Fight or Forgive?
In John 14:15, Jesus says, “If ye love me, keep my commandments.” One of these commandments is “Thou shalt not kill.” Exodus 20:13
We go through all of the commandments, and we tend to skip this one. Why would we kill anyone? We’re Christians right? Everyone refers to terrorists as murderers, which I don’t deny, but what a lot of people don’t know, is that every human being is a murderer.
We all know that no one but Jesus is perfect no matter how hard we may try. People do things that we don’t like, that rub us the wrong way, or make us angry. Maybe they steal something, use something without permission, or even bomb a city. There is a time for justice and forgiveness, and a time for revenge. Our job is to ensure justice. We need to leave revenge in God’s hands. If we don’t forgive them, and let it go, or deal with it calmly and fairly, that dislike for them builds up. We can’t keep those feelings locked up forever, they have to be let out at some point. Whether we clear it up with them gently, or blow up at them, those feelings will come out.
An unresolved problem could easily turn into hate. Unresolved hate leads to a longing for revenge. A thirst for revenge can begin many wars.
Hate is murder in your heart [Matthew 5:22], but it can lead to physical murder. If the problem is not taken care of, it can grow and become a worse problem than when it began [Ephesians 4:26b]
So how do we make sure we do not kill? The best way to prevent hate is to love. The Bible says in Ephesians 4:26a that we need to be angry and sin not. It is ok to get upset with people, and it is ok for two countries to disagree with each other, but if that little moment of getting upset, or that disagreement is not resolved, forgiven, or pushed out of our memory, it causes trouble. If we clear up any problems or misunderstandings right away, then they won’t build up in our hearts and minds.
In Romans 12:19, we read that revenge belongs to God, not to us. He will avenge the deaths of the innocent, and the abuse of the helpless. We need to show EVERYBODY the love of God, including the people that persecute us [Romans 12:20-21]. We can not show the Love and forgiveness of God, if we are blinded by our hate. We can not both love someone, and hate them [Matthew 6:24].
We know we have to love our enemies, and show everybody God’s forgiveness, but we can love someone and not really like them at the same time. We can love terrorists, but we do not have to choose them as our best friends, and we do not have to like their actions. If more people forgave others for actions against them, and loved instead of hated, fewer wars would break out, fewer lives would be taken, and more hearts could be won for Christ.
It is our decision. It is your decision. Are we going to fight or forgive? Are you going to love or hate?
“And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.” Ephesians 4:32
