Sue J Love
Loyal
- Joined
- Mar 27, 2015
- Messages
- 4,987
“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, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? If you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” (Matthew 5:43-48 NASB1995)
I am going to do this a little backwards today. I am going to address what is meant by this last sentence in verse 48 first, for that is often a confusing and controversial subject over which there can be much misunderstanding.
The word “perfect” means “mature, complete.” The Greek word is téleios, and it has to do with becoming mature in our walks of faith in obedience to our Lord. It has to do with our spiritual journey which will not be complete until we die or until Jesus returns for his faithful bride and he takes us to be with him for eternity. It is the process of sanctification and being made holy by faith in Jesus Christ in obedience to his commands. And the verb tense is future, i.e. you “shall be perfect,” not that we are perfect (complete) already.
But this is not to be taken ever as an excuse for deliberate and habitual sin in the life of one who professes faith in Jesus Christ. For our faith and our salvation are to be progressive, ongoing, as we each day follow our Lord in obedience to his commands. And we might stumble along the way and need to be restored sometimes, but sin should no longer be our habit. For we are all to be works in progress as clay in the hands of our Potter God who is shaping us and molding us into his likeness, as we cooperate with him.
So, as those who profess faith in Jesus Christ, who are works in progress being shaped and molded by God into his likeness, as we follow him in obedience to his commands, we are to be those who love, not just people who are nice to us, but all people, including those who persecute and mistreat us. And this love, which comes from God, prefers what God prefers, which is all that is morally pure, upright, honest, faithful, and obedient to our Lord. So with this love we will not sin against those who hate us.
So, instead of hating our enemies and doing evil to them, we are to love them and pray for them and do good to them, even to those who do evil against us. And there is no time limit on this kind of love. We are to love those who have done evil against us for generation after generation. For love has no time limit. But please understand that this love is based in moral purity, so this love will never go soft on sin. It will not approve of or pacify sin. But it will take a stand against sin and for godliness and moral purity.
For it is not love if we pacify people in their sin, and if we give them the impression that their sins no longer matter to God. Tolerance of sin is not love. When the church tolerates deliberate and habitual sin among its members, although they may feel like that is love, it is not love, but it is hate. And kindness is not lying to people just to make them feel good, either. And it is a lie to tell people that they can keep sinning by habit, and not obey God, in practice, and that heaven is still what awaits them.
So much of what is called “the church” today is tolerating sin among its members in the name of love and kindness. But that is a lie from hell! But that does not mean we should be hateful to those who sin, either. We can, in pure love and kindness, address sin for what it is, and call people to repentance (turning from sin) and to walks of obedience to our Lord and to his commands. And if the sinners refuse to repent, the Scriptures give us instructions on how to handle that situation, too (1 Corinthians 5:1-13).
[Matthew 7:13-14,21-23; Luke 9:23-26; John 10:27-30; Acts 26:18; Romans 1:18-32; Romans 2:5-10; Romans 3:23; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; Romans 12:1-2; 1 Corinthians 6:9-10,19-20; 1 Corinthians 10:1-22; 2 Corinthians 5:10,15,21; Galatians 5:16-24; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32; Ephesians 5:3-6; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 3:1-19; Hebrews 4:1-13; Hebrews 10:19-39; Hebrews 12:1-2; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 1:1-10; 1 John 2:1-6; 1 John 3:4-10; Revelation 2:1-29; Revelation 3:1-22]
Leap for Joy
Based off of Luke 6:20-36
An Original Work / August 2, 2011
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love
Leap for joy in that day.
Great is your reward in heaven.
Blessed are you who are poor;
Blessed are you who hunger now.
You will be satisfied and
You will laugh if you weep now.
Blessed are you when men hate you
And exclude you because of Christ.
Leap for joy in that day.
Love your enemies who hate you.
Do them good; say kind things;
Pray for those who treat you wrong.
If you love those who love you
What reward is there for you?
Love your enemies and your
Reward will be great in heaven.
Leap for joy in that day.
You will be sons of the Most High.
Be ye kind; merciful
To the ungrateful always.
If you love those who love you
What reward is there for you?
Do to others as you would have
Them do to you every day.
Leap for joy in that day.
Great is your reward in heaven.
Blessed are you who are poor;
Blessed are you who hunger now.
You will be satisfied and
You will laugh if you weep now.
Blessed are you when men hate you
And exclude you because of Christ.
