In verses 19-20 Paul reiterates much of what has been already said, but also introduces the idea that we are to pursue the benefit of others in the exercise of our Christian liberty. In the exercise of our freedom, we must always ask ourselves if what we are doing is building up others, especially those younger and less experienced in the faith. If we cannot answer in the affirmative, we must refrain. Paul concludes in verse 21, “It is good not to eat meat or drink wine or do anything that causes your brother to stumble.” This is a fine summary statement and even finer if we translate the word “good” in its root sense of “beautiful”: “It is beautiful not to eat meat or drink wine or to do anything else that will cause your brother to stumble.”

Such behavior or thought is beautiful because it shows there is love among the brethren. It is beautiful because arrogance is gone. It is beautiful because it is unselfish. It is beautiful because it means one has a finely tuned sense of spiritual proportion, recognizing secondary issues for what they are. It is especially beautiful because it puts others first.

During the war when vessels had to be convoyed across the Atlantic because of the U-boats, all ships had to proceed at the speed of the slowest ship. This is something of what Paul has in mind here. The strong brother could stride ahead, but his love will not permit it. The shepherd must pace the flock to accommodate the weakest lamb. The Christian must regulate his freedom to take into account the feeble conscience of a weaker brother or sister. We must actively pursue those things that make for peace and mutual building up of one another. This is never easy, but it is the way of love.

What else must we do to insure unity? Paul gives advice to the strong regarding the use of his conscience in verse 22 and advice to the weak in respect to his conscience in verse 23. First, the advice to the strong: The faith that you have, keep between yourself and God. Blessed is the one who has no reason to pass judgment on himself for what he approves (v. 22). Paul is saying, what you believe about neutral things is between you and God. Keep it that way. Moreover, you are a happy (blessed) person if in exercising your liberty you do not condemn yourself by harming another. You are blessed if your exercise of freedom is free from doubt. You are blessed if no one is being scandalized and led toward sin by you. You are blessed because you feel God’s pleasure.

Secondly, Paul gives advice to the weak: But whoever has doubts is condemned if he eats, because the eating is not from faith. For whatever does not proceed from faith is sin (v. 23). Conscience is not an infallible guide, but it is wrong to go against one’s own conscience. We ought to never sin against our conscience, no matter who pressures us to do so.

The apostle Paul has detailed four “do’s” if we are to build unity amidst our diversity. First, we must determine never to be a source of stumbling. Second, we must live as citizens of the Kingdom of God, concentrating on the eternals rather than the externals. Third, we must actively pursue that which benefits other believers. Fourth, we must do all that we do with a clear conscience. We are a diverse lot – there is no doubt about that. Diversity is one of the glories of the community of Christ. But our unity is supremely glorious. Let us seek to enhance it with all that we are!

Romans 14:19-23 Study Questions:

What are some issues that cause division in the church at large? Are these issues in your own church as well? How might these be handled better?

Why is the stronger believer responsible to change his or her behavior so as not to offend the weaker brother or sister?

What would help us turn our focus to justice, peace and joy?

Why is it difficult to suppress our own point of view in order to help those who are weaker in the faith?

Sit in silence and ask God to show you how you have piled snow on another person’s path. Spend a few minutes praying silent prayers of confession over the things that God brings to mind.

We have seen that the God-given diversity in the Body of Christ can conflict with our Lord’s high call to unity. Diversity and unity are in natural antithesis because we humans tend to criticize and censor those who do things differently from us. Judging one another according to our little lists is one of the favorite sports of Christians today.

In answer to this problem, Romans 14 tells us three things we need to know if we are to maintain unity amidst diversity. First, genuine acceptance of one another is the only option available to believers. The tendency of the liberated Christian to look down on his less broad-minded brother and the tendency of that brother to judge his less restricted brother must be put away. Second, individual Christians can disagree over customs and social habits and both be perfectly right with God. Third, we must submit to the Lordship of Christ and refrain from judging others because we will all stand before the Judgment Seat of Christ and give account of ourselves to Him. These three elements are essential if we are to maintain Christian unity amidst our amazing diversity.

