By Pastor Lem Niere
“Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honourable in the sight of all. If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. 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.’ 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. Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good” Romans 12:17-21.
A medical study shows that the major cause of sickness is revenge. For example, a survey of stroke patients show that most of them admitted that there was someone against whom they felt a significant amount of hatred and revenge. In many cases, that revenge is a repressed feeling, an attitude instead of an expressed action.
We live in a world where getting even is not only normal but also the norm. It’s a dog-eat-dog situation that we find ourselves in. So, in a society where Christians are persecuted, should they practice revenge? In a society where Christians are overtaxed and taxed unfairly, should they resist the state? Should Christians repay evil with evil? Should it be a tit-for-tat? Paul’s answer to every question is “no.” Instead, he argues, Christians should repay evil with good.
Abraham Lincoln was once being criticized for his attitude towards his opponents. “Why do you try to make friends with them?” a colleague asked. “You should try to destroy them.” Am I not destroying my enemies,” the President asked gently, “when I make them my friends?”
“Overcome evil with good,” v. 21. Here’s a picture of a Christian standing in the middle of a battle with the evil of the present age. Do not respond to the power of evil by using the means of evil, hostility or retaliation, but with the power of good.
Charles H. Spurgeon tells us that the text gives us a choice between two things, and bids us to choose the better one. You must either be overcome by evil, or you must yourself overcome evil. One of the two. You cannot let evil alone, and evil will not let you alone. You must fight, and in the battle you must either conquer or be conquered.
This text inculcates not merely passive non-resistance, but it teaches us active benevolence to enemies. “Overcome evil with good”—with direct and overt acts of kindness. If any man has done you a wrong, do not only forgive it, but also avenge it by doing him a favor. The reason for all this, Paul says, is to leave it to the wrath of God, verse 19, and he quotes Deuteronomy 32:35, “vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” The people of God are not to retaliate for evil done to them, because judgment is God’s business.
Rabbi David A. Nelson likes to tell the story of two brothers who went to their rabbi to settle a longstanding quarrel. The rabbi got the two to reconcile their differences and shake hands. As they were about to leave, he asked each one to make a wish for the other in honor of the Jewish New Year. The first brother turned to the other and said, “I wish you what you wish me.” At that, the second brother threw up his hands and said, “See, Rabbi, he’s starting up again!”
No Christian is to seek revenge. To seek revenge is to take the work of God out of God’s hand. God has reserved vengeance for Himself. This is God’s prerogative and should we dare to steal it from Him?