Sunday, January 8th, 2012
Romans 12:17-21; Mt 5:43-48; Lk 6:27-36;
“Counter-Cultural Power Play”
Bible Memory Verse for the Week: “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” — John 16:33
Background Information:
- “Evil” NIV (vss. 17 & 21) = Kakos ; Strongs #2556; Theological Dictionary of the New Testament: Vol III, 469-481 “the word ‘evil’, already considered in relation to good, expresses the presence of a lack. It is not positive; it is an incapacity or weakness.” Socrates promoted that ‘evil’ arises through ignorance and good through knowledge. Jesus regarded the human heart as the seat of evil (Mk 7:21) “Evil comes from man. He is its author).
- The word is kalos, which one Greek dictionary defines as good, right, proper, fitting, better, honorable, honest, fine, beautiful, or precious. The earlier translation selected the word honest. The New International Version uses the word right. (James Montgomery Boice, Romans, Vol. 4, The New Humanity, 1614)
- “Good” NIV (v. 21) = agatho; Strongs #18; (Theological Dictionary of the New Testament: Vol I, 10-17) = “The excellent, fine, noble or good. That which promotes shalom or to mankind’s well-being. That which is pleasing to God as God is the supreme Good and he created mankind to be an expression of that good. “The good simply means the Torah”. Mi 6:8; Mt 19:17; 1 Thes 5:15; “The good is achieved in concrete I-Thou relationships. This new possibility of existence is the meaning of the life of the Christian.”
The question to be answered is . . . How does one even begin to love one’s enemies? It seems so unnatural.
Answer: Without first having peace with God through Jesus Christ and then peace with yourself by the Holy Spirit; you will not even begin to imagine how you could love your enemies. It is not natural. That is because it is supernatural. And that is why if you ever hope to have peace in this world of strife and trouble, you must go to the Prince of Peace who has overcome this world. When you find this peace, you will begin to love your enemies.
The Word for the Day is . . . Peace
What actions should be evident in the life of a person who is truly demonstrating agape love in the midst of a pagan world?:
I. Never pay back evil for evil (revenge) (Rom 12:17, 19, 21; Prv 17:14; Mt 5:43-48; Lk 6:29-30; Act 7:59-60; Eph 4:29; 1 Pt 3:8-9)
Fighting back is not Christian. (James Montgomery Boice, Romans, Vol. 4, The New Humanity, 1624)
To retaliate is so natural to our make-up that it is one of the most difficult attitudes to overcome in the Christian life. (RC Sproul, The Gospel of God: Romans, 207)
The world’s philosophy leads men to expect retaliation when they have wronged another. To receive kindness, to see love when it seems uncalled for, can melt the hardest heart. (Frank E. Gæbelein, The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Vol. 10, 135)
Not profoundly enough do we recognize how radical Jesus was. In that set of instructions to his disciples he completely overthrew all sense of human justice in favor of loving care. Not only are we not to allow aggravation to escalate, but we are to choose a positive response instead, serving the needs of our oppressor. Rather than equivalence in the Christian life, we are to be characterized by love and a gracious response to whatever pain others inflict. (Marva J. Dawn, Truly the Community: Romans 12, 257)
My usual reaction to being hassled is to get angry and lash out bitterly. Paul knew that we would have a hard time accepting this exhortation, so he said it twice in the same verse. (Marva J. Dawn, Truly the Community: Romans 12, 228)
Retaliation and revenge are absolutely forbidden to the followers of Jesus. He himself never hit back in either word or deed. And in spite of our inborn retributive tendency, ranging from the child’s tit for tat to the adult’s more sophisticated determination to get even with an opponent, Jesus calls us instead to imitate him. To be sure, there is a place for the punishment of evildoers in the law courts, and Paul will come to this in Rom 13. But in personal conduct we are never to get our own back by injuring those who have injured us. (John Stott, Romans, God’s Good News for the World, 334)
It is proper, of course, to use the courts to determine what is right, but it is against God’s will to use them for vengeance. If your child were kidnaped and brutally slain, you would be tempted to be glad when the killers were caught and got what was coming to them. But we’re not allowed to do that–not even to think it. Once we put our lives on the altar for Christ, we no longer have any personal rights. They’re all transferred to Jesus. We become God’s exclusive property and whatever abuses come against us, are actually against Him. Therefore dealing with the persecutors is His business, not ours. If we have a desire to see people punished, it is of Satan, not the Lord. We are instructed to love our enemies (Mt 5:44). (C. S. Lovett, Lovett’s Lights on Romans, 334-35)
The ancient kings boasted about the ferocious ways in which they brought “justice” to their kingdoms and about the heavy yokes they imposed on any whom they conquered. This Servant brings God’s right order into the world not from a position of strength but of weakness. He does not break an already-bent reed, nor does he quench a candle flame that is already flickering. Christ disarmed his enemies with love and grace and gentleness.
We must minister in the same way. In many ways this is the most difficult part of the ministry of Christ for many of us. We find it difficult to give up the assertiveness that has manifested itself in us since we were born. We want what we want when we want it, and there are many different justifications offered for an assertive, dominating Christianity. (John N. Oswalt, The NIV Application Commentary: Isaiah, 475)
Mt 5:38 God’s purpose behind this law (an eye for an eye and tooth for a tooth) was an expression of mercy. The law was given to judges and said, in effect, “Make the punishment fit the crime.” It was not a guide for personal revenge (Ex 21:23-25; Lv 24:19, 20; Dt 19:21). These laws were given to limit vengeance and help the court administer punishment that was neither too strict nor too lenient. Some people, however, were using this phrase to justify their vendettas against others. People still try to excuse their acts of revenge by saying, “I was just doing to him what he did to me.” (Tyndale House Publishers, Life Application Study Bible, 1656)
Mt 5:39-44 To many Jews of Jesus’ day, these statements were offensive. Any Messiah who would turn the other cheek was not the military leader they wanted to lead a revolt against Rome. Since they were under Roman oppression, they wanted retaliation against their enemies, whom they hated. But Jesus suggested a new, radical response to injustice: instead of demanding rights, give them up freely! According to Jesus, it is more important to give justice and mercy than to receive it. (Tyndale House Publishers, Life Application Study Bible, 1656)
In human practice, revenge is repaying evil for evil, with interest. Because our personal demands for justice are mixed with wounded pride, hatred, and sinfulness, opportunities for revenge ought to be consciously turned over to God. (Bruce B. Barton, Life Application Bible Commentary: Romans, 243)
Rulers frequently must do what private individuals may not do; and if rulers don’t do it, then private individuals may get fed up waiting to see justice done and take the law into their own hands, making chaos come again and reducing society to the rule of the most powerful. (N. T. Wright, Paul for Everyone, Romans: Part Two, 81)
Never is one more like the Lord Jesus Christ than when he takes an affront without rising to defend himself. (Donald Grey Barnhouse, God’s Discipline, 92)
God says to us, “Never avenge yourselves.” The natural heart will spout a stream of objections, but the answer of the Bible is, “Never avenge yourselves.” There is no way around it. It is a flat statement that has no loopholes. It does not say, “Never avenge yourselves except under such and such conditions.” It says, “Never avenge yourselves.” (Donald Grey Barnhouse, God’s Discipline, 94)
Someone is bound to protest, “But are we not to stand up for our rights?”
