Grace for Our Enemies

Author's note; This was written days before Russia invaded Ukraine. As we pray for our sisters and brothers in Ukraine, do we dare pray for Russia - the perpetrator - the enemy? Jesus told us to. May we pray that their hearts will be changed and they will see the evil in their actions and will strive instead for peaceful interactions. MJB

“Forgive and you shall be forgiven.” Luke 6:37

I’ve been reading the book, What’s So Amazing About Grace by Philip Yancey, and in it he talks about forgiveness which is one part of grace where God forgives our sins as a free gift. There is nothing we have to earn or show our best self for. He says that in comparing the world’s religions today, the one difference that stands out in Christianity is grace – the gift of salvation by no merit of our own.

In response to this, in our Luke 6 passage we are told to love our enemies – to be merciful as God the Father has been merciful to us – to forgive and you will be forgiven.

Psalms 37 tells us not to worry or be envious of the wicked since their day will come. Meanwhile we are to trust and delight in the Lord. We are to wait patiently for the Lord since those who wait on him will inherit the land and delight themselves in abundant prosperity.

Could this land be the Kingdom of God? By focusing on our own righteousness – the Lord will be with us and protect us and be our fortress in times of trouble. God will be our rescuer from the wicked.

Jesus, however, in Luke 6 adds more to this not worrying about the wicked. He asks us to love them – to love our enemies. We are to do good to them and lend to them expecting nothing in return. We are to follow the Lord’s example of being kind and merciful to the ungrateful and the wicked.

We are told not to judge or condemn – to forgive and give. If we judge or condemn, it will come back to us. It is better to forgive and give and receive forgiveness. The measure you give will be the measure returned to you.

Yancey in his book tells how much better global relations would be if instead of striking back a wrong, we would offer forgiveness. Sad to say that the world today works on what he calls “ungrace,” not loving, forgiving, or showing mercy to the enemy.

By loving and showing mercy, we can truly live in the land – we can live and thrive in the kingdom of God. This is a kingdom fueled by grace – the forgiveness of sin as a free gift.

Since we’ve received this free gift, who are we to judge the sins of another or be envious of how blessed their lives seem to be.  Let us focus on seeking our own righteousness, forgiving our enemies and praying lovingly for them that they will too one day accept this grace of forgiveness from our Lord. Amen

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