No images? Click here The Normal Christian Life Pt. III Romans 12:17-21 April 7th, 2024 God desires that the members of His church live in harmony with each other as we represent Him to the world. Harmony should be present among any group that has been changed by the gospel. As Christ’s ambassadors, we represent God to the world. As we live in harmony, the world will want to know why we do the things we do and how we can love others the way we do; this gives us a platform for the gospel.
These twenty-two commands can be divided into three categories: 1) Genuine in Love (vv. 9-13), 2) Bless Others (vv. 14-17a) and 3) Respect what is Right (17b-21). The first two were discussed previously, and the third one will be examined today. In summary, being genuine in love means to serve one another, to be ready to always do good, being patient with one another, honoring one another, giving financially to the church, etc. We bless others by a) absorbing evil done to us and replacing it with good, b) when cursed we give goodness in return, we c) enter into their world as we emphasize with others in their joy and in their pain, d) we show no partiality, and e) we do not retaliate. The normal Christian life also calls us to respect what is right.
III. Respect what is Right
A. Respect what is right: introduced (v. 17b) Respect means to consider all aspects of a situation so that you can make the best decision, that is, to perceive the situation correctly so that you can live wisely. We are to comprehend the situation, to evaluate the options and think about how the situation might unfold with the various options. Living in harmony is the context of respecting, or considering, what is right. God is saying think, then act wisely; if we are going to live in harmony, we need to consider all angles before making a decision. God says, be prudent, think about Me, think about My commandments, think about yourself, think about your character, think about sin, think about how all these factors affect the harmony of the church.
Romans 12:1-2 tells us to be transformed through the renewing of our mind. This requires engaging our mind, it requires training, it requires studying God’s Word, and it requires an input of knowledge. A grave weakness in the church today is that we are neglecting to think. One author said that the problem is not that we don’t value thinking, we don’t even care that we no longer think. Another author said that a church without thinkers or readers will become marginalized and unable to stand against secularism or misguided scientism. As it succumbs to cultural accommodation, the church will be left to measure its success by number.
B. What is right: presented (vv. 18-21)
Scripture tells us to respect what is right – THINK; have your mind transformed. We are to love God with our whole heart, soul, mind, and strength. God wants us to think about what is right, what is good and beautiful in His eyes. And we are to do this in the sight of all men. We are to think about what is good and beautiful as we stand face-to-face with another person. Verse 18 describes the good and beautiful response: “If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.” This is respecting what is right, it is striving to live in harmony with all – a high calling. Paul prefaces this with, “If possible”. This is not easy, it takes power. This requires a strong faith, and it is an objective truth. However, it is often misunderstood as being a subjective reality.
Implications flow from an understanding that Paul is talking about an objective reality which requires power to achieve harmony. The first implication is that it is the indwelling Spirit of God that is the source of that power. We need to examine our relationships to see if we are living in harmony with all. If not, there is a deficiency in our faith. Mark 9:23 tells the story of a man who brought his demon-possessed son to Jesus’ disciples to be healed, but they could not cast out the demon. So, the man turned to Jesus and pleaded with Him to heal his son if He could. Jesus responded, "If you can! All things are possible for one who believes." The Pharisees had mocked the disciples in disbelief, the father didn’t believe, no one had believed. Everything is possible objectively with God’s power for the one who believes. The issue is not a lack of God’s power but a lack of faith.
Romans 12:18 conveys the same message when Paul says, “If it is possible…” Living in harmony with all is possible for the one who combines God’s power with his/her own effort. The Christian faith is relying on the power of God and adding our own effort. With both working together, we can accomplish great things for God! God’s power is always available to the believer, but it requires every ounce of our faith, every ounce of our strength, every ounce of our energy to live in harmony with one another. Unbelievers understand that energy is required, and they will use their energy in an attempt to lead Christians astray. Jesus said in Matthew 24:24, “For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect.” Knowing that it will come, believers need to be ready for this onslaught; we cannot be lazy.
