“Never pay back evil with more evil. Do things in such a way that everyone can see you are honourable. Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone.”
“Don’t let evil conquer you, but conquer evil by doing good.”
Romans 12:17-18, 21 NLT
There is a saying – “two wrongs don’t make a right”. Yet our human nature can demand, even force, us to react against a negative encounter to circumstance. Something within us wants a payback for the wrong that we have experienced, or think we have experienced. Much evil was inflicted on the early Christians. They were ostracised, evicted from their homes, beaten, imprisoned and even killed, all for their faith. And it would have been natural for those early believers to try and get some form of reparation. However, what we might perceive as evil, directed at us, might not be quite as clear cut as we imagine. I think of the zealous Saul, reacting against his analysis of the new Way was all about, thinking that it was an evil attack on God and the traditions of His people. We pick up the story at the end of Acts 7, during the stoning of Stephen, the first Christian martyr. And then in Acts 8:1,3 we read, “Saul was one of the witnesses, and he agreed completely with the killing of Stephen. A great wave of persecution began that day, sweeping over the church in Jerusalem; and all the believers except the apostles were scattered through the regions of Judea and Samaria …. But Saul was going everywhere to destroy the church. He went from house to house, dragging out both men and women to throw them into prison”. Saul thought there was evil around and failed to understand that it wasn’t evil at all. He ended up committing evil against God’s plans and purposes.
The Amplified version of the Bible interprets Romans 12:17 as, “Never repay anyone evil for evil. Take thought for what is right and gracious and proper in the sight of everyone” (emphasis is mine). Before we react in anger or deed against some perceived injustice, we must stop and think. James 1:19-20 puts it very well, “Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry. Human anger does not produce the righteousness God desires” (emphasis mine). By pausing in our responses we give God a chance to remedy a situation, either in the other person or in us. There is medical evidence that suggests being prone to angry outbursts will shorten our lives. Now, in 21st Century Planet Earth, nothing induces an angry response more than a perception that someone else’s driving manoeuvres are wrong or even downright dangerous. Of course, we cast that opinion from a position of being a perfect driver ourselves! But the problem has increased with the number of drivers on our crowded roads, and a recently introduced phrase, “road rage”, sums up the problem. Be “slow to get angry” James wrote, and that strategy would have fulfilled the advice Paul gave the early Christians in Rome, advice that said responding to evil with more evil might not be a good idea and will probably spawn a situation that wouldn’t end well.
Paul wrote some good advice that we should take on board today. “Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone.” We all meet people in our lives who are prickly, aggressive, and even downright rude. Some seem to be consumed with an inner anger, and are just looking for someone on whom they can vent their frustrations. But because we are not walking in their shoes, we must try and bring peace into the encounter. Jesus said, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God” (Matthew 5:9). We pilgrims have a responsibility to be obedient to what Jesus said, and bring peace into our world. We may not achieve a high-profile resolution to a very public and far-reaching war, but as all Christians everywhere strive for peace the effects will accumulatively fulfil our mission.
Paul ends Romans 12 with a warning, “Don’t let evil conquer you”. We will indeed succumb to evil if we respond in the wrong way. Perhaps we pilgrims need to start on our knees and pray for the other person. Even a hurried prayer in a stressful situation will suffice. And the peace of God will flood over us, bringing a remedy to the crisis before us, and lowering our blood pressure in the process.
Dear God. Please help us to let You take on the responses required against evil people. We will have a tendency to just make things worse. Thank You. Amen.
Being a Pilgrim 