Romans 12:17-21

Missouri minister William Hooper tells a story about a mother working in the kitchen when she hears her 7-year-old son screaming at the top of his lungs.

When she ran into the next room to see what was wrong, she found her 2-year-old daughter pulling her brother’s hair.

After unclenching the baby’s hand, she said to her very angry son, “You have to overlook this. Your sister doesn’t know what it feels like to have her hair pulled.”

A few minutes later, the mother heard the little girl screaming. She ran into the room and asked, “What happened?”

The little boy answered, “She knows what it feels like now.”

It seems that the compulsion to seek revenge is innate within the human psyche.

In our text today, the apostle Paul calls Christians to a higher level of living. To holier motives and to nobler actions.

17 Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all.
18 If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.
19 Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.”
20 To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.”
21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

Consider these thoughts.

#1 Christians live in a “glass house,” as Warren Wiersbe expressed it.

We can’t live with the attitude, “It’s my life. And I’ll do what I please.” Our attitudes and actions are visible “in the sight of all.” People watch to see whether we practice what we profess.

Not returning evil for evil means following Jesus’ teaching in the Sermon on the Mount and emulating His life as He dealt with those who opposed Him. As Paul Earnhart observed in an “Invitation to a Spiritual Revolution,” we must not react with evil, but with love.

The world says, “Fight fire with fire,” but Jesus says, “Love your enemies.” When they curse you, bless them. When they do evil, you do good. When they persecute you, respond by praying for them. Martin Luther King Jr. once said, “Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”

#2 Be a peacemaker.

Some folks are difficult to get along with. In fact, sometimes it is not possible. But don’t let anyone say you are the cause of discord and disharmony. As Paul admonished, “let us pursue what makes for peace and mutual upbuilding.”

Sarcastic comments, name-calling, judging motives, and giving others “a cold shoulder” neither foster peace nor build up an edifying atmosphere.

#3 Don’t assume God’s role.

Vengeance isn’t my prerogative. That’s for God to decide. He will execute it in His own time and in His own way.

When their father Jacob died, Joseph’s brothers feared he would exact vengeance for their sin of selling him into slavery. When they fell at his feet offering to be his servants, Joseph responded, “Am I in the place of God?” Instead, he treated them kindly and with consideration. He left judgment to Almighty. So should we.

#4 Do good.

You can never go wrong doing good. Be good. Seek what is good. See the good. Seize what is good.

Jesus reminds us, “If you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same” (Lk. 6:33).

Finally, in referencing the parable of the Unforgiving Servant who was forgiven of a large debt but refused to forgive a fellow servant a tiny debt, Max Lucado offered this observation in The Grip of Grace: “Unforgiving servants always end up in prison. Prisons of anger, guilt, and depression. God doesn’t put us in prison; we create our own….”

Revenge may seem sweet at the moment, but it usually leaves a bitter aftertaste.

–Ken Weliever, The Preacherman