Be Not Overcome Of Evil, But Overcome Evil With Good.

[Walter and Deborah]

Thursday 9-15-22 5th. Day Of The Weekly Cycle, Elul 18 5782 87th. Summer Day

Living Sacrifices

(1 Corinthians 3:16-18; 1 Corinthians 6:18-20)

1I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. 2And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

3For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith. 4For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office: 5So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another. 6Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith; 7Or ministry, let us wait on our ministering: or he that teacheth, on teaching; 8Or he that exhorteth, on exhortation: he that giveth, let him do it with simplicity; he that ruleth, with diligence; he that sheweth mercy, with cheerfulness.

Love, Zeal, Hope, Hospitality

John 13:31-35; 1 John 3:11-24)

9Let love be without dissimulation. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good. 10Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another; 11Not slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord; 12Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer; 13Distributing to the necessity of saints; given to hospitality.

Forgiveness

Matthew 18:21-35)

14Bless them which persecute you: bless, and curse not. 15Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep. 16Be of the same mind one toward another. Mind not high things, but condescend to men of low estate. Be not wise in your own conceits. 17Recompense to no man evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men. 18If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men. 19Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord. 20Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head. 21Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.

13 Ways to Overcome Evil With Good – ConnectUS (connectusfund.org)

Love, Walter and Debbie

[missmuffet]

How can I overcome evil with good (Romans 12:21)?

https://www.gotquestions.org

ANSWER

Romans 12:21 says, “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” This verse follows exhortations such as “Bless those who persecute you” (verse 14) and “Do not repay anyone evil for evil” (verse 17). The theme of the passage is how to love with sincerity (verse 9), and the instructions require us to set aside our natural inclinations. God’s way always challenges our fleshly nature and calls us to live at a higher level by the Spirit’s power. The human way is to curse those who curse us and try to overcome evil with more evil. But, according to Romans 12:21, we can only overcome evil with good. God’s goodness is stronger than any evil.

Jesus was the perfect example of overcoming evil with good: “When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly” (1 Peter 2:23). In submitting Himself to the evil of His captors, He conquered sin, Satan, and death (Ephesians 4:8–10). Evil thought it won that day when it nailed Christ to the cross. But because Jesus was fully surrendered to the will and plan of His Father, the Son of God overcame their evil with good. Though the actions against Christ were in themselves evil, Jesus’ death and later resurrection overcame that evil by purchasing forgiveness and eternal life for everyone who would believe (John 1:12; 3:16–18; 20:31).

We overcome evil the same way, with good. The Lord says that vengeance belongs to Him and He will repay (Hebrews 10:30). We can entrust ourselves to God, just like Jesus did, and know that He will work even those evil acts committed against us for our good (Genesis 50:20; Romans 8:28). When we refuse to respond in kind to those who would persecute us, their evil actions stand alone, whereas retaliation brings us down to the level of the instigators. When two people are fighting, and one is clearly attacking the other, evil is highlighted for all to see. When we return a soft word, a kindness, or generosity to someone who has wronged us, we leave the perpetrator alone in his evil.

Proverbs 25:21–22 says, “If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat; if he is thirsty, give him water to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head, and the Lord will reward you.” Paul quotes this passage in Romans 12:20, just before his command to “overcome evil with good.” To “heap burning coals on his head” probably refers to the natural response of the enemy to kindness. Nothing makes us feel more shamed and embarrassed by our actions than someone reacting to our hurtful behavior with gentle forgiveness. Kindness in the face of unkindness demonstrates the stark contrast between the two. The goal of a gentle reaction to the enemy is not to embarrass or get the last word but to help facilitate repentance in the evildoer.

If we remember a few key things, we are on our way to overcoming evil with good:

1. I am not the judge; God is. He will do what is right (Genesis 18:25).

2. As a Christian, my response to evil should not copy the world’s behavior but reflect Christ, who is in me (Romans 12:1–2).

3. Keeping my eyes on Jesus helps me know how to respond when I am treated poorly (Hebrews 12:2).

4. God is always watching and evaluating my choices, and He wants to reward me for obeying Him (Matthew 5:43–48).

Jesus reminded the Pharisees that Satan cannot drive out Satan (Matthew 12:25–28). Likewise, evil cannot drive out evil. An evil response only doubles the evil. When we respond to evil in humility and grace, we are proving that good triumphs over wickedness. We cannot stop people from doing evil, but they cannot force us to participate with them. It takes no power, might, or wisdom to retaliate against evildoers. But returning good for evil is one of the greatest demonstrations of strength.

Edited September 15, 2022 by missmuffet