Loving Your Enemies:
Overcoming Evil With
Good
(Romans 12:14-21)
By: Bob Deffinbaugh ,
Th.M.
Introduction
There are vast differences between Christianity
and other religions. The uniqueness of Christianity stands out
boldly in the way we treat our enemies. Nikita Khrushchev understood
this and graphically illustrated the difference between Communism
and Christianity with this paraphrased remark: “The difference
between Christianity and Communism is great. When someone strikes
you on the face, you turn the other cheek. If you strike me on the
face, I’ll hit you so hard your head will fall off.”
Even in the church, the vigilante spirit is alive
and well. Christians sometimes attempt to sanctify their anger
calling it righteous indignation, but we too are tempted to
retaliate against those who mistreat us. Piously, we may pretend to
resist evil supposing that God is on our side as we seek to “even
the score” by causing hurt or harm to those who have mistreated us.
We may even try to use Romans 12:9 as a proof text for our
revenge—as long as we read no further in Romans. Our text calls for
much more, requiring death to the flesh and the subordination of our
personal interests to those of others. Our text requires in
particular what Paul has previously called for in general terms:
I urge you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of
God to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable
to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. And do
not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing
of your mind, that you may prove what the will of God is, that which
is good and acceptable and perfect (Romans 12:1-2).
In Romans 12:3-8, Paul urges us to offer our lives
as living sacrifices through the exercise of our spiritual gifts
within the context of the body of Christ. In verses 9-21, Paul calls
on the Christian to exercise love by our response to both
“good” and “evil.”61
Verses 9-13 speak more of our love as expressed toward other
Christians. Verses 14-21 describe the behavior of love toward our
enemies.62
Paul’s teaching in our text is not new. The same
essential truths were taught in the Old Testament, and thus Paul
cites texts from the Book of Proverbs (20:22; 24:29; 25:21ff.). Our
Lord’s teaching calls for the same attitudes and actions (see
Matthew 5:38-48; Luke 6:26-38). The teaching of the other apostles
is the same (see 1 Peter 3:8-12; 4:7-12; James 3).
As clear, consistent, and emphatic as the teaching
of our text may be, it is not popular for it runs contrary to the
inclinations of our flesh. We are therefore tempted to try to find a
way to excuse ourselves from simple obedience to the commands of the
Word of God. Let us be on guard against this temptation as we study
this text. Let us look to His Spirit to guide our interpretation and
implementation as we seek to present our bodies to God as living
sacrifices and as we love and serve Him through loving service to
others.
Our Perspective Toward Our Persecutors
(12:14-16)
14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and curse
not. 15 Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who
weep. 16 Be of the same mind toward one another; do not be haughty
in mind, but associate with the lowly. Do not be wise in your own
estimation.
Paul is very specific in these verses. Those whom
we are to love appear to be primarily non-Christians who have
persecuted63
us because of our faith in Jesus Christ.64
Old Testament saints, prophets in particular, knew persecution (see
Matthew 5:12; Acts 7:52). Jesus told His disciples to expect the
same treatment (John 15:19-21). Paul and the other apostles taught
likewise (Acts 14:22; 2 Timothy 3:12). Peter probably has the most
extensive teaching on suffering for Christ’s sake. For example, he
writes:
Therefore, since Christ has suffered in the flesh,
arm yourselves also with the same purpose, because he who has
suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, so as to live the rest of
the time in the flesh no longer for the lusts of men, but for the
will of God. For the time already past is sufficient for you
to have carried out the desire of the Gentiles, having pursued a
course of sensuality, lusts, drunkenness, carousals, drinking
parties and abominable idolatries. And in all this, they are
surprised that you do not run with them into the same excess
of dissipation, and they malign you; but they shall give
account to Him who is ready to judge the living and the dead (1
Peter 4:1-5).
Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal
among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though some
strange thing were happening to you; but to the degree that you
share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing; so that also at
the revelation of His glory, you may rejoice with exultation. If you
are reviled for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the
Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. By no means let any of
you suffer as a murderer, or thief, or evildoer, or a troublesome
meddler; but if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not
feel ashamed, but in that name let him glorify God (1 Peter
4:12-16).
We should not forget that when Paul writes about
our response to those who persecute us, he writes as an expert on
this matter from both sides. Paul persecuted the church of our Lord
with a vengeance (Acts 7:58–8:1; 9:1-5; 1 Timothy 1:13). Once he was
saved and began to proclaim Jesus as the Messiah, he became the
target of opposition and persecution both from the Jews (Acts
9:22-23; 13:50; 14:2, 19; 1 Thessalonians 2:13-16) and the Gentiles
(Acts 16:19f.; 19:23f.). Paul’s words come from a man not only
inspired by the Holy Spirit but from one who is well acquainted with
persecution from personal experience.
Paul tells us in verse 14 that the Christian
should respond exactly the opposite from the natural man and the
inclinations of the flesh. Instead of cursing, we are instructed to
bless those who persecute us. Cursings and blessings are
pronouncements of the mouth which address the future well-being of
those to whom we are speaking. Cursing expresses our desire for harm
to befall the one cursed. Blessing verbally expresses the desire for
good to come to that person.
Blessing and cursing are mutually exclusive; we
can do one or the other but not both (see James 3:9). We cannot seek
blessing for someone and at the same time seek his harm. God is not
content to allow the Christian to merely tolerate his persecutors.
We must actively desire and seek to bless our adversaries. Jesus
gave specific ways this should be done:
You have heard that it was said, ‘AN EYE FOR AN
EYE, AND A TOOTH FOR A TOOTH.’ But I say to you, do not resist him
who is evil; but whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn to him
the other also. And if any one wants to sue you, and take your
shirt, let him have your coat also. And whoever shall force you to
go one mile, go with him two. Give to him who asks of you, and do
not turn away from him who wants to borrow from you. You have heard
that it was said, ‘YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR, and hate your
enemy,’ But I say to you, love your enemies, and pray for those who
persecute you in order that you may be sons of your Father who is in
heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and
the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the
unrighteous. For if you love those who love you, what reward have
you? Do not even the tax-gatherers do the same? And if you greet
your brothers only, what do you do more than others? Do not
even the Gentiles do the same? Therefore you are to be perfect, as
your heavenly Father is perfect (Matthew 5:38-48).
The natural man seeks to pay back those who
persecute him, plus interest. He would not be content with “an
eye for an eye” but would seek two eyes for an eye.65
This is revenge. The man of integrity seeks only that which is
appropriate repayment or retribution. This is justice. The Christian
must return blessing for cursing, good for evil. This is grace.
Verses 15 and 16 are puzzling at first and appear
to be out of place. What does “weeping with those who weep”
or “rejoicing with those who rejoice” have to do with
persecution (verse 15)? What does pride have to do with persecution
(verse 16)? Verses 15 and 16 almost seem to be misplaced as though
they might better fit somewhere in verses 9-13.
Our consideration of these verses begins with an
observation. Verses 15 and 16 apply to our response to both
believers and unbelievers. In theological terms, the grace we are to
show is “common grace.”66
We are to weep with all who weep, and rejoice with all who rejoice.
We are not to be proud but humble in mind, not showing partiality to
some while discriminating against others.
Consider then, in this light, the command of verse
15: “Rejoice with those who rejoice” and “weep with those
who weep.” We can safely say this text teaches us to empathize
and identify with those around us, sharing the sorrows and joys of
our fellow men.
We are a part of the body of Christ, and so we
identify and participate in the sufferings and joys of our brothers
and sisters in Christ because their experiences very much affect
us:
And if one member suffers, all the members suffer
with it; if one member is honored, all the members rejoice
with it (1 Cor. 12:26).
We are also a part of the human race. While the
sufferings of an unbeliever may not affect us as personally, we are
still to share in their sorrow and in their joy.
