Notes of Faith September 16, 2026
Imitate God
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.
Matthew 5:43-44
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus corrected a faulty reading of Leviticus 19:18. “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Jewish scribes had added these words to that verse: “and hate your enemy.” But Jesus corrected that tradition by saying, “Love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you.”
When God chose to withhold judgment on the city of Nineveh, the demonstrated enemy of Israel, Jonah became angry. He had readily received grace and forgiveness from God for his own disobedience but could not reconcile the idea of God forgiving the Assyrian people. Jonah was violating the eventual New Testament principle of grace: “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you. Therefore be imitators of God” (Ephesians 4:32–5:1). What God has done for us, we are to do for others.
Is there someone to whom you can extend the same grace that God has extended to you?
Matt 18:21-35
21 Then Peter came and said to Him, "Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him? Up to seven times?" 22 Jesus said to him, "I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.
23 "For this reason the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his slaves. 24 "When he had begun to settle them, one who owed him ten thousand talents was brought to him. 25 "But since he did not have the means to repay, his lord commanded him to be sold, along with his wife and children and all that he had, and repayment to be made. 26 "So the slave fell to the ground and prostrated himself before him, saying, 'Have patience with me and I will repay you everything.' 27 "And the lord of that slave felt compassion and released him and forgave him the debt. 28 "But that slave went out and found one of his fellow slaves who owed him a hundred denarii; and he seized him and began to choke him, saying, 'Pay back what you owe.' 29 "So his fellow slave fell to the ground and began to plead with him, saying, 'Have patience with me and I will repay you.' 30 "But he was unwilling and went and threw him in prison until he should pay back what was owed. 31 "So when his fellow slaves saw what had happened, they were deeply grieved and came and reported to their lord all that had happened. 32 "Then summoning him, his lord said to him, 'You wicked slave, I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. 33 'Should you not also have had mercy on your fellow slave, in the same way that I had mercy on you?' 34 "And his lord, moved with anger, handed him over to the torturers until he should repay all that was owed him. 35 "My heavenly Father will also do the same to you, if each of you does not forgive his brother from your heart."
Surely there is someone that you have not forgiven, that you dislike or even hate. Think long and hard, or maybe you don’t have to, and imitate God, grant them grace (even when or especially when they don’t deserve it). Forgive them as your heavenly Father has forgiven you. Perhaps we will have eternity together should God bring us together into His family.
Love God! And love all other of mankind!
Pastor Dale