The battle begins in our minds. Our natural inclination is to put hard things in the bottom of the barrel and the easy things on top, thus tackling only the easy things, leaving the difficult things at the bottom of the barrel, out of sight. This laziness is seen in that we fail to prioritize and follow through on tasks and goals. This spiritual apathy issue pervades every aspect of our life. This spiritual apathy is also manifest in dealing with personal relationships. This verse tells us to live in harmony with all, and we think we are being peacemakers when we avoid all conflict. However, conflict is inevitable, and even necessary, in this fallen world.
There are two types of people who engage in conflict: the contentious person and the person who admonishes others in the Spirit. We discern the difference by their demeanor and their purpose. The quarrelsome person likes to entice conflict, causing disputes without resolution; this requires the expenditure of little energy. The person who admonishes in the Spirit seeks to guide someone in wisdom, and they are constructive in their approach. They know when to push and when to stop; they know when to admonish and when to encourage with firmness. Their goal is to offer correction and guidance for the sake of the spiritual growth of the other person. And this is hard; it costs a huge amount of energy. The confrontation is not something the person wants to do but are compelled to do by God’s Spirit. Two extreme examples are when John the Baptist confronted Herrod and his new wife for their sin of adultery and Elijah when he confronted the prophets of Baal (Mark 6 and 1 Kings 18). John was beheaded and Elijah ran from Jezebel for fear of his life; with each expending great amounts of emotional and spiritual energy in their confrontation, but all for God’s honor. It is important that we distinguish between a quarrelsome person and someone who is admonishing you for your own wellbeing in Christ. So, as much as it depends on you, use all your energy to live in harmony, confessing, considering, extending mercy, offering grace – whatever it takes so that the relationship can be right before the Lord.
Not only do we respect others in our response to sin, but we also need to give respect to God and His boundaries. Vengeance belongs to God, so in no circumstance are we ever to take revenge. Though tempting, we are never to take justice into our own hands. When we are treated unjustly, we are never to retaliate. In this verse Paul is citing Moses in Deuteronomy 32:35 where God forbids individual to exact vengeance. 1 Thessalonians 4:6 also states that the Lord avenges all things. 1 Peter 3:9 warns us “Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless, for to this you were called, that you may obtain a blessing.” The people addressed in 1 Peter and 1 Thessalonians were undergoing great persecution and to resist retaliation would have been very difficult.
The reason we are not to take vengeance is two-fold. The first is that we are God’s representatives. As Paul begins verse 19 with “Beloved”, he is writing this letter to those who are loved by God. And we must remember that there was a time when we were not the beloved. Both Colossians 1:21 and Romans 5:10 remind us that, though we are the beloved now, there was a time when we were alienated from God and were His enemies. He loved us when we were most unlovable; we most resemble God when we love the unlovable. God expects us to love every person we meet throughout our whole live.
The second reason we are not to take vengeance is that we are to leave room for God’s wrath. Romans 1:32 reminds us that everyone, even unbelievers, recognize God’s wrath and understand that they deserve death. Through creation, all people know that God exists, and the moral law on their heart. Everyone inherently knows that they are guilty of breaking God’s Law. This knowledge is an aroma of life for those who are being saved but an aroma of death for those who are perishing. It is true that God is love, but we tend to ignore the fact that God is also a God of wrath. God hates wickedness, the boastful, evildoers, bloodthirsty men, and deceitful men, etc. (Hebrews 1:9 and Psalm 5:1). God loves with a perfect love, and He hates with a perfect hate. If God did not hate sin, He would not be just. Hate is an attribute of God’s holiness. God understands hate and we do not, thus we leave vengeance to Him.
There are two words for wrath. One is characterized as a panting rage, to breathe violently, whereas the other is more settled, and becoming more settled with time. Jonathan Edwards described God’s wrath as a flowing river dammed up by His mercy. And God, by His mercy, is currently giving sinners an opportunity for repentance and faith, but the river continues to flow. One day the dam is going to open and unrepentant sinners will be swept away in the flood of God’s wrath. While a future judgment is coming, there is a present reality to His judgment. Romans 1:18 declares that God’s wrath is being revealed against all ungodliness and unrighteousness and that God is going to judge them for their sin.
