Jesus’ life and his death was one sustained act of love toward people, and therefore it was one sustained act of revolt against the powers. … Jesus always treats human beings as victims. He never blames anybody for the infirmity that they have. Even if it was caused or influenced by demonic power, he never blames the victim. He treats them as victims. He never blames anybody for being demonized. He never says, “Boy, you must have screwed up in your past, or played with a Ouija board or something.” He just sees the need and he meets it. In fact, on the cross, what does he do? He prays, “Father, forgive them; they know not what they do.” Jesus never battled people. Rather, he fought for people by fighting against the powers. …

We are called to imitate Jesus in all respects. That’s what it is to be Christian, Christ-like, and therefore we’re called to wage war the way Jesus did: not against people, but against the powers. And the way we wage war against the powers is by refusing to do anything other than love people. …

Last Saturday I was at a Super-American station and I bought some windshield washer fluid. And I walked in to purchase my windshield washer fluid, and there was at the counter a Caucasian clerk and an African-American clerk. In front of the Caucasian clerk, there were two customers: one customer being checked out, and one customer waiting. In front of the African-American clerk there was no one.

So the African-American clerk calls to the person waiting in line (he was a white guy), and says “I’m open for business.” The white guy turns to him and says, “You think I’m blind? You think I’m stupid?” And then he looks over in this direction like he’s looking at some potato chips, and he says, “I’m checking out the price of potato chips, if you don’t mind!” The African-American clerk says “I’m just trying to help, letting you know that I work here.”

Then the customer that was being checked out by the Caucasian clerk left, and this guy just walks up and starts buying his stuff. He wasn’t checking out the chips. You couldn’t even see the price of chips from where he was standing. Now I’m seeing this—I haven’t seen anything this overt in quite awhile in terms of racism. And immediately my blood pressure rises, my temperature rises, my heart starts beating fast. I have an impulse to say things and do things that might not be consistent with the character of Christ. And I had to just stop and take a few deep breaths. I have to remember who the enemy is and who it isn’t. And I have to remember that it’s a mere dust particle compared to the log in my own eye, and that I’m the chief sinner. And I have to remember that my one job as a Kingdom person is to ascribe unsurpassable worth to all people at all times. And there are times when I enjoy that, and times when I hate it, and this time I hated it, but I have to do it! So I just started praying for this guy, saying “Lord, I agree with you—I’m trying to agree with you—that he has unsurpassable worth, that he was worth you dying for. And I pray blessing on his life, and I pray that you would free him from the powers.” Because the real enemy is not the guy! The real enemies are the powers that would oppress him in his racism, and me in my self-righteousness against the racist! By refusing to give into that hatred, and loving this person, that is my warfare against the powers.

—Greg Boyd, “Fighting the Right Enemy“, a sermon preached on 3/9/2008 at Woodland Hills Church