Romans 12:17-18 Repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of all men. If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men.
Now at first glance, reading or listening to this verse simply made me think of Jesus, as if these words came straight from His heart to all His disciples. As impossible a task as it may sound like for every believer, remember, Christ Himself is the fulfillment of not repaying evil with evil but with good, as He lived in perfect peace with all, and we are now in Him, remember?
Oh by the way, pay close attention to the words "no one" and "all."
What Paul wrote here was not a bit of encouragement to try harder or try this next time or start another church movement; it was plainly a reminder of how we ought to treat anyone and all people the way Christ would’ve daily.
Think about it.
Of course it sounds much easier said than done, yet, by living in Christ with every spiritual blessing we have in Him and through the power of the Holy Spirit, this action of overcoming evil with good is part of our worship.
Yes, worship! Reacting with God's goodness when evil comes our way is glorifying God! To treat all people with God's grace and His love like He treats us in Christ is to do what is right in His sight to all people.
Because let’s be honest, we all will see and hear the manifestation of evil daily, so we have to decide in that moment how we are going to react, like the world or in Christ, for remember, as far as it depends on us, child of God, we get to be at peace with all people!
Now get this—this is so liberating, for just in the next verse, Paul wrote, "Do not avenge yourselves, beloved, but give place to the wrath of God, for it is written: 'Vengeance is Mine; I will repay,' says the Lord" (Rom 12:19).
You see, just as Jesus never wanted to get even with the people who did evil toward Him, He overcame the evil by functioning out of the Father’s will, and guess what, evil got what it deserved: THE GOODNESS OF GOD!
That’s why Paul concluded what will happen when we operate out of faith in Christ: overcome evil with good (Rom. 12:21).
So, dear family in Christ, let’s admit it, we will encounter evil each day, so let us overcome and not repay evil with its own strategy but with the goodness of God, living and reacting from the goodness of God, and as far as it depends on us, be at peace with all people.
Amen