The doctrine of enemyship

1. The Bible specifies by definite category certain stated hostilities or alienations whereby two parties are estranged. Some of these categories have to do with theology and some do not. Many times in the Bible it talks about a woman hating a man, e.g. David’s first wife came to despise him, but these are simply historical occurrences which advance some principles of doctrine in the scripture but are not doctrines themselves. So definite categories refer to those areas where a certain category of the human race, a segment of the human race or an individual in the human race, is an enemy of God or an enemy in principle to some concept of doctrine. The fact that there is no reconciliation and the enmity is stated by nouns and so on is what we are going to study theologically in this categorising. So just because we have passages like “If thine enemy is hungry feed him, if he thirst give him drink, we are not covering those categorically because their theological implications do not fall into the concept of enemyship.

2. Satan and fallen angels are the enemy of believers — 1 Timothy 5:14; 1 Peter 5:8 — “Be stabilised, be on the alert, your enemy the devil prowls about like a roaring lion seeking someone to devour.”

3. Demons are the enemies of God — 1 Corinthians 15:25; Hebrews 10:13 — “He sat down on the right hand of God. From that time on he is waiting until his enemies [demons] have been allotted the footstool of his feet.” The principle: God has very definite enemies in the fallen angels under Satan.

4. Unbelievers are the enemies of God — Romans 5:10; Colossians 1:21 — “And you being at one time in a state of alienation and hostile in your thinking in evil deeds ...”

5. Both categories of enemies of God, demons and unbelievers, will be judged and cast into the lake of fire. All the enemies of God are consigned to the lake of fire in eternity — Hebrews 10:27.

6. The carnal believer is the enemy of God — Romans 8:7,8. “Because the carnal mind is hostile with reference to God, for it is not subordinate to the law of God for it is not able to do so. And they that are in the flesh are constantly unable to please God.”

7. God is also the enemy of the reversionistic believer — 1 Samuel 28:16, “… therefore he [the Lord] has become your enemy.” When a believer is about to die the sin unto death he dies as the enemy of God. The sin unto death is administered as an enemy. Therefore the sin unto death is the most awful punishment that can ever occur in the life of the believer, but remember that it occurs while the believer is living. But the moment he dies the punishment is all over.

8. The reversionistic believer is the enemy of God — it works two ways — James 4:4.

9. The reversionistic believer is also the enemy of the cross — Philippians 3:18.

10. The pastor who counters legalism with true doctrine is considered the enemy of the legalist. When a pastor teaches grace and stands on the principle of grace, legalism despises him — Galatians 4:16.