The Peacemaking Church: Overcoming Evil with Good

[Romans 12:14-21]

Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight. 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.

{Rev. Dwight Yoo}

The Peacemaker's Pledge
(Our approach to conflict should be different from the world.)

Glorify God

Our perspective / posture should be one of "how can I glorify God in this situation?" God brings us into all sorts of situations, even conflict. He can work out good through it all.

Get the Log Out of Your Own Eye

We all have blindspots and things we are deceived about. We are all more sinful than we think we are. There are things in our lives that have changed from good things to demands. We should have a healthy suspicious of our own hearts. We are sinners

Gently Restore

How can I help the other person grow? They are not an obstacle. They are a fellow sinner, brother/sister... and how can I help them through this conflict?

Go and Be Reconciled

How can I engage and rebuild the relationship? How can I bring peaceful resolution to this conflict? Not just win or mow down the other person, but bring about real peace.

A note of caution:

What do you do if the person will not be reconciled? What if that person keeps attacking? What if we've done all the above things, but still they hang onto their bitterness and anger. Consider our passage of the day.

"Bless those who persecute you."
"Do not avenge yourselves"

Summary

We are called to show deliberate, focused love to people, even when they hurt and cause us trouble.

This response is unnatural and therefore, supernatural.

We need the Spirit of God to convince us to love our enemies. We cannot truly love those who hate us without a work of God in us.

"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. Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful." - Luke 6:35-36 (ESV)

This response is grounded in humble submission to God's justice.

God will judge and account for all things. He will punish. It is not our job to punish and take vengence. To do so, is to take God's job.

"For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, for he is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God’s wrath on the wrongdoer." - Romans 13:3-4

This response overcomes evil.

When we react like the way the world does, evil has won over us. When we respond as the world does, Satan wins. But if we react as Christ does, then we are overcoming our aggressor. "heap burning coals on his head" is not to be seen as a vindictive action. Rather it is seen as a way to repel an attacker... a way to stop attacks. But by kindness, rather than violence.

"Love is the only force in the world that can change an enemy into a friend" - Martin Luther King Jr.