Love God, Neighbor and Enemies

We have been chosen by the Lord of hosts by His Spirit and Word through grace alone by faith alone in Christ alone because of Scripture alone for the glory of God alone.  There is no one who can take the precious divine truth of His gospel from us.  We are always His the first time He made us His.

We are enabled to love our Triune Lord, neighbor and enemies because of God's love to us.  Loving God is the first commandment (Mt. 22:37, 38) and gives us boldness (1 John 4:17-19).  We ought to love Christ because it is the sign of true faith (John 8:42) and seen in service (2 Cor. 5:14).  The second commandment is loving others (Mt. 22:37, 38) because it is commanded by Christ Himself (John 13:34).

People hate the God of the Bible by nature (Rom. 1:30), the gospel (1 Thess. 2:14-18) and the light of Christ (John 3:19-21).  I would say that by nature we hate each other but it must be overcome by kindness (1 Sam. 26:18-21).  We are called to forgive our enemies (Mt. 6:12-15), pray for them (Luke 23:24) and love them (Luke 6:27, 25).  There is an example of hate in the Bible of Saul against David (1 Sam. 18:29).  David was overcome by love because he did not kill Saul when he could have.

Love is a supernatural act of the will by the Spirit who is in us.  We ought to love because it is the best thing for us to do and the greatest of all good things we can do.  Sometimes love is knowing when to back off.  Sometimes love is knowing to do nothing.  Sometimes that's the hardest thing to do.

Loving our enemies does not mean we should let them destroy us.  It is standing up for Jesus that we love our enemies as ourselves.  If we forgive our enemies, it might make them sin more against us.   We ought to stand our ground and fight for Jesus by loving them.
 

Stand up, stand up for Jesus, ye soldiers of the cross;
Lift high His royal banner, it must not suffer loss.
From victory unto victory His army shall He lead,
Till every foe is vanquished, and Christ is Lord indeed.

Stand up, stand up for Jesus, the solemn watchword hear;
If while ye sleep He suffers, away with shame and fear;
Where’er ye meet with evil, within you or without,
Charge for the God of battles, and put the foe to rout.

Stand up, stand up for Jesus, the trumpet call obey;
Forth to the mighty conflict, in this His glorious day.
Ye that are brave now serve Him against unnumbered foes;
Let courage rise with danger, and strength to strength oppose.

Stand up, stand up for Jesus, stand in His strength alone;
The arm of flesh will fail you, ye dare not trust your own.
Put on the Gospel armor, each piece put on with prayer;
Where duty calls or danger, be never wanting there.

Stand up, stand up for Jesus, each soldier to his post,
Close up the broken column, and shout through all the host:
Make good the loss so heavy, in those that still remain,
And prove to all around you that death itself is gain.

Stand up, stand up for Jesus, the strife will not be long;
This day the noise of battle, the next the victor’s song.
To those who vanquish evil a crown of life shall be;
They with the King of Glory shall reign eternally.

Jesus submitted to death because He freely gave Himself for us and freely laid down His precious life.  No one took His life from Him but He freely laid it down and He freely took it up again by His bodily resurrection.  Jesus loved us with an everlasting love that was not known until He came and gave His life for His people.  No one can separate us from Jesus and His love.  Amen.