The only way to escape God’s wrath is to be saved. It is important we understand that the thing we are saved from is God’s wrath, a wrath that we all deserve. We know that God is not settled with sin in our life. When we participate in the Lord’s Supper, we are commanded to evaluate our life, to identify, confess and repent from our sin. In 1 Corinthians 11, Paul points out that some people have died from taking the Lord’s Supper in an unworthy manner. God’s wrath is also being revealed in His yielding of man to his debased nature. Romans 1, verses 24, 26, and 28 all state that God gave man up to do evil, thus allowing him to experience the consequences of his actions now and in eternity.
When we look at the culture around us, we see the results of God giving man free reign to do as he pleases. God is not a passive observer; He sees and remembers injustices, so we must remember that we are forbidden to ever retaliate. When we experience injustice, we might be tempted to attack with hurtful words, insults, spreading rumors that damage their reputation, and slander, etc. Some of the more subtle ways we retaliate are through criticisms, passive-aggressive behavior, withholding affection, gossiping, and causing inconvenience. Proverbs 20:22 says, “Do not say, ‘I will repay evil’; wait for the Lord, and he will deliver you.” God claims exclusive rights to execute justice and wrath. When we retaliate against another person, we trespass on God’s territory, and He is not pleased. Alternatively, we are to heed Jesus’ words when He said, “bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you” (Luke 6:28).
Rather than to retaliate, Paul tells us how we should respond when mistreated, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by doing so you will heap burning coals on his head.” We don’t know the heart or the intentions of the person who harms us, but God does. God requires that we respond in humility, which is the recognition that you have limitations, but you also have a willingness to serve. As we recognize our limitations and the fact that God judges righteously, whereas we probably wouldn’t, the proper response should be to be kind to them and meet their needs. Such a response is equivalent to heaping burning coals on their head. This analogy suggests a conviction of sin.
Perhaps the greatest example of a humble response is what Joseph said to his brothers after their father died. The brothers thought that Joseph was withholding retribution until Jacob died, then they expected that Joseph would exact judgment. However, in Genesis 50:20 Joseph said, “As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good.” Joseph well understood that vengeance belongs to God. Think about the people who have done you wrong. Did you show them kindness, sacrifice for them, and seek to meet their needs, or did you respond in anger? God requires that we respond in humility. Peter tells wives of unbelieving husbands to win them to Christ by their respectful and pure conduct and their gentle and quiet spirit. (1 Peter 3:1-5).
God wants us to consider the victory that has already been won by Christ. In this verse, Paul encourages us to not be overcome (conquered) by evil. If we are mistreated by someone, the inappropriate response is to allow the evil to overwhelm us and lead us to despair. We tend to play the scenario over and over in our mind to the point of becoming spiritually defeated. A premier example of being spiritually defeated is when Peter denied Jesus and became so guilt ridden that, later, he abandoned his post and went fishing.
We have all heard the expression, Turn it over to God, yet we don’t know how to do this. The way we turn it over to God is to apply this verse to the situation: overcome evil with good. Our thoughts determine our actions. We need to consider Philippians 4:8 which says, “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.” As we think good thoughts we do good things. In order to live in harmony, we must focus on what is good, what is honorable, and what is right. This is possible only as we have been transformed by the renewal of our mind and we have offered ourselves completely to God. (Romans 12:1-2)
Keep in mind that the victory has already been won by Jesus, thereby making us victorious in Him. Jesus said, “But take heart; I have overcome the world." (John 16:33) So, when we are dealing with a situation of evil done to us, we need to remember that we don’t have to win the victory, Jesus has already won the victory on our behalf. Revelation 1:1 tells us that the return of Jesus “must soon take place”, and 1 John 4:4 declares “Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.” Respect, consider, the victory that allows us to live righteously because Christ has already overcome sin.
Selah:
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