Bless Those Who Persecute You, and Don’t Curse
1Therefore I urge you, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service. 2Don’t be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what is the good, well-pleasing, and perfect will of God. 3For I say, through the grace that was given me, to every man who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think reasonably, as God has apportioned to each person a measure of faith. 4For even as we have many members in one body, and all the members don’t have the same function, 5so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. 6Having gifts differing according to the grace that was given to us, if prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of our faith; 7or service, let us give ourselves to service; or he who teaches, to his teaching; 8or he who exhorts, to his exhorting: he who gives, let him do it with generosity; he who rules, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.
Paul says that for the church to be truly the church, its members must be united in love for one another, according to the new commandment Jesus Christ gave. Because the gifts each of us has received differ, we may think differently and may judge differently depending on the task. But the church does not work for the honor and pride of any one person; it works only for Jesus Christ. Its members must therefore cooperate with one another. Just as God loved us without condition, we must love and serve one another and give ourselves for the gospel. Service means sacrifice. To serve is to build up the church out of sight, even with no gain to oneself, so that the body of Christ can do more. Paul says that for the members to work together, they must overcome evil with good. Today I want to go through the passage backward, from the last verse, verse 21, up to verse 9, and see what kind of life is the right life for members of the body.
Romans 12:20-21
20Therefore “If your enemy is hungry, feed him. If he is thirsty, give him a drink; for in doing so, you will heap coals of fire on his head.” 21Don’t be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
The world works for the flesh, but the church works for the saving of souls. In the fight for the flesh there is no forgiveness or love, but the fight for spirit and flesh rests on forgiveness and love, so the two are completely different battles. The things of the world are swayed by sin, temper, and evil, but those who fight the good fight for salvation are not swayed by Satan, because the Holy Spirit is at work in them. When those led by the Holy Spirit are told, “If your enemy is hungry, feed him. If he is thirsty, give him a drink,” it means that our battle is not one of the flesh, so however wronged and angry we feel, we must not give up proclaiming the gospel. In the world, feeding someone who attacks you so that they do not go hungry, and giving them something to drink so that they do not thirst, will look foolish. Even so, we are to fight not by making enemies but by showing love, and so we must win not only against the other person but also against ourselves. Hard as it may be to overcome our instincts, we have to follow, because it is God’s command. If we keep trying to live by the word even when we are wronged, we come to grasp the love of God and learn what a sojourner in this world is meant to do. When you face such a situation, if you think of God before people, you can endure, and more than that, you can set your hope on heaven.
Mature believers must help others so that they do not fall under Satan’s influence. Of course, those who are spiritually young may misunderstand, or fail to understand, the conduct of those who are mature. Even so, if we help keep Satan from gaining a hold on that soul, then later, when that person has grown, they will be grateful and in turn help someone else. The words “you will heap coals of fire on his head” were written with an Egyptian custom in view: when a person repented publicly, they would set a pan of burning coals on their head. If you keep showing love with an unchanging, good heart, then, as if coals of fire were heaped on that person’s head, a time will come when they realize their wrong and repent — and the pain of that repentance will be almost too great to bear. To show love whoever the other person may be is never easy. But we must learn from Jesus, who, seeing Thomas’s doubt, rather than being disappointed in him, bore with him patiently in love to the end, so that he could work for the gospel.
John 20:27
27Then he said to Thomas, “Reach here your finger, and see my hands. Reach here your hand, and put it into my side. Don’t be unbelieving, but believing.”
For fear of the Jews, the disciples had locked the doors and were talking together about Jesus’ resurrection. Jesus came among them and told them to receive the Holy Spirit. When Jesus came to see the disciples himself, Thomas happened not to be there. Later they told Thomas what had happened, but he said he would not believe unless he touched Jesus with his own hands. In one sense Thomas’s response could be called rational. Yet after all the words he had heard and the many miracles he had seen, Thomas was wrong to think he could not believe without touching Jesus himself. This was because the three years of teaching he had heard had not become for him a time of being born again. Then Jesus came again and said to Thomas that he believed because he had seen, and that those who have not seen and yet believe are blessed.
If you were in Thomas’s position, what would you do? However much you believe in Jesus, would you say, “I am a rational, sensible person, so I cannot believe that Jesus came in without passing through the door”? Then if the Lord were standing before your eyes right now, could you believe? If you still cannot believe after all the words you have heard and all you have experienced, Jesus would tell you that he can no longer work with you. What were the three years Thomas spent with Jesus? When men came to seize Jesus in that desperate hour, he asked them to spare the disciples, so as to protect Thomas among them. To forget such love is utterly selfish. Jesus did not abandon such a Thomas but made him touch the marks of the nails, and seeing this, we must recognize that to betray God and doubt him while we live is a grievous sin.
