Romans 12:19-21 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.
Our natural response when someone does something hurtful to us is to lash out in revenge. Revenge can be a defense mechanism at first, a form of self preservation. But after the initial emotional response, revenge can become calculated where we plan on how to get back at someone who has hurt us in some way. Paul urges the Romans to let God handle the justice part of it all. God will repay those who do wrong. Our job is to forgive and love, even when this is not easy. We have to few justice on God’s level and not our level. We can justify showing revenge from a human perspective, as a form of making all things equal, an eye for an eye. When we view this through the cross, we must see things differently. We must view those who harm us as persons whom God loves and for whom Jesus died. Paul quotes Deuteronomy 32:35 in v. 19 to show that God is the judge and will make things right in the end. And then Paul quotes Proverbs 25:21-22 in v. 20 to encourage the Roman Christians to pay evil back with good. Do something kind when people do something to hurt us. That type of response can only come through an attitude of grace. What affect would it have to pay back evil with good? It may not take care of the pain we experience from the evil, but it will put the blame on the one who is doing the evil. We become free from the evil, even though we may still suffer from the effects of it. Repaying with kindness allows God to be the judge.
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