October 3, 2018
Love Is More Powerful Than Revenge
Romans 12:19-20
Haven Graybill
Central Truth
It's natural to try to justify our sinful actions. Oftentimes, we seek revenge when we are wronged. This, however, is not how God wants us to respond to our enemies. He calls us to love them with Christ's sacrificial love.
Romans 12:19-20
19 Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it 1 12:19 Greek give place to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” 20 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.”
Dive Deeper | Romans 12:19-20
"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.'" (Romans 12:19) Let's break this key verse down.
First of all, God calls us "beloved," so we can tell that God is saying this because He loves us. Specifically, He cares about our relationships with one another.
Next, He tells us to never avenge ourselves. In our sinful nature, it's impossible for us to follow God's Word perfectly. God knows this. In this passage, He is calling us to lean on Him for guidance when controlling our desire to punish others for their actions. He tells us to rid ourselves of our desire to get payback and instead leave it to Him. This is something I need to remind myself of often (especially with two younger sisters at my house!).
God promises us that He will punish the sins of those who wrong us. Either Jesus' blood will be enough for Christians who sin against us, or God's wrath will exceed any earthly punishment for non-Christians. But what do we do in the meantime? Let's turn to verse 20.
"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.'" (Romans 12:20) This is the game changer. God calls us to love our enemies, which is the exact opposite of what we're naturally inclined to do.
Y'all, that's exactly what Jesus did for us when we were His enemies. He loved us when we turned against Him. That's what God is calling us to do—love and forgive our enemies just as Jesus loved and forgave us. If we love our enemies instead of seeking revenge, they will either reconcile with us or feel worse about their sin against us. Love is more powerful than revenge.
This month's memory verse
A Living Sacrifice
1 I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. 2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
– Romans 12:1–2
Discussion Questions
1. When was a time in your life that you had to submit your desire for control to Him? Is He calling you to surrender to Him right now?
2. Is there a relationship in your life that God is asking you to turn over to Him?
3. How are you loving your enemies? In what ways can you love them more?