Message: The commands of God do not change because evil has been done to us. We are continue to treat others with respect and do good, not evil.
Time: Written in AD 57 from Greece, to the Christians, both Gentile and Jewish in Rome
What the Lord is Saying:
I think the big point of this text is nothing changes when a person does evil to us. We continue to desire to do good.
In Tabletalk, it remarks that there are three primary reasons here in this statement of overcoming evil with God.
- We keep ourselves from being corrupted by the world and its ways of doing things. It is correct that often our role as a Christian is to do the opposite. The world trains us in one way of living and often we are commanded to live a different way. The world's approach to all things is often laden with sin. Yes, we are not to love the world or the things of the world. One thing I notice in the world is how easy commandment breaking occurs. Lying is rampant in our world, as is blasphemy. Do people even realize that every time they say OMG they are taking the Lord's name in vain? And "O God" is a normal exclamation in people's lives. It seems to have reached a point that people have no idea they are even doing this when they speak.
- When we do good in response to evil we help people run from evil. People often experience shame and regret when instead of fighting back with fire, we give them Love. God can use us to bring about a person's repentance.
- When we do good we share the character of Christ to the world. When we act this way we imitate Christ and allow others to see Christ in us.
Proverbs 16:32 - He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he who rules his spirit, than he who captures a city.
Luke 6:27-30 - 27 “But I say to you who hear, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28 bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. 29 “Whoever hits you on the cheek, offer him the other also; and whoever takes away your coat, do not withhold your shirt from him either. 30 “Give to everyone who asks of you, and whoever takes away what is yours, do not demand it back.
I Peter 3:9 - not returning evil for evil or insult for insult, but giving a blessing
instead; for you were called for the very purpose that you might inherit
a blessing.
What is amazing about each of these verses is how opposite this is to the way of the world. I don't have to act the way of the world. How often have I just let evil win the day in my life. How often do I allow anger to rule the day. How often have I exasperated my children. The crazy thing is that it is so easy to act and live in this manner. It almost is somewhat natural.
Proverbs 15:1 - A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger. This is the mark of a Christian. When wrath comes to the forefront, gentleness is the response. God, what a huge and total failure I am in regards to this.
This is a command
I should not approach this verse like it is an option or a suggestion or a like-to-do, but rather it is a command, "Do not be overcome." And this is something I can't do. I need the Spirit to work in my life continually and show me how quick I am to engage in evil.
One thing I notice about myself that I really don't like, but I continue to do is how quickly I bring another person down. It amazes me, how in a conversation, how quickly I can belittle another person. I so quickly make myself out to better than another person. I often do this with those that are over me. I often do this toward my boss. I pick on the things that I think other people are also thinking. They are thinking them because I am often bringing them to mind or they are probably thinking them because they don't have the love of Christ in them, enabling them or encouraging them to think differently. I shame others too quickly. I belittle others too quickly. I hate that. I hate the competition that so quickly swells up in me, to where I belittle others. It doesn't need to be said. But, I say it anyway. Why? Because I thirst for people's favor. I thirst for people to agree with me. I thirst for their approval. Like sin, it feels good for a moment, but then God's conviction meets me and I feel ugly. Naturally, I don't want people to do this to me and yet, I know it probably occurs.
Making evil out to be good
The amazing thing in all of this is that I redefine evil as good. Isn't this what I find so reprehensible in the world today? People repeat and repeat and repeat evil acts, to the point that the evil is acceptable behavior and no longer something distasteful. I think when people stare at evil, they know it is wrong. The problem becomes when a desire for acceptance or validation or approval begins to outweigh what is defined as evil. Natural man despises the things of God. Without the Spirit in man's life, man will not run to good, but instead will seek approval and validation and acceptance of natural man. And in so doing, our natural ways no longer are sin. We justify the behavior to the point that we redefine what is evil as good.
What has happened with abortion? It seems that what has happened is we have placed on a high level a woman's right to choose her own timing for bringing a life into the world. The woman wants to play God. Instead of surrendering, she thinks that choices are random and so she wants to be at the control switches for deciding when life begins. When this separation occurs, it is no longer a life, but a choice.
This is the scare thing about evil. Evil becomes good.
Ray Stedman states, "I was reading one day a
story about a boy who was in the army. He was a Christian and had formed the
habit of praying beside his bed before he went to sleep. He kept up this
practice in the army, but he became an object of mockery and ridicule to the
entire barracks. One night he knelt to pray after a long, weary march. As he
was praying, one of his tormentors took off his muddy boots and threw them
at the boy, one at a time, hitting him on each side of his head. The
Christian said nothing about it, and just took the boots and put them beside
the bed and continued to pray. But the next morning, when the other man woke
up, he found his boots sitting beside his bed, all shined and polished. It
so broke his heart that he came to that boy and asked him for forgiveness.
That led, after a time, to that man becoming a Christian. This is what Paul
means when he says you overcome evil with good. As Abraham Lincoln once
said, "The best way to overcome an enemy is to make him your friend.""
This chapter continues to mention this thought over and over.
Romans 12:14 - Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.
Romans 12:17 - Never pay back evil for evil to anyone. Respect what is right in the sight of all men.
Romans 12:21 - Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
Wow, how clear it should be to me that evil is not a reaction I am to have in my life.
My Prayer
Lord, help me to be more careful with the words that I say. And help me to change my thought life. Re-train me. There are so many relationships that I have Lord in which I have now trained myself to talk about that person in an evil way or make remarks about them. I too quickly now want to puff myself up by taking them down. Lord, I need changed. I need your reproof. Make it a part of my life to repay evil with good. Help me Lord. I need Your Power. I have trained myself in the wrong way. I blaspheme your name continually by acting in a way that does not honor you. Lord, in the name of humor and a good laugh I allow this type of evil to occur and re-occur in my life.
Promise: God gives us a supernatural love in loving our enemies.
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