Romans 12:19-21 - Vengeance Belongs to God.
Rom 12:19-21 (NIV) Do not take revenge, my
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.
INTRODUCTION
Forgiveness is a mark of the Christian life.
Verses 17-21 summarize the real core of Christian
living. If we love someone the way Christ loves us,
we will be willing to forgive. If we have
experienced Gods grace, we will want to pass it on to
others. And remember, grace is undeserved favor. By
giving an enemy a drink, were not excusing his
misdeeds. Were recognizing him, forgiving him, and
loving him in spite of his sins - just as Christ
did for us. [Life Application SB]
COMMENTARY PEARL
God is Love and Just
Life is not fair. God never said it would
be!
Life is unfair because there is sin in
the world. Jesus came to make things right, and,
one day, they will be. But, right now, sometimes
bad people prosper. Sometimes good people
suffer. Sometimes innocent people get hurt.
If you have been discriminated against
because of your race, culture, language, or gender,
if you've been abused, if you have been
harassed or mistreated - that breaks my heart, and I
am sorry for your hurt.
We should do whatever we can to correct
injustice. But there's something even more important
than the way I feel about it. It's the way God
feels about it. God has seen every hurt in your
life, and he grieves over injustice, too.
When somebody asks me, Where was God
when your son died? I say, He was at the
same place he was when his Son died - grieving
over man's inhumanity to humanity.
So why didnt he stop it? God could
stop all the evil in the world just like that.
But it would mean taking away our freedom to
choose.
God may not stop a hurt from happening,
but God is keeping a record. Not only that, but
hes storing up your tears in a bottle
(Psalm 56:8). The Bible also says, Never avenge
yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is
written, Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the
Lord (Romans 12:19 ESV).
Because God is loving, he is also a God
of justice. To allow evil to hurt his children
and not seek justice would be unloving.
Since God seeks justice, you dont have
to spend your life holding on to hurts. In
fact, God doesnt want you to waste one second
of your life on resentment, retaliation, or
revenge. That's just going to fill you with the
poison of bitterness. Dont waste your life on
bitterness!
Some of you are allowing people who hurt
you 10 years ago to still hurt you today because
you're holding on to the memory of that hurt.
That's foolish! They can only hurt you when you
choose to hold on to the hurt. You have to let it
go.
Justice delayed is not justice denied.
God is very aware of what people have done to
you, and there will be a day of reckoning.
Do you trust him? If you do, you'll let
it go. Surrender your hurt to Jesus, and let
him settle the score. [Daily Devotional by Rick
Warren: https://pastorrick.com/devotional/]
COMMENTARY
Let It Go
When someone hits us, we want to hit
back, dont we? When someone hurts us, we want
to hurt them. We want payback. We want to
settle the score.
But if youre a Christian, that isnt
the way you should live. Dont avenge
yourself. God says, I will take revenge; I will pay
them back (Romans 12:19 NLT).
If anyone knew what it was like to be
mistreated, the apostle Paul did. In fact, I would say
that no other leader in the first century
suffered more than Paul. Yet he wrote, Dear
friends, never take revenge. Leave that to the
righteous anger of God (Romans 12:19 NLT). And Paul
modeled this principle as well.
When he was arrested with Silas for
preaching the gospel, their Roman jailer was
especially cruel. He had them severely beaten with
rods, fastened their feet in stocks, and put them
into the deep recesses of a filthy, horrible
dungeon.
Then we read, Around midnight Paul and
Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and
the other prisoners were listening (Acts
16:25 NLT). You might say they brought the house
down, because an earthquake shook the place.
The jailer realized he was dead because
in those days if you lost your prisoners, the
Romans would execute you - and maybe even your
family.
But Paul called out to him and said,
Stop! Dont kill yourself! We are all here!
(verse 28 NLT). And ultimately, this Roman jailer
and everyone in his household put their faith in
Jesus Christ.
Paul could have allowed him to take his
own life, but he extended grace to him instead.