Romans 12:18-19
18If it is possible, as much as it is up to you, be at peace with all men. 19Don’t seek revenge yourselves, beloved, but give place to God’s wrath. For it is written, “Vengeance belongs to me; I will repay, says the Lord.”
We must strive to live at peace with people, both in the church and in the world. As members of Christ, the true light of life, we must shine a light that dispels the darkness wherever we are. We can give light when we give ourselves to saving souls through a self-sacrificing life like that of Jesus Christ. Only by persevering as we fulfill our calling can we overcome our sinful nature and gain the wisdom to leave to God the desire for revenge we meet in life. So Paul urged that, hard as it may be, if it is possible, we be at peace with all men. Those who have this kind of love must not repay anyone evil for evil, and must show their faith by planning what is good. That does not mean it is fine to imitate the way the world lives. It means dealing with people with authority, in order to lead them to Christ. Knowing how hard it is for people not to live by instinct, Peter told us to rely on Jesus, who when he was reviled did not revile in return, who when he suffered did not threaten, and who judges righteously. Even when he was persecuted, Jesus did not curse. Because he knew God’s will to forgive sinners, he prayed instead for those who persecuted him and gave himself up with joy. In the same way, God’s people must win the war against Satan, who stands in the way of salvation. Let us never forget that wherever there is discouragement, anger, or strife among us, an evil spirit is at work.
Satan works to cut off the relationship between God and his people, and between his people themselves, so we must use wisdom to discern the spirits. Satan tempted even Jesus in order to hinder his ministry; how easy, then, it must be for him to tempt us. When we run into trouble, the anger, the sense of being wronged, and the wish for revenge that rise in us — these are Satan’s temptations. At such a time we must be filled with the Holy Spirit so as not to be overcome by the evil spirit, and only by resisting with humble faith and wisdom can we win the battle of the spirit.
Romans 12:16
16Be of the same mind one toward another. Don’t set your mind on high things, but associate with the humble. Don’t be wise in your own conceits.
Saints who are respected always guard their words and actions. Someone who says whatever comes to mind is a foolish person who has not been born again. Our own words become Satan’s tools in the end, a snare hard to escape, so to become mature we must be careful in what we say and do. “Don’t set your mind on high things, but associate with the humble. Don’t be wise in your own conceits” — this means not to strive for people’s approval. If God approves, that is the highest faith and character, so it is also wisdom to live as though we fall a little short and, unless salvation is at stake, to let others win.
Because the apostle Paul knew human weakness, he told us to do nothing through rivalry or conceit, but in humility each to count others better than ourselves. Only then can we keep from growing proud and govern our own hearts. By instinct, people compare themselves with others and think themselves superior. Gaining the character that thinks well of others takes considerable effort, and overcoming evil with good takes a long time, so we must persevere. People with high self-esteem do not compare themselves with others; having no need to, they do not quarrel or envy. Such people are called mature in faith: they live at peace with others, plan good things together, and entrust themselves to God, so they do not take revenge. When an evil spirit intervenes, those whose faith is mature enough to understand and embrace others seek to protect rather than to hate, with an understanding heart. Because we are brothers and sisters with the same purpose in Christ, they show the maturity of counting the other better than themselves.
Luke 10:5-6
5Into whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace be to this house.’ 6If a son of peace is there, your peace will rest on him; but if not, it will return to you.
The word that the one who blesses is blessed and the one who curses is cursed is truly a fearful word. God has resolved for his people every problem of sin that stood in their way, so they must be especially careful in word and deed. If saints who are holy like this waste their time seeking revenge, they commit the sin of helping Satan and may instead be rebuked by God. When we praise, bless, and curse with the same mouth, God works the blessing as blessing and the curse as curse, so we must not be swept away by emotion but must discern the spirits. When God’s people enter a house, the Holy Spirit gives them spiritual authority to proclaim the gospel and puts power into every word they speak. If someone in that house is worthy of the blessing, the Spirit works so that the blessing is fulfilled just as it was spoken, and blesses the one who prayed as well. But if there is no one worthy of the blessing, it returns to the one who prayed, so blessing becomes a reward even for the one who gives it.
