GOD’S LOVE FOR HIS ENEMIES

 

 Is God really love, or has He unrighteously misrepresented Himself? How could He be love if He condemns those who reject Him to eternal torment. As stated in the previous chapter, there are many uncertainties regarding this subject:

·       Is hell self-chosen?

·       What form does it take?

·       Who does the punishing?

·       Are there degrees of punishment?

·       Will God provide an option of pulling-the-plug to those who suffer?

 

What is the earthly fate of those who refuse God and His promise of eternal bliss in this life? The Bible teaches that God loves all His creation. This is good news:

 

·       The LORD is good to all, and his mercy is over all that he has made. (Psalm 145:9)

 

This is true even though there are many other factors at play. For example, He will also allow the unrepentant to reap the consequences of their evil deeds:

·       Your evil will chastise you, and your apostasy will reprove you. Know and see that it is evil and bitter for you to forsake the LORD your God; the fear of me is not in you, declares the Lord GOD of hosts. (Jeremiah 2:19)

 

We should fear God and the consequences of our evil. Even though they are blessed, they will also reap the consequences of their own actions. Nevertheless, Jesus taught that His love extends to all humanity. Therefore, we too must love all as He does:

 

·       “But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. (Matthew 5:44–45)

 

It is the goodness of God that leads us to repentance. Although the vast numbers refuse to confess their sins to God, it seems that He still blesses His enemies materially:

 

·       Arise, O LORD! Confront him, subdue him! Deliver my soul from the wicked by your sword, from men by your hand, O LORD, from men of the world whose portion is in this life. You fill their womb with treasure; they are satisfied with children, and they leave their abundance to their infants. (Psalm 17:13–14)

 

As hard as it might be for us to believe, the Lord loves those who hate Him, at least for a while until He allows them to go their own way (Romans 1:24-28):

 

·       “And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. (Matthew 6:5)

 

They desire the acclaim of men rather than that of God. Jesus affirmed that they have received the very things they had desired. This cannot be construed as unjust.

 

Seeing their blessings, many of God’s children were tempted to envy the unrepentant. We tend to have it harder than others (1 Peter 4:17). The psalmist wrote about his own jealousy:

 

·       Behold, these are the wicked; always at ease, they increase in riches. All in vain have I kept my heart clean and washed my hands in innocence. (Psalm 73:12–13)

 

Evidently, the blessings enjoyed by the wicked were quite obvious. The psalmist continued to struggle with jealousy and resentment until God gave him a glimpse of the big picture, the end of the wicked:

 

·       Truly you set them in slippery places; you make them fall to ruin. How they are destroyed in a moment, swept away utterly by terrors…When my soul was embittered, when I was pricked in heart, I was brutish and ignorant; I was like a beast toward you. Nevertheless, I am continually with you; you hold my right hand. You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will receive me to glory. (Psalm 73:18–19, 21-24)

 

God loves even those who hate Him. Does God cause or allow His enemies to be “swept away utterly by terrors?” Does this happen in concert with their own choices? I think so! They freely flee of the Light of God into the comfort of their own darkness and self-deceit (John 3:19-20).

 

Can we blame God? He claims that He wants all to come to salvation (2 Peter 3:19). I feel that I know Him well enough to trust that this is true. Nevertheless, He will not commandeer their obedience.

 

None of us can possibly understand God entirely. Perhaps we cannot benefit from certain knowledge. For instance, if God revealed that aborted and stillborn babies would go to heaven, concerned mothers might be tempted to kill their babies to insure their salvation. I think that this principle pertains to many other things.

 

Nor can we entirely understand our wives and husbands or even ourselves. Some things we just must accept. This is even more true of the Creator of this universe.