Is there someone you can think of who has hurt
you? Its time to forgive. When youre hurt
or wronged, let God settle the score, not you.
Let it go. [Greg Laurie from Harvest Ministries;
https://www.harvestdaily.com]
Forgive As Jesus Did
I dont know if theres anything more
counter-cultural in the world today than responding to evil
with good. And because its so
counter-cultural, it can be one of the hardest things to do.
When theres a bully trying to make
trouble in your life, you need to respond
positively. Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome
evil with good (Romans 12:21 NIV).
Thats a step of faith, isnt it?
Because everything in you probably wants to overcome
evil with evil and fight darkness with more
darkness. Thats what the world tells you to do:
Fight dirty. Thats why it takes faith to go
against what your flesh and culture are telling you
to do and instead trust in God and respond to
darkness with his light.
You fight darkness with light. You fight
hatred with love. You fight unkindness with
kindness. You don't let evil overcome you. You
overcome evil with good.
Thats tough to do. But it gets even
tougher: Love your enemies and pray for those who
persecute you (Matthew 5:44 NIV).
Is that easy? No. Is it unusual? Yes. Is
it a choice? Absolutely. Its your choice to
be better than the bully. Choosing light over
darkness means walking the way of Jesus. And Jesus
wouldnt just walk away from a fight and forget. He
would lay down his life if thats what he needed
to do to show how much he loves someone - and
thats exactly what he did.
God doesnt want you to retaliate. He
also wants you to do good. He wants you to show
love to even the hardest hearts by praying for
them and asking God to give them hearts like
his.
Jesus gave us the greatest example of
responding in love and praying for enemies. When you
follow his example, youre going to stand out in
a world where everyone thinks of themselves
first.
Taking the step of faith to overcome evil
with good will not always be easy, but it will
make you a powerful witness for Jesus. [Daily
Devotional by Rick Warren:
https://pastorrick.com/devotional/]
You Can Forgive Before You Trust
Whats keeping you from forgiving
someone whos hurt you? If youve been hurt
deeply, you may hesitate to forgive because youre
not ready to trust that person again. Heres
something you need to understand: Forgiveness and
trust do not necessarily go hand in hand.
Forgiveness does not mean there needs to
be an instant restoration of trust. Forgiveness
is instant; trust must be rebuilt over time.
Forgiveness is based on grace; trust is built on works.
You earn trust; you dont earn forgiveness.
Many people dont want to forgive
others because they think theyd have to trust
them again. But thats not true. Trust and
forgiveness are two different issues! Let me say it
again: Forgiving someone does not mean you have to
trust that person. They still must earn your
trust.
In relationships where people struggle
with addictions or abuse, forgiveness is still
possible. But it doesnt always mean things can go
back to the way they were.
Forgiveness and the restoration of a
relationship are two different things.
Forgiveness is only your part. It
doesnt depend on whether the other person asks for
your forgiveness, responds to your forgiveness,
or recognizes they need your forgiveness. You
forgive for your sake.
Restoration of a relationship takes far
more than forgiveness. It takes repentance. It
takes restitution and a rebuilding of trust. And
it often takes time.
Are you stuck in unforgiveness? Begin the
process of forgiveness today. Then take all the time
you need to rebuild trust. [Daily Devotional by
Rick Warren: https://pastorrick.com/devotional/]
CLOSING PEARL
Overcoming Evil
While studying at Cambridge University in
the 1940s, a young woman became the Secretary of
the Communist Party. The winter of 1946-47 was
phenomenally severe, causing water pipes to partially
freeze and therefore resulting in a water shortage.
The female students were limited to one bath
each week, and as they waited in the long line,
there was a lot of grumbling and jockeying for
position - including on the part of the Communist
Party Secretary.
One of the girls who had the most direct
access to the bathroom was a Christian. The
Communist student noticed over time that this girl
never asserted her rights and responded gently to
the selfishness of others. The Christian was
practicing and living what the young Communist claimed
to believe but did not do. That observation led
to a conversation, a conversion - and,
eventually, a new missionary in the Far East.