I repeat, such teaching goes contrary to all that the natural heart thinks or believes. Nevertheless, it is exactly what the Word of God teaches. People will object, “It stands to reason that…” or, “But common sense tells you that…” And so on. To silence such arguments, God has written, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own insight,” on “your own understanding,” on “your own common sense” (Prv 3:5). (Donald Grey Barnhouse, God’s Discipline, 94)
The instinctive response of self-preservation cries back, “Absurd! That’s the quickest way to get taken or, worse yet, get killed!” But, from the early Christians who prayed for their tormentors who cast them to the lions, to the Anabaptists in the sixteenth century who went to the stake without resistance, to the nonviolent movements of our modern era, there comes ample evidence that such gentle actions motivated by a sincere heart of love can overcome evil. (Clarence L. Bence, Romans, A Commentary for Bible Students, 204)
In the words of Lewis Smedes:
Vengeance is a passion to get even. It is a hot desire to give back as much pain as someone gave you. . . The problem with revenge is that it never gets what it wants; it never evens the score. Fairness never comes. The chain reaction set off by every act of vengeance always takes its unhindered course. It tries both the injured and the injurer to an escalator of pain. Both are stuck on the escalator as long as parity is demanded, and the escalator never stops, never lets anyone off. (Philip Yancey, What’s so Amazing About Grace?, 115)
A man that studieth revenge keeps his own wounds green. — Francis Bacon
II. Always do what is right no matter who is watching (integrity) (Rom 12:17, 21; Ps 37:27; Prov 14:9; Mi 6:8; Rom 8:13; 16:19; 2 Cor 8:20-21; Eph 4:29; Phil 4:7-8; 1 Thess 5:15; Tit 3:1-3; 1 Jn 3:10)
This, undoubtedly, is the greatest gift that God has given to us–the gift of reason, the gift of understanding, the gift of thought, the gift of being able to assess things. Obviously, therefore, to abuse this greatest gift is the greatest sin. (D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Romans, Exposition of Chapter 12, 457)
Long ago Plato had said that the good man will choose rather to suffer evil than to do evil; and it is always evil to hate. (William Barclay, The Daily Study Bible Series: Romans, 167)
Leighton once wrote: “The mode of Church government is unconstrained; but peace and concord, kindness and good will are indispensable.” When strife enters into any Christian society, the hope of doing any good work is gone. (William Barclay, The Daily Study Bible Series: Romans, 169)
When people do evil against us, we are not to repay in kind, as much as we might like to (see also 1 Pt 3:9). Repaying evil for evil makes us participants in an evil economy. We will not be able to hate evil (12:9) while actively using it as a method of exchange with others. Instead we are to be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody (see 1 Pt 2:11-12). The word for right could also be translated “noble” or “honorable.” (Bruce B. Barton, Life Application Bible Commentary: Romans, 242)
The point being made here is that the behavior of believers must be such that no one can rightfully make a claim of wrongdoing. To commit the same evil that was committed against us makes us indistinguishable from the original offenders. (Bruce B. Barton, Life Application Bible Commentary: Romans, 242)
Just because somebody treats me in an evil manner does not justify my responding in kind. I am not to return evil for evil, but I am to return good for evil. I never have the right to do wrong; I never have the right to do evil. I always have the obligation to do what is right. (RC Sproul, The Gospel of God: Romans, 206)
The positive response comes from a commitment to doing what is good in the sight of all men. There is not agreement in our society as to what exactly constitutes good, but there is a deep-rooted sense of what is fair and decent, even though these values may not always be prized or maintained. But the Christian has a keenly developed sense of fairness and rightness which, at its lowest level, is at least as high as the commonly held “good,” and to this he has committed himself in the bundle of his commitment to the Son of Righteousness. (D. Stuart Briscoe, Mastering the NT: Romans, 228)
The word used by the apostle means “take thought in advance,” or “take thought for,” or “take thought in advance concerning things that are good in the sight of all men.” The whole key to understanding Paul’s meaning lies in that phrase “take thought in advance.” In other words, when somebody acts in an evil way towards you, the danger is to react instinctively, automatically. But Paul says: Do not do that. Stop! Before you do anything, think about it. Do not allow yourself to act in an instinctive manner. (D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Romans, Exposition of Chapter 12, 473)
In a pattern similar to that in vv. 14 and 16, the negative prohibition “Do not repay evil for evil” is paired with a positive injunction: “Take thought for what is good in the sight of all people.” The verb “take thought” is probably emphatic: “Doing good to all is something to be planned and not just willed.” (Douglas J. Moo, The New International Commentary on the NT: Romans, 785)
We are to be known as those who always pursue the very best in all areas. (James Montgomery Boice, Romans, Vol. 4, The New Humanity, 1615)
Their lives are to be lived on such a high plane that even the heathen will recognize the fact. They will always be living in the sight of non-Christians, and the way they live should be such as to commend the essential Christian message. (James Montgomery Boice, Romans, Vol. 4, The New Humanity, 1615)
Why are there no heroes? The Day America Told the Truth says, “There are no heroes because we have ceased to believe in anything strongly enough to be impressed by its attainment. (James Montgomery Boice, Romans, Vol. 4, The New Humanity, 1615)
There is only one thing that can overcome evil, and that is positive good. Take the famous phrase of Dr. Thomas Chalmers–“the expulsive power of a new affection.” Nature abhors a vacuum. Evil is driven out by the coming in of the good. (D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Romans, Exposition of Chapter 12, 506)
Every time you feed your enemy or give him a drink, you are really saying, “Get thee behind me, Satan,” and he has to go. “Resist the devil, and he will flee from you” (Jas 4:7). This is the way to resist the devil–not fearfully, negatively, but by positively doing something that causes him to run away. (D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Romans, Exposition of Chapter 12, 507-08)
III. Treat your enemy as if he were a close friend (love) (Prv 25:21-22; Mt 5:44; Lk 6:29-30; 23:34; 1 Pt 3:8-9)
In Jesus’ summary of the great commandments of the law, he said that each one is to love his neighbor as himself. How, actually, do we love ourselves? We do not look at ourselves in the mirror and think how amiable we are. To love ourselves is a much more practical and positive matter than that. It means to want for ourselves the best that life can give and to reach out and try to get it. That kind of self-love can be mean and cramping unless it is enlarged by a pure and humble recognition of what the real values of life are which God would have us gain. Then love of self can be lifted up to mean the soul’s desire for that ultimate enrichment which God can give. That, then, is what the love of one’s neighbor should mean. It is regarding him as worthy of all the best in life that God can help us make available for him. (Abingdon Press, The Interpreter’s Bible, Vol. VIII, 121)
A fundamental difference between judgment and judgmentalism is love. Judgmentalism is rooted in ill will, while judgment has the best interests of the other person in mind. Judging others must be an act of love for God and his moral revelation, and also an act of love for the sinner, giving him the truth for his ultimate good. (R. Kent Hughes, Preaching the Word: Luke, Vol. One, 243-44)
Similarly, Rom 12:14 seems to say, “Bless those persecuting you. Yes, you heard me right; I really mean that you can respond to persecutions with the opposite of cursing–indeed, with praise and love.” (Marva J. Dawn, Truly the Community: Romans 12, 228)
Drown the evil in the good. (Archibald Thomas Robertson, Word Pictures in the NT, Vol. IV, 406)