We should recognize this to be true and the
teaching of Scripture. But what does this have to do with
persecution? Suffering and persecution often turn men inward. They
find their own suffering so great they feel unable to share in the
sufferings of others.
Viktor Frankel, a well-known secular psychiatrist,
wrote of his incarceration in a Jewish concentration camp, where he
was confined to a small room. Through cracks in the boards, he could
see the stairway immediately behind his wall. Hearing a thumping
sound, he peered through the cracks and saw a German soldier
dragging the dead body of his fellow-prisoner down the stairs. So
great was his own suffering that Frankel confessed feeling nothing
at all; in his own suffering, he had become isolated and emotionally
uninvolved in the sufferings of his fellowmen.
Christians can do the same. We can become so
caught up in our sufferings that we become isolated from our fellow
men. If we would demonstrate the grace of God toward others, we must
not sink in the mire of our own suffering and pain. We must identify
with others and share their sorrows and joys. This empathy is
vitally important for the unity of the body of Christ. It is also
essential for ministry to unbelievers.
Paul could readily identify with the Jewish
unbelievers who persecuted him, for he once was one of them. He was
even better at persecution than they. Identifying with our
persecutors enables us to forgive them and to desire to minister to
them. Thus Paul and Silas were able to minister to the Philippian
jailer even though he had played a significant role in their
innocent sufferings. The jailer came to faith in Jesus, and great
was the joy resulting from the salvation of his whole household.
Great also was his gratitude as he ministered to some of the wounds
he himself might have inflicted (see Acts 16:16-34).
The connection between verse 15 and its context is
to be found in the relationship between revenge and love. If one’s
attitude toward his persecutors is one of revenge, it will be
difficult indeed to obey the instructions of verse 15. Revenge would
rejoice over the weeping of our persecutor and would weep over his
rejoicing. The only way we can weep with those who weep and rejoice
with those who rejoice is to genuinely seek their good. Our ability
to share in the joys or the sorrows of our persecutor is an evidence
of our blessing and a test of our obedience to God’s Word.
In verse 16 we come to yet another puzzling
statement. Here Paul warns us of the danger of pride. The outcome of
obedience to Paul’s teaching should be humility and impartiality.
But how does Paul link the danger of pride to the dilemma of
persecution? What does persecution have to do with pride or pride
with persecution?
Chapter 11 holds the key. In our text, Paul warns,
“Do not be wise in your own estimation” (verse 16). An almost
identical expression is found only in Romans 11:25:
For I do not want you, brethren, to be uninformed
of this mystery, lest you be wise in your own estimation,
that a partial hardening has happened to Israel until the fulness of
the Gentiles has come in (emphasis mine).
In chapter 11, Paul identifies unbelieving Israel
as an “enemy” with respect to the gospel (11:28). Due to much
persecution from unbelieving Jews, it would be easy for Gentile
saints to view the Jews as their enemies. So they are, in one sense.
But one critical factor transforms Israel’s opposition into a source
of blessing: the sovereignty of God. In His sovereignty, God causes
all things to work together for the good of His saints (Romans
8:28). “All things” includes the unbelief and persecution of
men. God therefore used a willful, hostile, Pharaoh to demonstrate
His power and to proclaim His name (Romans 9:17). He also uses the
unbelief of Israel to bring about the offer of the gospel to the
Gentiles (11:12, 28, 31). The unbelieving Jews may be the enemy of
the saints, but in spite of themselves, they have been used by God
to perform a great service to the Gentiles. The Jews are an enemy,
but a “beloved enemy.”
Why was Paul concerned that the Gentiles would
become “wise in their own estimation”? Paul’s warning about
Gentile pride (Romans 11) explains the instruction of Romans 12:16.
As strange as it may seem, persecution can produce pride. By its
very nature, persecution is unfounded and unjust. Because of this,
the one persecuted feels a kind of righteous indignation. “I don’t
deserve this,” the persecuted victim reasons, and rightly so. The
victim is right; the persecutor is wrong. The victim begins to look
down on the persecutor and is tempted to become proud. Paul thus
warns the Gentiles about the danger of pride and of looking down on
Israel.
