Matthew 5:43-48
Love for Enemies
43 "You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' 44 But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. 46 If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? 47 And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? 48 Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
In an open society, why can't all or most things be tolerated and accepted by a God who is LOVE and so forgiving?...Toleration is not a form of judgement or righteousness...The term “toleration”—from the Latin tolerare: is to put up with and generally refers to the conditional acceptance of or non-interference with one's beliefs, one's actions or one's practices that one considers to be wrong but still “tolerable,” in such a way that they should not be prohibited or constrained by open society or a person or group in general...So what one or a group is tolerating could be wrong but tolerated, by that person or group...
Jesus tells us to love our enemies and ends this teaching with Be perfect as your Heavenly God is Perfect...God is Perfect, so sin has no place with Perfection...So sin has no place in the Perfection of Heaven, the Home of God...You cannot mix imperfection with Perfection, because that would make Perfection then imperfect...And as we look around the world each man and woman have sinned and have a sin debt...So our sin debt must be satisfied to get to God and get to Heaven...Since we fall short of the Glory of God, we are in need of a Savior...God is a gracious and compassionate God, who is slow to anger and abounding in LOVE, a God who relents from sending us calamity...So God would send Someone to dwell among us to help us with our sins...For God so LOVES the world that He gave His One and Only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life...For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him...
God is also more than LOVING and forgiving...God is also a Holy, Just, and Righteous God, who shows merciful judgement by giving us a Savior, who was a Man and died for our sins on a cross...These things show God's LOVE, but also His Holiness, His Justice, and His Righteousness...The Way to God and the Way to Heaven is through the cross, which is through Jesus...In the Old Testament our sin debt could be handled by a sacrifice...Since God sacrificed His Son for us, our sin debt is now paid, if we believe in God and the One He sent...The One God sent was One who has no sins or deceit in His mouth...Jesus is the Perfect Lamb for our sins...Behold, the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world!...Under the old covenant of the law, when the people sinned they had to take a perfect animal without spot or blemish, such as a lamb...
Author Josh McDowell writes: “These questions are typical of what I often hear...In today’s open climate, people seem offended by the exclusive claims that Jesus is the only Way to God and the only Source of forgiveness of sin and salvation...This attitude shows that many people simply don’t understand the Nature of God...We can see the core of their misunderstanding in the question they usually ask: “How can a LOVING God allow anyone to go to hell?”...I often turn the question around and ask, “How can a holy, just, and righteous God allow a sinful person into His Presence?”...Most people understand God to be a LOVING God, but they don’t go any further...He is not only a God of LOVE but also a God who is righteous, just, and holy...He cannot tolerate sin in His Heaven any more than you would tolerate a filthy, foul-smelling, diseased dog to live in your home.”...