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1st December 2024
SundayReflection
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'Jeffery Curtis Poor'
'Trying to be more like Jesus each day'
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"The Meaning Of Romans 12:21
(Do Not be overcome by evil)"
At first glance most of us probably agree with this verse, it sounds good.
In Romans 12 Paul starts by drawing a conclusion from what he has presented thus far in his letter.
Now he's talking about how we should live.
This chapter is an incredible description of what it means to live a life of sacrifice to God.
Paul's not telling us to do this so that we can earn something, but rather we should do this in response to ALL that God has done for us.
Rather than seeking what we want in life, we should seek what God wants.
As we get a little farther into Romans 12 we see a series of brief pointed commands.
When you look at these together you see a picture of what a Christian life should be centred around.
Paul is encouraging his readers to set aside ourselves and focus on what God is leading us to.
Even if that means we have to do something difficult.
This is the final command in this series of commands that Paul gives in Romans 12.
And this one is one of the most difficult, but also one of the most important and life-changing.
The reality is we will all encounter evil in this life.
And the temptation when we face some kind of evil and injustice is to fight fire with fire.
To punch back, to sink to their level.
But all this does is produce more sin and pain.
It starts this cycle of revenge that is never satisfied.
What Paul is saying is that Christians should not fight back in the same way that the world does.
This is difficult because when someone wrongs us we get a sense of justice that we want to force on them.
We want them to bleed like we bled; we want them to pay like we've paid.
We are justified in that feeling.
They do deserve that.
But when we repay evil with evil we don't end up solving anything, but rather we become stuck in sin and brokenness.
Instead of being overcome by evil, we should overcome evil with good.
Think of what Jesus did for us.
We've all wilfully sinned against God; we committed evil against him.
We deserve punishment for that sin.
But rather than repaying our evil, Jesus chose to overcome our evil with good.
With Jesus as our example, Christians are to do the same for others.
Rather than repaying people with what they deserve, we give them what they need.
It certainly wasn't fair that Jesus hung on the cross for our sins.
This is the approach that leads to freedom, that stops this cycle of revenge that so many are stuck in.
Dr Tom Constable has some incredible wisdom on what impact this kind of life makes:
"When people do wrong, they expect to receive evil from those they have wronged.
When they receive kindness instead, their hard hearts often become softer.
The best way to get rid of an enemy is to turn him or her into a friend."
Romans 12:21 should be a verse that every Christian meditates on.
Are we treating others as Christ has treated us?
Or are we repaying evil with evil?
Again, remember the context.
We aren't to do this to earn anything, but rather we do this in response to what Jesus has done for us.
He's given us what we desperately needed rather than what we deserved.
Now we are to do the same for those around us.
I want to encourage you to spend some time thinking about, praying about, and meditating on this passage.
My guess is you have areas in your life where you can work on repaying evil with good.
And I believe if you do that you will see your faith grow AND your impact on those around you greatly increase.
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This is an edited version.
The full article and Bible references are avaiable on request
'Jeffery Curtis Poor'
Husband. Father. Pastor. Church Planter. Writer.
Trying to be more like Jesus each day.
BA in Biblical Studies - Ozark Christian College (2012)
MA in Theology - Regent University (2019)
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