Holy Love

"Don't Touch the Unclean!"

"The land you are entering to possess is a land polluted by the corruption of its peoples... Therefore, do not give your daughters in marriage to their sons or take their daughters for your sons. Do not seek a treaty of friendship with them at any time, that you may be strong and eat the good things of the land and leave it to your children as an everlasting inheritance.'" (Ezra 9:11-12)
"Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common?...  "Therefore come out from them and be separate, says the Lord. Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you. I will be your Father, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty."" (2Cor 6:14-18)

This we have done.

versus "Love your Enemies"

"Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is 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.  For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same?  And if you salute only your brethren, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? You, therefore, must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect." (Mt 5:44-48)   I remember an explanation that this praying for the enemies refers only to the Jews at Jesus' time. But I read from someone of Church fathers who wrote after the fall of Jerusalem and Judaism the same: pray for your enemies.    Is God's ability to change a person really limited to his/her response to Christians? Can't God really change (some) people who are not interested in Him (or are against Him), when we ask Him? People outside of our community experience that He can.    Have we loved enough our enemies, the weak in faith and just unbelieving? They don't see often the turning back to them as love that leads to repent, rather it can make them bitter. It is valid especially about relatives and old friends. It is easy to say it's their own pride and selfishness, but how can they see a better example of love from the community, if we don't communicate with them, after they doesn't have enough interest at a moment?Of cause we have to speak also about sins, but don't people in this evil world need to experience more love, acceptance, help in order to believe in God's power and wish to help?    Paul wrote to Philippians (4:5) that our gentleness should be visible to everyone, but is the community seen as gentle by many?
   Mr. Kluge publishes the negative examples of our possible legalism, but also inside the community several of us tended to be hopeless because of not changing. I suppose there was too much fear of punishment and too little trust is God's mercy and help. Why?

"And whoever does not provide for relatives, and especially for family members, has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever" (1Tim 5:8)

How have we provided for our families while being in the community?

"If any brother has a wife who is not a believer and she is willing to live with him, he must not divorce her. And if a woman has a husband who is not a believer and he is willing to live with her, she must not divorce him. For the unbelieving husband has been sanctified through his wife, and the unbelieving wife has been sanctified through her believing husband. Otherwise your children would be unclean, but as it is, they are holy." (1Cor 7:12-14)

It seems that Paul has more trust in believer's good influence on the unbelieving spouse (and their children) than he has fear of the bad influence of the unbeliever.

So Where Is The Balance?

What is the right delimitation and the right love according to the New Covenant?

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