If Christians Are Saved by Grace Alone, Then…
3 min read — What about how we treat our “enemies?”
If Christians are saved by grace alone, then…
There are so many ways to finish that sentence.
How would you complete it?
If Christians are saved by grace alone, then ____________________.
We should be the humblest people on earth.
We should be the most generous.
We should be the most forgiving.
We should be the kindest.
We should share the message of grace with others.
But we should not only share grace, but we should also show (give/extend) grace to others. Not qualified grace, but unconditional grace. The same kind we have received. The kind that was given by God before we asked for it.
It is the last bullet that is on my mind today, especially as it relates to how disciples of Jesus are called to engage with enemies—in view of being saved by grace alone.
Who your enemies are may depend on your theological/ecclesiastical stripe.
Those on “the right” have their list of enemies.
Progressives. Democrats. The liberal media. Hollywood filmmakers. University professors teaching critical theory. Those at the forefront of the LGBTQ+ movement.
If you are coming from the other side, your enemies might include republicans, Trump supporters, conservative news, talk radio pundits, etc.
If you find yourself in the center (too conservative for liberals and too liberal for conservatives), it may feel like everyone is a potential enemy in our hyper-polarized world.
Since the above examples are a bit stereotypical, it may be better to think of the kind of “enemies” we personally encounter day in and day out. Folks with whom we simply tend to disagree. Spouses, in-laws, grown children, parents, the guy in the next cubicle.
Practically anyone with whom we have conflict can feel like an “enemy” in the moment.
Furthermore, being a follower of Jesus often creates enemies based on our profession of faith and loyalty to the ways of his Kingdom, which typically are antithetical to the ways of the world.
Whichever perspective you come from as a professing disciple of Jesus, how are you called to engage with your enemies?
One way the Kingdom of God is antithetical to the ways of the world is how we treat our enemies.
What does Jesus say? In Matthew 5, he calls his disciples to take an unthinkable, almost naive posture.
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 children 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 own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? 48 Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
What does Paul say? In Colossians 4, the apostle is addressing how to speak with “outsiders,” a term for unbeliever—someone who is not a Christian.
3 And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains. 4 Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should. 5 Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. 6 Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.
What does Peter say? Speaking to Christians living in a hostile, nonChristian context where persecution is a real threat, he describes how to engage.
1 Peter 3:14-17, 14 But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. “Do not fear their threats[b]; do not be frightened.” 15 But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, 16 keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander. 17 For it is better, if it is God’s will, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil.
The collective weight of these passages shows us that the ways of God’s kingdom really are antithetical to the ways of the world.
If the world is about power, insult, and gaining the high ground to destroy opponents, the weapons Jesus has provided for his disciples are utterly counterintuitive.
Jesus may even sound Pollyanna, but the path he has promised to bless is not the road of flexed muscle but the way of the cross (represented by Jesus dying for his enemies), where those who are his manifest practical love by doing good to their enemies, showing respect, and speaking graciously.
Remember, in Romans 2:4, Paul says that what leads someone to repentance (from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of light) is not the justice of God. Rather, it is the kindness of God.
Kindness has an unexpected power to melt the heart’s resistance to grace.
It is that same kindness that has saved us by grace alone and calls us to imitate our Father in how we represent him to the world.
This is how the spiritual kingdom of God expands, grows, and may I even say conquers, melts, converts, and transforms enemies. Not with worldly power but with gospel kindness — which is why we never outgrow a need for the grace of the gospel to be the defining truth of our lives.