Live At Peace
Romans 12:17-19—Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord.
I just finished watching a video of a 7 year old boy and his mother being robbed and assaulted in broad daylight, all because some of their personal beliefs and opinions did not agree with the aggressors’. No, this didn’t happen in a country ruled by Sharia law that deems women and children as “less-than” citizens. No, this didn’t happen in a country dominated by the violence of the drug cartel. It happened here in America. A 7 year old boy and his mother robbed, assaulted and verbally abused by two 21 year old women. Maybe you saw the video too.
How did you feel when you heard/saw this? Did your blood boil? Did you feel sorrow for the victims? Did you feel rage and disgust with the perpetrators? I did. How quickly evil thoughts and desires can race into our hearts after evil has been visited upon us or complete strangers. It is at times such as these that I need to remember the Lord’s instruction through the Apostle Paul: Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord.
Now it is important to understand that there is a difference between revenge and justice. Just because God condemns revenge doesn’t mean he leaves us defenseless or says we should just allow ourselves to be pushed around, or only ever turn the other cheek. God’s message through Paul is about us not taking justice into our own hands. That is why God established the government. The chief job of the government is to protect her citizens and to meet justice upon the evildoer. That’s why Paul writes in the very next chapter of Romans: For [the government] is God’s servant to do you good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword for nothing. He is God’s servant, an agent of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer (Rom. 13:4). God has blessed us with a system of government that allows us work justice in our midst whether it has a been evil committed against us or our neighbor. Not every nation enjoys such a blessing and we ought to thank God for our system of justice, flawed as it may be.
Sometimes the government fails. When that happens, God says that he will take care of justice perfectly in the end. How important it is for us to keep this in mind when we are wronged and when we witness injustice. God knows far better how to meet out justice than we do. And how good that he is the one in control when it comes to justice in the end!!! If it were up to us, we’d all be condemned to hell! But because of Jesus who never once took revenge, never once even entertained sinful thoughts of revenge, God’s justice against our wickedness has been satisfied. It was satisfied by God the Father taking his vengeance out on his only Son! If ever there was someone who would have earned the right to take revenge, it would have been Jesus! But instead, he allowed God’s righteous and holy revenge for sin which we deserve to be taken out on him instead!!!
Friends, this more than anything else, is the reason why you and I can Live At Peace with everyone—at least as far as it depends on us. People will still hate. But us returning that hate will never change anything. The only thing that changes hearts is the peace of God. Live in that peace. Reflect that peace in your lives so that those without peace—even angry, misguided 21 year old women—would also see, learn and cling to the peace only Jesus gives.