Persecution is sin, based on pride and the misuse
of power. Persecution can reproduce itself in the lives of those who
are its victims. A feeling of superiority causes one to look down
upon those who are not as blessed and to associate only with those
who are as spiritual and worthy as ourselves. Pride results in a
falsely based discrimination, the very evil which first caused the
persecution.
Our salvation and the gospel have nothing to do
with human merit or works but everything to do with God’s sovereign
grace. His grace is bestowed upon us solely on the basis of faith, a
faith He has given without merit. We have no reason for pride. In
and of ourselves, we are no better than any other saved or lost
sinner. Grace is given to the needy and the humble with whom we
should associate. Those with whom Jesus associated caused the
scribes and Pharisees to become jealous and angry (Luke 5:27-32;
6:20-26).
Grace is not bestowed on the basis of our status,
worth, or performance. The grace we are to show toward men must be
the same. We are not too good to associate with and serve the
humble, and they are not too lowly to receive God’s grace. The
gospel is the great equalizer of men turning the social structures
of society upside down. If we would love our enemies, we will also
cast off false pride and reject as evil any form of discrimination
based upon human merit or external measurement.
Verses 14-16 command us to do no more than that
which the Lord Jesus Himself did in His incarnation and earthly
ministry. Consider how our Lord is our example in the things Paul
has instructed us to do.
First, we have been commanded not to curse
men but to bless them. Peter reminds us of our Lord’s
response to the persecution of men when they nailed Him to the cross
of Calvary:
For you have been called for this purpose, since
Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to
follow in His steps, WHO COMMITTED NO SIN, NOR WAS ANY DECEIT FOUND
IN HIS MOUTH; and while being reviled, He did not revile in return;
while suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting
Himself to Him who judges righteously; and He Himself bore our
sins in His body on the cross, that we might die to sin and live to
righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed (1 Peter
2:21-24).
Second, Paul instructs us to rejoice with
those who rejoice and to weep with those who weep. As Jesus
approached Jerusalem, soon to be rejected by His people and to be
nailed to His cross, He came to the grave of Lazarus where He wept,
along with Mary:
Therefore, when Mary came where Jesus was, she saw
Him, and fell at His feet, saying to Him, “Lord, if You had been
here, my brother would not have died.” When Jesus therefore saw her
weeping, and the Jews who came with her, also weeping, He was
deeply moved in spirit, and was troubled, and said, “Where have you
laid him?” They said to Him, “Lord, come and see.” Jesus wept. And
so the Jews were saying, “Behold how He loved him!” (John
11:32-36).
Finally, Paul instructs us not to be proud
but to have a humility of mind which enables us to associate with
and minister to the unworthy:
If therefore there is any encouragement in Christ,
if there is any consolation of love, if there is any fellowship of
the Spirit, if any affection and compassion, make my joy complete by
being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit,
intent on one purpose. Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit,
but with humility of mind let each of you regard one another as more
important than himself; do not merely look out for your own
personal interests, but also for the interests of others. Have this
attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although
He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a
thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a
bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. And
being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming
obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross (Philippians
2:1-8).
Verses 14-16 give us very clear instruction
concerning our perspective, especially toward those who have
unjustly persecuted us. We are to abhor cursing and bless our
enemies, seeking their well-being. How better can this be
accomplished than by their salvation? We are to have the kind of
love for our enemies which enables us to rejoice with them in their
joys and to weep with them in their sorrows. We are also to grasp
that both sin and grace make all men equal in God’s sight. Being
saved by grace means we have nothing for which to take credit or to
be prideful. All men have sinned, without exception, and are
deserving of God’s wrath. No man is worthy of His grace nor is
anyone beyond the reach of His grace. The grace we manifest must
therefore not discriminate as though some are unworthy of it.
