People

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Some people tend to take Matthew 5:39 to heart the moment they discover that someone they know is a Christian. They may view the verse as a free pass to repeatedly punk-slap that person physically or emotionally as hard as they possibly can.

What should we do when we are on the receiving end of the slaps?

Matthew 5:39 does say that we should “turn the other cheek,” but does that mean we should allow hateful people to keep slapping us in the face? If so, how many times? Once? Twice? Seventy times seven times? What about verse 5:44 that tells us to “love our enemies” and pray for those who persecute us? Should we love our enemies by allowing them to beat and bully us?

What do you think?

I think loving an enemy is wanting that person to have eternal life despite the evil things that he or does. It’s forgiving that person just as Jesus forgave his persecutors. It’s not condoning the evil or participating in the evil. It’s wishing the person well, praying for the person, and refusing to hate or orchestrate revenge on the person.

When people slap us in the face, they do it because they have corrosion somewhere in their hearts. It's important to remember that we once had the same corrosion in our hearts, and our Lord healed us of it. Perhaps we should try to respond to attacks with love so the attackers can someday receive a coat of healing.

Sometimes responding with love is nearly impossible, and we may have to turn both backside cheeks and walk away. The prayers should continue after we walk away, however.

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