In this study we will see what we need to do in order to experience unity in diversity. Perhaps we have understood and accepted the logic of Paul’s argument against passing judgment. However, the extremely delicate conscience of the “weak” brother remains. What are we to do? The apostle’s choice of words in verses 13-15 calls for a complete determination not to be an obstruction because the word for “stumbling block” means something carelessly left about over which someone stumbles, whereas “hindrance” means something deliberately left to ensnare another. We must determine not to be a witting or unwitting cause of a weaker brother’s stumbling as we exercise our Christian freedom. Our Christian lives must be salted with refusal to do anything that will harm the spiritual life of weaker brothers.

Paul views any behavior that distresses another’s conscience as unconscionable (v. 15). “What you eat” alludes to one’s petty insistence upon having meat regardless of the consequences to others. The idea is flaunting or deliberately shocking the weaker brother with a display of Christian freedom. Paul is horrified at the thought. Rather, the key to exercising Christian freedom in all matters is “walking in love” (v. 15). Christian liberty does not mean flaunting your freedom and doing as you please. As Christians, we are all immensely free in Christ. Our only bondage is the bond of love to our fellow believers. It is our Christian duty, when exercising our freedom, not only to think about how our actions affect us but others. We must always remember that it is not our display of Christian freedom that commends our faith to the world, but our demonstration of agape love. The strong, mature Christian voluntarily limits his freedom out of love for his weaker brothers and sisters.

Not only ought we to determine not to be stumbling blocks, we should also live as citizens of the Kingdom of God. Here in verses 16-18 Paul, with finely tuned pastoral insight, lifts the entire discussion to a higher level than mere eating and drinking. The Kingdom of God is not mainly a matter of externals (how one eats, drinks, what one wears etc.) but of eternals – “righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.” The primary eternal element of God’s Kingdom is “righteousness.” The experience of God’s righteousness in our lives produces as infinite longing for holiness, a driving desire to know Him better, an intense thirsting in the inner parts. David’s longing is expressed in Psalm 42:1-2a: “As a deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.” Jesus enjoined the pursuit of righteousness as the recommended pursuit for all humanity in Matthew 5:6 –“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.”

Properly following the eternal element of righteousness is “peace,” that profound inner satisfaction that only God’s presence can give. Peace with God is the secret of peace with one another. Kingdom peace is an inner unflappability that remains undisturbed by minor irritations, a quiet assurance that God is at work.

Lastly, there is the eternal element of “joy in the Holy Spirit.” This joy is the outward mark of Christ’s presence. When joy flies as the flag over our lives, the world knows the King of Heaven is in residence in our hearts. The Kingdom of God consists not of externals but of eternals. How wonderful it would be if we would concentrate on these things. How easy it is then to forgo some external freedom for the sake of another believer.

Paul concludes this thought in verse 18. We are then acceptable to God who sees our hearts and approved by men who see our actions. The overall principle here is this: whether we be “weak” (limited in freedom) or strong (more liberated), we make a great mistake if we focus on externals. The weak shrivels his Christianity by seeing the externals as a road to greater righteousness. The strong trivializes his faith by insisting on his rights to the externals. If we flaunt our freedom, we are far less emancipated than we imagine.

The Kingdom of God is not operative in your life if your rights are so important to you that you are willing to separate from a brother who does not agree with you. The fact is, the man who feels he must demonstrate his emancipation on every possible occasion is a slave in spite of his apparent freedom, for the need to prove his liberty has become a tyranny. Whether we are strong or weak, we are to live as citizens of the Kingdom of God, focusing not on the externals, but on the elements of eternity – “righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.”

Romans 14:13-18 Study Questions:

Paul says in verse 14 that nothing is unclean in itself, but how does he say something can become “unclean” (vv. 13-23)?

Paul is concerned that Jewish Christians, returning to Rome, may see Gentile Christians doing things that, from their point of view, were associated with paganism, and they may look on in horror. They might even conclude that they had made an awful mistake, call down curses on this new movement (v. 16) and give up the faith altogether. How might believing in accordance with love prevent this from happening?

What were, and are, the essentials of faith and practice about which there should be no compromise?

