D20-9: We Are To Love OUR Enemies But Hate God’s Enemies (Understanding The Difference Is Crucial!)

Let me start off today by asking you a question.

In my last post, when I was discussing the proper context within which Yeshua said “Love your enemies”, did you notice he was referring to “your” enemies and NOT God’s enemies?

That’s an important point a lot of people overlook.

There’s a HUGE difference between “your” enemies and God’s enemies.

Yeshua urged us to love our enemies.

But he NEVER EVER told us to love God’s enemies.

If you make the fatal decision to side with those whom God has marked for destruction, you can say goodbye to your life and soul forever.

A true believer is NEVER to accept that which God has made it clear He has rejected.

Think about it man.

How in the world can you love what God says He hates and call that unity or living in peace with God?

Let me take this a step further.

Even if you personally don’t have anything against those people or things that God has clearly declared are His enemies, you are still NOT to accept them.

Got it?

We are commanded to reject what God has rejected.

And this may very well include things or family members that are very dear to us.

Let me add a little more nuance here however.

I would NOT necessarily consider the following to be good examples of who God’s enemies are:

-Someone who goes to a different congregation than you.

-A professing believer who adheres to a different set of theological doctrines.

-Someone you know who leads an “immoral” lifestyle.  Remember an unbeliever has not entered into a covenant with the living God, so he or she is not obligated to obey anything that was ONLY given to Israel and those grafted into the commonwealth of Israel.

-A family member who denies the existence of God.

When we talk about God’s enemies within the context of Holy War, we’re talking about those people who are in absolute and total rebellion against God to the extent that they will risk their own lives to murder God’s Chosen people.

I would say Hitler and his Nazi regime are prime examples of those who chose to stand with the Evil One.

I would also say those terrorists who have their own children strap bombs to themselves and then send them into a crowd to kill innocent Jews is a good example of God’s enemies.

This is difficult to explain with complete accuracy but any person who has crossed the line of rebellion against the Lord…

…to the point where they will never be eligible for redemption (a decision only the Lord can make)… 

…is I think a good working definition of a person whom God has marked for destruction.

But again, understand I’m not God and thus can’t be dogmatic about this.

For instance, I just said that a family member who denies the existence of God probably shouldn’t be considered an enemy of the Lord.

But if you have a family member who participates in God-forbidden activities such as dabbling in the occult, attempting to contact spirits from the world of the dead (like my mom did with her Tarot card nonsense) and actively seeks or does things to destroy your faith, they may be dangerously close to becoming an enemy of God.

Either way, I think it’s safe to say that a family member who does such things is most definitely YOUR enemy (if you’re a believer that is).

And while you are commanded to love your enemies, sometimes the best or only way to “love” your enemies is to separate yourself from them.

These are not easy matters to decide as it may be difficult to discern things from an earthly perspective.

I always try to err on the side of mercy and love rather than hate BUT…

…feel that depending on the situation, a healthy God-motivated “hate” may sometimes be necessary.

I have a feeling some of you may have balked at that last statement.

That’s probably because you’re operating under the modern definition of the word “hate” which means to harbor a violently emotional dislike towards something or someone bordering on the homicidal.

That is NOT the Biblical definition of “hate”.

The Biblical understanding of hate is to thoroughly reject that which God has made clear He has rejected.

On the other hand, the Biblical understanding of love is to thoroughly accept that which God has accepted.

Understand I’m not saying emotions don’t play a part in all of this.

God has also created us as emotional beings.

I’m just saying that our modern day understanding of the words “hate” and “love” seem to only be about emotions.

That is NOT the Biblical understanding of those words.

One who is “hated” by God is a person whom God has rejected.

And one who is “loved” by God is a person whom God has accepted.

That is the sense of “love” and “hate” presented to us in the Holy Scriptures.