Love your enemies

H.V. Agius (The Sunday Times, July 9) wrote that Jesus asked the Father to forgive those who crucified Him because in his human nature he could not forgive them himself.

That is not true: if Jesus had to be led by his human nature, he would not have gone to the garden of Gethsemane knowing Judas was going to bring the temple guards to arrest and crucify him. Again even if he were unwise enough to go anyway, he knew his disciples were carrying weapons (Jn 18: 10, 11).

Not only did he not allow his disciples to defend him but he healed the wounded servant's ear. He could have easily just left it as it was. Human nature would have compelled Jesus to defend himself before Pilate, who knew Jesus was an innocent man.

If Jesus was led by human nature, he would not have died for you. As long as you are not a true disciple, you are still an enemy of Christ and yet he loves you and died for you (Jn 14: 15-31).

"If you love me obey my commandments. And I will ask the Father and He will give you another counsellor..." According to this (Jn 14: 23) if you love Jesus and do what he says he will come to live in you, which means you no longer live but Christ lives in you, as Paul said (Romans 8: 10). This means your sinful nature no longer controls you but the Holy Spirit controls you (Romans 5: 12-21, Jn 3: 1-21).

What are the instructions Jesus gave (Mt 5: 17-48). Verses 43 to 48 speak about "love for enemies, but I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you... If you love only those who love you, what good is that?

Even corrupt tax collectors do that much. If you are kind only to your friends, how are you different from anyone else?

Even pagans do that. But you are to be perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect. This is humanly impossible and that is why we require grace" (Romans 8: 1-17).

"So now there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you through Christ Jesus from the power of sin which leads to death... "

Now the question is: do you belong to Christ Jesus? The cost of following Jesus is (Lk 14: 26-35): "If you want to be my follower you must love me more than your own father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters - yes more than your own life. Otherwise you cannot be my disciple..."

If you love Christ more than your own self you will reject all that comes from your sinful nature and follow him. He requires all of you, not only what is humanly possible. That is why you need to have Christ living in you, all else fails to meet the standard of perfection.