Paul is explicit in verse 1 that the one “who is weak in faith” is not weak in basic Christian faith, but is weak in assurance that his faith permits him to do certain things, such as eating meat. These “weak” are to be wholeheartedly accepted – they are not to be accepted with the ulterior motive of straightening them out. There is to be no phony condescension on the part of the strong, no hidden agenda, but rather simple, unqualified acceptance.

Moreover, the acceptance is to be mutual on the part of both the strong and the weak (vv. 2-3). This mutual acceptance lays bare the psychology behind the rejection of the strong or the weak. The strong, Paul says, “despise” those who do not eat. The idea here is distain. The human tendency is always to despise whatever or whoever we consider weak. To despise the Christian who has a narrower morality – such an attitude is not Christian. On the other hand, because the weak are inclined toward judgmentalism, they are told not to “pass judgment” on meat eaters. The weak tend to be censorious, to pigeon-hole other believers according to their checklists. Too often you and I are guilty of both these errors. Whether we are “weak” or “strong” believers, there is to be mutual, wholehearted acceptance of one another.

According to Romans 14 you must accept your Christian brother and sister who differs. If you are an abstainer, you must not judge the participator. If you are a participator, you must not disdain the abstainer. This call to acceptance comes to us as a command of God. If we are to obey Him, we have no choice. Is this a call to become a bunch of wishy-washy Charlie Browns? Not at all! We are not talking about basic doctrines such as sin, the deity of Christ, salvation by faith, or clear Scriptural commandments against adultery or lying. We are talking about non-essentials.

We are all called to a profound acceptance of one another. This is not optional. Verses 5-6 give us the second element of understanding. The controversy over days in these verses probably involved Sabbath observance. The Christian Jews’ conscience demanded that they observe it. The Christian Gentiles’ conscience argued that every day is equally devoted to the service of God. Paul’s advice to both is simply, “Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind.” Each believer is to use his or her powers of reasoning that have at least begun to be renewed by the gospel under the authority of God’s Word and act accordingly. The same is true of eating or abstaining from meat. The evidence that both the “weak” and the strong have right hearts is that they both give “thanks” to God. That is, both do what they do with the intention of serving the Lord. Paul’s indisputable point here is: people with opposing viewpoints on non-essentials can both be perfectly right with God. We need to take this to heart: if the Lord convicts you that something is wrong in your life, you had better not do it, even if other Christians are doing it!

The Lordship of Christ is the foundational truth for the unity of the Church amidst diversity of opinion (vv. 7-12). Verses 10-12 emphasize that we will all answer to Him for our lives. Paul twice uses the term “brother” to emphasize the unity that “weak” and strong Christians have. He is saying in effect, “Stop trying to be God to one another. You ‘weak,’ why do you pass judgment on your brother? You strong, why do you look down with contempt on your brother? Remember, all of us are going to stand before the judgment-seat of Christ. There your works as believers will be judged. There God will judge your motives.”  We are not to judge our brothers and sisters in things on which the Bible does not directly speak! One thing we will certainly have to answer for will be our judgmental attitude. Isn’t wonderful that final judgment is up to God, and His evaluation will be perfect? Our reward will be exactly what we deserve, as will our brother’s and sisters.

This whole section is part of an extended commentary on the command of Jesus to love one another, and this has been the subject since Paul began the practical section of this letter. In chapter 12 we saw that the nature of love is to serve. In chapter 13 we discovered that love must be submissive. Now in chapter 14 we are learning that love must be patient and tolerant of other people’s views. May we allow God to give us the wisdom to see what is essential and what is not.

Romans 14:1-12 Study Questions:

Who does Paul consider to be the “weak in faith” and, by implication, the “strong in faith”? What attitude are the two groups to have toward each other?

How is Paul attempting to break down barriers between ethnic groups in verses 1-6?

Over what issues in today’s church are we in danger of judging one another because of things that Paul would declare to be unimportant? Where are we prone to build walls of division on cultural or ethnic lines where Paul would gently but firmly insist that we are all serving the same master?

What is Paul getting at in verses 7-9? How can condemnation become a consequence of differing opinions (vv. 7-12)?