The politics of Jesus might seem simplistic, but what would happen if we really tried them? What would happen in Third-World countries, for example, if instead of selling militants more arms or putting embargoes on their trade we worked to bring about economic justice? What would happen if we put food on their tables, taught them skills that gave them dignity, and freed them from their fears by caring about them without violence? If the Christian community were providing for the needs of the poor, they might more gladly receive our words about God’s love as a credible message of hope. (Marva J. Dawn, Truly the Community: Romans 12, 269)
Ray Stedman proposed long ago that the image refers to the way fires were lit in past times and to the fact that in Semitic cultures things were carried in baskets on the top of one’s head. Thus the image on Proverbs 25 could suggest this great act of kindness: when enemies are in trouble because their fires have gone out, we treat them with special love by giving them a heaping basket of coals to carry home (on their heads) to start their fires again. (Ray C. Stedman, From Guilt to Glory, vol. 2) (Marva J. Dawn, Truly the Community: Romans 12, 282)
When Paul puts these instructions from Proverbs into his Greek text, he uses present continuing imperatives to match the present continuing subjunctives in which the enemies’ needs are described. The thrust of the phrase, then, is that as long as our enemies keep hungering or are in a state of thirsting, we are to continue supplying them with whatever they need. (Marva J. Dawn, Truly the Community: Romans 12, 284)
When Abraham Lincoln was criticized for being too courteous to his enemies and when He was reminded that it was his duty to destroy them, he gave the great answer, “Do I not destroy my enemies when I make them my friends?” Even if a man be utterly mistaken we must never regard him as an enemy to be destroyed, but as a strayed friend to be recovered by love. (William Barclay, The Daily Study Bible: The Gospel of Luke, 132)
Love of neighbor will not be calculating and restrained, as though one were merely doing one’s duty; but will be, one might almost say, foolishly extravagant and lavish. Here is a constant note in Jesus’ ethical teaching and probably the most characteristic. One hears it again and again in the Sermon on the Mount, where we are told to love our enemies, to go the second mile, to give our cloak, too. Many of the parables sound it–as when the employer pays all his laborers the full wage though some have worked only for an hour, and a father rewards with gifts and a great feast an utterly unworthy son. So here again we find the hallmark of Jesus: the fact that the neighbor was so completely a stranger, being of all things a Samaritan; the extravagance of his compassion, pouring on oil and wine, binding up the man’s wounds, setting him on his own beast, bringing him to an inn and taking care of him. He could have stopped so much sooner than this and still have more than fulfilled any possible rule about one’s duty to a wounded stranger. But he did not stop even then–leaving money to pay for the man’s further care, and insisting that if more were needed, he should be allowed to pay the account on his return. The good Samaritan is not trying to do his duty. The point is that he is not aware of duty at all–any more than we are aware of duty when we act generously toward ourselves. We act so toward ourselves because we want to; so the Samaritan acts toward the stranger. He loves his neighbor as he loves himself. (Abingdon Press, The Interpreter’s Bible, Vol. VIII, 196-97)
Mt 5:43, 44 By telling us not to retaliate, Jesus keeps us from taking the law into our own hands. By loving and praying for our enemies, we can overcome evil with good.
The Pharisees interpreted Lv 19:18 as teaching that they should love only those who love in return, and Ps 139:19-22 and 140:9-11 as meaning that they should hate their enemies. But Jesus says we are to love our enemies. If you love your enemies and treat them well, you will truly show that Jesus is Lord of your life. This is possible only for those who give themselves fully to God, because only he can deliver people from natural selfishness. We must trust the Holy Spirit to help us show love to those for whom we may not feel love. (Tyndale House Publishers, Life Application Study Bible, 1656)
12:17-21 These verses summarize the core of Christian living. If we love someone the way Christ loves us, we will be willing to forgive. If we have experienced God’s grace, we will want to pass it on to others. And remember, grace is undeserved favor. By giving an enemy a drink, we’re not excusing his misdeeds. We’re recognizing him, forgiving him, and loving him in spite of his sins–just as Christ did for us. (Tyndale House Publishers, Life Application Study Bible, 2051)
St. Augustine says: “We must understand these words thus: We should incite those who have hurt us to repentance by doing them good. For such ‘coals of fire,’ that is, good deeds, have the power to consume his spirit, or to grieve him.” (Martin Luther, Commentary on Romans, 178)
This statement comes from Prv 25:21-22. It has been interpreted in at least three ways: (1) It may refer to an Egyptian tradition of carrying a pan of burning charcoal on one’s head as a public act of repentance. By referring to this proverb, Paul is saying that we should treat our enemies with kindness so that they will become ashamed and turn from their sins. Even if they don’t we are doing right. (2) It could signify an act of kindness that would increase an enemy’s sense of guilt. But this interpretation doesn’t fit the context, wherein Paul is encouraging believers to love their enemies. (3) It could mean befriending an enemy so as to win him or her to Christ. Of the three interpretations, the first seems the most plausible. (Bruce B. Barton, Life Application Bible Commentary: Romans, 243-44)
If your enemy is hungry, feed him as you would a child who is not able to take strong meat. We can understand why if we think of what happens within the body of a man who is really angry. The phrases have come into the language to describe this: “This turns my stomach;” “this makes me sick;” “this gripes me.” It anyone has this attitude against a Christian, the believer is to respond by loving him. Because the man is all tied up in knots within himself, his heart is at enmity. Self causes people to lie, to cheat, and to slander. If you are the victim of their selfishness, you must stand in Christ and love them in return. Without condescension they must be treated as children. The only thing that can clean out their warped systems is love. (Donald Grey Barnhouse, God’s Discipline, 96)
When a person wanted to demonstrate public contrition, he would carry on his head a pan of burning coals to represent the burning pain of his shame and guilt. The point here is that, when we love our enemy and genuinely seek to meet his needs, we shame him for his hatred. (John MacArthur, The MacArthur NT Commentary: Romans 9-16, 203)
The evil man who is overcome by good is set free, not from an exterior, foreign evil but from an interior, personal one, by which he is more grievously and ruinously laid waste than he would be by the inhumanity of any enemy from without. — Augustine
What it means, surely, is that you will cause pain, not physical pain, but the pain of shame, and the pain of remorse. It means that as the result of your kindness, your enemy will have an intense feeling of shame and of remorse. He will know a kind of burning, a keen anguish in his mind, heart and spirit and your hope is that he will feel this to such an extent that it will lead to self-examination and repentance. You will shock him and he will begin to reconsider what he has done to you, and then will see how terribly wrong it is. And this will lead to repentance. (D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Romans, Exposition of Chapter 12, 501)
This is something, of course, which cannot be guaranteed. Your enemy may not respond, but that is not your responsibility. Your task is to do everything you can to bring him to that condition. (D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Romans, Exposition of Chapter 12, 501)
IV. Never allow evil to commandeer your heart or mind (self-control) (Rom 12:21; Prv 12:16; 29:22; Gal 5:22-23; 1 Cor ch. 13; Eph ch 4; 6:12; Col 3:5; Ti 3:1-3; 1 Pt 3:6; 2 Pet 2:20; 1 Jn 2:13-14; 4:4; 5:4)