Returning Good for Evil
(12:17-21)
17 Never pay back evil for evil to anyone. Respect
what is right in the sight of all men. 18 If possible, so far as it
depends on you, be at peace with all men. 19 Never take your own
revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is
written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord. 20 “But
if your enemy is hungry, feed him, and if he is thirsty, give him a
drink; for in so doing you will heap burning coals upon his head.”
21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
In verses 14-16, the response of the Christian to
those who persecute him is more passive in nature. Our love toward
our persecutors is to be manifested by blessing rather than cursing.
The one who is persecuted wishes either good or evil on his
persecutor. But in verses 17-21, the victim is now viewed as the one
taking action. It is not just wishes for our enemy, or merely our
words, but our works which are in view. If in verse 14, our response
to ill-treatment is the pronouncement of a curse or a blessing, in
verses 17-21 our response to our enemies is seen as either the doing
of “good” or “evil” to our enemy.
The first statement in verse 17 is a general
summary statement. Verses 17b-19 lay down a general principle
governing our response to maltreatment by our enemies. Verse 20
illuminates the application of these principles with specific
examples of how Christian love responds to one’s enemy. Verse 21
contains a summary statement which concludes the argument of verses
9-21.
If Christian love abhors what is evil and clings
to what is good (verse 9), then Christian love can never reciprocate
by responding to sin with sin. Christian love can never practice
what is evil in order to pay back someone for the evil they have
done to us. Paul is not talking about justice here, which is the
duty of the state (to be discussed in the next chapter), but about
revenge. Revenge is returning evil for evil. Revenge is but the
perpetuation of sin. It is not overcoming sin but being overcome by
it.
Revenge is categorically
forbidden—never is it to be practiced nor done to
anyone. No exceptions are named; no excuses are
accepted. Why? Four answers are given in the verses which
follow:
(1) Revenge runs contrary to what society
deems to be right (verse 17b).
(2) Revenge does not promote peace but
incites men to hostility (verse 18).
(3) Revenge usurps a task which belongs only
to God (verse 19).
(4) Revenge succumbs to evil rather than
overcoming evil with good (verse 21).
Consider now why revenge is wrong, categorically
and without exception, for each of these reasons.
Revenge is contrary to righteousness and to
the definition of right which society holds in common (verse 17b).
God’s righteousness is higher than sinful men are willing to
accept. It is also a higher standard than Christians can meet, apart
from God’s grace through the enablement of His Spirit. Unsaved men
may often reject the higher standard of righteousness which God has
established and which the Law defines. Nevertheless, society has its
own standards of right and wrong. Man-made laws define those
standards and prescribe the consequences for all who refuse to abide
by them.
The Christian has been saved not to continue in
sin but to demonstrate the righteousness of God in his daily life
(see Romans 6:1ff). We are to live by God’s standards and not those
of men. God’s standards are perfect and almost always higher than
those of men. We should not disregard human standards altogether.
Revenge not only violates the standards God has laid down for us,
but it violates the standards of society as well. Revenge takes the
law into its own hands. This view is dangerous and unbiblical.
I remember the statement from my college political
science class, “We are a nation of laws, and not men.” Vigilante
rule is unacceptable. That is why we have police and law-enforcement
agencies. Revenge almost always extends the punishment beyond the
crime and often promotes further violence. Society forbids revenge
and condemns it as an evil. If society views revenge as evil, as God
does, we should have regard for its standards. Revenge should not be
taken because God forbids it and because society does also. Our
testimony as a Christian will be greatly tarnished if we fail to
live up to those standards commonly agreed upon by men.67
We dare not seek revenge.
Paul probably had another reason for instructing
the Christian to have regard for society’s standards. Persecution is
frequently imposed by the state, by the government. The Jewish
religious and political leaders joined forces to persecute
Christianity, especially in Israel. Before long, Rome would cease to
protect Christians and begin to persecute them. Even though this
were the case, the Christian should beware of disdaining government
(thus Romans 13:1-7) and rejecting all of its standards of right and
wrong. If the Christian is to suffer at the hands of human
government, let it be for doing right and not for disregarding
society’s standards categorically. When we must violate society’s
standards by disobeying the law, let us be sure there is a clear and
contradictory command from God. We must beware of rejecting all of
society’s standards because we must reject a few. The mistreated
Christian may be tempted to see a persecuting government as
all wrong when it may only be wrong in more restricted
categories.
