Overcoming Evil with Good: Trusting God's Justice

Devotional

Day 1: Peace as a Mandate, Not Just a Feeling

Our call to live peaceably with all is grounded in the theological truth that we have been justified by faith and now have peace with God. This peace is not merely a personal experience but a mandate to extend that peace to others, even our enemies. The peace we have with God through justification is transformative, urging us to actively pursue peace in our relationships. This is not a passive state but an active call to live out the gospel, even with those who oppose us. By understanding that our peace with God is a gift, we are empowered to share that peace with others, reflecting the heart of the gospel. [02:17]

"For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility." (Ephesians 2:14, ESV)

Reflection: Who in your life do you find it difficult to live peaceably with? How can you actively pursue peace with them today, reflecting the peace you have received from God?

Day 2: Trusting in Divine Justice

We are reminded that God is the ultimate source of justice, and He has appointed governing authorities as His instruments. Our role is not to seek revenge but to trust in God's perfect justice, which will be fully realized in His timing. This trust requires us to relinquish our desire for personal vengeance and instead rely on God's sovereign plan. By doing so, we acknowledge that God's justice is far superior to our own and that He will ultimately right all wrongs. This perspective allows us to live with patience and hope, knowing that God's justice will prevail. [08:29]

"For the Lord is a God of justice; blessed are all those who wait for him." (Isaiah 30:18, ESV)

Reflection: In what situation are you tempted to take justice into your own hands? How can you practice trusting in God's justice today, even when it seems delayed?

Day 3: Kindness as a Witness to the Gospel

By responding to our enemies with kindness, we make the reality of God's judgment and mercy tangible. This counterintuitive response serves as a powerful witness to the gospel, pointing others to the hope found in Christ. Radical kindness, especially towards those who wrong us, is a reflection of the grace we have received. It is not about provoking or humiliating others but about demonstrating the transformative power of the gospel. Through acts of kindness, we embody the love of Christ, making His message of redemption and mercy visible to the world. [23:27]

"But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil." (Luke 6:35, ESV)

Reflection: Who is someone you consider an enemy or difficult person in your life? What specific act of kindness can you extend to them this week as a testimony of the gospel?

Day 4: Overcoming Evil with Good

The ultimate example of overcoming evil with good is found in Christ's sacrificial death. As followers of Christ, we are called to be instruments of good in a fallen world, trusting in God's redemptive plan. This call challenges us to respond to evil not with retaliation but with goodness, reflecting the heart of Christ. By doing so, we participate in God's work of redemption, bringing light into darkness. This approach requires faith and courage, as it often goes against our natural inclinations, but it is a powerful testimony of the gospel's transformative power. [28:57]

"Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good." (Romans 12:21, ESV)

Reflection: What is one area in your life where you are facing evil or injustice? How can you actively choose to respond with good, following Christ's example?

Day 5: Living with an Eternal Perspective

Our ability to trust God in the face of injustice is rooted in an eternal perspective. By focusing on the ultimate reality of God's kingdom, we can navigate the challenges of this world with hope and confidence. This perspective shifts our focus from temporary struggles to the eternal promises of God, allowing us to endure with patience and faith. It reminds us that our present sufferings are not worth comparing to the glory that will be revealed. Living with an eternal perspective empowers us to face life's challenges with a sense of purpose and hope, knowing that God's kingdom is our ultimate reality. [42:57]

"So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison." (2 Corinthians 4:16-17, ESV)

Reflection: How can you shift your focus from temporary struggles to the eternal promises of God today? What practical steps can you take to cultivate an eternal perspective in your daily life?

Sermon Summary

Romans 12:18-21 challenges us to live peaceably with all, emphasizing the importance of leaving vengeance to God and overcoming evil with good. This passage is deeply rooted in the theological foundation laid out in Romans 5, where we learn that we have been justified by faith and now have peace with God. This peace is not just a passive state but an active call to live out the gospel in our relationships, even with those who oppose us. The text reminds us that God is the ultimate source of justice, and He has ordained governing authorities as instruments of justice, not us. Therefore, we are called to trust in God's justice and refrain from taking matters into our own hands.

Paul's exhortation to "never avenge yourselves" is a radical departure from our natural inclination to seek revenge when wronged. Instead, we are to leave room for God's wrath, trusting that He will repay. This trust in God's justice allows us to respond to our enemies with kindness, feeding them when they are hungry and giving them drink when they are thirsty. Such actions are not meant to provoke or humiliate but to serve as a powerful testimony of the gospel, making the reality of God's coming judgment palpable to them.

The call to overcome evil with good is exemplified in the sending of Christ, who overcame the evil of this world through His sacrificial death on the cross. This act of ultimate goodness provides the model for how we are to engage with the world around us. We are to be instruments of good, trusting in God's ultimate plan and justice. This trust is not just for the extraordinary moments of life but for the everyday challenges we face. It is a call to live with an eternal perspective, seeing beyond the immediate injustices to the ultimate reality of God's kingdom.

