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““AM I BECOME YOUR ENEMY?””
“AM I BECOME YOUR ENEMY?”
Noah A. Hackworth
Like Christ, Paul was falsely accused, but the apostle was not given to falsehood or the misrepresentation of truth; no one had more respect for truth than he, and he always spoke it in love (Eph. 4:15). It was Paul himself who called attention to the fact that in a given instance Peter was not “walking uprightly according to truth” (Gal. 2:14). No “right thinking” person seeks or thrives on making enemies, but sometimes it happens. Paul had made some enemies in the Galatian area, but such was certainly not his desire or intent. He had handled himself admirably among them, but there were some who not only disputed the teaching of the apostle, they waged an attack on his person and upon his apostolic credentials. There are those who simply cannot handle truth.The Sadducees, for example, became “sorely troubled (i.e., they got all worked up and became indignant) because the apostles, Peter and John, proclaimed in Jesus the resurrection from the dead. When we uphold the right and oppose the wrong, we often find ourselves in the camp of the unfriendly. Truth Makes Enemies!
Christians sometimes make enemies because they live and teach the truth. More correctly stated: people often become the enemies of those who consistently live and teach the truth.Consider some of the areas where this is true. First, in the area of putting the Lord first (Matt. 6:33). The fact that one may miss, because of uncontrollable things, the regular assembly on Lord's Day does not admit of doubt. Such things can happen, but there are times when members of the church become careless and/or indifferent, and unnecessarily miss the established Lord's Day worship in order to carry out some plan they have made. They apparently feel completely justified in missing the Sunday morning assembly under the persuasion that they can attend Sunday night. This is unwise, foolish and wrong, and it ought not be done. It is a sad commentary on one's “spiritual strength,” and could cost more than one could “pay” at the judgment.
Paul instructs the Thessalonian brethren to “withdraw themselves from every brother who walks disorderly” (2 Thess. 3:6).Withdraw is from stelloand means “to draw back” (Nestle). Peter had eaten with the Gentiles, which was permissible (cf. Acts 10-11), but when his Jewish brethren came he “drew back” (Gal. 2:12). “Here (2 Thess. 3:6) it is withdrawal from brethren who are out of step” (Rienecker).
CONCLUSION:Only a few areas where enemies are made have been discussed, but this is sufficient to establish the truth of the proposition. None of us need or want enemies, but if we do what the Lord bids us do, if we preach and practice the truth, there will be people who will disagree with us, resent us, and often alienate themselves from us. But the truth must continue. So, in the words of Paul, “Am I (we) become your enemy.”