What is the overriding perspective that the Christians in Rome need to learn in dealing with differences with each other?

How can we as believers know on which issues we can live with differences of opinion and which we cannot?

Romans 13:8-14 contains a profound call to love our fellow man, to develop a deep horizontal love, to love on the level. Paul says in verse 8: Owe no one anything, except to love each other.” On the one hand he encourages us to get out of debt while on the other hand he tells us we have an ongoing debt of love. The Christian is always a love-debtor, no matter how much love he gives.

Every time we meet someone we ought to say to ourselves, “I need to show him or her the love of Christ. I have a great and wonderful debt to pay.” If you have ever had a personal debt, be it ever so small, you know that the first thing that enters your mind when you see that person is that you “owe” them. We need to truly see ourselves as spiritual debtors. When we go to church, town, work, shopping, school – wherever we go, whoever we meet, we owe love. This is our debt – loving on the level.

Paul concludes verse 8 with, “for the one who loves another has fulfilled the Law.” How does loving one’s neighbor fulfill the Law? The Ten Commandments contain two divisions, sometimes called the two tablets. The first division gives us vertical, Godward commands such as, “You shall have no other gods before me” (Exodus 20:3). The second division contains horizontal commands that pertain to human relationships. Each division can be summed up with a single commandment, just as Jesus explained in Matthew 22:37-40. Keep both the vertical and the horizontal commandments and you will keep the Law! Here in his letter to the Romans, Paul is assuming that his readers have a vertical love for God, but do they have a horizontal love for others? If so, they are fulfilling God’s Law.

When we love our neighbors we will refrain from breaking the horizontal-relational commands. Paul gives some examples in verses 9-10. When you love your neighbor you will refrain from adultery. When you love your neighbor you will regard his life as inviolable. When you love your neighbor you will respect his ownership of property. Just think how irresistible Christianity would be in everyday, uneventful life if Christians truly loved their neighbors as themselves. If we were to consistently see ourselves as love-debtors, just think how the gospel would spread! We would be living out the Law, and the authenticity of our inner spirits would sound wide the ring of truth to the needy world.

Paul does not view this call to horizontal love as a casual matter. He sees it as having utmost urgency (vv. 11-12a). Paul’s sense of urgency is stressed by the word “time” in his opening phrase: “Besides this you know the time…” What kind of time is it? The New Testament calls it “the last days” – not in the chronological sense but qualitatively. These “last days” began with Christ and could culminate in “the day” (v. 12a) of His return at any moment, but that is not the point here. Paul was telling his hearers, and us, that we are living in “the last days.” This brings urgency to this matter of loving on the level. Believers are to wake up from spiritual lethargy and love their neighbors while they have opportunity to do so.

Paul next tells us there is something we must put off and something we must put on if we are going to succeed at loving on the level: “So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light” (v. 12b). Paul is specific about “the works of darkness” we are to discard: Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy (v. 13).

First, there must be no “orgies and drunkenness.” These words used together picture drunken individuals having a so-called “good time” and disturbing the citizens of the town. The Christian who wants to love must set aside such pursuit of harmful pleasures. Second, there is to be no “sexual immorality and sensuality.” Sexual immorality” is a Greek word that can simply be translated, “bed,” and the word rendered “sensuality” is one of the ugliest words in the Greek, describing one who is not only given to immorality, but is incapable to feeling shame. The Christian who wants to love must understand that one cannot both love people and live for sex. The third specific is to abstain from “quarreling and jealousy.” This phrase describes someone who cannot stand being surpassed and grudges others their success and position. Tragically many believers act as if it is their holy duty to keep others in their place. Such behavior can never exist in a heart that truly loves a neighbor.

There is much that must go if we are to love on the level. May none of us be so naive as to think any of this is irrelevant. These evils are the precise reason there is too little love in the Church and in the world. However, there is a glorious positive side to this, given in verse 14: “But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.” It is true that if we are Christians we have already put on the Lord Jesus Christ (Gal. 3:27). But our text here in Romans has reference to a practical day-to-day, repeated putting on Christ. We are to embrace Him again and again and again.

