Love your enemies

[gmik]

Never in my life would I have ever thought to "love" satan.  Even after reading this entire thread twice I still don't know. Love your enemies is a very broad statement and I guess it could apply.  A year ago, I didn't know loving your enemies included terrorists. As the Lord gives me eyes to see I am learning.

Love,
Gena

[orion77]

When we are in Christ we live by faith.  The words in 1John 3, speak of that faith, things that are not SEEN. 


(1Jo 3:4)  Everyone practicing sin also practices lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness.

(1Jo 3:5)  And you know that that One was revealed that He might take away our sins, and sin is not in Him.

(1Jo 3:6)  Everyone remaining in Him does not sin. Everyone sinning has not seen Him, nor known Him.

(1Jo 3:7)  Little children, let no one lead you astray; the one practicing righteousness is righteous, even as that One is righteous.

(1Jo 3:  The one practicing sin is of the devil, because the devil sins from the beginning. For this the Son of God was revealed, that He might undo the works of the devil.

(1Jo 3:9)  Everyone who has been begotten of God does not sin, because His seed abides in him, and he is not able to sin, because he has been born of God.

(1Jo 3:10)  By this the children of God and the children of the devil are revealed: Everyone not practicing righteousness is not of God; also the one not loving his brother.

(1Jo 3:11)  Because this is the message which you heard from the beginning, that we should love one another,

(1Jo 3:12)  not as Cain was of the evil one, and killed his brother. And for what did he kill him? Because his works were evil, but the things of his brother were righteous.


There has never been a living soul who can fullfill these words, except Christ.  This is the importance of faith.  Can anybody here honestly say they do not sin, yet these verses say we cannot sin, after He has been revealed to us.  How?  Only by faith, and that faith is a gift from God. 

The verses in Rom 7: 19, here Paul is speaking of the truth that we all know.  Not one of us does right.


(Rom 7:19)  For what good I desire, I do not do. But the evil I do not desire, this I do.

(Rom 7:20)  But if I do what I do not desire, it is no longer I working it out, but the sin dwelling in me.

(Rom 7:21)  I find then the law, when I desire to do the right, that evil is present with me.

(Rom 7:22)  For I delight in the Law of God according to the inward man;

(Rom 7:23)  but I see another law in my members having warred against the law of my mind, and taking me captive by the law of sin being in my members.

(Rom 7:24)  O wretched man that I am! Who shall deliver me from the body of this death?

(Rom 7:25)  I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then I myself with the mind truly serve the Law of God, and with the flesh the law of sin.


Here again, its all about Jesus Christ to be thankful for His plan and mercy.  Here is the apostle Paul, stating what a wretched man he is, and who shall deliver him.  The righteous and obedient ones live by faith.


(Rom 1:17)  for in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; even as it has been written, "But the just shall live by faith." Hab. 2:4

(Rom 3:25)  whom God set forth as a propitiation through faith in His blood, as a demonstration of His righteousness through the passing over of the sins that had taken place before, in the forbearance of God,

(Rom 3:26)  for a demonstration of His righteousness in the present time, for His being just and justifying the one that is of the faith of Jesus.

(Rom 3:27)  Then where is the boasting? It was excluded. Through what law? Of works? No, but through a Law of faith.

(Rom 4:13)  For the promise was not through Law to Abraham, or to his seed, for him to be the heir of the world, but through a righteousness of faith.

(Rom 4:14)  For if those of Law are heirs, faith has been made of no effect, and the promise has been annulled.

(Rom 4:15)  For the Law works out wrath; for where no law is, neither is transgression.

(Rom 4:16)  On account of this, it is of faith, that it be according to grace, for the promise to be certain to all the seed, not to that of the Law only, but also to that of the faith of Abraham, who is father of us all,

(Rom 4:17)  according as it has been written, "I have appointed you a father of many nations;" before God, whom he believed, the One making the dead live, and calling the things that are not as if they were. Gen. 17:5


And calling the things that are not as if they were.  Amazing words from God to explain faith.  Only by faith can we understand those verses in 1John 3.

Hope this helps, God bless,

Gary

[Shane]

satan means adversary.

Adversity can be seen as a good thing or bad thing.

You can either be hurt by adversity if you don't resist it or you can become stronger by resisting it. Like lifting weights.

If you can resist the crushing tendencies of 200 lbs wanting to land on your chest and instead push it away from you - you will become stronger and better able to push it away in the future.

Gravity can be seen as adversity. It makes things heavy and makes people fall down. But ask an astronaut who has been in space along time what he misses the most about earth and he will say gravity. Without gravity the muscles atrophy and we get weak.

Jesus was led into the desert to be hurt by the adversary- no. He was led into the desert to be strengthed. James tells us to consider it joy when we face trials. Adversity builds us into the people God wants us to be. Doesn't the bible say God scourges those he loves?

Shane

[CEO]

 Hi

     Peter says our enemy is the devil. 1 Pet 5:8.  Jesus says love our enemy.  Matt.5:44
Let's try to love him at least in the agape way.

                                                               Charles