Romans 12: Living Life Study 28: Leave it to God

Romans 12:18 Dear friends, never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God. For the Scriptures say, “I will take revenge; I will pay them back,” says the Lord.

How do we react when somebody hurts us or hurts somebody we love? Our natural reaction is to try and find some way to get even with them. This can be done in various ways. It could be by ignoring them – withdrawing away and not having any communication with them directly. Or it could be the spreading of malicious gossip that is a revenge tactic. When in the church hall after a church service people talking to each other “Did you hear what so and so did to me?” Those are forms of revenge.

Remember as Christians, we are to be in harmony with each other and to do all we can to be at peace with each other. We are not to seek revenge on others in any form. We are commanded by Jesus, who is our Lord, to forgive others who have sinned against us. While our inner nature and desire maybe to seek revenge, we are commanded to forgive and restore ourselves to those who have hurt us. If we have bitterness inside us, it eats away at us. It keeps eating away at us until we rid of that bitterness.

Paul here quotes from a book he would have been well familiar with – Deuteronomy 32:35. ‘I will take revenge; I will pay them back. In due time their feet will slip. Their day of disaster will arrive, and their destiny will overtake them.’ Why does Paul do this? Because it is not our place to exact revenge! It is God’s place to avenge! It is God’s place to judge evil and not ours.

Now there may well be times when we need to seek justice against those outside the church in order to seek justice. But this is not to be done out of revenge. As for troubles with those inside the church? We are, you may remember, to do all we can to be at peace with each other and do all we can to be harmonious.

Remember when Jesus was on the cross and people hurled insults at him? Did he retaliate? No – he forgave. That is also what we are to do also. We can do it if we ask for the Holy Spirit to help us.

Go! Be ready to forgive those who have done you wrong!
Go ask for forgiveness if you have done wrong against somebody else.

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