Romans 12:14,17-21: Bless & Do Not Curse || Luke Nash

Devotional

Day 1: Blessing Persecutors Like Coals on Cold Hearts

When evil comes, the unnatural response of grace is to bless, not curse. This counterintuitive act disrupts cycles of hatred, mirroring Christ’s love for His enemies. Blessing persecutors isn’t weakness—it’s warfare, heaping burning coals of conviction through kindness. Such love refuses to let another’s malice dictate our character, choosing instead to reflect God’s heart to those least deserving. [03:26]

“Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.” (Romans 12:14, NASB)

Reflection: Who has wronged you recently, and what specific act of blessing (prayer, service, or words) could disrupt the pattern of retaliation in your heart?

Day 2: Refusing the Retaliation Reflex

Retaliation feels instinctive, like Newton’s law of equal force. Yet grace rewires reflexes: when struck, we absorb the blow rather than return it. This isn’t passive surrender but active resistance to evil’s grip. By doing what’s honorable—even when others dishonor us—we expose darkness to the disinfectant of integrity. [19:35]

“Never pay back evil for evil to anyone. Respect what is right in the sight of all men.” (Romans 12:17, NASB)

Reflection: What unresolved conflict tempts you to “balance the scales”? How might choosing honor over retaliation defuse tension this week?

Day 3: Making Room for God’s Justice

Revenge is a cramped, sweaty room where we play judge. Leaving vengeance to God means stepping into the open air of trust. Like Peruvian villagers forming vigilante groups, we’re tempted to seize gavels. But the Judge who bore our guilt knows how to weigh hearts. Our job is to clear space for His verdict. [27:43]

“Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, ‘Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,’ says the Lord.” (Romans 12:19, NASB)

Reflection: Where have you been rearranging furniture in the “courtroom” of a relationship? What would it look like to vacate the judge’s seat today?

Day 4: Kindness as a Weapon Against Hatred

Feeding enemies isn’t surrender—it’s siege warfare. Every meal offered to a persecutor is a battering ram against their hostility. Like coals melting metal, persistent kindness softens hearts hardened by pride. This strategy seems foolish to the world, but it’s the only way evil is truly overcome, not merely contained. [38:32]

“But if your enemy is hungry, feed him, and if he is thirsty, give him a drink; for in so doing you will heap burning coals on his head. Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” (Romans 12:20–21, NASB)

Reflection: What practical “act of siege” (a note, an errand, a gift) could you execute against an adversary’s defenses this week?

Day 5: Imaging the Enemy-Loving God

Before we were saints, we were God’s enemies—yet He set tables for us in the presence of our rebellion. Our call isn’t to mimic the world’s quid-pro-quo love but to scandalize it with divine math: good for evil, mercy for malice. Every kindness to persecutors paints a stroke in God’s self-portrait. [43:05]

“For we too were once foolish, disobedient, deceived… But when the kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind appeared, He saved us.” (Titus 3:3–5, NASB)

Reflection: How does remembering your former hostility toward God reshape your view of those hostile to you? What trait of His love can you mirror today?

Sermon Summary

Romans 12 begins with the mercies of God and calls the Christian to present the body as a living and holy sacrifice. Paul first shows that sacrificial devotion looks like sincere love inside the body of Christ, where gifts are used faithfully and love is without hypocrisy. Verse 14 turns that love outward, toward a world that may hate Christ and therefore oppose those who belong to him. Paul’s main charge is plain: “Bless those who persecute you. Bless and do not curse.”

The hostile world brings persecution, evil, enemies, and the temptation to revenge. The human heart naturally wants to get even, whether in a Hatfield and McCoy kind of feud, a sharp word, a cold shoulder, or some quiet satisfaction at making another person feel the hurt. Paul refuses that natural motion of the heart because the requirement of God’s grace is different. Grace requires blessing and doing good to those who harm.

