Love your Enemy (3)

Here are some more guidelines for followers of Jesus who choose to love their enemies.

• People who are our enemies must be treated fairly by the law.
  

  The same law applies both to the native-born and to the foreigner residing among you (Ex 12:49).

  The same laws and regulations will apply both to you and to the foreigner residing among you (Num 15:16).

  There should not be different laws for people of different races and religions. Judges must treat everyone fairly.
  

  Hear the disputes between your people and judge fairly, whether the case is between two Israelites or between an Israelite and a foreigner residing among you. Do not show partiality in judging; hear both small and great alike (Deut 1:16-17).

• Employers must treat people of different races and religions fairly.
  

  Do not take advantage of a hired worker who is poor and needy, whether that worker is a fellow Israelite or a foreigner residing in one of your towns (Deut 24:14).

• Paul’s instruction that those who do not work should not eat is for believers, not for unbelievers. Unfortunately, many Christians prefer to apply them to people who do not belong to the body of Christ.

• If possible, followers of Jesus should attempt to live at peace with everyone, not just people they like, or those that are the same.
  

  If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone (Rom 12:18).

• Followers of Jesus should not seek revenge against those that harm them.
  

  Do not repay anyone evil for evil… Do not take revenge (Rom 12:17,19).

  If we trust God to deal with those who harm us, we do not need to seek revenge. We can bless those who harm us.

• Violence can never overcome evil.

Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good (Rom 12:21).

In the end, love will overcome evil.

• Followers of Jesus must keep good attitudes to people of other races and religions. We must not slip into of rage, anger or malice (Col 3:8). Some malice might be directed to other believers, must most will be directed at people of other religions and races.
  

  Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God… Get rid of all rage and anger, along with every form of malice (Eph 4:30-31)

  Anger and malice grieve the Holy Spirit. We must be careful to avoid them when dealing with people who are different from us. The fruit of the spirit include patience, gentleness and kindness (Gal 5:22). They will flow if we are full of the Holy Spirit.

Loving our enemies can be hard. We will often get ripped off. The key is that people loving their enemies should not be doing this alone. The love that Jesus called for should come out of a community of believers, who love each other and support each other. If a follower of Jesus is ripped by someone when they love their enemies, the other people in the body they belong to should bless them and support them.