THE credentials of the faithful Christian are recorded in Matt. 5:44: "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."
It is natural to love those who treat us kindly, but it is impossible for the unregenerated man to love those who treat him unkindly. Not so with him who has bowed down in tears under his load of guilt, confessed his sins to God, and his trespasses to his fellow men. Such a one freely loves his enemies. He gladly returns blessings for cursings. He bears the credentials of a Christian character, and can be trusted to represent the kingdom of heaven to a world alienated from God and estranged in sin.
GRIEVED BY RETURNING EVIL FOR EVIL
Many, many times our Saviour has been grieved by His professed followers returning evil for evil. This, too, has often been done without one word of confession to follow. How completely deceived such a professor of Christ must be! He bears the credentials of the evil one, hates his enemies, and scatters from Christ.
When our Lord was abused, He had no mind to retaliate. When He was reviled, He "reviled not again; when He suffered, He threatened not"; but committed His case into the hands of His heavenly Father. The more His persecutors oppressed Him, the more He sent forth waves of infinite love to beat back the tide of human hatred. He saw that His enemies stood greatly in need of Heaven's pardon and help.
THE PRINCE OF SUFFERERS
Under no circumstances has any one else suffered such aggravated abuse as did He who said, "Love your enemies." They scourged Him until streams of blood trickled down His nude back. They pulled and pushed Him about until it seemed as if they would tear His limbs from His body. They plucked off His beard (Isa. 50:6), spit upon Him, ridiculed Him, blindfolded Him, and rudely struck Him in the face.
Physically, our Redeemer was poorly prepared to receive such treatment. He was without sleep all of Thursday night, on trial at break of day, and weak from the loss of blood and the need of food. We may wonder how His Father could look upon the abusive scene and not interfere in behalf of the pale-faced Sufferer.
PAUL AND SILAS IN PRISON
LOVE STAYED THE HAND OF JUSTICE
It was the Father's love for us that stayed the hand of justice. It was the yearnings of a Father's heart for His rebellious children that permitted His only-begotten Son to be so roughly handled. In it is a lesson teaching us how to treat our worst enemies. "For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow His steps." 1 Peter 2:21.
It is when, like our Saviour, we do well, suffer for it, and take it patiently, that we are acceptable to God. 1 Peter 2:20. Those who meekly bear ill treatment for well-doing testify to the world that they have been transformed into the image of Christ, and that they possess the Christian's credentials of Heaven's immortal principle of divine love.
