What is the definition of enmity?

“The mind of the flesh is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.” What more strong pronouncement can we think of than this? Insubjection to God is enmity against Him, and the mind of flesh cannot be subject to Him: it has a fixed character of rebellion. Solemn, dreadful truth to contemplate! We must remember that such is the natural mind of man, according to which even a believer may foolishly act, when not making use of the mind of the Spirit which is his rightful heritage.

Causeless enmity is, of course, enmity that has its cause only in the condition of heart from which it arises, and whose state it shows. But this is not merely such; it is love that awakens it; it is moral antagonism to that which is good and lovely; it is corruption such as the sun that invigorates the living breeds in the dead. And this is death, and naturally hopeless, as death is: for only from that which is good can good be looked for, and yet here the good itself produces but evil. All means, therefore, fail; hope fails; if it be fully proved, judgment alone can be invoked; and the next ten verses are accordingly a cry for judgment.

Not "my breach of promise," but my turning against them, my hostility - t'nuati (my hostility, my alteration) only found here and in Job 33:10, "He findeth occasions against me." They would learn what it was to have God thus dealing in anger with them. It is to be in a position which brings anger and judgment from God; "My turning away and being hostile to them" is "You shall experience what it is to have Me against you."

Num. 14:34, "My breach of promise," "alienation" or withdrawal from anything; hence, metaphorically, "enmity." Occurs elsewhere Job 32:10. LXX., "the anger of my wrath," Iumon tes orges mou. Vulgate, ultionem meam, "my vengeance."

Reconciliation is, to use familiar language, making all straight; and even primarily, I believe, used in money-changing as that which makes the sum even, so that there is satisfaction of the parties in the matter; and thence passing into the more ordinary sense of making all smooth between alienated parties, and reconciling one who is alienated or at enmity. But it is not simply the change of mind from the enmity, though that be included; nor is it justification. It is the bringing back to unity, peace, and fellowship what was divided and alienated. We must not confound in Scripture "making reconciliation for the sins of the people" (Heb. 2:17) with "reconciliation" in 2 Corinthians 5, Colossians 1, Romans 5:10-11. The former is making propitiation, atonement (ilaskesthai and ilasmos), propitiation (1 John 2:2); while on the contrary "atonement" in Romans 5:11 should be reconciliation (katallage). Compare 1 Corinthians 7:11, "Let her be reconciled to her husband." where it is not merely her mind being restored to affection and good feeling, but matters made straight between them — the relationship made good. So it is between us and God; but the alienation was on our part. It was not alienation on God's part, but righteous judgment against sin in His creature, and that righteousness must be met in order to bring back the alienated creature into relationship with God. Only now it is much more than bringing back, because of the purposes of God in Christ, and the infinite value of the work by which we are brought back to God. Still it is an establishing a blessed and peaceful relationship with God, and us in it.

The question then arises, Is the sinner born again in order to believe? Or, Does the sinner believe in order to be born again? The latter belief is that which is widely held among evangelical Christians. But it is evidently not a true belief. See what such a belief leads to. It means in plain English that the flesh is capable, as the flesh, of faith and belief in the Lord. It is the direct contradiction of Scripture, which says, “They that are in the flesh cannot please God” (Rom. 8:8). Surely to believe on the Lord Jesus is pleasing to God. Scripture declares that “the carnal [fleshly] mind is enmity against God” (Rom. 8:7). Not that it is at enmity. In such a case reconciliation might be effected. But it says the carnal mind is enmity, and adds “it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.” Surely this is final.

The great principle of it is the sovereign grace I have referred to; it treats man not only as dead in sins, as in Ephesians, but also it brings out that man, looked at as alive, is at hopeless enmity to God. Of course, morally speaking, he is dead, but looked at as active, there is in him positive enmity to goodness.

The love of God to man and the enmity of man against God are two things which have often been spoken of as being utterly uncaused by the objects upon which they are lavished. There was no cause in man why God should love him, neither was there any cause in God why man should hate Him. God loved man because of what He is in His own nature, and “God is love” (1 John 4:16); man hated God because of what he is in his own nature, and “the carnal mind is enmity against God” (Rom. 8:7). There was every reason in God why man should love Him, and there was every reason in man why God should abhor him; and yet the opposite is true in both cases: God has lavished all the love of His heart upon man, and man has lavished all the hatred of his heart upon God.

The apostle James is exceedingly definite on this point. The world is in a state of open rebellion against God. It was ever thus since man fell, but its terrible enmity only came fully to light when Christ was manifested. Then it was that the world both saw and hated Him and His Father. Then it was that the breach was irrevocably fixed.

We are speaking, of course, of the world-system. If it be a question of the people in the world, then we read, "God so loved the world." The world-system is the point here, and it is in a state of deadly hostility to God; so much so that friendship with the one entails enmity as regards the other. The language is very strong. Literally it would read, "Whoever therefore is minded to be the friend of the world is constituted enemy of God." It does not say that God is his enemy, but the breach is so complete on the world's side that friendship with it is only possible on the basis of enmity against God. Let us never forget that!

And let us also never forget that we, as believers, are brought into such close and intimate relations with God that if we play Him false and enter into guilty alliance with the world the only sin amongst mankind with which it can be compared is the very terrible one of adultery.

Having thus abolished the enmity, the Christ has made the two into one in Himself. It is not that the Gentile is now one with the Jew, but that the Jew in Christ is now absolutely one with the Gentile in Christ. Both are found in a position and condition before God which is wholly fresh and original. They are no longer two men but one man, and that man is altogether new. This is a complete solution of the enmity difficulty — "so making peace." Two men might quarrel. One man cannot very well do so. And he has no inclination to do so, for he is a new kind of man. In all this we are of course looking at what God has accomplished in an abstract way: that is, according to its essential character, and without introducing those modifications found in our practice, owing to the flesh still being found in us.

Verse 16 brings in an additional thought. Not only are believing Jews and Gentiles one new man — that expresses their new character — but they are formed into one body, and as such reconciled to God. Reconciliation was needed because they both were in a state of enmity Godward, as well as being in a state of enmity between themselves. Again, you notice, the death of Christ is introduced; this time as, "the cross." By it He slew the enmity — that enmity Godward, which was in the hearts of both, and not only the enmity they had cherished between each other.