11th
Loving Our Enemies :: Making Sense of Grace and Judgement
One of the most beautifully stunning marks of an authentic Christian faith is the ability to extend love to one’s enemies.
It’s also one of the hardest things Christ asked us to do. Really, really hard. And it would be dishonest and lack integrity not to admit this.
Rarely have I seen people truly extend love to their enemies. In fact, what I usually see (often, from good-hearted people committed to their faith) is the sad reality of hate breeding more hate, prejudice fueling stereotypes and segregation, and exclusion drawing deeper lines of division.
It actually seems ironic. I mean, to love your enemy would suggest that the so-called enemy is no longer an enemy. You know, in real life you hate your enemies. But to offer love to the one you hate negates hate by extending love. The logic is pretty simple.
- Person + Hate = Enemy
- Enemy + Love = Former Enemy
Last week I read Why We’re Not Emergent: By Two Guys Who Should Be (Kevin DeYoung and Ted Kluck). I found their section on hell and God’s wrath a bit troubling.
Here’s a little peek at one of the statements that I’m still trying to make sense of. On page 198 the authors suggest that a traditional understanding of hell as eternal torture and suffering actually helps us love people we find unlovable. They write, “…we need God’s wrath in order to forgive our enemies. The reason we can forgo repaying evil for evil is because we trust the Lord’s promise to repay the wicked.”
Wow.
I’m a little confused here about what these guys think love is.
To further qualify their statement, I quote (also on page 198), “Believing in God’s judgment actually helps us look more like Jesus. In short, we need the doctrine of God’s wrath.”
Ummmmm, are they talking about the same Jesus who actually loved his enemies. The same Jesus who prayed for mercy and forgiveness over the guys who stripped him down, beat him to a bloody pulp and then pounded huge nails through the tender parts of his wrists and ankles before watching him die a slow and painful death? The same Jesus who said, “Father forgive them”?
Maybe someone could help me out here. If I really love my enemies, could I honestly wish hell on them? Or, if I really loved someone, would there exist within me the slightest possibility that I’d ever hope they would experience any form of alienation from God?
I sure would love to hear what you all think about this one.