Revenge does not encourage peace but incites
men to hostility (verse 18). Peace68
is a priority for the Christian. When Jesus came to the earth, born
as a baby, the angels sang, “… on earth peace among men, with
whom He is well pleased” (Luke 2:14). Jesus taught His
disciples, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called
sons of God” (Matthew 5:9). Peace was to govern the conduct of
His disciples (Mark 9:50). Our gospel is the gospel of peace (Luke
19:42; Acts 10:36; Ephesians 2:14-17; 6:15). God is a God of peace
(Romans 16:20; Philippians 4:9; 1 Thessalonians 5:23; 2
Thessalonians 3:16; Hebrews 13:20). Peace should characterize the
Christian (1 Corinthians 7:15; 2 Corinthians 13:11; Galatians 5:22).
Because peace is a priority for the Christian and revenge promotes
hostility, pursuing peace is the antidote to revenge. Pursing peace
lays revenge to rest.
Revenge is the wrath of man; Christians must
leave vengeance to God to whom it rightly belongs. James
said it, and Paul obviously agrees, “The anger of man does not
achieve the righteousness of God” (James 1:20). Revenge takes the
law into our own hands. In seeking revenge, men attempt to execute
judgment on their fellow men. Judgment is God’s business as taught
by the Scriptures. God has promised to establish justice and to
execute His wrath on the wicked. We must believe this by faith. We
must wait for His day of wrath and not hasten it by taking matters
into our own hands. Just as we must patiently wait for God’s
blessings, we must also patiently wait for God’s vengeance. Taking
our own vengeance is taking God’s place and exercising His
prerogatives.
Taking revenge is being overcome by sin;
doing good is overcoming evil with good. Christian love is
evidenced by our abhorrence of evil and our cleaving to what is good
(verse 9). Revenge is being overcome by sin and is the promotion of
evil. The Christian does not “fight fire with fire”; we must not
react to sin by sinning. Our sin
was overcome by the righteousness of God. The sins of others
expressed in opposition to us will not be overcome by our sinful
acts. Sin is only overcome by good. As we do “good” to our
enemies, we vividly demonstrate to an unsaved world how God defeats
sin, complimenting the gospel we are to proclaim. When the sin of
others prompts us to sin in return, we have been defeated by
sin. When the sin of others prompts us to do good to our
enemies in return, sin is defeated and righteousness prevails.
The biblical principles laid down by Paul in this
text are not new but are consistent with the teaching of the Old
Testament. Thus Paul quotes from the Book of Proverbs, citing
Proverbs 25:20, which shows the very practical ways love is to be
demonstrated to one’s enemies. When our enemy is hungry, we should
feed him. When he is thirsty, we should give him water to drink.
Revenge would let him suffer and rejoice in his suffering.
By dealing with our enemies this way, the
Scriptures say we “heap burning coals” on their head. Does
this sound a little like revenge? It cannot be. We do not do good to
our enemy to bring about his suffering; we do good to our neighbor
in order to be a blessing to him. Many explanations are offered for
the reference to burning coals. I believe these “coals” refer
to the guilt and condemnation of a stricken conscience which our
good deeds may produce in the sinner’s heart. This is indeed a
blessing if the sinner’s guilty conscience leads him to repent and
turn to God for forgiveness and salvation. One wonders if Paul’s
conscience was not stricken by the response of some of those whom he
persecuted. The broader context of our passage makes clear that we
do good to our enemies with the purpose of blessing them and not
with the hope that we will bring a curse upon them.
Conclusion
Paul’s meaning could hardly be clearer. Such
standards repulse our flesh, but they are clear and compelling.