Paul emphasizes that it is “the Lord Jesus Christ” that we put on. We bow to His Lordship. He is King of all or He is not King of all. This is where we gain the capacity to love. Loving on the level comes from the negative (putting off the works of darkness) and the positive (putting on Jesus Christ day-by-day). We must constantly do this. Our ability to love vertically and on the level comes from God’s love to us (1 John 4:19). His agape love reaches down to us in Christ, it is poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit, and we return it back to God and to those around us. His great love is the source and motivation of our love.

God’s sacrifice for us, His love lavished upon us, ought to make us completely dependable in our showing love to the world. Let us cultivate a sense of debt. Just as when we owe someone money and our debt is the first thing we think of when we see him, so it may be with our debt of love. Let us enlarge our definition of neighbor as, “My neighbor is not necessarily someone like me. It is any person God has put in my way whom I can help.” Let us cultivate a sense of the time – “It is later than it has ever been before.” Let us consciously put off the works of darkness (we individually know what these are) and put on Jesus – every day!

Romans 13:8-14 Study Questions:

Verses 8-14 show Paul using the idea of fulfilling the Law through love. How can love fulfill all of the Law?

Why does Paul use the image of day in verses 11-14 to explain the behavior that he expects Christians to engage in and the image of night for what they shouldn’t do?

In verse 13 Paul notes three pairs of activities Christians should avoid. How are bad temper and jealousy just as destructive in a Christian community as drunkenness and sexual immorality?

Paul’s solution to avoiding the activities of the night is to “put on the Lord Jesus” (v. 14). How are we to do this?

In what ways does this entire chapter set a course for the Church to live attractive lives in the local community, surrounded as they are by the watching stares of puzzled pagans?

Think about your Christian community, your church or a small group. In what ways can your community live in a way that is more attractive to the surrounding culture?

Romans 13:1-7 is Paul’s exposition of Jesus’ remarkable saying: “Therefore render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s” (see Matt. 22:17-21). In fact verse 7 bears some resemblance to it, beginning with, “pay to all what is owed to them.”

We must keep several things in mind as we move through this passage. First, the political situation in Rome was explosive for the Early Church. Paul was afraid some of the revolutionary attitudes of Jerusalem’s Zealots might influence the Church. So Paul wrote to instruct the Church on how to behave properly toward the state. What he writes is not ivory-tower theory, but practical directions on how to live under an unfriendly government. Second, we must realize what the passage does not tell us. It does not directly say what we ought to do when our government is committing moral wrong. Lastly, we must keep in mind that understanding and living by what is taught here will not relieve the tension Jesus gave us when He said, “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s” (Matt. 22:21).

Paul begins by giving the basic rationale for a Christian’s submission to human government (vv. 1-2). The apostle gives us what we might call “the divine right of state” as he says in the last half of verse 1, “for there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God.” Despite the fact that almost every time we pick up a newspaper we read of corruption in government, we must still recognize the state as an essentially divine and moral institution. The Scriptures testify that it is God who sets up governments – even bad ones – and He takes them down as well.

Seeing that human government is created by God and that He takes and active interest in it, many Christians do not take it seriously enough. Christians too often ignore government or participate as little as possible in government affairs. Perhaps this tendency comes from the mistaken belief that when we become members of the Kingdom of Heaven we cease to be members of the secular community. This falsehood, coupled with the revulsion toward the corruption that permeates so much of government, wrongly leads believers to adopt a non-participatory mind-set. This should not be! God is the originator of government, and to ignore it is to dishonor Him. Christians ought to be the best citizens.

The Christian’s obedience to the state is always conditional, and sometimes disobedience is a duty. There are at least three areas in which a Christian should resist authority. First, if he is asked to violate a command of God. The classic example of this is found in Acts 4 & 5. The command of God always takes precedence over the command of government. There are no exceptions. Secondly, Christians must resist when asked to do an immoral act. The sexual applications are obvious, but this also extends to ethical areas in which many are constantly asked to compromise – for example, falsifying records for “security reasons,” perjury for the sake of the department, covering for subordinates by means of falsehood. Christians must never think it’s okay to commit immoral or unethical acts simply because the state has requested it. Thirdly, believers must never go against their Christian conscience in order to obey the government. This could involve such diverse things as participation in licentious entertainment, or working in institutions that perform wholesale abortions, or working or not on nuclear weapons. Believers must never sin against their conscience.

