For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life.  

(Romans 5:10)

The Apostle Paul summarises the first four chapters of the epistle to the Romans that demonstrated the adversarial relationship between humanity and God.  The doctrine of justification, the decision of God to restore the relationship on an individual basis unilaterally by faith, necessarily requires God to deal with each person as he finds them and the word Paul uses is echthros (ἐχθρός) meaning ‘enemy’.  From the verb echtho ‘to hate’, Paul is using the strongest term possible to describe the enmity that exists between creator and the blessed creature God made in his own image.  

While God has made a way through his Son to satisfy his wrath, does not mean that men and women now need to repent and turn their hatred of God into love.

Jesus commands this, and that it is a command precisely because loving God does not come naturally.  

And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment.” 

(Matthew 22:37-38)

Rebellion against their creator is the natural state of mortal humankind; the first instance being found in Eden.  Adam (the exemplar of human) chose to defy God, betraying hatred and making himself an enemy.  Jesus is clear on how to overturn this defining moment; turning hate into love is the basis of a repaired relationship, one of amity not enmity.  But, in the same breath, he also commands to love other people.

“And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbour as yourself.”

(Ibid 22:39)

It is natural to love oneself, and Jesus says only to use this a benchmark for love of others, this is not an exercise of altruism.  Jesus then demonstrates that these commandments are intrinsically inter-linked, by adding:

On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.”

The sum total of God’s message via Moses and all the prophetic messages given Israel hitherto could be boiled down to this pronouncement.

In fact, one flows to the other, hating God, inevitably ends in treating other people as enemies.; not least because, while Adam lacked for nothing, after Eden the natural state is one of competition and thankless seeking after security and control. 

This follows God’s just judgment on Adam’s rebellion, thus the consequence of Adam’s sin is dearth, decay and death.  If his Edenic existence was characterised by sufficiency, God decreed thereafter one of struggle and travail.   

… cursed is the ground because of you;
    in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life;
thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you;
    and you shall eat the plants of the field.
By the sweat of your face
    you shall eat bread… 

(Genesis 3:17b-19a)

From the moment Adam was expelled from Eden, conflict between people and rebellion against God went hand in hand, beginning with Adam’s own sons, because Cain killed Abel over the form of worship. 

Of course, human effort could be pooled and cooperation might help to overcome circumstance, but God acted against that also, this after a joint enterprise to rebel once more led to build a city to overtop heaven.

So the Lord dispersed them from there over the face of all the earth, and they left off building the city. Therefore, its name was called Babel, because there the Lord confused the language of all the earth. And from there the Lord dispersed them over the face of all the earth.  (Ibid 11:8-9)

Fighting over what or who has God’s favour is the lot of humanity, but so is also conflict for limited resources.  The legacy of Adam to be pitted us against each other.

For in times of peace and plenty, people have every incentive to get along, but in times of famine, when there is a scramble to find food; then people compete, fighting first for their family, and ultimately themselves.  Then everyone becomes the enemy, even one’s siblings and parents.

And only with the coming of Jesus is this natural way in challenged, here telling his disciples:

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbour and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven.”  

(Matthew 5:43-44)

This flies against everything.  Who is your neighbour or enemy is entirely down to circumstance, as demonstrated.  In hardship and extreme circumstance, neighbours might betray each other, erstwhile friends might fight for food.  But there is more, an enemy can be defined simply for looking or sounding different, a group might turn on an individual for a perceived infraction; the sense of injustice, righteous anger even a lynch mob mentality, all stems from the inclination to judge character like God, yet bereft of his perfect morality.  And Jesus warns that matters will worsen; his second coming will be heralded by dreadful strife:

^‘For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are but the beginning of the birth pains.

^‘Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations for my name’s sake. And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another.  (Matthew 24:7-10)

And he is speaking not of the ungodly but the Godly also.

In extremis, then all people default to ‘first self, others last’. To put is starkly, when the ship is sinking in the icy ocean, how many of us would give way and let another person take the last place on the lifeboat?

Jesus warns everyone can and will revert to hate, the natural state of mortal men – all those, that is, that do not heed his warning and decide to act as Jesus, and against the default.  It must be understood, to hate, revile and despise both God and everyone else is second nature and only an act of love, the decision to otherwise will overcome this.  This is the very nature of forgiveness, which is the deferment of judgment and vengeance to God, as the apostle Paul states:

Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honourable in the sight of all. If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.”  To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.”   Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.  

