Non-Resistance

God, Christ, & The Holy Spirit
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Paidion
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Non-Resistance

Post by Paidion » Thu Jun 17, 2021 7:38 pm

Jesus taught his disciples not to resist evil people. This is quite contrary to human nature. We love to give wicked people some of their own "medicine"! But if we are truly Jesus' disciples, we will do nothing contrary to what Jesus taught his first disciples. He said:

“You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’But I tell you not to resist an evil person. But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also.

If anyone wants to sue you and take away your tunic, let him have your cloak also.

And whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two.

Give to him who asks you, and from him who wants to borrow from you do not turn away.

“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, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust." (Matthew 5:38-45 NKJV)


Not many practise these things. Do you?
But there are groups of Christians who do in our very day: Mennonites, Hutterites, Moravians, Waldenses and Quakers.
In the early days of Christianity, the Albigenses, the Bogomils, and the Paulicians, also did.

I want to share with you a true example in our day of non-resistance and the results.
At one point in my life, I taught school in a Hutterite community. Sam, one of the Hutterite men, was driving a tractor to a certain location, but it broke down near a house. So Sam needed to phone the colony to get help. He knocked on the door, and the woman of the house answered. Sam asked if he could use their telephone to phone for help. "I guess so," she replied. Sam removed his muddy boots and left the just outside the door. Then he entered the house in his sock feet, and made the phone call.

Now it just so happened that the man of the house hated Hutterites. Sam had just finished his phone call, when the man himself entered.

"What the hell are you doing here, you ###@@@! Hutterite!" the man shouted.
Sam explained, and the man yelled, "You get the hell out of here, you @#@#@#"
So Sam went out, and was about to reach for his boots, but the man grabbed them first and threw them into a mud puddle.
Thus Sam had to walk into the puddle in his sock feet to retrieve his boots.

"Say!" said Sam to the man. Why don't you come and visit us! We'll show you a good time! Come next Sunday and have dinner with us!
"Oh, get out of here." But the man didn't say it quite as angrily as he had spoken previously.

Well, guess who appeared at the colony for dinner on the following Sunday! Yes, the man came, and he was treated like a king!
He was short of potatoes that year, and the Hutterites sent several bags home with him.

After that, the man became one of their best friends.

This is just one example of what can happen when the teaching of Jesus are taken seriously.
Paidion

Man judges a person by his past deeds, and administers penalties for his wrongdoing. God judges a person by his present character, and disciplines him that he may become righteous.

Avatar shows me at 75 years old. I am now 83.

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Homer
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Re: Non-Resistance

Post by Homer » Thu Jun 17, 2021 8:33 pm

Hi Paidion,

I think we need to exercise discernment and act as the Spirit leads.
Give to him who asks you, and from him who wants to borrow from you do not turn away.
Almost 60 years ago I worked at a large frozen foods business. About one block away was a tavern. One day I was working outside near the street and railroad tracks. A man approached me from the direction of the tavern and said "please mister, give me 25 cents for a shot of vermouth, I will give you anything." I wasn't a Christian at the time and I handed him a quarter. Should I have?

IMO the teachings in the Sermon on the Mount are not a set of laws but a teaching regarding what kind of person we are to be as we follow Him. Do you have Dallas Willard's book "The Divine Conspiracy? It is the best I have ever read regarding the Sermon on the Mount.

That was a nice story you told, good food for thought, but you have posted it before. Did you forget? My wife and I just got home from our weekly "town trip" to buy groceries, etc. As is our practice for the umptenth time we forgot our list of what we needed. :oops: And most of what was on the list was forgotten.

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Jepne
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Re: Non-Resistance

Post by Jepne » Thu Jun 17, 2021 9:47 pm

I love this account. It is really good food for the soul! Thank you for posting it.
"Anything you think you know about God that you can't find in the person of Jesus, you have reason to question.” - anonymous

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darinhouston
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Re: Non-Resistance

Post by darinhouston » Thu Jun 17, 2021 9:57 pm

Very nice reminder! Thanks.

Homer, I have been trying to get our bible study class to do the Divine Conspiracy. Excellent book from the parts I have read. Covid hit just as we were about to do it together, and it's a bit heavy to do on zoom. People are into really "light" things these days even as we are starting to gather together again in person. Hopefully soon they'll crave some Willard type depth.

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Paidion
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Re: Non-Resistance

Post by Paidion » Fri Jun 18, 2021 10:19 am

Homer wrote:IMO the teachings in the Sermon on the Mount are not a set of laws but a teaching regarding what kind of person we are to be as we follow Him.
That is my opinion, too. And what kind of person are we to be as we follow him? According to Jesus we are to be non-resistant persons, and not persons who seek revenge for the wrongdoings of others.
Paidion

Man judges a person by his past deeds, and administers penalties for his wrongdoing. God judges a person by his present character, and disciplines him that he may become righteous.

Avatar shows me at 75 years old. I am now 83.

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Homer
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Re: Non-Resistance

Post by Homer » Fri Jun 18, 2021 11:10 am

Paidion,

I agree, vengeance is out. Sometimes I have vengeful thoughts and confess them and pray for help to keep them away. Sometimes non-resistance must yield to the law of love.

For what it is worth, in one of his books Joachim Jeremias stated that all of Jesus' statements about non-resistance were in regard to persecution for belief in Him

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Paidion
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Re: Non-Resistance

Post by Paidion » Fri Jun 18, 2021 2:46 pm

Homer you wrote:That was a nice story you told, good food for thought, but you have posted it before. Did you forget?
Whether or not I posted it on another occasion is irrelevant. What is relevant is the fact that Sam's invitation to the man who had just berated him in the foulest language, was invited to Sunday dinner. This is an illustration of non-violence, of not acting in revenge, but loving those who hate you, and returning good for evil as Jesus taught.

Blessed are you when people hate you and when they exclude you and revile you and spurn your name as evil, on account of the Son of Man! Rejoice in that day, and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven; for so their fathers did to the prophets. But woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation. Woe to you who are full now, for you shall be hungry. Woe to you who laugh now, for you shall mourn and weep. Woe to you, when all people speak well of you, for so their fathers did to the false prophets.

But I say to you who hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you.
To one who strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also, and from one who takes away your cloak do not withhold your tunic either.
Give to everyone who begs from you, and from one who takes away your goods do not demand them back. (Luke 6:22-30)
Paidion

Man judges a person by his past deeds, and administers penalties for his wrongdoing. God judges a person by his present character, and disciplines him that he may become righteous.

Avatar shows me at 75 years old. I am now 83.

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