Week 55 - Free Weekend Program for Street & Vulnerable Children

Romans 12:17-21

Theme : Overcoming Evil with Good.

17. Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone.

18. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.

19. Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord.

20. On the contrary:

“If your enemy is hungry, feed him;

if he is thirsty, give him something to drink.

In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.”

21. Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

We have come to the concluding verses of Romans chapter 12. We are still learning the ways of God, which are totally different from our natural sinful ways and contrary to the way of the law. Our natural selves want to repay evil with more evil—"do me in, and I do you in—doubled, so you will fear me." On the other hand, the law says an eye for an eye - repaying evil with evil.

Today, God is teaching us differently. Listen carefully to what He says in regards to verse 12. When someone is mean to you, when someone treats you badly, don’t find ways to treat them badly as well. Don’t be mean back to them; don’t pay them back with evil. If someone insults you or curses your mom, don’t curse them back. No matter what evil is done to you, don’t hold onto it in your mind, becoming angry to your stomach for so long until you get a chance to do something evil to that person.

God is calling us to a much higher standard. This is not natural; it is only possible by the supernatural power of God. The Holy Spirit gives us the power to accomplish this. That power is brought into effect as you hear the gospel and continue in earnest prayer. God works in our hearts, giving us the willingness and the ability to do His will - to obey His commands. (Philippians 2:13).

He gives us the power to live the right way, a way different from the world, and to make good choices that are honourable before Him and before men. It’s not enough to know God and to claim that He sees the heart, which is true; we must also live in a way that is honourable before others. We are not seeking to please men or to gain their praise, but God is saying that our devotion, godliness, and holiness must flow from the inside out. Fruits of godliness must be seen by others around us.

Matthew 5:16 tells us, “In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.” Our Christian lives should bring glory to God, not to ourselves. We are not living to please men; we are living to honour God because He has honoured us through the death of His Son. He redeemed us by His precious blood.

As I said last week, it’s necessary to defend yourself from possible danger or harm, but where our lives are not at risk, we must seek to live at peace with others. This doesn’t mean we should stay quiet or submissive under an abusive, exploitative relationship—leave such relationship if you can. You don’t have to be friends with a bully or a constantly angry, fault finding and quarrelsome person.

As I visit you individually at home from time to time, meeting with your parents and guardians, I see that most of you are very happy at home, which is good. Always remember that you can speak to me after class if you find it difficult obeying these biblical instructions we are learning due to any unique circumstances or limitations. However, don’t become quarrelsome, picking every fault, engrossed in self-pity and victimhood, complaining and comparing yourself with others, being envious, jealous, discontent, and continually angry.

Instead, rejoice continually in-spite of your natural circumstances, in light all you have in Christ; celebrate the true riches you have in Christ Jesus. Your adoption into the family of God through the shed blood of Christ should fuel your new identity and make you continually proud and confident. We boast in nothing except in Christ and all he has accomplished for us on the cross (Galatians 6:14). No one is better than you in the eyes of God. You have the same righteousness that Christ has—perfect, everlasting righteousness. You have the same acceptance and love before God as Abraham, the apostles, the Virgin Mary, Brother Heshimu, and more. Let this truth gladden your heart always.

If someone has hurt you, pray to God to help you forgive them and leave revenge to God. He knows how to bring people to repentance, or He will condemn them to hellfire forever. He will repay everyone according to their deeds unless they repent and put faith in Christ. Don’t fight for God; He has promised to fight for you. Even if it’s your Christian brother who has wronged you, don’t retaliate. God will correct them in ways far better than you can possibly imagine—leave revenge to God. Remember that you were a sinner and God forgave you, He didn’t wait for you to repent, He died for you while you were still a sinner, this will help you as you pray for the grace to forgive others of their hurt against you. Don’t pay them back with evil, God has promised to do that, vengeance is His, he says.

Use every opportunity you get to do good to those that hate you, help those who have offended and wronged you; pray for them continually. God may open an opportunity for you to help them physically, but start by making your heart right. Love must start first in the heart, or words and acts will be nothing but hypocrisy. Your acts of love toward those who have hurt you may bring them to tears of repentance.

A young woman told a story of how her pastor abused her emotionally and psychologically until she was referred to a mental health clinic and was under medication for months. She later left the church, but the anger, pain, and scars of her emotional wounds lingered for a long time. After a few years of leaving the church and getting better, her path crossed with the pastor’s daughter, who at that point was in desperate need of help. She was asked to help; it was an opportunity for her to show love or to poison this girl to death, as a neighbor suggested. That would serve as revenge, she said, or she could just ignore her completely and let her suffer. But she offered her help instead, going far beyond what the girl needed but had requested. The pastor was grateful to hear about the help but became afraid when he heard who God had used to help his daughter.

It is good she left the church (it’s always good to keep away and stay safe). It is also good that she forgave and left revenge to God, which came through months of relentless, tearful, agonising prayer. Finally, the result of that true forgiveness manifested itself through her kindness to his daughter, which may have made the pastor ashamed. God has called us to live differently from the world, but these things cannot be achieved by self-will and determination. It is the Holy Spirit that empowers us to do the will of God. It starts by hearing the truth—the gospel, believing, putting faith in Christ, and bearing fruit.

So, don’t let evil conquer you. How does evil conquer you? It conquers you through your own sins and through the sins—deep hurts and wrongs—of others, leaving un-forgiveness, anger, malice, envy, jealousy, hatred, and bitter roots in your heart, which produce all manner of evil and wrongdoing. “Look after each other so that none of you fails to receive the grace of God. Watch out that no poisonous root of bitterness grows up to trouble you, corrupting many” (Hebrews 12:15).

Let’s watch out for our souls through continuous fellowship in Christ by the gospel, in the power of His grace, and through active repentance, looking out for each other through earnest prayer and deeds of kindness whenever we get a chance. This is how we overcome evil—by doing good.