Romans 5:6-10 (NIV)
[6] You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. [7] Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. [8] But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. [9] Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God's wrath through him! [10] For if, when we were God's enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life!
These set of verses reveal to us the character of God. A character that is opposite of what humanity would consider virtuous and noble. As a matter of fact what God reveals to us is these verse about His character would be considered by the world to be foolish, wasteful and even despicable.
In the worlds eyes to sacrifice yourself for good people, "innocent" people, people who would be considered philanthropist or contributors to the social good of society would be the things heros are made of. These people would have monuments and statues erected in their honor for century's. These would be the people we would tells stories about in order to inspire others to be the same way.
Now if there was someone that would sacrifice their life to save Hilter from an assassin during WWII, that person would be vilified, demonized and looked at as a traitors to the world. Why because Hilter is synonymous with evil, ungodly and an enemy of the world and all that is good. So to sacrifice yourself to save him would be like sacrificing yourself to save evil. It would be expected if you had to opportunity to kill him that you would take advantage of that opportunity and kill him.
But God did things different. Jesus sacrificed himself for the ungodly, sinners and his enemies. Who are these people? All of us. Every person that has ever existed. When is comes to God's standard of good, godly, virtues person, that person can only be found in Jesus Christ because he was and is perfect in all he's done both inside and his outward actions. He is pure and flawless. Even though God would be justified in condemning all people and caring out the punishment that the condemned deserve He did the opposite. Instead of killing us all He gave Himself for us all. Instead of wrath he holds out grace. Instead of winning the war that humanity wages against Him he extents peace to all. This is true love on full display in the person and work of Jesus the savior of humanity.
Now as followers of Jesus, as ambassadors of Christ, as citizens of the Kingdom of God we are told to be imitators of God, to be perfect as our Heavenly Father is perfect. What does that look like from this passage of scripture? We are to love our enemies not kill them. We are to lay down our lives for our enemies if this is what God wants for us in this life. But if you are an evangelical Christian in the USA today you are suppose to support the killing of others from other nations even if the killing involves brothers and sisters in Christ in that nation. This is a part of patriotism. However, when we enter into the new covenant with God through Jesus we become citizens of God's kingdom. This means we have been called out of the kingdoms of man and have become strangers in a strange land. We are aliens to the nations of earth. Our undivided allegiance is with Jesus and His kingdom only. It is Jesus' will that is to be done here on earth as it would be done in heaven. So if the nation of earth we are living in asks us to do that which is opposite God's character as He has revealed Himself to us in Jesus Christ and the New Testament we are not to comply even if it means the lose of life.
The kingdoms of man say kill your enemies. The kingdom of God says love your enemies.
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