Editorial June 19, 1995 Issue

"Fighting back" with love

Mary Metzner Trammell

Can it possibly work to return good for evil? Can a person who returns benevolence and forgiveness for cruelty and persecution possibly avoid being a perpetual victim? There's only one way a follower of Christ Jesus can answer such questions. And that's with a firm "Yes."

The Master's words on the subject are uncompromising. In his famous Sermon on the Mount, he told his disciples, "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." Then Jesus went on to explain why an irrepressible, ever-resilient spiritual affection is so central to Christian discipleship. Because without it, we would not be living what we really are—as the "children" of a heavenly Father who loves all His sons and daughters impartially. A God who "maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust" (Matt. 5:44, 45).

There's something else Jesus said about persecution in the Sermon on the Mount. He told his disciples they should actually be happy when they're maligned for their devotion to Christ, when they're "persecuted for righteousness' sake." Why? Because "theirs is the kingdom of heaven" (Matt. 5:10). Because they're obeying God as faithfully as the Old Testament prophets did. And because they have the most precious opportunity any Christian could have—the opportunity to bear public witness to the truth. Like a city that's built on top of a hill, or a lamp that's sitting high up on a pedestal, their example beams out a radiant message to the world around them—a message of hope and peace and heavenly love. A message that's so pure, so unselfish, so obviously inspired by God that it helps everyone who hears about it to feel God's love. "Let your light so shine before men," the Master said, "that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven" (Matt. 5:16).

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