Chinese Proverb: “The man who opts for revenge should dig two graves. For he will go in one of them.” (Alister Begg, “Measure for Measure – Part 1”)
When the power of love overcomes the love of power the world will know peace. (Family Circle 12/23/03, 23)
When we allow ourselves to be overcome by the assaults of those who oppose us, we become a casualty of the very evil we struggle against. (Charles R. Swindoll, Relating to Others in Love: Romans 12-16, 15)
Nothing gives one person so much advantage over another as to remain always cool and unruffled under all circumstances. (Reader’s Digest, 11/97, 61)
Victims victimize others, who then send their own vengeance ricocheting through the larger human family. Nobody is more dangerous than a victim. (Cornelius Plantinga, Jr., Not the Way It’s Supposed to Be, 57)
If we seek to punish someone for the wrong he has done us, we have allowed evil to overtake us. That is what Paul is saying here. In our hands, vengeance is an evil. When we use it, we have not won, we’ve lost. We’ve been conquered by the evil ourselves. Our only weapon is love. It is the base from which Christians must operate. When a Christian seeks vengeance against another, he has been moved off that base. Therefore it is he who has been overcome by evil. But if he can back away from the temptation to retaliate and love his enemy, he remains on the love base and is the victor. But whom does he conquer? Himself. That is the greatest victory of all. Whenever a believer tries to “get even” with another person, it is clear who has won–Satan. Why? The believer is acting like the devil. Satan wants people to be punished. That’s why he leads them to sin. He delights in seeing them get what is coming to them. But the man who refuses those feelings has triumphed over that evil. He is acting like Jesus. (C. S. Lovett, Lovett’s Lights on Romans, 337)
Our own evil is infinitely more detrimental to us than is the evil done to us by others. (John MacArthur, The MacArthur NT Commentary: Romans 9-16, 203)
Pelagius said, “The enemy has overcome us when he makes us like himself.” (James R. Edwards, New International Biblical Commentary: Romans, 299)
He who retaliates thinks that he is manfully resisting aggression; in fact, he is making an unconditional surrender to evil. Where before there was one under the control of evil, now there are two. Evil propagates by contagion. It can be contained and defeated only when hatred, insult, and injury are absorbed and neutralized by love. (G. B. Caird, The Pelican NT Commentaries, Saint Luke, 104)
Inevitably, as ancient Greek philosophers recognized, to refrain from doing evil often means suffering evil. This was the path of the Lord Jesus (cf. 1 Pt 2:20-24), who prayed for his enemies (Lk 23:34) and died for them (Rom 5:10). (Frank E. Gæbelein, The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Vol. 8, 893)
“No evil can happen to a good man”. — Socrates
God’s purposes can never be accomplished if we react to our own pain by inflicting pain on others. Nor can we continue growing as the people of God if we seek vengeance on others. That spoils our reconciliation, not only with them, but also with God and with ourselves. To curse our persecutors is surely always more destructive to us than to them. (Marva J. Dawn, Truly the Community: Romans 12, 229)
Every time you refuse to forgive or fail to overlook a weakness in another, your heart not only hardens toward them, it hardens toward God. You cannot form a negative opinion of someone (even though you think they may deserve it!) and allow that opinion to crystalize into an attitude; for every time you do, an aspect of your heart will cool toward God. You may still think you are open to God, but the Scriptures are clear: “The one who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen” (1 Jn 4:20). You may not like what someone has done, but you do not have an option to stop loving them. Love is your only choice. (Francis Frangipane, The Three Battlegrounds, 70)
God’s purposes can never be accomplished if we react to our own pain by inflicting pain on others. Nor can we continue growing as the people of God if we seek vengeance on others. That spoils our reconciliation, not only with them, but also with God and with ourselves. To curse our persecutors is surely always more destructive to us than to them. (Marva J. Dawn, Truly the Community: Romans 12, 229)
Hatred is an enemy of straight thinking. (William Hendriksen, New Testament Commentary: Luke, 632)
12:19-21 In this day of constant lawsuits and incessant demands for legal rights, Paul’s command sounds almost impossible. When someone hurts you deeply, instead of giving him what he deserves, Paul says to befriend him. Why does Paul tell us to forgive our enemies? (1) Forgiveness may break a cycle of retaliation and lead to mutual reconciliation. (2) It may make the enemy feel ashamed and change his or her ways. (3) By contrast, repaying evil for evil hurts you just as much as it hurts your enemy. Even if your enemy never repents, forgiving him or her will free you of a heavy load of bitterness. (Tyndale House Publishers, Life Application Study Bible, 2051)
We are to keep ourselves from all thought of taking revenge. Paul gives three reasons for that. (a) Vengeance does not belong to us but to God. In the last analysis no human being has a right to judge any other; only God can do that. (b) To treat a man with kindness rather than vengeance is the way to move him. Vengeance may break his spirit; but kindness will break his heart. “If we are kind to our enemies,” says Paul, “It will heap coals of fire on their heads.” That means, not that it will store up further punishment for them, but that it will move them to burning shame. (c) To stoop to vengeance is to be ourselves conquered by evil. Evil can never be conquered by evil. If hatred is met with more hatred it is only increased; but if it is met with love, an antidote for the poison is found. As Booker Washington said: “I will not allow any man to make me lower myself by hating him.” The only real way to destroy an enemy is to make him a friend. (William Barclay, The Daily Study Bible Series: Romans, 170)
That is, see to it that he who hurts you does not make you as he himself is, namely, a wicked person. Nor let his wickedness defeat your goodness. But let your kindness overcome his malice and so change him into a good person. (Martin Luther, Commentary on Romans, 178)
For him the evil one does is the result of ignorance of virtue, and suffering evil is the result of ignorance of the providence of deity. Knowledge of virtue leads men to do good and makes them moral. It also brings them under the protection of divine providence, which directs all things for the good of those who are moral. Socrates had to confirm this doctrine by his death, and he maintained it even in face of death: “One thing we must recognize as true, namely, that there is no evil for the good man, whether in life or in death. What now happens to me is no accident. So much is clear to me, that death and redemption are now the best for me,” Plat. Ap., 41c.7 Gerhard Kittel, Theological Dictionary of the NT, 471)
There is a limit to what people can do to us. They can harm us on the surface, but cannot harm our souls. It is only evil that can do so. When evil overcomes us, we are being overcome at the highest, the noblest part of our being, indeed, in our very relationship to God Himself. (D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Romans, Exposition of Chapter 12, 505-06)
Jesus said, “Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment” (Jn 7:24). Righteous judgment is the direct result of love. If you cannot pray in love for a person or the church, do not presume you have true discernment. Love precedes peace, and peace precedes perception. Without love and peace in your heart, your judgment will be overly harsh. Regardless of the smile upon your face, your heart will have too much anger. False discernment is always slow to hear, quick to speak, and quick to anger. (Francis Frangipane, The Three Battlegrounds, 81)
When the heart has unrest it cannot hear from God. Therefore, we must learn to mistrust our judgment when our heart is bitter, angry, ambitious or harboring strife for any reason. The Scriptures tell us to “let the peace of Christ rule [act as arbiter] in [our] hearts” (Col 3:15). To hear clearly from God, we must first have peace. (Francis Frangipane, The Three Battlegrounds, 81-82)