Key Takeaways

1. Theological Foundation of Peace: Our call to live peaceably with all is grounded in the theological truth that we have been justified by faith and now have peace with God. This peace is not merely a personal experience but a mandate to extend that peace to others, even our enemies. [02:17]
2. Trust in God's Justice: We are reminded that God is the ultimate source of justice, and He has appointed governing authorities as His instruments. Our role is not to seek revenge but to trust in God's perfect justice, which will be fully realized in His timing. [08:29]
3. Radical Kindness as Gospel Proclamation: By responding to our enemies with kindness, we make the reality of God's judgment and mercy tangible. This counterintuitive response serves as a powerful witness to the gospel, pointing others to the hope found in Christ. [23:27]
4. Overcoming Evil with Good: The ultimate example of overcoming evil with good is found in Christ's sacrificial death. As followers of Christ, we are called to be instruments of good in a fallen world, trusting in God's redemptive plan. [28:57]
5. Living with an Eternal Perspective: Our ability to trust God in the face of injustice is rooted in an eternal perspective. By focusing on the ultimate reality of God's kingdom, we can navigate the challenges of this world with hope and confidence. [42:57]
** [42:57]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[00:35] - Introduction to Romans 12:18-21
[01:28] - Theological Foundation in Romans 5
[03:19] - Understanding God's Wrath
[05:26] - God's Love for His Enemies
[06:42] - Ethical Commands and Justice
[09:22] - Practicality of Living Peaceably
[12:00] - The Call to Never Avenge
[13:52] - Trusting in God's Justice
[15:40] - Authority of Scripture
[17:25] - The Reality of Judgment
[20:54] - Responding to Enemies with Kindness
[23:27] - Gospel Proclamation through Kindness
[28:57] - Overcoming Evil with Good
[35:53] - Trusting God in All Things
[42:57] - Eternal Perspective and Conclusion

Sermon Clips

"If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, 'Vengeance is Mine, I will repay, says the Lord.' To the contrary, 'if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.' Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good." [00:35:08]

"There are four descriptors of us in chapter 5. Verse 6 has two of them, 'weak' and 'ungodly,' and then down in verse 8, 'sinners,' and then make no mistake about it, verse 10, 'enemies.' So, here is God, perfect, holy, pure, transcendent, just, righteous, and here we are, sinners and the opposite of godly. And so, we are His enemy." [00:270:04]

"God loved His enemies, and God overcame evil through His omnibenevolence in the giving of His Son. We must remember this when we come to Romans chapter 12. If, if we are the subject of Romans chapter 5, or I should say, 'since.' Since we are the subject of Romans chapter 5, and we, former enemies, have been reconciled to God and now have peace with God, if that is true of us, then we are under the ethical command of Romans chapter 12." [00:357:32]

"And what we see here is that God is just, God is the source of justice, and God has also ordained the instruments of justice. And it is not you. We are in chapter 12. I will venture into chapter 13 just for a quick moment. It is the governing authorities and the ruler that is at the head of those governing authorities that has been ordained by God to be an instrument of justice." [00:464:00]

"Paul gets very specific here in verse 19. He says, 'Vigilantism is off-limits for you as a Christian.' 'Beloved;' I was reading again Dr. Sproul's commentary on Romans and he makes the comment here that when he says 'Beloved' to his congregation it is because a punch is coming.' So, Dr. Sproul would say, 'Beloved,' and then whack! So, perhaps Paul is doing the same thing here. A punch is coming. 'Never avenge yourselves.'" [00:711:64]

"Never!" No circumstance, there is no extenuating circumstance, there's no asterisk and then small print situations that allow you to get a pass. 'Never avenge yourselves, but.' And you could say, 'Well, is Paul unconcerned with justice here if someone is wronged and it is a legitimate wrong and you are not to avenge? Doesn't justice matter?' Absolutely, it matters, and so, 'leave it to the wrath of God.'" [00:800:36]

"Paul brings a text way back from Deuteronomy. He says there in verse 19, 'for it is written.' And just as an aside, make no mistake about it, Paul believed in the authority of Scripture. If you want an argument for this command that is a stretch, if you want a reason why this thing that I have just told you to do, that cuts entirely against the grain of your natural inclination, here is why, Scripture has said it." [00:908:92]

"Could it be that your response to an enemy that is so counterintuitive, so countercultural is actually in fact a gospel proclamation? Could it be that your response that Paul is demanding of you could in fact be a declaration of testimony that there is a God and He won't be negotiated with and He won't be bartered with? I think Paul is wanting us to see the eternal here, to get past the temporal, to get past that wrong and that injustice to see that what is ultimate here are eternal realities, heaven and hell, under the wrath of God or peace with God." [00:1490:36]

"God sent His Son. God sent His Son. And in the sending of His Son and through His Son's death on the cross the payment was made. Now, you have heard of these atonement theories in the early church. It is not that the other theories are wrong and the only theory is right of the substitutionary atonement. It is that the substitutionary atonement is the best theory to speak at what was absolutely the necessary accomplishment of redemption." [00:1943:92]

"Can you trust God enough to take verse 19 at its word? And if you can do that, if you can do it for that '100-year storm' event, can you do it for the ordinary and can you do it for the routine? I think in some ways this is almost circling back to what we were talking about earlier with the importance of hope and the role that hope plays in all this and understanding that ultimately we are talking about the promises of God and trusting in them and therefore now we can go and live the Christian life." [00:2242:76]

"God will do it. God will do it. He will bring us home. He will conquer His enemies. Justice will prevail. God will do it. So, what is left for you and what is left for me but to trust? And as we have been learning in Romans chapter 12, obey. It is really that simple, but to trust and obey." [00:2598:12]

"Our Father and our God, we thank You for this beautiful glorious chapter. We confess our inadequacy to rise to these standards. We ask that Your grace would be at work in us. We ask that we would sense our dependency upon You and the power of the Holy Spirit to be at work in our lives, but may we have this vision of You, may we trust in You, may we rest in You, for all things are from You and all things are by You and all things are for You. And to You alone be the glory, forever and ever. Amen." [00:2630:88]

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