I'm the Enemy

"But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust." (Matthew 5:44-45 ESV)

"But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil. Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful." (Luke 6:35-36 ESV)

Not easy...but our example hung on a cross enduring insults for us, saying father forgive them, loving us as we yell "crucify him" with our daily acts of idolatry and unbelief. Who does that?! Only Jesus. And although we cannot meet the criteria of perfect child of God, we can be grateful for his substitutionary death and imputed righteousness that reminds us how truly little we have to suffer for his name.

For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:6-8 ESV)

For if while we were ENEMIES we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. (Romans 5:10 ESV)

When we realize our inability to love our enemies, we have a few choices. 1. We can despair, hopeless as we look at the reality of our sin. 2. We can attempt to "try again" at righteousness with determination, pulling ourselves up by our bootstraps and working at it. OR 3. We can look at our perfect example, realizing his perfect love for us, who have made ourselves his enemy. He cried for his Father to forgive us as he was on the verge of being separated from the one with whom he had constant intimacy since forever, never having been apart. And because of this love for us, his enemy, we now never have to be separated from the Father. We never have to experience a break in intimacy. We have unlimited access. The veil was torn. 

See, we CANNOT love our enemies like that. But we can look at Christ and be changed. We can see the depth of his love for his enemy (us) and be moved by gratitude and humility, recognizing how undeserving we are of this grace. And in that response, a love will grow, a love for God, and a love for others, even those who hurt us. If we can see ourselves as an enemy, we can have mercy on those who are an enemy to us. After all, we have had very little to endure from our enemies, in comparison to what we've put Jesus through. And what we've put Jesus through is what we actually deserve. 

And what we get instead is what we should be denied: access to the Father, eternal glory, reigning with Christ, a position of honor. 

"For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison" (2 Corinthians 4:8-9, 17 ESV)

So do not despair. Do not lose hope. Look at Christ and live!