Love Your Enemies
An Original Work / April 27, 2026
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love
I am going to do this a little backwards today. I am going to address what is meant by this last sentence in verse 48 first, for that is often a confusing and controversial subject over which there can be much misunderstanding.
The word “perfect” means “mature, complete.” The Greek word is téleios, and it has to do with becoming mature in our walks of faith in obedience to our Lord. It has to do with our spiritual journey which will not be complete until we die or until Jesus returns for his faithful bride and he takes us to be with him for eternity. It is the process of sanctification and being made holy by faith in Jesus Christ in obedience to his commands. And the verb tense is future, i.e. you “shall be perfect,” not that we are perfect (complete) already.
But this is not to be taken ever as an excuse for deliberate and habitual sin in the life of one who professes faith in Jesus Christ. For our faith and our salvation are to be progressive, ongoing, as we each day follow our Lord in obedience to his commands. And we might stumble along the way and need to be restored sometimes, but sin should no longer be our habit. For we are all to be works in progress as clay in the hands of our Potter God who is shaping us and molding us into his likeness, as we cooperate with him.
So, as those who profess faith in Jesus Christ, who are works in progress being shaped and molded by God into his likeness, as we follow him in obedience to his commands, we are to be those who love, not just people who are nice to us, but all people, including those who persecute and mistreat us. And this love, which comes from God, prefers what God prefers, which is all that is morally pure, upright, honest, faithful, and obedient to our Lord. So with this love we will not sin against those who hate us.
So, instead of hating our enemies and doing evil to them, we are to love them and pray for them and do good to them, even to those who do evil against us. And there is no time limit on this kind of love. We are to love those who have done evil against us for generation after generation. For love has no time limit. But please understand that this love is based in moral purity, so this love will never go soft on sin. It will not approve of or pacify sin. But it will take a stand against sin and for godliness and moral purity.
For it is not love if we pacify people in their sin, and if we give them the impression that their sins no longer matter to God. Tolerance of sin is not love. When the church tolerates deliberate and habitual sin among its members, although they may feel like that is love, it is not love, but it is hate. And kindness is not lying to people just to make them feel good, either. And it is a lie to tell people that they can keep sinning by habit, and not obey God, in practice, and that heaven is still what awaits them.
So much of what is called “the church” today is tolerating sin among its members in the name of love and kindness. But that is a lie from hell! But that does not mean we should be hateful to those who sin, either. We can, in pure love and kindness, address sin for what it is, and call people to repentance (turning from sin) and to walks of obedience to our Lord and to his commands. And if the sinners refuse to repent, the Scriptures give us instructions on how to handle that situation, too (1 Corinthians 5:1-13).
[Matthew 7:13-14,21-23; Luke 9:23-26; John 10:27-30; Acts 26:18; Romans 1:18-32; Romans 2:5-10; Romans 3:23; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; Romans 12:1-2; 1 Corinthians 6:9-10,19-20; 1 Corinthians 10:1-22; 2 Corinthians 5:10,15,21; Galatians 5:16-24; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32; Ephesians 5:3-6; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 3:1-19; Hebrews 4:1-13; Hebrews 10:19-39; Hebrews 12:1-2; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 1:1-10; 1 John 2:1-6; 1 John 3:4-10; Revelation 2:1-29; Revelation 3:1-22]
Leap for Joy
Based off of Luke 6:20-36
An Original Work / August 2, 2011
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love
Leap for joy in that day.
Great is your reward in heaven.
Blessed are you who are poor;
Blessed are you who hunger now.
You will be satisfied and
You will laugh if you weep now.
Blessed are you when men hate you
And exclude you because of Christ.
Leap for joy in that day.
Love your enemies who hate you.
Do them good; say kind things;
Pray for those who treat you wrong.
If you love those who love you
What reward is there for you?
Love your enemies and your
Reward will be great in heaven.
Leap for joy in that day.
You will be sons of the Most High.
Be ye kind; merciful
To the ungrateful always.
If you love those who love you
What reward is there for you?
Do to others as you would have
Them do to you every day.
Leap for joy in that day.
Great is your reward in heaven.
Blessed are you who are poor;
Blessed are you who hunger now.
You will be satisfied and
You will laugh if you weep now.
Blessed are you when men hate you
And exclude you because of Christ.
Love Your Enemies
An Original Work / April 27, 2026
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love
