Love thy enemies - Matthew 5, Luke 6
Both of these quotes come directly from the Bible, yet they seem to contradict each other. Which one is the one you should go by? When you are treated unjustly is it about getting back at them or is it about forgiving them?
It must be one or the other, right?
Which Is It?
Many have asked how both of these ideas could come from the same God. It seems like a person responds to injustice by doing one or the other of the above, but not both.
A lot of times someone will say something like, "The Bible says an eye for an eye", so they get back at the other person and think they are justified. While the Bible does advise "an eye for an eye" at one point, this is only part of the story.
Well, these blog posts delve into ideas such as these.
What is left out of the discussion is the context and the ending of the story. There is a pattern to the Bible and both statements at the beginning of this post are true. This post tells you why.
It simply involves going through the thread of the Bible and what it is ultimately focused on.
The point here is that the Bible focuses on spiritual truths, and not primarily on history, science or poetry.
If you look at things through that lens then what seem like contradictory statements on the surface could both be true.
Here are a few things to consider when looking at the Old and New Testaments in the Bible:
- The philosophy of salvation is different after the presence of the Messiah on earth.
- The Messiah came to fulfill the law, and NOT to abolish it.
- There is a significance to the descending of the Holy Spirit.
1. The philosophy of salvation is different after the presence of the Messiah
People are familiar with the 10 Commandments. They weren't the 10 Suggestions, were they? It sounds like you either do these things or you are not saved.
But, wait. Is it really that simple? It sounds like a list of rules of follow is the philosophy of salvation.
It is important to remember that this was all they had to go by at the time. If that is all you have been told, then how would you do anything else?
The good part is that the coming of the Messiah was to change this thinking. The thinking then was to follow the Messiah for salvation, instead of just a list of rules. A large part of the Old Testament was pointing the Jews to the Messiah.
2. The Messiah came to FULFILL the law, and not to abolish it.
Then came the awaited Messiah.
The Jews, who were instructed to follow the law, were now shown a new method of salvation.
The focus on the letter of the law was now changed to the spirit of the law.
What does this mean?
It is crucial to note that following the law as a means to salvation was carried out by the Messiah.
Jesus did not sin. On their own humans are not able to fulfill the law completely. This shows the need for a Savior to come along and do for humans what they can not do by themselves.
Since Jesus fulfilled the law you can now abide in him as a path to salvation.
Some people think that since the Messiah came there is no need to follow the law anymore. However, the laws were not abolished by the coming of the Messiah. Jesus followed the law and the new path to salvation is to follow him. Thus, you should follow the law.
Humans fall short and, thankfully, Jesus makes up the difference.
3. There is significance to the descending of the Holy Spirit.
In Acts Of The Apostles in the Bible the descent of the Holy Spirit is described, along with the beginning of the church.
He sent his Spirit to the world to guide you because he loves you.
A theme of the New Testament is love. The Holy Spirit was sent to help guide you in the right direction toward salvation.
If you think a voice is telling you the right thing to do that is probably the Holy Spirit (forgive). The significance of the descending of the Holy Spirit is that it is the part of your mind telling you not to respond with "an eye for an eye.."
If the choice is to follow the law or to follow love then the choice is clear. You would follow love.
An Answer To The Question, "Which Is It?"
Now we will get back to the question at the beginning of the post.
An eye for an eye was the guidance to salvation until the Messiah came. After that following the law was supplanted by the spirit of the law, or love. God sent his Spirit into the world to guide you to salvation.
If it comes down to "an eye for an eye" or "love thy enemies" the best choice is the second one,. according to the New Testament.
When people say the Bible tells you "An eye for an eye" you can respond by saying that is the truth, but not the whole truth.
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