As the Lord says, He makes the sun to shine and the rain to fall on the unjust and the wicked as well as on the godly. And His followers are required to act accordingly. Christ commands us to love our enemies, and uses as His model the fact that God from heaven showers His blessings on the wicked. We see that God actually hates and is infinitely angry with persons upon whom He pours great blessings. We are not allowed to hate persons, but are commanded to love them. We cannot, of course, be pleased with persons who hate God and hate us, but we can behave lovingly toward them and pray for them. In so doing, we follow the model of God.
— John Gerstner (1914–1996), Theologe
Related Bible passage: MAT.5.45
Topics: Love, Ethical Questions
John Gerstner
John Gerstner (1914–1996) war ein US-amerikanischer presbyterianischer Theologe und Kirchenhistoriker, der über mehrere Jahrzehnte in Pittsburgh lehrte. Er wurde als führender Experte für Jonathan Edwards bekannt und verteidigte eine rationale, an der calvinistischen Tradition sowie der biblischen Irrtumslosigkeit ausgerichtete Apologetik. Während seine kompromisslose Kritik am Dispensationalismus und an liberalen Tendenzen scharfe Kontroversen auslöste, bieten seine Schriften bis heute Orientierung für ein historisch-reformiertes Schriftverständnis.
All quotes by John Gerstner (35)
If you judge people, you have no time to love them.
Mother Teresa
I am the prodigal son every time I search for unconditional love where it cannot be found.
Henri Nouwen
It wasn't the nails that held Jesus to the cross. It was love.
Max Lucado
To love a person means to see them as God meant them to be.
Fyodor Dostoevsky
I ask myself: what does hell mean? I maintain: it is the inability to love.
Fyodor Dostoevsky
A drop of love is worth more than an ocean of reason.
Blaise Pascal
Love keeps no record of wrongs, but bitterness keeps detailed accounts.
Craig Groeschel
The world consists of nothing but opportunities for love.
Søren Kierkegaard