The Christian is never meant to be carried away by his feelings, whatever they are – never. That is always wrong in a Christian. He is always to be controlled, as I hope to show you. He is always to be controlled, as I hope to show you. The trouble with these men was that they were lacking in self-control. That is why they were miserable, that is why they were unhappy, that is why they were alarmed and agitated, though the Son of God was with them in the boat. I cannot emphasize this point too strongly. I lay it down as a simple proposition that a Christian should never lose self-control, should never be in a state of agitation or terror or alarm, whatever the circumstances. (D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Spiritual Depression: Its Causes and Cure, 138)
We choose evil; but evil also “chooses” us and exerts its terrible power over us. Consider an admittedly extreme example–the war in the former Yugoslavia. Massacres in Rwanda [1994] and even the Los Angeles riots [1992] could illustrate my point as well. “Eruption” seems the right word to describe it. I am referring less to the suddenness by which it broke out than to its insuppressible power. Nobody seemed in control. Granted, the big and strategic moves that started the war and kept it going were all carefully calculated and made in the centers of intellectual, political, and military power. But apart from all this, there seemed to be an insatiable appetite for brutality among ordinary people. Once the war started and the right conditions were maintained, an uncontrollable chain reaction was under way. These were mostly decent people, as decent as most of us tend to be. Many did not, strictly speaking, choose to plunder and burn, rape and torture, or secretly enjoy these. A dormant beast in them was awakened from its uneasy slumber. And not only in them. The motives of those who set to fight against the brutal aggressors were self-defense and justice. The beast in others, however, enraged the beast in them. The moral barriers holding it in check broke down and it went after revenge. In resisting evil, they were trapped by evil. In “After the Catastrophe,” written right after World War Two, Carl Gustav Jung wrote, “It is a fact that cannot be denied: the wickedness of others becomes our own wickedness because it kindles something evil in our own hearts” (Carl Gustav Jung, Collected Works of C. G. Jung, p. 198). Evil engenders evil, and like pyroclastic debris from the mouth of a volcano, it erupts out of aggressor and victim alike. (Miroslav Volf, Exclusion & Embrace, 86-87)
Victims need to repent of the fact that all too often they mimic the behavior of the oppressors, let themselves be shaped in the mirror image of the enemy. They need to repent also of the desire to excuse their own reactive behavior either by claiming that they are not responsible for it or that such reactions are a necessary condition of liberation. Without repentance for these sins, the full human dignity of victims will not be restored and needed social change will not take place. (Miroslav Volf, Exclusion & Embrace, 117)
Though victims may not be able to prevent hate from springing to life, for their own sake they can and must refuse to give it nourishment and strive to weed it out. If victims do not repent today they will become perpetrators tomorrow who, in their self-deceit, will seek to exculpate their misdeeds on account of their own victimization (Sharon Lamb, The Trouble with Blame, 54)
It is the self-control that says: I don’t have to say everything I know, point out every sin I see, correct every untruth I find, and be the mother of every pagan and Christian I know. It is the kind of self-control that says, “I must control my need to be in control. I must remember that the Holy Spirit is in charge of every situation and every relationship I have. Therefore, I don’t have to be in control to not be in control. (Steve Brown, Follow the Wind–Our Lord, The Holy Spirit, 168)
CONCLUSION/APPLICATION: What kinds of things must I possess in order for me to live a life of doing good to overcome evil?
A- Great faith (Prv 3:5-6; Heb 11; 1 Jn 5:4)
. . . in the final analysis, forgiveness is an act of faith. By forgiving another, I am trusting that God is a better justice-maker than I am. By forgiving, I release my own right to get even and leave all issues of fairness for God to work out. I leave in God’s hands the scales that must balance justice and mercy. (Philip Yancey, What’s so Amazing About Grace?, 93)
Here we have what belongs to the essence of piety. The essence of ungodliness is that we presume to take the place of God, to take everything into our own hands. It is faith to commit ourselves to God, to cast all our care on him and to vest all our interests in him. In reference to the matter in hand, the wrongdoing of which we are the victims, the way of faith is to recognize that God is judge and to leave the execution of vengeance and retribution to him. Never may we in our private personal relations execute the vengeance which wrongdoing merits. (John Murray, The Epistle to the Romans, 2 vols. In 1, 141-42)
“Faith that does not act is a faith that is just an act.” (Lois Evans and Jane Rubietta, Stones of Remembrance)
B- Humility (Prv 16:18; 1 Cor 10:12; Jas 3:13-18)
Humility is accompanied by much happiness and peace. But the proud man is trouble for everyone who knows him. Anything can irritate the proud person and hardly anything can please him. He is ready to complain about everything that happens as if he were so important that Almighty God should see to it that he is always happy. He acts as if all the creatures of heaven and earth should wait upon him and obey his will. The leaves of high trees shake with every blast of wind. Likewise, every casual conversation or harsh word will upset and torment a proud man. (Henry Scougal and Robert Leighton; God’s Abundant Life, 51)
Too often we think that unity is achieved by backing down on certain things in order to keep the peace. If peace in a congregation is achieved by some people giving up their principles or being overly nice so that everyone can agree, then the community might as well not exist. It will have lost the Hilarity of truth. (Marva J. Dawn, Truly the Community: Romans 12, 245)
To choose to associate with humble things might also imply a rejection of the materialism in our world gone crazy over luxury and self-indulgence. To accommodate ourselves to humble ways flies in the face of the upward mobility of our culture, and it certainly sets the Christian community apart as an alternative society following the downward pattern demonstrated by Christ. (Marva J. Dawn, Truly the Community: Romans 12, 247-48)
“In obtaining peace, our Lord didn’t grasp his glory and dignity, but instead he humbled himself. The example stands for us who are called to peacemaking. This is expensive! It costs to make peace. Peacemakers are willing to lower themselves, to even lose their dignity in order to bring Shalom to life. This is the way the peacemakers always have been.” (R. Kent Hughes; The Sermon on the Mount, 65)
Whoever is converted by threat or terror is not truly converted, as long as he adheres to the outward form of conversion; for fear causes us to hate those who convert us. But if anyone is converted by love, then the whole person burns against himself and is more angry with himself than anyone else could be angry with him, for he detests himself with the greatest vehemence. It is not necessary to forbid anything to such a person, to watch him, and demand satisfaction from him, for love will teach him all (right things). (Martin Luther, Commentary on Romans, 178)
Pride is seen where we are not interested in anybody else’s opinion, and where we just assume that anybody that disagrees with us must be wrong. What Paul is saying is that we need to be teachable. We are to have convictions, but those convictions have to be established on a sound basis and received with a humble heart and a humble attitude. I admit that it is difficult to be firm in our convictions and yet, at the same time, to hold those convictions with humility. (RC Sproul, The Gospel of God: Romans, 205)
There he was, Son of God incarnate, and yet He said: I know nothing of myself. “For I have not spoken of myself: but the Father which sent me, he gave me a commandment…even as the Father said unto me, so I speak” (Jn 12:49-50). I do not generate My words. I do not produce them.
