The Importance Of Loving The Other Tribe - Yes, Your Enemy!
Text: Romans 12:6-16
In the name of Jesus.
Amen.
We are often picky and
choosy when it comes to extending love to one another. For example, it is easy
to love someone that loves us in the first place. It is also easy to love
someone that gives us good things. So, it makes sense that you can often find
love in a church. Since Christians possess the same faith, they often become a
loving church family where Christians try to put each other first. It is not
uncommon to see Christians trying to play second fiddle in the church, lifting
each other up, as if there is a competition to see who can outdo each other in
showing honor to one another. Like it has already been stated, it is easy to
love someone that loves us in the first place and gives us good
things.
However, what about
loving those who do not give us good things? How about loving those who
persecute us – perhaps those outside the church or against the
church?
In Romans 12, Paul tells
you and me to not only love Christians inside the church but then directs you
and me to love those outside the church. He calls you and me to love our
enemies – to love those who persecute and hurt us.
Now, just to make sure we
are clear with who our enemies are, it is important to keep in mind the
original audience that Paul was writing to. Paul was writing to the Christians
in Rome. And these Romans Christians, well… they had a government that would
often suppress unofficial religions like Christianity. That is to say; the
Roman Christians would often experience prejudice and unfair treatment from the
Roman State. During that first century, Christians were banished by the state
and even executed for their faith. And so, Paul is telling the Christians in
Rome to not only put up with the Roman State but to love oppressive Roman
rulers. For example, if a magistrate spoke poorly about the Christian faith –
well, the magistrate deserves love from the Christian. If a ruler harasses a
Christian and puts them in jail, well, Christians are to bless the ruler – to
pray to God on behalf of the ruler.
Does this mean that we
Christians are to be a bunch of wimpy and powerless doormats, letting everyone
walk all over us? No, by no means. These reading from Romans 12 is not
condemning self-defense or telling us that we should not be as wise as a
serpent with respect to our enemies. Loving and blessing an enemy is not
the same as being an ignorant, foolish doormat – allowing ongoing abuse and violence
upon oneself. Furthermore, loving and blessing an enemy is not the same as
agreeing with an enemy. To love an enemy is not the same as endorsing
their actions or agendas.
I don’t have to tell you
that we have really messed all of this up in America right now. Sure we are
good at loving those who are a part of our own political tribe – that is for
sure. However, perhaps the greatest sin, according to our culture right now, is
to show love to our enemies. It is viewed as an act of betrayal or endorsement
of an enemy. We certainly do not have much mercy for those who are different
from us right now. But no matter how much persecution arises from our enemies –
no matter how unbearable the heights of their persecution – we must never stop
wishing our enemies wellness. We must never stop loving our
enemies.
Hear this loud and clear:
we understand that love is showing kindness to those who are our
friends. And we understand that love is often expressed by not returning
an evil action to those who have done evil to us. However, this is not all
that the Apostle Paul is teaching us today. It is not only what Jesus teaches
us about love. God’s Word tells us that we are to love and bless our enemies –
to pray for them and wish them happiness.
Now, if you are like me,
you must confess right now that this does not feel right. I find it easy to
love my friends. It is also easy to show love by not getting even with an
enemy.
But to love and bless an
enemy?
My sinful old Adam can’t stand this idea! Deep down, my old Adam and your old Adam want the destruction – damnation – of our enemies. Anger gets the best of us, and we rage with bitterness towards our enemies. We can even envision their destruction. Who doesn’t like watching a good movie when the villain gets what is coming for him. When enemies get what is coming for them, we chuckle with sinful delight. We are happy when our enemies are destroyed! But why?
Dear friends, we like to
draw a line between good and evil. Now, please hear me very clearly. There is
indeed a difference between good and evil. There is a line between good and
evil; they cannot mix. Evil is not good; good is not evil. However, to
the point, we like to draw a line through all sorts of things to distinguish
good and evil according to our desire. For example, we draw a line between
countries – this country is good, and this country is evil. We draw a line
between political parties – this party is evil, and this party is good. We
draw a line between economic classes – those making this amount of money are
evil and those making this amount of money are good. We draw a line between
ethnicities, gender, and generations - classifying certain genders, races, and
generations as good and others as evil. After we draw these lines, we then show
love to the side that is most like us, and we begin to hate those who are on
the other side of the line because they are obviously evil.
While this is
problematic, the real problem with this kind of thinking is that when we place
a line between all these different classifications, we begin to see the other
people on the other side of the line as less human – after all, they are
supposedly evil. And as we see them as less human, we then feel justified in
our hate and their destruction. Instead of praying for others on the other side
of the line, we spend our time marinating in hatred and dreaming of their
destruction. We place them outside the category of God’s creation – making them
into animals. We place them outside the grace of Christ – as if Christ’s arms
did not stretch wide enough for their redemption. This kind of line drawing and
thinking is demonic!
Dear friends, hear this
loud and clear! The line separating good and evil does not pass through
countries, political parties, economic classes, ethnicities, genders, and generations.
No, the line passes through every human heart. It passes through your
heart.
This does not mean that
part of your heart is good, and part is bad. No, it means that your sinful
nature – within you – is on the opposite side of good, just like everybody
else. There is no difference between you and your neighbor with respect to the
line. Your country, politics, finances, ethnicity, gender, and age do not push
you over the line to the side of good. Paul teaches us here and elsewhere that
there is ‘no one good, not even one.’ We are all – together – on the side of
the line labeled evil.
This is why we pray for
our enemies. This is why we wish them happiness. They are just like us, and we
like them. We know the evil in our hearts, and we want them to realize the evil
in their hearts so that we ‘all’ might receive forgiveness, life, and salvation
in Christ together.
And so, when your enemy
does something evil, repent. Yes, repent when your enemy does evil because you
know that the evil they have just committed springs forth from a sinful heart –
the same sinful heart that you and I have. Yes, we repent when we see evil, and
we pray for our enemies. We cling to the forgiveness of Jesus. We cry
out,
“Lord have mercy on me, my neighbor, and especially my enemies.”
We confess boldly,
“Come, Lord Jesus, Come!”
Indeed, we pray that our
enemies would be delivered from their deception. We pray that they would be
brought to their knees in sorrow. We pray that they would join us in confessing
that we are all poor miserable sinners in thought, word, and deed, for there is
plenty of room before the throne of God for repentant sinners. Never forget,
there is always more grace in Christ than there is sin in us and our enemies.
And so, dear Baptized
Saints, if it is possible, keep peace with everyone around you while constantly
praying for your enemies. However, remember that you do not keep peace at all
costs. There will be times when truth, duty, and justice, demand that you
defend yourself and others. When this happens, stand firm, rest in Christ, and
pray for those who attack you. And when you are persecuted for your faith,
never forget the victory of Christ that though you were once an enemy of God,
Christ Jesus made you his own through His death and resurrection, erasing the
line and reconciling you to God the Father. Never forget that you have been
forgiven for the enemy that lurks in your hearts – your old Adam.
May God grant you and me
the humility to see ourselves no better than those around us. May God grant you
and me love to serve our neighbor. May God grant you and me a posture of
grace to pray and bless those around us – especially our enemies.
In the name of Jesus. Amen.
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