In This is Love

Echthros: Enemy - an adjective, primarily denoting "hated" or "hateful."

Hey Readers! My sister had an insight into Romans 5, and I thought it would be cool to post it on here.

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I was at church this past Sunday, and I’m gonna be honest with you, I didn’t really pay attention to most of the sermon because I was lost in my own thoughts.

The first passage read in the sermon was Romans 5:8-18, but I got stuck on verses 8-10. Particularly 10. 

“But God demonstrates His own love for us in this; While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since we have now been justified by His blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through Him! For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to Him through the death of His Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through His life!”

“We were God’s enemies.” Enemies? I’ve never heard that before. I’ve heard people talk about how we are God’s children and how much He loves us, but the idea that we were God’s enemies is totally a foreign concept to me. Then I started thinking about it; it actually makes sense. Sin is the enemy of God, and we were born into sin; engulfed in sin, therefore it would make sense that we, sinful beings would be His enemies. 

Matthew 5:44 says, “But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.”

This is where it gets awesome. God, through sending Jesus, was not only sending Him to die for us, but He was also sending Him as an example. Jesus came to die for His enemies. Wow.

I feel like our culture tends to be pretty selfish. If someone doesn’t treat you the way that you want them to: cut them out of your life. Would I be willing to take a bullet for someone I love? Of course! Would I be willing to take a bullet for someone I hate? For someone who is against me and everything I stand for? 

1 John 4:10 says, “In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.”

THIS is real love. 

-Tabithah

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 For He must reign till He has put all enemies (echthros) under His feet. The last enemy (echthros) that will be destroyed is death. (1 Corinthians 5:25-26)

Not every enemy is destroyed by punishment, some enemies are destroyed by love.