This was our Lord, living life as a man, and He said that He was utterly dependent upon the Father. What He said was given to Him, what He did was given to Him in every single respect. He did not do anything of Himself. Far from boasting of His wisdom He was “the meek and lowly Jesus.” That is the astounding fact that one finds as one looks at Him in these portraits in the four Gospels. We see the lowliness and the meekness, the humility of the Son of God incarnate. He is the perpetual rebuke to all who are tempted to feel “wise in their own conceits.” (D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Romans, Exposition of Chapter 12, 463-64)
It is dangerous for us to sit in judgment at any time or for any reason; that superiority of spirit which exalts itself above others always brings its own nemesis, and the self-appointed judge inevitably finds himself under judgment (cf. Mt 7:1-2). This attitude, so superior and censorious, springs from that self-regarding pride in which love of self drives out love of others; by making us indulgent to ourselves it makes us inexorable toward our neighbors. But if it is wrong for us even to condemn, how much worse is it for us to act as executioner as well: whereupon the argument moves at once into a much wider sphere, and we see our arrogance in the perspective of the divine prerogative of judging. Reverence and humility alone should compel us to abdicate the rights we had been claiming; but it also becomes clear that our presumptuous irruption into an area where we have neither rights nor status defeats even our immediate purpose. (Abingdon Press, The Interpreter’s Bible, Vol. IX, 594)
C- Confidence in our Sovereign Lord’s justice and wrath (Ex 21:24; Lev 24:20; Dt 19:21; 32:35; 2 Sam 22:48; Nah 1:2; Mt 13:24-30; Lk 9:51-56; 2 Thes 1:6-8; Heb 10:30; 1 Pt 2:21-23)
And what is the book of Revelation but a great exposition of the wrath and the vengeance of God upon His enemies, upon those who have rejected His gospel, spurned the voice divine, and refused His great offer of love in His only begotten Son, the One crucified? (D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Romans, Exposition of Chapter 12, 497)
Paul is saying that vengeance is legitimate. But if we want vengeance, we have to let that vengeance be in God’s hands, and not in our own. Now to be sure, he uses human instruments as instruments of vengeance–the state and the courts are human institutions that God himself has established, not only for vindication of the innocent, but for vengeance and punishment for the wicked, which we will see in chapter 13. But the thing that we have to keep in mind here is that an individual cannot take it upon himself to be his own avenger. (RC Sproul, The Gospel of God: Romans, 209)
The more we are like Christ, the less we shall judge men’s motives or actions. They must stand before God; they will never have to answer to us. (Donald Grey Barnhouse, God’s Discipline, 89)
Miroslav Volf (a Croatian theologian) talking about non-violence with the Serbs, wrote in his book Exclusion and Embrace . . . it is easy for us in our pleasant living room in the West, to come up with high-minded theories of nonviolence. Our villages have not been burned, our brothers and sisters have not had their throats slit, our sisters have not been assaulted. His had. And he lumps the idea of a noncoercive God in with “many other pleasant captivities of the liberal mind.” But there is one thing that can save us from becoming vengeful people. It’s a belief in divine vengeance. “The certainty of God’s just judgment at the end of history is the presupposition for the renunciation of violence in the middle of it.” (Raymond C. Ortlund, Jr., Preaching the Word: Isaiah, 125)
Paul uses the same verb in Rom 2:6 to remind us that God will justly recompense each person for what he or she has done. Because God will requite, we won’t (a point to be stressed in v. 19, as we shall see in Chapter 29). (Marva J. Dawn, Truly the Community: Romans 12, 255)
Every time we take for ourselves the task of vengeance we run the danger of becoming rebellious like the Israelites and risking the execution of God’s wrath upon us. After all, how can we be so presumptuous as to think that we have a monopoly on justice? Those who have been unjust to us make only as many mistakes as we. And, like Israel, we each specialize in our own idolatry. (Marva J. Dawn, Truly the Community: Romans 12, 277)
The Christian must not play God and try to avenge himself. Returning evil for evil, or good for good, is the way most people live. But the Christian must live on a higher level. And return good for evil. Of course, this requires love, because our first inclination is to fight back. It also requires faith, believing that God can work and accomplish His will in our lives and in the lives of those who hurt us. We must give place to “the wrath”–the wrath of God (Dt 32:35). (Warren W. Wiersbe, Be Right, 143)
The OT law of “eye for eye, tooth for tooth” (Ex 21:24; cf. Lv 24:20; Dt 19:21) pertained to civil justice, not personal revenge. Not only that, but its major purpose was to prevent the severity of punishment from exceeding the severity of the offense. In other words, someone guilty of destroying another person’s eye could not be punished with any greater penalty than that of forfeiting one of his own eyes. (John MacArthur, The MacArthur NT Commentary: Romans 9-16, 201)
Any Christian who seeks to avenge himself is robbing God of His right. Not only that, he is displaying a lack of confidence in the Lord to handle it. But that’s not the worst of it. The avenging Christian interferes with God’s program to avenge evil. God has appointed a day when He will pour out His wrath against all evil. If a believer exacts vengeance ahead of time, he could interrupt or even forestall the vengeance God has in store for a person. This is what Paul means when he says, “Leave room for the wrath of God.” It is our part to FORGET the evils done us and commit the people to the Lord. He is the only One Who knows how to mix love and punishment because He alone can read a person’s heart to discern is motives. We certainly don’t. (C. S. Lovett, Lovett’s Lights on Romans, 336)
If we try to exact revenge ourselves, we transgress onto territory that God has reserved for himself. (Douglas J. Moo, The NIV Application Commentary: Romans, 413)
It is not our job to execute justice on evil people; that is God’s prerogative, and he will visit his wrath on such people when he deems it right to do so. The prohibition of vengeance is found in both the OT and Judaism, but it tends to be confined to relations with co-religionists. Paul’s prohibition of vengeance even upon enemies is an extension of the idea that reflects Jesus’ revolutionary ethic. (Douglas J. Moo, The New International Commentary on the NT: Romans, 786-87)
1. Give place to your enemy’s wrath. That is, step aside and let it pass by you. If there is to be wrath, let it be his rather than yours.
2. Give place to your own wrath. That is, give it time to expend itself. Don’t do anything hasty. Let the pressure in you dissipate.
3. Give place to the wrath of the civil magistrate. That is, let the case come before the courts. That is what they are for.
4. Give place to God’s wrath. That is the view of the translators of the NIV, who have added the word “God’s” to clarify what they believe the text is teaching. (James Montgomery Boice, Romans, Vol. 4, The New Humanity, 1624)
D- Patience (Prv 16:32; Rom 8:18-25; Gal 5:22-23; 1 Cor 2:9; 2 Cor 4:7-5:8; Col 1:11-13; 3:12)
Peace is not needing to know what happens next.
If the secularist is going to get what he wants, it will have to be now. And if justice is going to be done, it will have to be done in this life. Hence retaliation is the answer. It is only a person who sees beyond the now and is willing to trust God to establish justice and meet out punishments and awards hereafter who can be forbearing and hence be a peacemaker. (James Montgomery Boice, Romans, Vol. 4, The New Humanity, 1626)
But the Lord’s desire is that we refuse to yield to this temptation by placing our trust in His promise to defend us. Of course, His timing and method may drastically differ from ours. (Charles R. Swindoll, Relating to Others in Love: Romans 12-16, 14)
E- Love for God (Prv 10:12; Mt 6:24; 22:37; Mk 12:30; Lk 10:27; 16:13; Rom 5:5-10; 12:1-2; 2 Cor 13:11; Eph 5:2; 1 Thes 4:9; 1 Jn 3:1-3, 17; 4:1-21; 5:2-3)
Such injunctions are again too large for us; trapped in our sinful human nature we find the challenge impossible. We know we don’t always act nobly; we can’t always live above criticism. Consequently, this verse drives us once again to the forgiveness and empowerment of God’s love. Only the Hilarity of knowing that God works through us gives us the courage to choose the character of Jesus for our life-style, to plan beforehand morally upright behavior. (Marva J. Dawn, Truly the Community: Romans 12, 258)
1 John 2:9-11 Does this mean that if you dislike someone you aren’t a Christian? These verses are not talking about disliking a disagreeable Christian brother or sister. There will always be people we will not like as well as others. John’s words focus on the attitude that causes us to ignore or despise others, to treat them as irritants, competitors, or enemies. Christian love is not a feeling but a choice. We can choose to be concerned with people’s well-being and treat them with respect, whether or not we feel affection toward them. If we choose to love others, God will help us express our love. (Tyndale House Publishers, Life Application Study Bible, 2276-77)
F- The Spirit of God (Jn 15:5; Gal 5:22-23; Eph 5:1-20; )
How do I possess these things?:
1- You must have peace with God (Is 9:6; Mt 5:9; 6:14-15; 18:21-35; Rom 5:1; Col 1:19-20; Eph 6:12; Jas 3:17-18)
No God — No Peace. Know God — Know Peace.”
