or so-called Sermon on the Mount, require ANOTHER Life and Person that we are NOT.

In this section Jesus is really talking about Himself. It amounts to the need for Jesus Himself to enter into you and blend with you.

Originally posted by Executioner Brand
I haven't even looked at the passage but do you think it is possible to experience love without being saved?

Oh yes!

No anxiety ? It requires another Person.
Love your enemies ? It requires another Person.

Not to double take on a woman so as to lust after her in your heart ?
It requires the life and nature of ANOTHER PERSON - Christ.

Withhold your anger and diminutive insult - Knucjklehead, Nutjob, Racha, Bafoon!! ? This too requires another Person to come to abide in you.

if your reaction when reading these lessons is "I just cannot make it to live this way." you have the right realization. If it gives you the incentive to draw close Jesus Christ and to have no alternative but to depend upon Jesus Christ moment by moment - then you have the right realization.

Matthew is a book showing the unreachable demand of the kingdom of the heavens.
John is a book revealing the available SUPPLY to be able to meet that demand.

Matthew elaborates on the impossible demand of the highest level of morality on earth.
John reveals the Person, the life and the way by which people may live such a highest level of human life on earth, by having Christ LIVE in them.

Man must eat Jesus, masticate Jesus, digest thoroughly the living Jesus to have Jesus saturate and permeate her whole being. We have to learn to live as He Himself lived by the Father. What a great privilege that we could be on the same path as Jesus was.

John 6:57

" As the living Father has sent Me and I live because of the Father, so he who eats Me, he also shall live because of Me."

Eating Jesus Christ is the way.
Taking Jesus in -
Fully opening up to Jesus Christ -
Learning each day to take Jesus as everything you need - is "eating" Jesus.

If we "eat" Him we will live also because of Him.

Originally posted by sonship
No anxiety ? It requires another Person.
Love your enemies ? It requires another Person.

Not to double take on a woman so as to lust after her in your heart ?
It requires the life and nature of ANOTHER PERSON - Christ.

Withhold your anger and diminutive insult - Knucjklehead, Nutjob, Racha, Bafoon!! ? This too requires another Person to come to ...[text shortened]... s everything you need - is "eating" Jesus.

If we "eat" Him we will live also because of Him.

"Withhold your anger and diminutive insult - Knucjklehead, Nutjob, Racha, Bafoon!! ? This too requires another Person to come to abide in you."

On the occasions you have thrown your rattle out of the pram and delivered diminutive insults of your own, did another Person 'stop' abiding in you?

Originally posted by Ghost of a Duke
"Withhold your anger and diminutive insult - Knucjklehead, Nutjob, Racha, Bafoon!! ? This too requires another Person to come to abide in you."

On the occasions you have thrown your rattle out of the pram and delivered diminutive insults of your own, did another Person 'stop' abiding in you?

On the occasions you have thrown your rattle out of the pram and delivered diminutive insults of your own, did another Person 'stop' abiding in you?

I am still on the WAY of learning to live by Christ.
This is a life-long matter. And if there exists a Christian who is not still a work in progress, I never met him or her. And I know personally thousands of believers.

It would be absolutely splendid if you received Christ became a great example of an older brother in Christ. That would be wonderful. Then I could learn from your walk with Jesus.

Originally posted by Ghost of a Duke
"Withhold your anger and diminutive insult - Knucjklehead, Nutjob, Racha, Bafoon!! ? This too requires another Person to come to abide in you."

On the occasions you have thrown your rattle out of the pram and delivered diminutive insults of your own, did another Person 'stop' abiding in you?

On the occasions you have thrown your rattle out of the pram and delivered diminutive insults of your own, did another Person 'stop' abiding in you?

Since you are so confidence that you recall this, maybe you have a good example ?
I certainly am not above getting into the flesh.

At first I thought to just take your word for it.
I know I lose my temper too.
Then on second thought, "Well its easy for you to say I did ... "

Do you have an example ?
I like to let people know that like all else, they too are made in the image of God and according to God's likeness.

Show me your striking example of my purposely diminutive meanness in name calling ?

Originally posted by KellyJay
Love means love, none of us live alone in this life. Each one of us were at one time
completely lost, and God has reached out to save us all. We are forgiven, for each sin,
each wicked hateful word, each thought that is against another and God Himself.

Since we are forgiven so much if we go to God for salvation we need to forgive all that
have wronged ...[text shortened]... ssues.

Loving the next guy and God has always been the proper way to live, its never changed.

Let's say a guy breaks into your house and attacks your family. In self defense, you shoot him and kill him.

How does that sort of scenario fit into your framework?

Originally posted by sonship
No anxiety ? It requires another Person.
Love your enemies ? It requires another Person.

Not to double take on a woman so as to lust after her in your heart ?
It requires the life and nature of ANOTHER PERSON - Christ.

Withhold your anger and diminutive insult - Knucjklehead, Nutjob, Racha, Bafoon!! ? This too requires another Person to come to ...[text shortened]... s everything you need - is "eating" Jesus.

If we "eat" Him we will live also because of Him.

C'mon jaywill.

When Jesus speaks of "eating His flesh" and "drinking His blood" he is using it as a metaphor for living by the words He spoke while He walked the Earth (since you often have trouble with this expression - it means "the words He spoke prior to His crucifixion). You should read John 6. Jesus explains the metaphor there.

Originally posted by ThinkOfOne
I guess you could. Thinking can be so taxing.

Smugly arrogant as usual. You need to work on ego dissolution. Yours always runs rampant here, and it's getting ugly to watch.

Originally posted by BigDoggProblem
Smugly arrogant as usual. You need to work on ego dissolution. Yours always runs rampant here, and it's getting ugly to watch.

He said smugly arrogantly.

With a title of "The Advanced Mind", were you able to say that with a straight face?