April 28, 2011
He Loves Them
I’m learning to identify my enemies and Scripture is helping me find my footing on how I should respond and how the Lord will deal with them. Even though my current enemies have recently done some dastardly deeds, I’m convinced that the Lord loves them and will show them His love “…because the Lord disciplines those he loves…” (Proverbs 3:11-12 NIV)
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Gail;
-----If the concept of enemy applies to anything, it certainly applies to Satan. If we are called to walk in the light, and since the light is the nature of God, and since loving even your enemy is part of our call to walk in the light, then does that mean God loves Satan? There is no statement in the Word to the effect that He does. There is not even an explicit statement that He loved him before corruption was found in him, although I think good reasoning would supply that He did. The Lord hates all evildoers (Ps 5:5). His soul hates those who love violence (Ps 11:5), and He hates those who regard vain idols (Ps 31:6). Does the Lord discipline them? His discipline is for those whom He loves. At least, every expression of the Word about His discipline is made in regards only to those He loves. So, if some of your current enemies are those whom the Lord hates, will He discipline them?
-----It is kind of strange to think of God hating anyone. Yet, there it is - in the Word! And since the Word expresses some categories of people God hates, then what do we do with, “...God so loved the world that he gave his only Son?” Is it possible that God can love those whom He hates? If He can’t, then why would He direct us to love those whom He hates, “...I say to you, Love your enemies?” (Mat 5:44) I don’t know how you might think, but I think questions about God like these have no answers because they are misdirected.
-----I think the proper direction of such questioning is towards love, hate, and the conditions in which we live. God did so love the world; the Bible states it. God does hate some; the Bible states that, too. So, what is there about love and hate that the two can be done from the same heart? I believe it appears in the relational aspect of each. Love connects; love builds. Or in the least, it desires to connect and build. Hate separates; hate destroys. Or at least it desires such. In their respective desires, love and hate are just as real as they are in their actual connection and separation with or from another person and in their actual building or destruction done to another person. But when the other person returns either in kind - love for love, or hate for hate - their aspects move from only attitudes to actual relationship, where life circulates between the two in love, or death puts distance between the two in hatred. Therefore, God’s love for the whole world is in His desire for it to love Him. Yet, because most of the world are evildoers loving violence and giving regard to vain idols while hating God, He is left only that relationship for entering with them. Since God is complete, He must. And since both life and death are in His hands, it is proper. Yet, while in that relationship with them He would much rather be in love with them.
-----But we are not in ourselves complete, and life and death are not in our own hands. We are complete in the Lord while abiding in the love He has for us and gives us to have for others; He gave us no hatred to have towards others because death, destruction, and separation are not ours to dispense. They are His. The only relational aspect we then have left is love. If someone be an enemy through hatred chosen towards us, we still must desire their best reality, which is their loving God, which would engage His discipline and extend their lives, if only they would. But we must not enter the hatred relationship with them.
Love you all,
Steve Corey
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