But I say to you who hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you.

Luke 6

But I say to you who hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. Luke 6:27-28

I continue my study looking at the life of Paul using John Piper's 30 Reasons Why I Love the Apostle Paul.  Today, I move to chapter four- Unwavering Love for Those Who Scourged Him. Here, John Piper describes the horrific nature of the beatings he was subjected to by the Jews (as he started evangelizing towards them) as shared by Paul in 2 Corinthians 11:24. He also shares the historical context of how these beatings were meted out per the Old Testament not as a death penalty but as the maximum extent to which the law allowed for punishment (Deuteronomy 25:2-3). We are encouraged by Piper to imagine the sense of not just the physical agony experienced by Paul, but also to imagine if in Paul's place "a sense of what you might feel toward God and your adversaries, the Jewish people*." Piper describes as amazing that Paul never feels anger towards or curses God, nor does he towards the Jews.  Paul is simply fulfilling his mission given him to preach first to the Jews then the Gentiles (Romans 1:16).  Piper then goes on to describe Paul's love for his kinsmen fellow Jews as chronicled in Romans 9:2-3, 10:1.  Piper wraps the chapter by pointing out how we are carry Jesus's death in our body so that we also manifest his life in our body (2 Corinthians 4:8-10). Paul epitomized Jesus's words from Luke 6:27-28.

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My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are good and You suffered for me - this is love.  I must suffer for others so that in me others see You.  Help me Lord Jesus!  I am not deserving of how You are so full of grace for me.  My sin is great and it continues...daily.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin. Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

Be not a witness against your neighbor without cause, and do not deceive with your lips. Do not say, “I will do to him as he has done to me; I will pay the man back for what he has done.

Proverbs 22:17-24:34

Be not a witness against your neighbor without cause, and do not deceive with your lips. Do not say, “I will do to him as he has done to me; I will pay the man back for what he has done. Proverbs 24:28-29

I continue with my study of Proverbs, specifically in week 8 from my study workbook, which focuses on Proverbs 22:17-24:34.  The three final questions from the study for this week focus on exhortations to (1) avoid partiality in justice and to love your neighbor as yourself (Proverbs 24:23b, James 2:1-13, and John 13:34); (2) build a foundation for a Godly life based on "losing your life" in terms of being prepared to lose those things in our earthly life where we should not place more faith than God himself - this includes our own physical life, family, health, wealth, etc. (Proverbs 24:27, Luke 14:25-33); and (3) not take revenge on others but instead leave justice to God, and in its place focus on loving others, including those who either do us harm, or intend/seek to do so (Proverbs 24:28-29, Leviticus 19:18, Romans 12:19, Hebrews 10:29-31, Matthew 5:43-48).  In particular, the message to love others and to not take revenge is certainly a message our country can use right now...

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My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God who loves me and who is full of grace and compassion for me - even as I was still sinning, an enemy and hostile to You, You saved me...thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of my salvation nor any of the blessings You pour out for me.  My sin is great and it continues.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor.

Romans 12

Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. Romans 12:9-10

  

This morning, I continued my study of Romans.  Using my commentary - Exalting Jesus in Romans (eBook) - I started chapter sixteen Living in View of God's Mercy, which covers Romans 12:1-16.  Building on my post yesterday, where I focused on Romans v12:3-8, this morning I review the v12:9-16 and the associated commentary. While the sub-heading of the text (ESV) refers to these verses as "Marks of the True Christian," the commentary indicates that irregardless of the subheading the implication and intent of these verses is for Christians to outwardly demonstrate lives that oppose conformity to worldly behavior - we are to be "counter-cultural."  Our renewed mind (v12:2) transforms our thinking and actions, enabling us to live this worldly-opposed life and God works through us, causing our obedience.  While we see a number of commands, including how we are to love and treat our "enemies" or those who persecute or treat us harshly, the over-riding command is to love others as God loves us (see John 13:34) - given all believers where at one point enemies of God (see Romans 5:10).  My commentary stresses that such love leads to action - empathy and compassion towards others (see 1 John 3:16-18).  We must also hate evil as God does. We must also live with zeal - not apathy!

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My Prayer: Lord Jesus, what an amazing God You are that even while we were still enemies of God, You loved us and offered salvation for those who believe - what an amazing gift of grace!  Thank You Jesus.  Yet I am not deserving.  I have gossip, worry, harsh words, anger, etc. in my life.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord. On the contrary: “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

Portions of Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy

Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord. On the contrary: “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. Romans 12:17-21

Day 57 of my chronological study of the Bible with The Daily Bible® - In Chronological Order (NIV®) (available by purchase through Amazon - author F. LaGard Smith) focuses on directives from God through Moses for the punishment of crimes, including murder, assault, kidnapping, rape, and theft.

The giving of the law allows for proportional punishment - with one example taken from Exodus 21: 

"But if there is serious injury, you are to take life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, bruise for bruise." Exodus 21:23-25

Such language is often used as justification to exact justice as they see fit.  Yet we must be clear that God alone is judge and it is He who exacts justice. 

Using Romans 12:19-21 John Piper provides this excellent post regarding God and His anger vs His vengeance and how God's wrath is "never less than a perfect, judicial decree, but is always more than a perfect, judicial decree because it is always full of right and fitting fury."

God is also clear that we as believers should love and pray for our enemies - see also this post from DesiringGod.com. 

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, Your justice is perfect and I have felt Your discipline in my life and I am grateful for it.  Thank You Jesus for molding me into more of Your image and for Your patience with me.  I am not deserving of such love and patience.  I know there is much work in me to do.  Please forgive me for my sins of omission and commission - my sins are great and daily.  Help me turn from and overcome my sin and turn towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.