John 14:21 “He who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me; and he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and will disclose Myself to him.” (NASB)

We obviously are told by Jesus that we are to love one another and even that we are to love our enemies. Jesus Himself even asked His Father concerning those who Crucified Him that He would forgive them.

But, if we follow the verse posted here that I began with; then we must see that following God’s message in scripture to His own conclusion, would need to cause us to see that God does reach a point where His love for the sinner, and even for His enemies actually comes to a halt.

We seem to think that praying for our enemies means that we are to be at peace with them in their endeavors. Yet Jesus’ disciples are even told to shake the dust from their feet against those who refuse to hear the message that the disciples were sent out with to present to them.

Of course we are not God, but neither are we to be ignorant of Satan and of his followers. The Holy Spirit is leading and guiding us. If we are walking in the Spirit will we not discern those who are of their father the devil? That seemed to be the case with the disciples in the book of Acts.

We see Stephen say this to his enemies who accused him:

“You men who are stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears are always resisting the Holy Spirit; you are doing just as your fathers did. Which one of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? They killed those who had previously announced the coming of the Righteous One, whose betrayers and murderers you have now become; you who received the law as ordained by angels, and yet did not keep it.”

Acts 7:51-53 NASB

Then Saul and Barnabas were in Salamis:

But Elymas the magician (for so his name is translated) was opposing them, seeking to turn the proconsul away from the faith. But Saul, who was also known as Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, fixed his gaze on him, and said, “You who are full of all deceit and fraud, you son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, will you not cease to make crooked the straight ways of the Lord? Now, behold, the hand of the Lord is upon you, and you will be blind and not see the sun for a time.” And immediately a mist and a darkness fell upon him, and he went about seeking those who would lead him by the hand. Then the proconsul believed when he saw what had happened, being amazed at the teaching of the Lord.

Acts 13:8-12 NASB

It to me becomes clear that we are not to just pray for our enemies, there is more to Scripture then to take it out of context. Enemies are enemies. We have to know them in order to pray for them.

Enemies today are men who call evil good, and good evil. These need to know from us that they are the enemies — not only ours but enemies of God, otherwise they have no chance at salvation.

I have been told that my approach to evangelizing displays a lack of love, but when dealing with enemies of truth one cannot pull punches otherwise the Holy Spirit didn’t need you in the battle in first place. If He has called us into this situation, where evil abounds; then He expects us to join the battle, for we who are in Christ are in a spiritual battle for souls. And it is not just the soul of the evil man which is at stake, but it is the souls of all those being led astray by their deceptions.

Jesus loved His enemies, but in so doing can be seen at times being very tough on them with the words that He spoke to them. We are told to speak the truth in love. But it is the truth that often stirs the ire of the sinner. Our promotion of unity in this nation and even within the church is not the true measure of how righteous or unrighteous the message we carry.