![]() Having trials and knowing we will overcome, however, does not mean that we will not be faced with adverse circumstances, sometimes life-changing. Be courageous! I have conquered the world.” ( John 16:33) “I have told you these things so that in me you may have peace. On the contrary, Jesus wanted us to take solace because He provided the example of how we can overcome our adversaries, especially those who persecute us. Jesus wanted Christians of old and modern-day to know that they will be persecuted in the world, but He didn’t present this as fearful information. What Does the Bible Say about How to 'Pray for Those Who Persecute You' As Jesus commands us to love then, He wants us to emulate the same love that God is displaying. Just as He makes the sun rise and fall above everyone’s heads, righteous or unrighteous, He is in control of all of our lives. The larger point that Jesus alludes to here is that God loves each and every one of us. ![]() To love even those people is to emulate the love of God. When someone persecutes us, they are in opposition to us, meaning they are not in agreement, but rather full disagreement. Loving others is easy when those people are in agreement with who we are as individuals. That’s normal in every culture, but to live as a believer is to be different. He is not impressed with those who love and support other like-minded people ( Matthew 5:46-47). Jesus expounds on this idea of love by highlighting God’s love for us, humanity, “the righteous and the unrighteous” ( Matthew 5:45). To Jesus, this is what being a child of God truly means. Doing so pleases our Father in heaven ( Matthew 5:45). We are to pray for those who are persecuting us. What’s more, is that Jesus readily gives an example of how to love through prayer. Here in Matthew 5, He follows with a commandment of loving enemies. This allows us to serve others as God intended. In both of these passages, He admonishes believers to refrain from their cultural hate and to instead love everyone. This story allows Jesus to present the similarities between what people would prefer to distinguish as enemy and neighbor. This reappears later in the Book of Luke during the Parable of the Good Samaritan. Jesus begins by drawing a comparison, the love we have for a neighbor versus the hate we have for an enemy ( Matthew 5:43). During this time, they also discussed the concept of forgiveness, specifically toward those who persecute. There He instructs His followers on a number of different topics including divorce, honesty, adultery, and murder. The passage of Matthew 5 details Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. What Did Jesus Mean by Love Your Enemies and Pray for Those Who Persecute You? ( Matt. Godless kingdoms will always rise against God’s kingdom because the flesh and the spirit are constantly at war with one another ( Romans 8:7-8). We witnessed this in the Bible with kingdoms like Babylon in the Book of Daniel, or Pharoah and the Egyptians holding the Jews as slaves in the Book of Exodus. In our choosing to follow God, there will be those in the world who rise against His kingdom. The way we live and the way others live will at times feel incompatible, but the Bible makes clear that God blesses those who seek Him. This at times will cause friction with the world. “Instructing us to deny godlessness and worldly lusts and to live in a sensible, righteous, and godly way in the present age.” ( Titus 2:12)Īs we are called to live righteously, we must then decline to live in ways that are incompatible with God’s teachings. But the face of the Lord is against those who do what is evil.” ( 1 Peter 3:12) “Because the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are open to their prayer. ![]() Moreover, Scripture specifically draws a contrast between the righteous and the unrighteous. The Bible gives us instructions on how to be the former. There are believers and then there are nonbelievers. Jesus reframes a past way of thinking into something new, and by doing so reveals how we can become more like Him.Īpparent in American culture is the notion of there being “two sides of the aisle.” This idea is often evoked in political conversations, but the phrase has biblical relevance too. This is the same approach Jesus taught His disciples to take toward those who persecute them. Instead of smiting the people who sought His blood, Jesus asked God to forgive them ( Luke 23:34). The greatest example He provided was dying on the cross, at the hands of His persecutors. Thankfully, Jesus Christ has provided the instructions. When we find ourselves coming against those who are rallied against us, we have an important decision to make in how we respond.
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