Verse 18 calls for peace: “If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men.” Peace must be pursued without a quarrelsome spirit and without delighting in a fight. Peace is not always possible, because some people refuse peace and because truth must not be traded for a false calm. Love cannot rejoice in unrighteousness, so peace must never be bought by affirming rebellion against Christ.

Verse 17 forbids retaliation with the strongest language: “Never pay back evil for evil to anyone.” Paul overturns the instinct that every action deserves an equal and opposite reaction. Christian relationships do not work by Newton’s third law. Honor, gentleness, and integrity must answer mistreatment, because refusing to stoop often snuffs out the fire where no more wood is added.

Verse 19 gives the reason: God is the judge, and the right of vengeance belongs to him. Taking revenge puts the wounded person on the judgment seat. Faith steps down from that seat and leaves room for the wrath of God, not with a smug wish for punishment, but with trust that God knows how to do right. God may judge in wrath, or God may vindicate by saving the very enemy whose sin was laid on Christ.

Verses 20 and 21 carry the command beyond restraint into active kindness. Food and drink stand for every sort of help, counsel, effort, and care offered to an enemy in need. Kindness becomes burning coals, not as a petty way to increase torment, but as love that may melt hostility. Christ is the pattern: he refused threats, prayed for his enemies, and loved sinners while they were still enemies. God’s people image that God when good overcomes evil.

##

Key Takeaways

1. Peace must not compromise truth. Peace is not the same as keeping a relationship untouched at any cost. Paul’s “if possible” protects the conscience from false guilt when another person refuses peace or demands affirmation of sin. Love can desire good, speak with tenderness, and still refuse to call rebellion righteous. [17:18]
2. Retaliation belongs nowhere in faith. Retaliation feels natural because the injured heart wants an equal and opposite reaction. Paul’s “never” closes every private loophole, even when the other person has truly done evil. Honor answers low treatment by refusing to become what it condemns. [19:35]
3. Judgment belongs to the Judge. Revenge quietly places the wounded person in God’s seat. Faith steps down from that throne and trusts the Lord to know the full weight of every act, motive, and wound. The prayer for justice can also become a prayer for mercy, because God may vindicate by redeeming the enemy. [24:02]
4. Kindness is stronger than hatred. Kindness does not merely withhold harm; kindness moves toward the enemy’s real need. Food and drink stand for resources, counsel, effort, and care offered when bitterness would rather withdraw. Burning coals picture love that may make hatred hard to hold onto. [39:39]
5. Enemies reveal God’s former mercy. God loved sinners while they were enemies, not after hostility had improved. Christ met rebellion with substitution, mercy, and reconciling grace. The refusal to love enemies gives the world a false image of the God who saved enemies.

## [41:33]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[00:23] - Reading Romans 12
[03:45] - Revenge in the Human Heart
[07:25] - Bless Those Who Persecute You
[08:06] - Living Sacrifices and Mercy
[10:10] - Loving a Hostile World
[12:59] - Pursue Peace With All Men
[18:41] - Refuse Retaliation
[24:02] - Leave Judgment to God
[32:44] - Conquer With Kindness
[36:44] - Burning Coals and Softened Hearts
[40:50] - Imaging the God Who Loves Enemies
[43:45] - Four Responses to Hostility

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading

Romans 12:14
“Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them.” [00:23]

Romans 12:17-21
“Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. 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.” [02:57]

Matthew 5:44
“But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,”

Romans 5:8
“but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

Observation questions

In Romans 12:17-21, what different situations does Paul describe—evil, enemies, vengeance, hunger, thirst—and what commands does he attach to each one? [10:41]
What repeated words or ideas in Romans 12:14 and 17-21 show that Paul is talking about real hostility, not just minor disagreement?
Romans 12:18 says, “If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.” What limits or qualifications are built into that command? [15:31]
In Romans 12:20-21, what pictures does Paul use for active love toward an enemy, and how are those pictures stronger than simply holding back retaliation? [34:00]

