How should we respond to the attacks of others?
Matthew 5:43-45 (NKJV) “You have heard that it was said, You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, 45 that you may be sons of your Father 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."
Proverbs 25:21-22 (NKJV) "If your enemy is hungry, give him bread to eat; And if he is thirsty, give him water to drink; 22 For so you will heap coals of fire on his head, And the LORD will reward you."
Romans 12:14 (NKJV) "Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse."
Romans 12:17-21 (NKJV) "Repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of all men."
Romans 12:18 (NKJV) "If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men."
Romans 12:21 (NKJV) "Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good."
1 Corinthians 4:12-13 (NKJV) "And we labor, working with our own hands. Being reviled, we bless; being persecuted, we endure; 13 being defamed, we entreat. We have been made as the filth of the world, the offscouring of all things until now."
1 Corinthians 13:4-8 (NKJV) "Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; 5 does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; 6 does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; 7 bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 8 Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away."
1 Peter 2:23 (NKJV) "who, when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously;"
1 Peter 3:9 (NKJV) "not returning evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary blessing, knowing that you were called to this, that you may inherit a blessing."
Proverbs 29:11 (NKJV) "A fool vents all his feelings, But a wise man holds them back."
Proverbs 15:1 (NKJV) "A soft answer turns away wrath, But a harsh word stirs up anger."
2 Timothy 2:24-25 (NKJV) "And a servant of the Lord must not quarrel but be gentle to all, able to teach, patient, 25 in humility correcting those who are in opposition, if God perhaps will grant them repentance, so that they may know the truth,"
Ephesians 4:32 (NKJV) "And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you."
"How often we feel that we have been dealt with unjustly, that things have been said concerning us that were untrue, and that we have been set in a false light before others. When we are thus tried, we shall need to keep strict guard over our spirit and our words. We shall need to have the love of Christ, that we may not cherish an unforgiving spirit. Let us not think that unless those who have injured us confess their wrongs, we are justified in withholding from them our forgiveness. We should not accumulate our grievances, holding them to our hearts until the one we think guilty has humbled his heart by repentance and confession. . . . However sorely they may have wounded us, we are not to cherish our grievances and sympathize with ourselves over our injuries, but as we hope to be pardoned for our offenses against God, so must we pardon those who have done evil to us. . . . When we are reviled, how strong is the temptation to revile in return, but in doing this we show ourselves as bad as the reviler. When tempted to revile, send up a silent prayer that God will give you His grace, and keep the tongue in silence. . . ." {SD 144.2}
"Christ is our example in patience, in forbearance, in meekness and lowliness of mind. He was at variance and at war with the whole ungodly world, yet He did not give way to passion and violence manifested in words and actions, although receiving shameful abuse in return for good works. He was afflicted, He was rejected and despitefully treated, yet He retaliated not. He possessed self-control, dignity, and majesty. He suffered with calmness, and for abuse gave only compassion, pity, and love. 2LtMs, Lt 51a, 1874, par. 4 ... Christ never murmured, never uttered discontent, displeasure, or resentment. He was never disheartened, discouraged, ruffled, or fretted. He was patient, calm, and self-possessed under the most exciting and trying circumstances. All His works were performed with a quiet dignity and ease, whatever commotion was around Him. Applause did not elate Him. He feared not the threats of His enemies. He moved amid the world of excitement, of violence and crime, as the sun moves above the clouds. Human passions and commotions and trials were beneath Him. He sailed like the sun above them all. Yet He was not indifferent to the woes of men. His heart was ever touched with the sufferings and necessities of His brethren, as though He Himself was the one afflicted. He had a calm inward joy, a peace which was serene. His will was ever swallowed up in the will of His Father. Not my will but Thine be done, was heard from His pale and quivering lips. 2LtMs, Lt 51a, 1874, par. 6—Letter 51a, 1874
The Lord is testing and proving His people. You may be just as severe and critical with your own defective character as you please; but be kind, pitiful, and courteous toward others. {CCh 179.2}
Many are filled with self-importance, and esteem themselves above their brethren. Such should let self die; let the carnal mind be crucified. If you have enmity, suspicion, envy, and jealousy in your hearts, you have a work to do. Confess your sins; come into harmony with your brethren. Speak well of them. Throw out no unfavorable hints, no suggestions that will awaken distrust in the minds of others. Guard their reputation as sacredly as you would have them guard yours; love them as you would be loved of Jesus. Work for their interest, instead of seeking to tear them down, that you may build up self on their ruins. Satan is an accuser of the brethren, and he loves to have you help him. But disappoint him; do not let him triumph over you. {GW92 430.3}
Some pride themselves on being outspoken, blunt, and rough, and they call this frankness; but it is not rightly named. It is selfishness of the deepest dye. These persons may have virtues; they may be liberal and have kind impulses; but their discourteous manners render them almost insupportable. They criticise, they wound, they say disagreeable things. Does the character they are cultivating represent Jesus? Will it fit them for the society of heaven? We shall do well to examine ourselves, to see what manner of spirit we are cherishing. Let us learn to speak gently, quietly, even under circumstances the most trying. Let us control not only our words, but our thoughts and imagination. Let us be kind, courteous, in our words and deportment. There is a great neglect in this respect. We do not adorn the doctrines we profess. We are not what we might be, nor what God would have us to be. Those who hope to be the companions of holy angels, should possess refined manners. If the principles of the Christian religion are carried out in the daily life, there will be a kind thoughtfulness for others, for this was characteristic of Christ. Then, although a man may be poor, he will have true dignity; for he is God’s nobleman. {GW92 431.1}
The noblest revenge we can take upon our enemies is to do them a kindness. To return malice for malice, injury for injury, will gratify the carnal heart, but it will only render our enemies more bitter. He who works with God will have the Spirit of Christ, and will be a blessing to all with whom he associates. The law of kindness will be engraven in his heart and expressed by his lips. In discouragement he will not give utterance to words of unbelief and murmuring, but will speak words of encouragement, strengthening the fainthearted, and sympathizing with the afflicted. {Lt 18a, 1891, par. 14}
"Joseph’s faithful integrity led to the loss of his reputation and his liberty. This is the severest test that the virtuous and God-fearing are subjected to, that vice seems to prosper while virtue is trampled in the dust. The seducer was living in prosperity as a model of virtuous propriety, while Joseph, true to principle, was under a degrading charge of crime the most revolting. Joseph’s religion kept his temper sweet and his sympathy with humanity warm and strong, notwithstanding all his trials. There are those who if they feel they are not rightly used, become sour, ungenerous, crabbed and uncourteous in their words and deportment. They sink down discouraged, hateful and hating others. But Joseph was a Christian. No sooner does he enter upon prison life, than he brings all the brightness of his Christian principles into active exercise; he begins to make himself useful to others. He enters into the troubles of his fellow prisoners. He is cheerful, for he is a Christian gentleman. God was preparing him under this discipline for a situation of great responsibility, honor, and usefulness, and he was willing to learn; he took kindly to the lessons the Lord would teach him. He learned to bear the yoke in his youth. He learned to govern by first learning obedience himself. He humbled himself, and the Lord exalted him to special honor." (Letter 3, 1879). {1BC 1097.4}