One of the first lessons learned in biology while in elementary school is: That life by definition consists of a process of growth. Everything that has life: is born, grows and develops. And of course growth is a very essential principle also in the spiritual area.
The sad reality we see today is that some think they can be "Christian babies" for a lifetime. Growth is seen more as an option than a duty. But we must be very careful about accepting that way of thinking.
Because growth is a sign of life. Growing up is a fundamental objective for all of us who are believers in Christ. Read Ephesians 4.13. And the apostle Peter tells us that in order to grow spiritually we have to put off some sins that prevent that growth.
The phrase "Discarding." It tells us about bad habits that must be abandoned, and good attitudes that must be adopted and developed.
The first of those bad attitudes that we must abandon:
1. From All Malice
This word that is translated as "Malice", speaks to us of a bad disposition, of a bad feeling towards another person. Malice has to do with that desire to cause pain, to inflict suffering, to cause harm, to hurt, or to injure another person. In life offenses come and go and we have to determine what to do with those offenses: apply all malice or apply forgiveness. The Bible is saturated with verses that tell us that forgiveness is our best option: Read Leviticus 19:18; Luke 6: 36-37; Romans 12.17-18.
Forgiveness is not an easy subject, especially in a time like ours, where today revenge is more common than grace; retaliating than forgiving; punishing than apologizing; the hitting to seek reconciliation. Malice springs from our hearts in most cases in the context of interpersonal relationships; and it goes from the most minimal conflicts and in some irrelevant cases, as well as in those complex and very transcendent situations. This is why the author to the Hebrews tells us "Follow peace with all, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord." Hebrews 12.14
Here we have a verse that absolutely proves that we cannot detach, separate, distance our spiritual life from our daily life. And that many of the bad attitudes are due to a bad communion with God. A faulty character is the result of a faulty relationship with God. Check for yourself and you will realize that the engine that fuels malice, anger, anger, the thirst for revenge, the desire to retaliate, and to retaliate, is often due to a deficient, lacking and poor spiritual relationship with God.
What does the word "with all" mean? Are enemies included, are included those with whom we do not match, with those who do not harmonize, with those who cause us irritation just by seeing them, with those who have hurt us, hurt us, caused us harm?
According to the teaching of Jesus, the answer is yes.
There are several negative aspects for which the malice described by the apostle Peter affects our spiritual growth on a larger scale:
A. We are the first affected:
Someone said: "An eye for an eye and we all end up one-eyed." The person who suffers the most, the person who carries the most weight, is the one who cannot forgive. "Each heart knows its own bitterness." Proverbs 14.10.
B. obscure God's purposes in the midst of that situation:
Too often pain from injuries, resentment, and bitterness block our ability to understand and see God's plan even in the midst of such a conflict situation. We are so focused on the injury, on the cause of that injury, and on getting revenge for that injury that we lose sight of God's plan in the midst of that injury. Read James 1.2-3
C. We give you full access to the devil:
Be angry, but do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, nor give place to the devil ”. Ephesians 4: 26-27. Let us not allow resentment and thirst for revenge to take control of us and weaken us in such a way that aspects of sin or even more serious, satanic incitement towards evil can come into our lives.
D. It will affect our eternity:
A clear evidence that we are in Christ is love. The proof that a person possesses eternal life is manifested in curbing those vengeful desires. Read 1 John 3.14-15. John tells us that if love is absent from a person's life, hatred with all its dire consequences will fill that void.
Tal vez una de las razones del porque algunas personas nunca han asesinado literalmente a quien le ha causado dolor, se deba a las “rejas” que se han levantado: el temor al arresto y la vergüenza, las penas de la ley, la posibilidad de morir, la reputación, etc. Sin embargo, Jesús va más allá del acto frío del asesinato y nos habla de lo que se maquina en el corazón. Y Jesús nos dice que el homicidio no es solamente aquel que se comete con un arma, sino también aquel que se comete en el corazón.
Let's pause and ask ourselves: Have you allowed vengeance in your heart as an option so strongly that you obstruct God's grace in your life? What is your first reaction when someone hurts you? How do you react to injuries that have caused you pain? Why did the apostle Peter start the growth process with getting rid of revenge?
Because we are facing one of the issues that presents us with the most challenges in our lives. What is a child of God supposed to do when someone assaults or harms him in any way? The apostle Paul says that the best way to face aggression is always forgiveness. Read Colossians 3:13