How Shall Christians Treat their Enemies?
LET us hear what Jesus says on this very point. “Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbor and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; that ye may be the children of your Father which is in Heaven.” Nothing could be plainer and more unequivocal than this language of the Prince of Peace, upon whose shoulders the government was to be and whose word ought to be law to every one who professes to follow him. And if it is not our law we cannot follow; for he says: “Whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: . . . And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man which built his house upon the sand,” etc. You know the result. Let us hear also the testimony of the apostle Paul, who once in his life before he became a child of grace, held very different views: “Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink; for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head. Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.” Many Christians, or those who claim to be such, say by their actions if not in words, This is absurd and unreasonable. But what is it that is absurd? this doctrine of the gospel, or their faith? Certainly not the former. If we attempt to conquer evil with evil, then we are overcome of evil, and are in no sense conquerors, but are conquered; but God gives us a chance to become conquerors, and overcome evil with good. Now God is not only stronger than man, but infinitely wiser, and therefore knows better than we do how our enemies are to be conquered. But my enemy is doing very wrong and wickedly, and needs to be punished. Of course he is doing wrong, or how would there be any evil in him to overcome? But how is the Christian to meet that evil and to overcome it? Not with evil, but with good. In view of these plain doctrines of the gospel, and many similar ones which might be adduced, we cannot see how any Christian can under any circumstances feel like taking arms in his hands to shed the blood of his fellow-man. Now if this doctrine be true, and we hold it to be indisputably true, and not only true but one of the most vital principles of the gospel, how can Christians hold themselves excused for their lukewarmness and indifference to it? We presume that not one in ten of the professed followers of our dear Lord and Master are doing so much as putting forth a little finger to enlighten the world or propagate this sublime and glorious doctrine. Ministers of the gospel, ambassadors for Christ, study this subject, and do not shun or shrink from declaring the whole counsel of God in relation to it. Editors of religious periodicals, let your readers hear from you “in thoughts that breathe and words that burn.” Silence in the presence of crime is equivalent to sanction.—Sel.