The Christian is set apart from all others by the way he
responds to his enemies. He does not hate his enemies and
seek their suffering and destruction. He loves his enemies and seeks
to do good to them. As we conclude this lesson, consider four
foundational truths upon which Paul’s teaching is based.
First, Paul calls for attitudes and action
toward our enemies which are consistent with the character of God
and evidenced in the person and work of our Lord Jesus
Christ. When Jesus came to the earth in human flesh, God
became incarnate; God was manifested in human flesh. Our Lord was
the exact representation of God. He manifested to men all of the
attributes of God—His holiness, His grace, His love, and His other
attributes. In His attitudes and actions, Jesus was a perfect
reflection of God.
When our Lord ascended into heaven, He left behind
the church, His body. It is now through the church that God is
incarnate in this world. God’s self-revelation comes through
His Word and through His body, the church. Paul calls for an
attitude toward others which reflects the attitude of God toward
men. In particular, Paul wants us to love our enemies,69
and through this to reflect God’s love for fallen men. We are
commanded to love our enemies in order to be like God and in order
to be distinct from lost men. In the context of loving our
enemies, our Lord Himself said: “Therefore you are to be perfect,
as your heavenly father is perfect” (Matthew 5:48, see verses
43-47).
Second, Paul calls for that which is
consistent with the present purposes of God. All men are
sinners, deserving God’s righteous wrath. Those who have received
God’s gift of salvation in Christ have been delivered from His
wrath. Those who have rejected God experience a present
manifestation of His wrath (Romans 1:18). They are also storing up
wrath for a future day of judgment as well (Romans 2:5). God has
chosen to delay the execution of His righteous judgment, the full
outpouring of His wrath, for a purpose. This purpose is put forth by
Paul in Romans 9:
What if God, although willing to demonstrate His
wrath and to make His power known, endured with much patience
vessels of wrath prepared for destruction? And He did so in
order that He might make known the riches of His glory upon vessels
of mercy, which He prepared beforehand for glory, even us,
whom He also called, not from among Jews only, but also from among
Gentiles (Romans 9:22-24).
The full power of God’s wrath has been delayed so
that He might save those whom He has chosen as the objects of His
mercy. At this time, these “vessels of mercy” are
pre-dominantly Gentiles. But in the future, God has purposed to turn
the hearts of the Jews to Himself (see Romans 11:25-32).
When on the earth, Jesus refused to judge men,
insisting that He had come to save and not to condemn (see John
3:16-17; 8:1-11). There will be a future day of judgment, when He
comes again at His second coming. Until then, the good news of God’s
saving grace is to be proclaimed to the world. Until then, we who
are saved are to reflect the saving grace of God to a lost and dying
world. We are to leave judgment to God and to the time He has
appointed. Now is the “day of salvation.” Let us behave in a
manner consistent with God’s purpose for the present—the salvation
of lost sinners.
If you have never trusted in Jesus Christ, my
friend, do so today. Acknowledge your sin and the fact
that you deserve God’s righteous wrath. Receive the gift of
salvation God has provided in Jesus Christ. He suffered
God’s wrath in your place. All you need do is to receive this gift
and be saved. Be assured that there is coming a day of reckoning
when all who have rejected Him will be eternally condemned. When He
comes, the day of salvation will be past, for all eternity.
Third, what Paul teaches here requires a
transformed mind which sees life vastly different than the natural
man. The more I study the Word of God, the more I see that
God’s ways are not man’s ways and that His thoughts are not our
thoughts (Isaiah 55:7-9). Often Christians today talk of integrating
secular truth with the truth of God’s revealed Word. What is so
beneficial to the Christian from man’s thinking, motivation, and way
of doing things? What do we need to know and do which God has not
already revealed in His inspired, all-sufficient Word? The church’s
great problem today is Christians seeking to live as the world
thinks and lives. Our great need is to think and act as God
does.
