For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me His prisoner, but share with me in the sufferings for the gospel according to the power of God,  who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began, but has now been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Jesus Christ, who has abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel, 

– Apostle Paul, 2 Tim 1:7–10 (NKJV)

For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.” 

– Apostle Paul, Romans 8:13–15 (NKJV)

“Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword. For I have come to ‘set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law’; and ‘a man’s enemies will be those of his own household.’ He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me.

– Jesus Christ, Mat 10:34–38 (NKJV)

Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”

– Jesus Christ, Mat 22:37–40 (NKJV)

The Lord, in His very love and faithfulness, will not, and cannot, let us go on in backsliding but He will visit us with stripes, to bring us back to Himself!

– George Mueller

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written: “For Your sake we are killed all day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.” Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. 

– Apostle Paul, Romans 8:35–39 (NKJV)

Repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of all men. If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men. Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord. Therefore “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him a drink; for in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

– Apostle Paul, Romans 12:17–21 (NKJV)

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. 

– Jesus Christ, Mat 5:43–45 (NKJV)

Let no one despise your youth, but be an example to the believers in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity.

– Apostle Paul, 1 Tim 4:12 (NKJV)

For we ourselves were also once foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving various lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful and hating one another. But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior, that having been justified by His grace we should become heirs according to the hope of eternal life. 

– Apostle Paul, Titus 3:3–7 (NKJV)

But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 

– Apostle Paul, Eph 2:4–6 (NKJV)

Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation. Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God. For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. 

– Apostle Paul, 2 Cor 5:18–21 (NKJV)

For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 

– Apostle Paul, Romans 5:6–8 (NKJV)

“Why is it that such a lot of things get on your nerves, and are always disturbing your peace of mind? Because you’ve never really died to self, never really weaned yourself away from earthly things…”- Thomas A’Kempis

Yes! Yes, and AMEN, Yes, BUT…

I’m challenged to think that Jesus was a bit annoyed often BECAUSE He was focused on Heavenly things. “Angry without a cause” is the condition. Too often we are annoyed at the person holding up the checkout line, or because we aren’t getting OUR way. SELF-centered. SELF-ish. In this way, a Kempis is correct.

But Christ was angry, grieved, one could even say annoyed, and even overturning tables and whipping folks out of the Temple precisely because He was focused on HEAVENLY things while His people were abandoning or even abusing Heavenly things, whether the shadow (Herod’s Temple) or the substance of that “shadow”, Jesus Christ, the Temple made without hands that He Himself would raise up in three days after they set out to abuse and destroy the most Heavenly thing on earth… Emanuel, God with them.

So, how do we reconcile Jesus the Just vs Jesus the Merciful? Yes, at times He reacted so strongly (toward Pharisees and money changers) and at other times He lets people off the hook (woman caught in adultery). Both were sinners. Both were caught in the act. How shall we obey Ephesians 5:1 which commands us to be imitate God and to walk in love like Christ?

Maybe the answer is found in the following verse 3 where Paul says “but don’t allow any willful ongoing sin among you”. Maybe James and Peter when they quoted a Proverbs 3 “God resists the PROUD but gives grace to the HUMBLE.”

Sin is not the whole story. Our response to our own sin is.

If we are broken, contrite, humble, and truly repentant, God pours out GRACE and we are forgiven freely. But if we harden our hearts, shut our ears to the whisper of the Holy Spirit urging us to have a change of heart, God will RESIST us!

Is this not how Paul dealt with the churches and people who were disobedient? Yes, to those he was resistant, defiant, and annoyed. He still loved them, and in fact kept trying to bring them to repentance much like our Lord. Didn’t Jesus behave this way to the seven churches in Revelation? To some He was gracious. To others He was resistant.

The underlying motive was always love and redemption.

Jesus Christ bids us to die to self, to what rights we think we have in and for ourselves and become servants to all. But in so doing, let’s not throw out the authority we have been granted to bring about peace and justice which requires us to, for instance, go to our brother or sister if they trespass against us. Why? Because of our wounded pride? God forbid! Rather because of our wounded brother or sister, because soldiers don’t leave each other behind, and because restoration through gentleness or by force (pulling one forcibly from the flames, as James puts it) is the very embodiment of the love of Christ, which is the Imitation of Christ!