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The Luxury of Hatred and Vengeance

The prejudice and antipathy, at the time of Jesus, between Jews and Samaritans had been going on since the return of the Jews from exile in the 4 and 5 hundreds B.C. That is a lot of years. We have similar hatreds between Jews and Muslims for the last 1300 years. There has been something similar between Christians and Muslims and Christians and Jews for hundreds of years. We would like to say that real Christians are not participants in these hatreds. Certainly, they have the fruit of the Spirit and the Commands of Jesus, but in many cases they conform to the worldly culture around them. It is gross sin and should be confessed and renounced.

We can understand this sort of thing between Shias and Sunnis in Islam. They do not know the Father. They are taught that vengeance is right and virtuous. They do not think of it as sin.

“There is a way that seems right to men but their end thereof is the way of death.” Proverbs

God said, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay.” However, mankind in all continents has carried out vengeance from inter-tribes in the Jungle to Nations and Religions. Sometimes these are mixed as in India and Pakistan. Sometimes economics, envy and jealousy are mixed in with the Religious difference as in Northern Ireland.

Christians are to be motivated by the commands of love, the Fruit of the Spirit, and the great commission.

We are not allowed the “luxury” of hatred and vengeance. This “luxury” is of the devil.

“But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. Such "wisdom" does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, of the devil. For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice.” James 3:14-16

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