In every area of our lives, there are degrees of difficulty. If we are to be physically fit, there will be some exercises that are easy and some that are almost impossible. In school, there will be subjects that are a breeze to us and some that require a lot of study time. Following God’s design for a believer is no different. It may be easy for you to rejoice with other believers when good things happen to them. You may have a compassionate heart and you feel their pain when they suffer, but if we are to grow in our walk with the Lord, we must seek to follow Christ completely. We should want the mark of a true Christian in the difficult areas as well as the hard ones. Our verses for today complete our section in Romans chapter 12 that deals with the marks of a true Christian. Paul may have left these for last because they go against human nature. This section deals with no retaliation when we have been wronged, but it doesn’t stop there. We are to return good for the evil treatment we receive. Is this hard? Yes, but it is possible if God is in control of our lives.
Romans 12:17-21 Recompense to no man evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men. If it is possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men. Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord. Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirsts, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head. Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.”
This command is to not return evil for evil. This is also what Jesus was talking about in Matthew 5:39 “But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also.” This is not talking about being a punching bag for someone to use us for their evil desires, but it is a show of love to those who don’t love us. Love is the attribute that allows us to yield to others instead of seeking our own way. If we retaliate and act the way those who do us wrong act, we are not loving them in a way to show them Christ. Love must be our ultimate weapon to defuse the wrong done to us. When people hate us, they expect us to hate them back. That is the natural human response. We want them to get what they deserve, but I want to remind us, if we get what we deserve, we all get eternal punishment in Hell.
Paul repeats the command to not seek revenge in verse 19. When we seek revenge, we are desiring to inflict the same, or worse, pain than they dealt to us, but God says vengeance is His. He is the just Judge; He knows the sin committed and the intent of the heart that sinned. He is fully capable of justly handling the matter and we are to trust Him to do so. His instructions to us are to do good to our enemies. If they are hungry, feed them, if they are thirsty give them a drink. When we react with love and kindness it causes a person to reflect on their own actions. Many times, it will result in the person feeling shame or conviction for their actions. Treating them with kindness instead of revenge gives them no purpose or justification for their own behavior. The desire is for them to feel the convicting power of the Holy Spirit and come to repentance.
For us to obey this command we must lay aside our own selfish desires. We cannot love someone who seeks to destroy us without the power of the Holy Spirit. It is God working in and through us that allows us to have true compassion for those who don’t know Him. We can have pity on them because they do not understand what they are doing to their own souls. I cannot help but think of the words of Jesus in Luke 23:34, as He was dying on the cross, He said “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.” He is our example, and His servant Stephan followed His example in Acts 7:60 when they were stoning him for His faith. “He kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge.” These last words of Stephen were words of conviction to his accusers. Paul was one of those.
Sometimes our minds cannot comprehend what God is doing when we are asked to do difficult things. But, because we know He is always seeking to do what is best in our lives, to mold us to be like His son, we obey and trust.
We can do this because we love Him. It is our love for Him that we obey. The ultimate test for how successful we are at loving our enemies is determined and shown by how much we love Him. Love equals obedience.
John 14:15 “If ye love me, keep my commandments.”