Interpretation questions

Paul says believers should pursue peace “if possible” and “so far as it depends on you.” How does that protect a Christian from thinking peace must be kept at any cost, even at the cost of truth? [17:20]
Romans 12:17 says to repay no one evil for evil, but to do what is honorable in the sight of all. What does honorable conduct look like when someone has actually wronged a person? [21:24]
Romans 12:19 says to leave room for the wrath of God. Why is personal revenge more than a relationship problem—why is it also a problem of trying to take God’s place? [25:09]
Paul commands not only restraint but positive kindness toward enemies. Why might kindness be described as a way of overcoming evil rather than simply ignoring it? [39:39]

Application questions

When someone has hurt, embarrassed, ignored, or opposed you recently, what form did the temptation to “pay back evil for evil” take in your heart—sharp words, distance, gossip, silence, or something else? [19:35]
“So far as it depends on you” calls for honest self-examination. In a strained relationship, what would it look like to make sure the lack of peace is not coming from your own attitude or tone? [17:04]
Peace must not be purchased by affirming what Christ calls sin. Have you faced a relationship where kindness and truth seemed to pull against each other? What did it look like to love someone without calling rebellion good? [17:34]
Leaving judgment to God requires stepping down from the judgment seat. Where is it hardest for you to trust that God sees clearly, judges rightly, and does not need your help to settle the score? [28:40]
Jesus loved enemies while they were still enemies. How does remembering God’s mercy toward you change the way you view a person who is difficult, hostile, or deeply disappointing? [41:44]
If an enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him a drink. What might “food and drink” look like in a present-day situation—practical help, a needed conversation, wise counsel, prayer, or some other act of care? [34:26]
Good overcomes evil not only by refusing revenge but by moving toward an enemy’s real need. Is there one person right now toward whom obedience would mean active kindness rather than mere avoidance? What might be a faithful first step? [33:31]

Sermon Clips

53s

“``Does anyone know Newton's third law of motion? I'm sure you will when I say it. For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. That's a standard law and it's applicable to physics. For every action, there's an equal and opposite reaction. That doesn't apply to relationships. At least not Christian relationships. For every action, there must not be an equal and opposite reaction. When there is force pressed against us, there must not be equal force pressed back against the person who pushes against us. Paul says, when people lash out at you, when they spread gossip about you, when they mistreat you, when they do evil against you, you must not look for ways to do the same to them.”

60s

“We must recognize that God is the judge and we are not. It's that simple. We must recognize that God is the judge, the right for vengeance and revenge belongs to him and we are not and it does not belong to us. God's the only one as the sovereign creator and judge of all the earth who has a right to determine when and how to execute judgment. Now, obviously, we'll see in Romans 13, he's entrusted a certain measure of civil judicial punishment to the government. But when it comes to determining what wrath and vengeance looks like, there's only one who has the prerogative and the right to determine what that looks like and it is God. He is the judge and we are not. When we try to take vengeance on those who mistreat us, we are ultimately putting ourselves into the position of God.”

43s

“So according to the apostle Paul, inspired by the holy spirit, not retaliating is good but it's not good enough. Not returning evil for evil is a good response but we need to go further. He says, not only do you not return evil for evil, but you actually return good for evil. Not only do you not retaliate with cursing, but you actually bless those who persecute you. We go beyond mere restraining ourselves from lashing out. We we go further and we show kindness and goodness to the very people who hate us and who despise us.”

36s

“Never pay back evil for anyone. It's hard to imagine Paul being more emphatic than he is in this verse. Never, on the one hand, pay back evil for evil to anyone. Never to anyone. Never at any point in time, in any situation, it is never okay for a Christian to pay back evil for evil to anyone. Not your greatest enemy, not the one who most mistreats you, not those who persist in their hatred. Never pay back evil for evil to anyone.”

Ask a question about this sermon

Christ Church This sermon · AI assistant

What does it mean to bless persecutors?

How should Christians leave vengeance to God?

How does kindness conquer evil and hatred?

Romans 12:14,17-21: Bless & Do Not Curse || Luke Nash - 06/28/2026