Whenever we try to defeat evil by our own
evil words and deeds, we are consumed. Evil
cannot be overcome by a similarly evil force. Evil
is doubled rather than negated. If we lose
control of our ourselves as we engage with an enemy,
then we have been defeated not by that person but
by the Evil One. We are the ones who have been
overcome and have lost the opportunity to do what is
right in God's eyes.
Overcoming evil is a popular notion in
our culture. We hear it in songs and
motivational slogans. Often the idea is that if we can
just "stand together," we will succeed in
defeating the ills that plague us. It's a noble idea,
but it lacks the necessary power. We can't
overcome evil on our own; it simply won't work. We
are "more than conquerors" only "through him who
loved us" (Romans 8:37). The power of God by His
Spirit and His word gives us both the impetus and
the strength we need to triumph.
This is the path that Jesus took. He did
not take vengeance into His own hands but
entrusted Himself to the hands of the Father. Christ
went to the cross, where love triumphed over
evil. As we choose to be gentle, do good, and walk
the way of the cross, we will experience God's
power at work in us to overcome evil with the
goodness of His love
By His grace, you will overcome all the
challenges and injustices of this world someday. And as
you meet wrong with right, slights with
kindness, and negativity with blessing, by His grace
you will overcome evil with good today. [Truth
for Life by Alistair Begg]
PRACTICAL APPLICATION
If impatient words are spoken to you,
never reply in the same spirit. Remember that a
soft answer turneth away wrath. Proverbs 15:1.
And there is wonderful power in silence. Words
spoken in reply to one who is angry sometimes serve
only to exasperate. But anger met with silence,
in a tender, forbearing spirit, quickly dies
away.
Under a storm of stinging, faultfinding
words, keep the mind stayed upon the word of God.
Let mind and heart be stored with Gods
promises. If you are ill-treated or wrongfully
accused, instead of returning an angry answer, repeat
to yourself the precious promises:
Be not overcome of evil, but overcome
evil with good. Romans 12:21. MH486
LINKS FOR FURTHER STUDY
Romans 12:19-21 - Vengeance Belongs To God.
http://www.abible.com/devotions/2019/20190428-1918.html
Romans 12:19-21 - Killing With Kindness
http://www.abible.com/devotions/1997/19970801-0001.html
YOUR COMMENTS
If anyone has a paraphrase, commentary or
testimony on this passage of Scripture, either
personal or otherwise, I would be interested in
hearing from you. Thanks in advance and let's keep
uplifting Jesus that all might be drawn to Him. Fred
Gibbs
LINKS WORTH CHECKING OUT
Most Important Decision in Life:
http://www.youtube.com/embed/WGnEuGwvXqU?rel=0
A Man without Equal by Bill Bright:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NiVa7UoruIo
Steps to Peace by Billy Graham:
https://stepstopeace.org/
Seeking God Made Real:
http://vimeo.com/31489782
Prayer Made Real:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tc8VdMV26VE
LINKS FOR BIBLE STUDIES
Lifting Up Jesus Bible Studies:
http://www.liftingupjesus.net/
Amazing Facts Bible Studies:
http://www.amazingfacts.org/bible-study/bible-study-guides.aspx
Voice of Prophecy Discover Bible Study
Guides:
https://www.voiceofprophecy.com/study/discover
Glow Tract Video Bible Studies:
http://www.bibleresearch.info/
LINKS FOR BIBLE PROPHECY SEMINARS
Unlocking Bible Prophecies by Cami Oetman of
Adventist World Radio: https://www.awr.org/bible
Panorama of Prophecy with Pastor Doug
Batchelor: https://www.panoramaofprophecy.com/
Hope Awakens by John Bradshaw of IIW:
https://itiswritten.tv/programs/hope-awakens
Prophecies Decoded by Pastor Ron Clouzet:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL1A435C5373550657
