How
do we respond when we are ripped off, taken advantage of, or mistreated?
Answer: We love and preach the Gospel.
“But I say to you who hear, Love your enemies, do good to
those who hate you, bless those who curse
you, pray for those who abuse you. To one who strikes you on the cheek, offer
the other also, and from one who takes away your cloak do not withhold your
tuniceither. Give to everyone who begs from you, and from one who takes away your
goods do not demand them back. And as you wish that
others would do to you, do so to them.
“If you love those who love you, what benefit is that to
you? For even sinners love those who love them. And
if you do good to those who do good to you, what benefit is that to you? For
even sinners do the same. And if you lend to those from
whom you expect to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to
sinners, to get back the same amount. But love your
enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward
will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the
ungrateful and the evil. Be merciful, even as your
Father is merciful.”
– Matthew 6:27-36
“If you love those
who love you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love
them. And if you do good to those who do good to you, what benefit is that to
you? For even sinners do the same. And if you lend to those from whom you
expect to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to
get back the same amount. But love your enemies, and do good, and lend,
expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be
sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil. Be
merciful, even as your Father is merciful.
-- Luke 6:32-36
We
belong to the Kingdom of God, and so our expressions are not weak. The stands
that we make are strong. We do not fold over or retreat against evil, but we do
love those who do evil and those who mistreat us. There is strength, stability,
and integrity in this kind of love. Our God is not like the world, “he is kind
to the ungrateful and the evil.” He is patient and long-suffering.
We
were enemies of God. We took advantage of Him. We deserved His wrath. And if we
are honest with ourselves, we still take advantage of God and are unworthy of
His love. And yet, in Christ, we are extravagantly forgiven and loved. If this
is the case, how ought we to love those who have wronged us. The scripture is
very clear, that because we are forgiven, we too ought to forgive others who
wrong us. I know if were in the other person’s shoes, I would want someone to
present the Gospel to me and to continue to love me despite the wrong I have
done. The worst of men can come to the loving arms of Christ and He will accept
them. What they have done to us is so little compared to their need for the
Gospel. And it is so little compared to what we have been forgiven of. This is
a strength and a joy of the Gospel, we love and strive and plead with men on
behalf of Christ.
The
Bible warns us not to take this as weakness, for God will not let the guilty go
unpunished. The scripture warns us that vengeance is the Lord’s, and not ours
to take. But this compels us all the more to preach the Gospel. “Therefore,
knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade others. . . . Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal
through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.”
And
so instead of developing a hard and calloused heart toward the “sinner”, “the
stranger”, and yes, our “enemy”, we love and we love strongly and we don’t stop
loving.
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