Romans 12:1 and 2 call upon the Christian to live
in an entirely different way. We are to offer ourselves to God as
living sacrifices. To do so, we must be transformed from what we
were and not be conformed to the world. This is done by the renewing
of our minds. Our thinking ceases to be in merely human terms but
conforms to God’s thoughts. We must realize that to live as
Christians, we must first think as Christians. This kind of thinking
comes only through the Word of God, illuminated by the Spirit of
God. Our text highlights the contrast between God’s thoughts and
man’s. Let us be conformed to His thoughts. Let us obey Him by
loving our enemies and seeking their benefit and ultimately seeking
their salvation.
Fourth, Paul calls for conduct which is
possible only in the strength God provides. If God’s
thoughts are above ours and His ways are above ours, it is only by
His means that we shall live as He requires. The Christian life is
impossible to live in our own strength. Reading Romans 12 helps to
better understand Paul’s words in Romans 7. No wonder Paul found it
impossible to achieve God’s will in the power of the flesh. Only as
we walk in the Spirit are these impossible requirements met. May we
obey Him as we walk in His Spirit.
61 You will note that
love is the general subject, giving unity to verses 9-21. Also note
that in the first verse of this text (9) and the last (21) “good”
and “evil” are specifically mentioned. Verses 9-21 are all about the
exercise of love as it relates to “good” and “evil.”
62 This classification
of (1) love toward fellow-believers and (2) love toward unbelievers
generally holds true. It should be recognized, however, that some of
our “enemies” will be found within the fold of those who profess
faith in Christ. See, for example, Philippians 1:15-17; 2 Timothy
3:8; 4:14(?); 3 John 9.
63 Persecution is not as
personal an offense as some others. We are persecuted because of
Christ and because of our identification with Him (John 15:19-21).
The hostages held against their will in Iraq were persecuted for
being foreigners. The captive governments had nothing personal
against them other than that they were foreigners in general and
Americans in particular. We are persecuted not so much because of
our theology as we are because of our practice. When our lifestyle
threatens or exposes the sinful ways of those around us, they are
inclined to retaliate (see Genesis 19:9; 1 Peter 4:3-4).
Men persecute those who threaten them, especially
in the areas of wealth or power (see Acts 4:16-17; 5:27-28; 16:19f.;
19:23f.). Usually, persecution is an offense of the stronger against
the weaker. Those who are in the majority and who have greater power
have a greater capacity to persecute. I suspect this is why cursing
is the evil in view here. Those who are overpowered may not be able
to strike back physically, but they can always curse. Note, for
example, the thief on the cross (Luke 23:39) and the instruction
Peter gave to sufferers (1 Peter 2:1, 21-25). Cursing may be the
only harm a helpless victim can do to his oppressors.
64 Verses 14-16 appear
to have a more restricted group in mind—those who are our
persecutors. Verses 17-21 seem more general—our enemies. Our enemies
would include all those who have wrongly treated us.
65 The teaching
concerning an “eye for an eye” was to establish a fundamental
principle on which all justice is based, namely: Punishment should
always be consistent with and proportionate to the crime. This
principle was given primarily to govern rulers whose task it was to
administer justice and not to those who sought revenge.
66 Common grace is the
term theologians use to refer to the unmerited goodness of God
toward all men, believers and unbelievers (see Matthew 5:45). God’s
elective grace is sovereignly bestowed on those whom He singles out
for blessing (see Romans 9:6-18).
67 There are many things
which our society may permit which the Christian cannot practice.
But there will almost always be fewer things which society prohibits
which the Christian should feel free to practice.
68 For Paul’s use of
“peace” in Romans, see 2:10; 3:17; 8:6; 12:18; 14:17, 19; 15:13, 33;
16:20.
69 There are those who
say that God does not love sinners. If this were true, then God is
requiring us to do that which He Himself does not do. When we love
our enemies, we reflect God’s love for His enemies. God loved us
while we were yet sinners (Romans 5:6-8), while we were His enemies.
God has a special love for His elect, but He also loves all men,
including His enemies.