If we desire to have our souls changed and become like Christ we must seriously resolve to avoid and abandon all sinful practices. There can be no peace with God until we lay down our weapons of rebellion that we use to fight against him. We cannot expect to have our disease cured if we feed on poison every day. (Henry Scougal and Robert Leighton, God’s Abundant Life, 61)
First, you will never make any progress in making peace between yourself and other people until you have first found peace with God. You must be a Christian. Our relationship with God is the most important of all relationships, and if we are not at peace with him, we will never be at peace with others. We will be fighting constantly. That is why Peter went right on to discuss Jesus’ death. (James Montgomery Boice, Romans, Vol. 4, The New Humanity, 1627-28)
We must know with deep gratitude that this is how God has treated us. We deserved to be condemned, but God was good to us and overcame our evil by his good. If we appreciate this rightly, it will empower us to do the same. In fact, if we do not have this spirit, it will be sound evidence that we do not know God and have not experienced his grace in salvation. (James Montgomery Boice, Romans, Vol. 4, The New Humanity, 1633)
Tom Paine, in referring to our Lord’s teaching about turning the other cheek, said, “this is the spirit of a spaniel!” The taunt that Christian teaching produces flabby, sentimental people, lacking in virility, has often been made and is found especially in this twentieth century with the whole cult of self-expression. “Believe in yourself,” people say. “Exert yourself. Stand up for yourself!” And because of this, Christian teaching has often been despised. (D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Romans, Exposition of Chapter 12, 472)
The non-Christian simply sees an offensive person, and takes revenge. But the Christian sees the evil principle underlying the action. Christians see the devil prompting the action. It is as Paul puts it in Eph 6:12: “We wrestle not against flesh and blood” –neither in ourselves, nor in other people–“but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” (D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Romans, Exposition of Chapter 12, 503)
Again, forgiveness is not a substitute for justice. Forgiveness is no mere discharge of a victim’s angry resentment and no mere assuaging of a perpetrator’s remorseful anguish, one that demands no change of the perpetrator and no righting of wrongs. On the contrary: every act of forgiveness enthrones justice; it draws attention to its violation precisely by offering to forego its claims (Welker 1994, 246). Moreover, forgiveness provides a framework in which the quest for properly understood justice can be fruitfully pursued. “Only those who are in a state of truthfulness through the confession of their sin to Jesus are not ashamed to tell the truth wherever it must be told,” maintained Dietrich Bonhoeffer in The Cost of Discipleship (Bonhoeffer, 155). Only those who are forgiven and who are willing to forgive will be capable of relentlessly pursuing justice without falling into the temptation to pervert it into injustice, we could add. (Miroslav Volf, Exclusion & Embrace, 123)
One of the joys of surrender is a deep peace. Rebellion means war, so it is no surprise that surrender means peace. This peace gives us a new freedom in our relationships. As always, true Christian spirituality has implications for community living in families and churches. Thomas a Kempis said if we are not surrendered to God, we will be at war with others. “He that is well in peace, is not suspicious of any man. But he that is discontented and troubled, is tossed with divers suspicions: he is neither at rest himself nor suffereth others to be at rest…He considereth what others are bound to do, and neglecteth that which is bound to himself.” (Thomas A Kempis, The Imitation of Christ, II:3:1) (Gary L. Thomas, Seeking the Face of God, 99-100)
God cannot give us a happiness and peace apart from Himself, because it is not there. There is no such thing. -C.S. Lewis
2- You must have peace with yourself (Prv 15:1; 17:9; Mt 18:21-35; Phil 4:5-7; Col 3:15)
Those who are at war with others are not at peace with themselves. -William Hazlitt
Class is an intangible quality that commands, rather than demands, the respect of others.
This is because those who have it are truly considerate of others, are courteous and polite without being subservient, are not disagreeable when they disagree, are good listeners, and are at peace with themselves because they do not knowingly do wrong.
In short, people with class might well be defined as those who practice “The Golden Rule” in both their professional and personal life. — John Wooden
It is critically important in the Christian community that we help each other struggle in stark confrontations with our dark sides. (Marva J. Dawn, Truly the Community: Romans 12, 272)
Second, if you are to be a peacemaker, you must be at peace yourself, and this means you must have experienced what Paul in Philippians calls the peace of God. (James Montgomery Boice, Romans, Vol. 4, The New Humanity, 1628)
Another problem is that evangelicals have often fallen into legalism when they try to obey Christ. That is due in large part to the fact that we have emphasized trying but not training and explains why you may find a fairly high percentage of Pharisees among evangelicals–not necessarily more than among other groups, sacred or secular. When you try to “bless those who curse you,” for example, trying will prove never to be enough; you have to be trained for that. Such training comes under the area of discipleship, but today, generally speaking, we have separated faith in Christ from obedience or fulfillment. There is no available bridge to get from one to the other. That bridge would, of course, be discipleship. If you want to do what Jesus said, you direct your efforts at growing into the kind of person who would, naturally, do those things. (Dallas Willard, The Great Omission, 167)
Every time you do good to your enemy you get a victory over the old nature that is still left in you. You are not responding to evil but mortifying it. You are putting into effect this great principle of “the mortification of the deeds of the body” (see Rom 8:13). “Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth,” says Paul in Col 3:5. Every time you do this you are making yourself stronger and better, you are growing in grace, you really are overcoming evil in and of yourself. (D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Romans, Exposition of Chapter 12, 507)
The difference between non-Christians and Christians is that non-Christians belong to themselves, while Christians belong to Christ and to God. So you must stop thinking in terms of yourself. You react violently because you are thinking of yourself. You have been insulted; you have been offended; you have been hurt; you have been deprived. Self! But that goes when you think in a Christian way. (D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Romans, Exposition of Chapter 12, 509)
The trouble with all of us by nature, the trouble with the natural man and woman, is that they only see the action of their enemy as an action per se. They say, “he has insulted me! He has taken this from me!” They are interested in the particular action. But that is not true of the Christian. What interests Christian men and women is the effect of the action upon their souls, its spiritual effect. (D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Romans, Exposition of Chapter 12, 503)
For a Christian to be agitated is always wrong; it is sin. Whatever somebody else has done to you, the devil has got you at that point if you have lost this glorious peace of spirit. “And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus” (Phil 4:7). The moment you lose control of yourself you have been overcome by evil. It does not matter how great the provocation, it does not matter what somebody may have done, if you have lost control and are saying or thinking or trying to do wrong, then the devil has won, and you are defeated. (D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Romans, Exposition of Chapter 12, 505)
True peace does not come from extreme indifference, nor does it originate from becoming so “spiritual” that you fail to notice the world around you. Peace is the fruit of being confident in God’s love; it is born of the revelation that, regardless of the battle, “Greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world” (1 Jn 4:4). You are not self-assured, you are God-assured. (Francis Frangipane, The Three Battlegrounds, 55)
Worship point: When the peace of God that passes all understanding, begins to guard your heart and your mind in Christ Jesus; you will have no problem at all in worshiping the God of the Universe in Spirit and in Truth. It will be instinctive.