If you believe this word, then since you cannot know who will bless you or when, you must always keep a vessel ready to receive blessing. Even if many people intercede for you, without a vessel to receive it their prayers will never come upon you, so you must live a good life. Conversely, you must know that if you curse a good person, that curse will come back on you. Keep in mind, too, that the more you bless, the more you are blessed, but the more you curse, the more pain and worry you bring on yourself. Whoever the other person is and whatever your situation, you must never flare up in anger, speak or act rashly, or curse. Even if you never curse someone to their face, to be angry with them and slander them is, in God’s eyes, the same as cursing. This is why we must not be overcome by evil but overcome evil with good. Only when we have room in our hearts to give food and drink to an enemy who is hungry are we recognized as having the kind heart that can be at peace with all men. When we do not repay anything with evil but work with a good conscience, the Holy Spirit works on our side. If you gave with a good heart but the other person treated you with evil, God will make them ashamed and pained, as if they had heaped coals of fire on their own head. God will help you, who worked to save souls, so I hope you will not fear the world, people, or evil spirits.
Romans 12:15
15Rejoice with those who rejoice. Weep with those who weep.
To bless others sincerely, we must be sure that God is our Father and have the high self-esteem that grows from that assurance. To bless people truly, without envy or jealousy, we need mature faith and a love that resembles God’s. It is usually easy to grieve with someone in trouble, but not easy to congratulate sincerely someone who has succeeded far beyond us. The cause is a wicked human instinct, like Cain’s jealousy of Abel. Even so, the apostle Paul says that we must bless those who persecute us and not curse, and be able to rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep. Because Jesus went down to the lowest place, to the point of laying down his life, Paul taught that we too must go down to a low place before we can gain the strength to overcome our wicked instincts. Those who have the courage to go down low have room to rejoice even when others achieve greater success than they have.
Only with such character can we keep up gracious relationships, become neighbors who offer a sincere heart, and congratulate others with joy. When we have such mature faith, we begin to see Satan moving to obstruct good works. Because we look at the world having laid aside human greed, we see Satan’s movements clearly and can triumph by the power of God.
Romans 12:13
13contributing to the needs of the saints; given to hospitality.
When we have become people of such faith, we can serve wholeheartedly. When the apostle Paul sent his letter to the church in Rome, most of its members were desperately poor. Because they had nothing, it was hard for them to show hospitality. Paul knew this, yet he taught them to serve with all their heart. He did so because he hoped that even amid hardship they would grow in faith, with the joy of serving in the church and the hope of heaven. Those who look toward the eternal world and serve without expecting any reward are blessed by God. On the other hand, when we work hard, we may also fall into Satan’s temptations, which try to hinder us. We are, after all, too weak to rely on a Kingdom of God we cannot see. God always fills his people with the Holy Spirit so that their sacrifice will not be in vain. Because this love of God becomes the power to fight and defeat Satan, we must not be lazy but serve the Lord with all diligence.
Romans 12:10-11
10In love of the brothers be tenderly affectionate to one another; in honor preferring one another; 11not lagging in diligence; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord;
Paul said that to rejoice in hope even when we suffer, we must be tenderly affectionate in love of the brothers, prefer one another in honor, and serve the Lord, not lagging in diligence. Here, “fervent in spirit” means to serve with a fire burning in our hearts. When we are filled with the Holy Spirit, we can give ourselves to the point of death without even knowing it is a sacrifice, and when we see weaker brothers and sisters growing, we are filled with still greater passion, as if fire burned in our breast. If we think that our present service is a sacrifice, that is a heart seeking reward, and it is not true service or sacrifice. Of course, this does not mean we should give up everything in the world and do only the work of the church; nor should God’s people, who must live out their lives in the world, do so. It means that we must never forget that we are citizens of the Kingdom of God, and must fulfill our calling to bring into God’s Kingdom those held fast by the powers of darkness.
If you wonder whether you love God, ask whether you truly love and honor your brothers and sisters in the faith right now, and you will know. Consider whether you are doing God’s work diligently and with fervor, and you will be able to answer for yourself. God does not tolerate going to church without zeal, for he said that he knows your works, that you are neither cold nor hot, that he wishes you were cold or hot, and that because you are lukewarm, neither hot nor cold, he will vomit you out of his mouth. Those who show love in God’s name must be without pretense. Those who abhor what is evil and cling to what is good must have no falsehood in their words and deeds, and must lift high the name of God through their lives.
John said that we know we have passed out of death into life because we love the brothers, and that whoever does not love remains in death. Like John, if you want to bear witness that you have been saved, may you love your brothers and sisters. From the very beginning, salvation was not obtained by human effort; it is God’s unilateral love, so only when we love one another as Jesus loved us can we overcome evil with good. Such people may look weak, but because they serve with the wisdom of God, they can become strong and yield to no one. I hope that you will always and everywhere be humble, giving in love and embracing others, and so receive and enjoy God’s blessing.