(Romans 12:17-20)

This takes an act of the will, and it is the very reason why love and forgiveness are commanded, because otherwise none would love or forgive; indeed, to strengthen the commandment, Jesus makes divine forgiveness conditional.

For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you,but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. 

(Ibid 6:14-15)

In other words, unless there is obedience there is no mercy, and no salvation.  Understanding that enmity exists between people precisely because God decreed it is essential.  This underpins comprehending that the believer in Jesus must act knowing as they have been shown mercy, so they must do so.  Forgiveness does not occur by turning hate into love first, it is to show love to people you despise, fear and loathe with every fibre of your being. 

Of course, ‘man’s inhumanity to man’ may be tempered with selfless and heroic acts by individuals, and the apostle notes that in this is something Christ-like, in that he died for the ungodly:

For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die, but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.  

(Romans 5:7-8)

But it should be noted that Jesus did his Father’s will, his was not the selfless sacrifice of the hopeless, and New Testament declares ‘for the joy that was set before him endured the cross’ (Hebrews 12:2)

Yet when histories are written, they show overwhelmingly that people are as pitted against each other and under mortal threat such heroism is rare, indeed.  

To help the those who would obey Jesus, he sends a Helper, the indwelling Spirit of God; and with him comes understanding.  This insight into God’s plans and purpose provides a divine appreciation that all men and women are fallen creatures, lacking mercy and given to vengeance; the follower can now see that everyone, including themselves, are weak and inherently selfish.  This Godly perception, means everyone can comprehend that each person, from the vile to the apparently saintly, is to be pitied.  All are each other’s enemy and the godly are not above wicked conduct.  In that spirit, everyone may decide to pity and edge toward compassion.

For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. 

(Ephesians 6:12)

There is a battle for the souls of men and women, and although Jesus Christ has won, the battle continues enacted in hearts of every soul.  Ultimately, each person is their own worst enemy, either by ignoring God or the commandments of his Son.

Of course, the Gospel is nonsense to all those still opposed to God, as the apostle, Paul remarks (1 Corinthians 1:18).  The world rejects the above as slanderous, averring that humans are basically kind, and cruelty mere aberration. 

There is a collective delusion, one which God fosters (see 2 Thessalonians 2:11) that the trajectory of civilisation is one of progress, in which humanity is becoming increasingly ‘enlightened’ and the world ever more peaceful; one that is patently false if people are prepared to look at the evidence; in addition, the prophecy of the Bible claims that human morality is in decline and the world is descending into iniquity – and the world has been here before:

The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. 

And the Lord was sorry that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart. 

So the Lord said, “I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land, man and animals and creeping things and birds of the heavens, for I am sorry that I have made them.” 

(Genesis 6:5-7)

And this led to judgment of the flood.  Jesus comes not to condemn but save, yet he is clear that at some point, he returns to judge.

For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. And this is the judgement: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil.  (John 3:17-19)

And remember the Biblical definition of an evil-doer, is an enemy of God. 

Peter was one who prophesied of a time when people, including those of the Church, will turn from God and deny the coming judgment; he exhorts everyone to recall the diluvial judgment:

…. scoffers will come in the last days with scoffing, following their own sinful desires. They will say, “Where is the promise of his coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things are continuing as they were from the beginning of creation.” 

For they deliberately overlook this fact, that the heavens existed long ago, and the earth was formed out of water and through water by the word of God, and that by means of these the world that then existed was deluged with water and perished.

But by the same word the heavens and earth that now exist are stored up for fire, being kept until the day of judgement and destruction of the ungodly.  

(2 Peter 3-7)

Before the coming judgment enmity between men and women will be rife, and all will be enemies of God – unless they remember and keep the commandments of Jesus.  This, the Great Tribulation, is the test of faith that Jesus knew would beset the people of God:

For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, and never will be. And if those days had not been cut short, no human being would be saved. But for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short.  

(Matthew 24:21-22)

And he adds the warning to be ready for the coming judgment:

For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark,and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 

(Ibid 24:37-39)

At the Festival of Pentecost, fifty days after Jesus’ crucifixion, Peter addressed a crowd – many of whom may have cheered to for Jesus’ death – quoting a hymn of David (Psalm 110)

‘The Lord said to my Lord,
Sit at my right hand,
 until I make your enemies your footstool.’  

(Acts 2:34-35)

Conviction had overtaken all who listened that they had been God’s enemies, and were left in no doubt that without divine forgiveness, they would be judged as such.  That conviction is most blessed insight God can give: every mortal man and woman stands in enmity with each other, and more importantly, with God.   Only the mercy that extends from the cross, can bring reconciliation.