How many people have been saved by the grace of God against their will? How many people have been given over to a reprobate mind that would have it no other way? How many of the rich could not care less about the poor as long as they continue in their wealth? How many who call themselves Christians continue to serve the Lord here because they fear His chastisement if they do not, because they believe being obedient is the path to heaven, because they expect more than what they have received here?
“If ye love me, keep my commandments.” (John 14:15)
Anyone who does anything with no thought of renumeration for themselves, but only out of love is a rare person today and perhaps has always been, self-love has always been the way of mankind. “For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,”
(2 Tim. 3:2) “And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.” (Matt. 22:39)
Why is it so important to the Lord for us to love each other, why is the expression and action of love the fulfillment of the law, and if we who have been saved by grace through faith are not under the law, why are we still to love not only one another who are also saved, but the lost and even our enemies?
We are to hate evil yet perform actions of love against those who despitefully use us.
“Because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil.” (Eccl. 8:11) In the Old Testament the Almighty commanded His servants to kill the ungodly, in the New Testament we are told to suffer at the hands of the unrighteous, here is why the “God is love” movement has taken hold so fast. He is love, but He is also wrath, His perfect love is balanced perfectly with His perfect justice, yet we as born-again believers are not told, are not sent out to execute His judgment against the blatantly and continuously unrighteous person or nation, we are told to suffer under them while performing acts of love towards them as they do so to us.
Here is why the rich would just as soon stay rich, why the reprobate would just as soon be left alone in their sin, why the lost cannot see what it is that the Lord has shown to you, suffering for the sake of love is a foreign concept to them.
This is what Christ has called us to do, suffer, and if He so desires, die for Him.
We are not speaking of vengeance here, “Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.” (Romans 12:19) Even in the Old Testament the sons of Jacob knew this truth, but you must be able to see how the Almighty has set before the followers of His Son a different path than the one set before Joshua, before David, before the mighty men of valor in the Old Testament than He has for us.
We have not been sent out to kill the unrighteous, they are to be allowed to live, even thrive in their evil desires and we are to pray for them.
I mean no offense here, but men of action have a lot of difficulty with these truths, the rapist, the murderer, the destroyer of children’s lives should in our minds be removed from this planet permanently, not for vengeance’s sake, but because continuing unrighteousness should not be allowed to thrive. In our minds if the courts will not do their job, then someone should, but that is not the path of the one who has been crucified with Christ.
To have to live amongst evil is much more difficult than disposing of it.
“In your patience possess ye your souls.” (Luke 21:19) We have been told to stand down while standing against, this is the path of the born-again believer and only the love of Christ can enable us to walk in it.
