When Love Is Radical: Enemy Embrace and Kingdom Ethics (Sermon on the Mount Series)

Voxology

Religion & Spirituality, Philosophy, Society & Culture

4.7 • 1K Ratings

🗓️ 12 October 2020

⏱️ 45 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

How to reshape your spiritual and relational life through the revolutionary ethic of enemy love, as taught by Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount. In this installment of the Sermon on the Mount Series, Mike Erre and Tim Stafford explore Jesus' transformative call to love our enemies—a command that challenges deeply embedded cultural and religious narratives, and redefines what it truly means to embody the character of God.

Key Takeaways:
• Beyond Sentimentality – Why biblical love isn’t about feelings or liking others, but about willing and acting for the good of even those who oppose us.
• Enemy Love as the Essence of God – Understanding how Jesus frames love for enemies not just as an ethic, but as the very nature of God's perfection and a requirement to reflect God's character.
• Reframing Perfection – What Jesus really meant when he said "be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect"—and why it’s about completeness in love, not moral flawlessness.
• The Politics of the Kingdom – How Jesus' teaching uproots natural human impulses and worldly political categories by calling us into a community defined by sacrificial love.
• Discipleship as George Costanza Discipleship – Flipping the world's instincts upside down and choosing to follow God's wisdom, no matter how counterintuitive it feels.
• Practical Practices of Enemy Love – Daily rhythms like praying for those who oppose you as an intentional act of resisting resentment and retributive tendencies.

Resources Mentioned:
• Matthew 5:43-48 – The passage explored during the episode.
• Leviticus 19 – The origin of "love your neighbor" and the surrounding context debated by First-Century rabbis.
• Scandalous Witness by Lee Camp – Perspectives on how Christian witness intersects with public life and politics.
• The Faith and Politics Series – A series Tim is re-releasing mid-week as bonus episodes during election season.

Guest Highlight:
Seth Erie – Makes another joyful, unfiltered appearance to end the episode with the Shema and some comic relief.

Join the conversation as we unlearn cultural scripts and rediscover the radical love of Jesus that empowers us to break cycles of vengeance and alienation. Subscribe to stay connected with the series, leave a review to share the message, and follow us on social for updates and community fellowship.

As always, we encourage and would love discussion as we pursue. Feel free to email in questions to [email protected], and to engage the conversation on Facebook and Instagram.

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Follow Mike on Twitter: www.twitter.com/mikeerre

Music in this episode by Timothy John Stafford
→ https://www.timothyjohnstafford.com/
Instagram & Twitter: @GoneTimothy

As always, we encourage and would love discussion as we pursue. Feel free to email in questions to [email protected], and to engage the conversation on Facebook and Instagram.

We're on YouTube (if you're into that kinda thing): VOXOLOGY TV.

Our Merch Store! ETSY

Learn more about the Voxology Podcast

Subscribe on iTunes or Spotify

Support the Voxology Podcast on Patreon

The Voxology Spotify channel can be found here: Voxology Radio

Follow Mike on Twitter: www.twitter.com/mikeerre

Music in this episode by Timothy John Stafford

Instagram & Twitter: @GoneTimothy

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hey, everybody, live from the Corona hotbed of Northern California and Columbus, Ohio.
0:25.6	The Vox podcast coming at you.
0:27.9	Welcome to our podcast.
0:31.0	Thank you for tuning in.
0:32.7	We're very grateful for you.
0:34.7	Tim, rumor has that you have a sore throat.
0:37.1	What's happening? I do. I don't know what's happening rumor has that you have a sore throat. What's happening?
0:38.2	I do. I don't know what's happening, but I do have a sore throat. Any other symptoms?
0:45.3	No, no fever, no cough, no runny nose. Just the sore throat. I'm tired, I'm always tired,
0:53.1	so I don't think that counts.
0:55.4	No, no.
0:57.5	A symptom that's always true isn't a symptom.
1:06.8	Okay, so, so the Stafford family, kind of underneath some sort of virus, we don't like that at all.
1:11.9	Yeah, it's the common cold season has started, so everything's confusing now.
1:13.1	Yeah, it really is.
1:17.8	And here, California is going to vote Republican this year.
1:19.0	That is true.
1:21.4	I put the word out, and they seem to be responding.
1:24.8	It's like, let's try something new this year, guys.
1:26.9	Oh, I mean, I don't know. It seems like, let's try something new this year, guys. Oh, I mean, I don't know.
1:33.7	It seems like there's a lot going on in our world right now.
1:37.6	I mean, I don't, you know, I don't pay much attention, but wow.
	...

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