Is spiting the devil agape love?

[MarcoPolo]

Agape love is doing that which pleases God for that sake, correct? So would avoiding something because you know it would please the devil the same thing?

Example: You apply for a job you really want. You are rejected. You want to get really mad at them and speak ill of them. But you resist, recognizing this as the reaction the devil wants of you.

 

[TOP]

MarcoPolo,
Your example seems to be avoiding a temptation rather then spiting the enemy.

I don’t think the Lord wants us to spite anything including the devil because He created it even though we know the result.

Jude 1:9 When Michael the archangel, disputing with the devil, contended about the body of Moses, he durst not bring against him the judgment of railing speech, but said: The Lord command thee.

We are commanded to “resist” the devil. James 4:7 Be subject therefore to God, but resist the devil, and he will fly from you.
Tim

 

[glenaitken]

Marcopolo,
they are not the same thing because the intention is different. in agape love, one does something to please God as the primary motivation, in the exampleyou gave, the primary motivation was to resist the devil. therefore they are not the same thing because the primary focus of the soul is different in each action- one is done to please x, and the other is done to reject y. ironically, agape love secondarily spites the devil, and resisting the devil helps us to grow in love for God. the hard part for us as christians is to keep our primary focus on pleasing God. if “spiting the enemy” is a secondary effect, try not to be too pleased about it, but remember that Christ taught his Apostles: that they ought to rejoice rather that thier names were written in the book of life.