LOVE YOUR ENEMIES - A lesson We All Can Learn

THOUGHTS ON THE DEATH OF JESUS - Love Your Enemies

Have you ever wondered why Jesus died on the cross? Was it not to pay the penalty for sin? I guess the answer to those questions depends on who you ask.

Ok, now, assuming He died for sins, let us ask how many sins did He pay for? Which sins were left out? One would naturally answer this by saying that Jesus paid for every sin and all sins and there was no sin that He did not pay for. But again, it depends on who you ask.

So then, I want us to contemplate this question…. Did Jesus die to pay for sin or did Jesus die for sinners? In other words, did He pay for sinners or did He pay for sin? One way to look at the question…. Did Jesus come to purchase people, as if redeeming them from a supermarket OR did Jesus come to pay the penalty for the sin of people?

The answer is, Jesus came to die to pay sin’s penalty. He in essence did redeem us, but in the respect of paying for our sin. Not as in the analogy of purchasing us from a supermarket, but, rather, paying our penalty to redeem us from prison.

Now, if Jesus died only to purchase us instead of paying for sin, then that means His death was not sufficient to pay for all sin, but only for those whom He chose. It means He never intended to die for everyone, but only for some.

Who then did He die for? Well, a Calvinist would say He died for those whom He loved and elected from the foundation of the world. Some even go so far as to quote John 15:13… “Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.” Then they say that Jesus only died for them.

Well, the problem with that is that Jesus also said in Matthew 5:44… “But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you,”

Then as John 3:16 tells us … “For God so LOVED the WORLD that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life.”

SO, I think we could say without much of a stretch, that Jn 15:13, doesn’t say that He died only for His friends, but that He even died for those who were His enemies and that His death for even His enemies made His enemies His friends. Because Romans 5:10 tells us that everyone was, at one time, His enemy.

Romans 5:10 tells us something else and it addresses our next question…

Does His crucifixion alone save anyone? If so, that means He only died for some because obviously not everyone will be saved. This is where many Calvinists misunderstand the atoning work of Jeus on the cross. They believe that if Jesus died for everyone, then everyone would be saved. One way we can answer this is by looking at the Scripture to see if there is anything else that is required for salvation.

“For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life!”   Romans 5:10

What did the death of Jesus actually accomplish? Scripture tells us it redeemed us, reconciled us, served as the satisfaction for sin, etc. but the crucifixion alone is not what saves us. It also took His resurrection as we see from Paul’s words. So, in and of itself, the crucifixion alone does not save, it pays the penalty for sin. Then, in His resurrection, Jesus conquered death. Paul tells us in I Corinthians 15, that if Jesus had not risen we would all still be in our sins. So, we conclude, so far, that we need His death as well as His resurrection to provide salvation. The work of His resurrection will be dealt with in more detail in another post.

So up to this point, we are concluding that He died for everyone and the teaching of Limited Atonement seems to be taking some hits to the chin.

There is still yet, another problem…. In John 3:18 we read .. “Whoever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.”

Now we find the key. Our faith. When we are saved, we die as a sinner and are resurrected in Christ. We are given new life and a new nature. What is it exactly that raises us with Christ? Well, Paul tells that as well…. “buried with Him in baptism, in which you also were raised with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him  from the dead.” Col. 2:12. 

Now we see the clear picture. The death of Jesus was sufficient for all the sins of all people for all time. Not just for those whom He chose before the foundation of the world, but for everyone (I Jn 2:2).

We see that His intent was to redeem man from the prison of sin by His death and provide freedom and new life, saving us by His resurrection.

We see that it is not a Limited Atonement, but an Unlimited Atonement.

We also see that this provided the POSSIBILITY that ANYONE can be saved. However, the reality of salvation (the application of the atoning work of Christ) happens only when we exercise faith - our faith.

This brings us to what I really wanted to discuss….. WHY DID JESUS DIE FOR US? We were His enemies. We argued with Him, sinned against Him, denied Him, rebelled and yet, He loved us. His motivation is LOVE.

Meditate on these verses…. “For at just the right time, while we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God proves His love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Therefore, since we have now been justified by His blood, how much more shall we be saved from wrath through Him! For if, when we were enemies of God, we were reconciled to Him through the death of His Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through His life! Not only that, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.”  Romans 5:6-11

NOW, THE REST OF THE STORY

Now, this is going to throw a few of you. The reason I am writing about the death of Jesus in this way is to drive home a point. It is the point of love.

What is love. Well, the Bible says God is Love. And that love has been demonstrated in the way He treats His enemies. He even asked His Father to forgive those who were crucifying Him. WOW!

At the time of this writing, we just concluded the 2024 Presidential election. Half the country is happy & half the country is devastated. Many on the side that lost is vitriolic. Not all, but most. Pure venom spews from their mouths and hatred is on their lips. For whom? The answer is for those who are on the OTHER SIDE. The truth of the matter is, there should only be one side - the American side. Every election, every sports game, every vote, etc. requires a winner and a loser. “Better luck next time" should be our attitude, "now let’s work together for the good of all." Republicans are Americans and Democrats are Americans. It’s hard for an Eagle to fly with just one wing.

Now grab hold of something…. You know how anti-Calvinism I am. But I am a Christian long before I am a person who is anti-Calvinism. I am a Christian before I am a Baptist and I am a Christian before I am an American. I have also said a thousand times if I have said it once.... "I am anti-Calvinism, not anti-Calvinist". But be under no illusion, I am anti-Calvinism.

Here is the point of this whole blog. Whether you are on the side of the Calvinist or the non-Calvinist, in the end we are both Christians. We should not be enemies. We are most definitely on two separate sides. But in the end, if Jesus is our Savior, we are both going to end up in Heaven.

We should both defend our positions, uphold the truth of Scripture. We should debate, defend, deliberate and endeavor to win over the other side, but in the end, we still can have a meal together, we can still pray for one another and we can still love one another. We should not be searching out churches to reform and we should understand that not everyone is going to agree with us on everything.

I am passionate about the fact that Calvinism is riddled with error and false assumptions and presuppositions and I believe it defames the character of God and distorts the gospel of God. I believe if I do not stand up against it, I would be abdicating my responsibility as a pastor and Bible teacher. But I also believe that those on the Calvinist side, who are truly genuine, (some are not), believe that they are defending the truth of Scripture. They believe like Paul did before His conversion, that he was serving God. It was not until he “saw the light” that he changed his ways. It is my hope that many Calvinists will see the light and change their ways, but in the end, if they don’t, they are still my brothers and sisters in the Lord and worthy of love and respect.

Following are some pictures that might illustrate my opinion on this…. My favorite president of all time is Ronald Reagan. He was a man of principle and conviction and he stood firm on those convictions. But he was still able to get along with others. Many hated him, but he did not return the hatred. George W. Bush reminds me of this as well. Maybe, we all could take a breath and understand that truth lies in the debate and arena of ideas. When all sides are considered, truth is often found. Most of the time, both sides can’t be right and there must be a clear truth one way or another. Maybe, we can learn that it is good to have opposing positions, to demonstrate character by having convictions. But maybe we can learn also that to have those opposing convictions does not necessarily make the other person your enemy. But, even if they are your enemy, let us remember Jesus’s words… “Love your enemies”. After all, isn't that how the world will know that we are His disciples - by the love we have for one another? I believe so. Enjoy these pictures....

In His Grace,

Pastor Tim