The conclusion is this: a Christian must disobey his government when it asks him to 1) violate a commandment of God 2) commit and immoral or unethical act, or 3) go against his Christian conscience (a conscience that is informed by Scripture and is in submission to the Spirit of God). Verses 1-2 are a call to profound obedience. A profound subjection to the state is rooted in the realization of its “divine right.” With right understanding and attitude, believers should be the best citizens. This requires a profound submission to God, which may involve obedience or disobedience to the state. The committed Christian will continually experience tension in this matter.

Verses 3-4 begin a new section that portrays the basic role of government. The essential role of government is twice given in verse 4: God’s servant or deacon. Government is the deacon of God, and as with any deacon, its job is to humbly serve. The teaching here, then, is that government either wittingly or unwittingly serves God. Notice that the servant function of government is to do good – “God’s servant for your good” (v. 4a) – and that is what government does, even the worst government. At the end of verse 4 the apostle is most explicit about government’s beneficial function: “He is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God’s wrath on the wrongdoer.” The state is given the responsibility of vengeance, a responsibility that is explicitly forbidden to the individual Christian (12:19). God’s way of dealing with evil is not by personal vengeance, but through justice dispensed by the state. As the state is faithful to its function, it does “good” to us (v. 4a). We should be thankful that it “does not bear the sword in vain,” even though it bears it imperfectly.

Thus far Paul has shown us that we are called to a profound, intelligent obedience to government (vv. 1-2) and that government is meant to serve us and do us good (vv. 3-4). Now in verses 5-7 he describes the kind of obedience to which we are called.

Verse 5 indicates the depth of obedience that is required of us. We are to be in subjection not just because we are afraid of being punished, but because, unlike the world, we understand that the state is divinely instituted and that rulers are wittingly or unwittingly God’s ministers. Christians are able to see the big picture, and thus through their informed consciences they are able to live in profound subjection. Verses 6-7 tell us how this works out practically. This is where the rubber meets the road for modern American Christians. And it was the same for the Romans. Taxes were exorbitant then too and were sometimes misspent. But the Roman Christians were to pay their taxes, understanding that government authorities are God’s servants. That is, they were to pay them with a good attitude.

Verse 7 ties the bow on this matter of obligation. As Christians we may deplore the politics of a particular person in office. We may be repelled by his scandalous conduct. But that does not disallow us from respecting the office. The person is just a human, but the office exists at the discretion of God. Even in our dissent we must always be Christian gentlemen and gentlewomen.

In conclusion, it is the Christian’s duty to obey those in political authority because: 1) government is divinely appointed, 2) it is a deacon to meet our needs, and 3) we see it for what it is. The question is, is it possible to obey in this way? Through Jesus Christ we can live out our duty to obey as described in the Word of God. We can also fulfill our duty to disobey when it is the will of God to do so.

When it became clear that the Nazis were pursuing their terrible racist policies, Pastor Martin Niemoller continued to preach the truth and as a result was thrown into prison. The prison chaplain upon visiting Niemoller asked somewhat foolishly, “What brings you here? Why are you in prison?” To which Niemoller replied angrily, “And, brother, why are you not in prison?” Jesus said: “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s” (Matt. 22:21). This is a divine calling.

Romans 13:1-7 Reflection Questions:

What happens in a society when there are no properly accredited and generally recognized rulers? What examples can you give?

According to Paul in verses 1-5, what is to be the role of government? Paul describes the “ruling power” as “God’s servant” twice in these verses. How can government be a servant of God?

Read Acts 16:35-40 and 23:1-3. How can what Paul says in verses 1-7 regarding government be reconciled with Paul having no hesitation in telling authorities they are acting illegally or unjustly?

At this point in history, the Christians in Rome were considered very problematic by the Roman authorities. Why would Paul’s exhortations to the believers in verses 1-7 be important in this cultural context?

