One of the hardest things to do is obey Matthew 5:43–44. “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” Forgiving our enemy rather than hating him or her, or gaining revenge, is difficult. Something inside of us gnaws at our heart. “You are letting them win.” “They fear no consequences when they deal with you.” “You look weak and afraid.” “You need to teach them a lesson.”
And so, against the natural impulses that we all feel, we try desperately to tamp down our angry response. We feel violated and abused. It seems against our better judgment that we seek to obey Jesus our Lord. But our heart finds little delight in it. We obey because we are supposed to. And in the meantime, we feel frustrated and angry. We might even reason to ourselves, “God better take note of what I am doing and reward me. After all, I only did this for Him.”
As we have seen in this series, the kind of attitude I am illustrating is an obedience of works. It is the obedience of works that says, “I am doing this as service to God.” It is the obedience of works that expects God to reward us for what we have done. It is the obedience of works that imagines that God is indebted to us, and will be judged on how well He repays us for what we do. All of this is an illusion and an affront to God.
The obedience of faith, on the other hand, sees the commands of God and our obedience to them as an opportunity to act for our own good. Our obedience does not benefit God, it benefits us. But how?
The answer lies in this: Add a promise to every command. Let’s concentrate on Romans 12:19. “Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, ‘Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.’” Where is the promise in this? The answer is in the promise that God will avenge. That is, God will take up our cause and retribute with perfect justice.
Some might object that this attitude is unchristian. Should we really wait for God to visit our enemies in vengeance? According to Romans 12:19, that is exactly what we should do. God may visit our enemies by bringing them to the moment of repentance, in which they seek to restore what harm they have done. Or, He may visit our enemies on the last day, when He visits all His enemies with perfect justice before His throne. But either way, God will avenge Himself, as well as His servants.
How might that help us to forgive our enemies? I would think the answer should be clear. Rather than seething with feelings that our enemies are getting away with something, we become fully cognizant that our enemies are getting away with nothing. Hence, we are not filled with feelings of resentment, but feelings of pity. What horror awaits those who practice slander? It is a horrifying thing to contemplate.
But there is another promise that awaits us as we forgive our enemies. It is found in Romans 8:28. “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” In this promise, we are assured that we would never have gone through the painful experience of our enemies harming us had God not purposed that through this, He was working out our long term eternal good. From this promise, we might begin to thank God for our most painful experiences. Perhaps God is working about a humble heart. Perhaps you have cared more about your own reputation than the shaping of your character into that which most pleases God. Perhaps God knew that through this painful experience, you would be better equipped to minister compassion to others who are devastated. Perhaps you have been unable to trust God in the most difficult of experiences. As you think about what you have experienced, reflect on what the great physician is doing for you. He is revealing your need to hold the values of the kingdom as more precious than your own comfort and ease.
Obedience to the command to love your enemies is God’s tool to cure you of your hellishness. While you thought obedience was something you did for God, you now see how wrong you were. Obedience allowed you to become like your heavenly Father. Men and women blaspheme Him every day. He responds by sending rain and sunshine on their lives in order to bless them and give them room to come to their senses. If you obey, you will enter the privilege of being like your heavenly Father.