Spiritual Challenge: Stop trying to conquer the world in your own strength. Stop trying to conquer yourself in your own strength. Your own strength is the problem, not the solution. To have true peace and begin to love your enemies, you must learn to die to yourself, your agenda, your way of thinking, your values, your priorities, your way of living. You must learn to trust in the Lord with all your heart. Do not lean on your own understanding, but in all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths.
“The Son of Man has come unto the world to take upon Himself the sins of the world. If you want to follow Him you must be willing to do the same.” (Jesus of Nazareth video – 12 minutes into tape 3)
David with Saul of the OT (1 Sam 24:8-19)
“The Choice” by Max Lucado
IT’S QUIET. It’s early. My coffee is hot. The sky is still black. The world is still asleep. The day is coming. In a few moments the day will arrive. It will roar down the track with the rising of the sun. The stillness of the dawn will be exchanged for the noise of the day. The calm of solitude will be replaced by the pounding pace of the human race. The refuge of the early morning will be invaded by decisions to be made and deadlines to be met. For the next twelve hours I will be exposed to the day’s demands. It is now that I must make a choice. Because of Calvary, I’m free to choose. And so I choose.
I choose love . . . No occasion justifies hatred; no injustice warrants bitterness. I choose love. Today I will love God and what God loves.
I choose joy . . . I will invite my God to be the God of circumstance. I will refuse the temptation to be cynical . . . the tool of the lazy thinker. I will refuse to see people as anything less than human beings, created by God. I will refuse to see any problem as anything less than an opportunity to see God.
I choose peace . . . I will live forgiven. I will forgive so that I may live.
I choose patience . . . I will overlook the inconveniences of the world. Instead of cursing the one who takes my place, I’ll invite him to do so. Rather than complain that the wait is too long, I will thank God for a moment to pray. Instead of clinching my fist at new assignments, I will face them with joy and courage.
I choose kindness . . . I will be kind to the poor, for they are alone. Kind to the rich, for they are afraid. And kind to the unkind, for such is how God has treated me.
I choose goodness . . . I will go without a dollar before I take a dishonest one. I will be overlooked before I will boast. I will confess before I will accuse. I choose goodness.
I choose faithfulness . . . Today I will keep my promises. My debtors will not regret their trust. My associates will not question my word. My wife will not question my love. And my children will never fear that their father will not come home.
I choose gentleness . . . Nothing is won by force. I choose to be gentle. If I raise my voice may it be only in praise. If I clench my fist, may it be only in prayer. If I make a demand, may it be only of myself.
I choose self-control . . . I am a spiritual being. After this body is dead, my spirit will soar. I refuse to let what will rot, rule the eternal. I choose self-control. I will be drunk only by joy. I will be impassioned only by my faith. I will be influenced only by God. I will be taught only by Christ. I choose self-control.
Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. To these I commit my day. If I succeed, I will give thanks. If I fail, I will seek his grace. And then, when this day is done, I will place my head on my pillow and rest. (Max Lucado; When God Whispers Your Name)
Quotes to Note:
Peace is generally good in itself, but it is never the highest good unless it comes as the handmaiden of righteousness; and it becomes a very evil thing if it serves merely as a mask for cowardice and sloth, or as an instrument to further the ends of despotism or anarchy. (George Grant, Carry a Big Stick: The Uncommon Heroism of Theodore Roosevelt, 130)
Paul cannot mean that we are to put peace before everything else. He cannot mean that at all costs and at any price we must maintain this condition of peace. Why not? We find the answer in that statement made by James in his description of the wisdom that is from above. You notice that he goes out of his way to say this: “The wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable” (Jas 3:17). He does not put peace first but purity; he puts truth first. To reverse the order and put peace first is a snare which is so liable to trap the second type of person. (D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Romans, Exposition of Chapter 12, 479)
Animals live instinctively, and, because of the Fall and sin, human beings behave like animals. So they immediately hit back and avenge themselves. But the apostle says: Do not do it, you are Christians. (D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Romans, Exposition of Chapter 12, 485)
But he prohibits here, not only that we are not to execute revenge with our own hands, but that our hearts also are not to be influenced by a desire of this kind: it is therefore superfluous to make a distinction here between public and private revenge; for he who, with a malevolent mind and desirous of revenge, seeks the help of a magistrate, has not more excuse than when he devises means for self-revenge. Nay, revenge, as we shall presently see, is not indeed at all a private feeling, and not from pure zeal produced by the Spirit, we do not make God so much our judge as the executioner of our depraved passion. (John Calvin, Commentary upon the Acts of the Apostles, 474)
If we bless our persecutors (14), if we ensure that we are ourselves seen to be doing good (17), if we are active in peacemaking and peacekeeping (18), if we leave all judgment to God (19), and if we love and serve our enemy, and even win him over to a better mind (20), then in these ways we have overcome evil with good. (John Stott, Romans, God’s Good News for the World, 337)
All of us tend to be far too interested in particular sins, instead of being interested in sin. That is part of this danger of looking at things in and of themselves. People come and talk to me about a particular sin, and they always give me the impression–and it is a correct impression–that they really think that if only they could stop doing this, then they would be perfect. And what I have to tell them is this: Even though you get a complete victory over that sin, you will still not be perfect; you will still have to fight evil; you will still have to fight sin; you will still have to fight the devil. This is but one manifestation, a particular symptom. But it is not the symptoms that matter, it is the disease. It is the principle of evil that matters. (D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Romans, Exposition of Chapter 12, 504)
A theoretical Christianity is a contradiction in terms, for the whole object of salvation is to do something to us, to bring us to God, to bring us to perfection, to ultimate glorification. There is nothing so wrong, so foolish and harmful, as a mere theoretical Christianity. (D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Romans, Exposition of Chapter 12, 428)
Why, then, is the world as it is? Why is it nervous? Why is it in a state of tension? Because human wisdom is not commensurate with its knowledge. Men and women have acquired vast knowledge but, because they lack wisdom, they do not know how to use their knowledge. Wisdom is the power, the faculty, the ability to put what you know to good and worthy ends. (D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Romans, Exposition of Chapter 12, 458)
But there is a distinction that John Murray makes here which I think is important, and it is this: “It is one thing if I give offence to somebody; it is another thing if a person takes offence at what I do.” (RC Sproul, The Gospel of God: Romans, 206)
Men must evolve for all human conflict a method which rejects revenge, aggression and retaliation. The foundation of such a method is love. -Martin Luther King Jr.
Living well really is the best revenge. Being miserable because of a bad or former relationship just might mean that the other person was right about you.
Short of compromising God’s truth and standards, we should be willing to go to great lengths to build peaceful bridges to those who hate us and harm us. We must forsake any grudge or settled bitterness and fully forgive from the heart all who harm us. Having done that, we can seek reconciliation honestly. (John MacArthur, The MacArthur NT Commentary: Romans 9-16, 202)
Whether defense of the innocent in our personal lives is justified biblically is unclear. But what is clear is that believers are to cultivate an attitude of love that puts the focus on the good of the other person and not on the defense of our own rights, dignity, or even, perhaps, our very lives. Lived out consistently, the Christian community can become a genuine counterculture that serves as a witness to a world increasingly caught up in the spiral of violence. (Douglas J. Moo, The NIV Application Commentary: Romans, 419)
The Christian must not gratuitously outrage the sincerely held convictions and standards of others. He must, indeed, as far as it depends upon [him], live peaceably with all. Not only does this mean that one must do one’s utmost to avoid arousing another’s anger or resentment, but also that one must not be angry in return, even when one could not avoid giving offense. (Abingdon Press, The Interpreter’s Bible, Vol. IX, 595-96)
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