The apostle now switches his focus from love’s actions in the Church to love’s actions in the world. What we read should be interpreted from the perspective of one who is under pressure from the unbelieving world. We immediately know that a radical relationship with the world is in view from the supernatural injunction of verse 14: “Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them.” This is the radical way of Jesus as given in His Sermon on the Mount. More than speaking well of one’s enemies; it includes praying for their forgiveness and blessing. This is supremely radical. It is one thing not to curse your enemies, but entirely another to pray for their blessing. This is a life-changing call. The Arabs have a custom that (though practiced with different levels of sincerity) symbolizes what is called for here. They touch the head, lips, and heart indicating, “I think highly of you, I speak well of you, my heart beats for you.” What a way to love the world! “Bless those who persecute; bless and do not curse them.”

Next Paul commands in verse 15, “Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep.” Believers are to identify with the world in the ups and downs of human life, to be a healing balm for a cold world. The world is characterized by indifference, non-commitment, disengagement, no sharing or caring. Enter the loving believer – he who weeps with those who weep and rejoices with those who rejoice. The believer is a tonic for life – a light leading to Christ! The call to love is radical indeed!

How perfectly this leads to the next thought: “Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight” (v. 16). Christians are to associate with everyone – the ordinary people, the unimportant, and the outcasts of society. Verses 14-16 call for a caring heart that is vulnerable to the world. A Christian who is an elitist, who only associates with people of the same intellectual or academic or professional interests, is not living up to what the Scripture mandates. We are to have a heart open to the world. We are to pray for those who persecute us, to enter others’ joys and sorrows, to associate with everyone regardless of their situation in life. What a way to go after the world!

In the final verses (vv. 17-21) we move into explicit counsel for loving a hostile world. This is supremely radical because it is supremely unnatural. Our conditioned reflex is to hit back. The world says, “Common sense demands getting even.” However, there is a better way, God’s way, and it has two elements. First, trust God. The apostle says: “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’” (v. 19). We must trust God to work in the life of the one who wronged us. Leaving room for His wrath is to leave the vengeance to God, knowing also that He smites in order to heal (Isaiah 19:22). God’s wrath may one day come in ultimate judgment to those who abuse us, but His wrath may also bring enemies to repentance in this life. Whatever happens, God will be perfectly equitable. We can trust Him implicitly for this.

Second, do positive good, as verse 20 exhorts us: “To the contrary, ‘if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by doing so you will heap burning coals on his head.’” Burning coals means: by doing good to our enemies, we will head burning pangs of shame and contrition of their heads that hopefully (not surely) will lead them to God’s grace. The best example of this in Scripture is the exchange between David and Saul after David had been so close to Saul in the cave that he cut off a corner of the king’s robe, but for conscience’s sake would not lift his hand against Saul even though the king was seeking David’s life (1 Sam. 24:8-19). Coals of fire were heaped on Saul’s head. Sadly, Saul never opened himself to God’s grace, but he well could have. The coals were meant to be a prelude to blessing.

We are never under any circumstances to avenge ourselves. Any plans we may have to the contrary are from the devil. Not only are we to not avenge ourselves, we are to do positive good to our enemies. Our text closes with, “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good” (v. 21). Love in the Church and love in the world go together. They are the demands of commitment. Our minds have been renewed. Our lives have been transformed. And the Holy Spirit can do all this through us. Are we loving the Church? Are we loving the world?

Romans 12:14-21 Reflection Questions:

In verses 14-21 Paul does not intend to say that believers should “go soft on evil.” Saying you shouldn’t take revenge isn’t a way of saying evil isn’t real, or that it didn’t hurt after all, or that it doesn’t matter. Evil is real; it often does hurt, sometimes very badly indeed and with lasting effects, and it does matter. What does Paul say we are to do about evil?

What happens when people do start engaging in private vengeance? How can a society make sure this doesn’t happen?

How is Christ Himself an example of living out what Paul calls for in verses 14-21?

The early part of Romans 12 (vv. 1-13) deals with what we might call the inner life of the Church. This last section (vv. 14-21) is about how Christians behave within the wider public world. How would the wider world respond to seeing the Church live out what’s described in verses 14-21?

In what specific ways can you be a “living sacrifice” to those around you right now?