Vol.
II — Chapter 13 — Romans 12:9-21
GOD’S
RULES FOR THE HOLY LIVING OF THE BRETHREN
Romans
12:9-21 (9) Let love be without dissimulation. Abhor that which is evil; cleave
to that which is good. (10) Be kindly affected one to another with brotherly
love; in honour preferring one another; (11) Not slothful in business; fervent
in spirit; serving the Lord; (12 Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation;
continuing instant in prayer; (13) Distributing to the necessity of saints;
given hospitality. (14) Bless them which persecute you: bless, and curse not.
(15) Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep. (16) Be
of the same mind one toward another. Mind not high things, but condescend to
men of low estate. Be not wise in your own conceits. (17) Recompense to no man
evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men. (18) If it be possible,
as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men. (19) Dearly beloved,
avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written,
Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord. (20) Therefore if thine enemy
hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap
coals of fire on his head. (21) Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with
good. We have been given Christian gifts for the body of Christ
and now Paul tells the believers how these gifts should be used. Preaching,
exhortations, pastoral work, giving, teaching, performing acts of mercy, are
all Divine gifts. Every true member of the body of Christ is indwelt by the
Holy Ghost and given these gifts to be used diligently. The ministry of the Church
must be with true love for all the body; without hypocrisy. In the leadership
of our Lord’s Church and the administration of His spiritual gifts there must
be true love.
Verse
9 Let love be without dissimulation. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that
which is good. Paul is moving on from the list of gifts to instructions for
exercising them and he begins with “love” — the entire principle of love to God
and man (1 Cor. 13: 1-8). But love here is not the peculiar brotherly affection
Christians should cherish towards each other — that is brought forward in the
next verse. This is the charity that the Apostle Peter calls on Christians to
add to brotherly love (2 Pet. 1:7). It is a cordial goodwill to make all
persons whom we come in contact with happy. It is sincere desire that we wish
the best for everyone and leads us to confer benefits on them toward that end,
“as we have opportunity.”
Our love must be “without dissimulation,”
pretension and hypocrisy. Our love to others, like our love to Christ, must be
genuine and sincere and from the heart — not in word only, but in deed and
truth (1 John 4:7-8; 19-20). We must not pretend to love when we do not love or
profess more love than we really possess. There is a great deal of professed
love in the world and much of it is feigned.
It is but the assuming of a false appearance of virtue or goodness, with
dissimulation of real character or inclinations, especially in respect of
religious life or beliefs, playacting, pretense and sham. But true love avoids
the stage of playacting and walks the path of real life. Human nature and mere
religion cannot produce the love which comes from Christ alone (1 John
3:18-20).
“Abhor that which is evil.” True believers
sin, but they do not love sin whither in principle or deed, nor do they excuse
or justify it in themselves or others (Psa. 51:3-4). Radically changed by the
power of God they now detest sin and fear it (Psa. 97:10). Christians must not
only abstain from inflicting wrong on any human being, but they must abhor
every temper and action that has an injurious tendency, as to keep at the
greatest distance from it (Prov. 8:13). Although religion is constantly saying
love, love, when it is to be feared that most know not what real love is, they
do not know that hatred is a real Christian virtue. Hatred must be directed at
sin and evil, and not at individuals. We must follow our Lord Jesus Christ. His
throne is a scepter of righteousness and He “loved righteousness, and hated iniquity” (Heb. 1:8-9). The Scriptures
are throughout telling us of the hatred of all sin, iniquity and evil by our
Blessed Lord. When this text commands us to hate all that is evil, it is saying
that we are to be like our Lord and Saviour.
God tells us of seven things that He hates
in Prov. 6:16-19 and if we, as followers of the Lamb, are in Christ and are
partakers of the Divine nature (2 Pet. 1:4), we hate them also. First, there is
“a proud look,” or haughty eyes. We must hate that proud look in ourselves, and
then in others. Second, God hates a lying tongue. We must hate lying lips — our
own first of all — and then hate all lies in whatever forms we find them,
whether in the pulpit, religion, politics, the business world, etc. Our Lord
Christ is “the truth” (John 14:6) we certainly love Him and all truth and seek
to overcome error with bold proclamation of that truth. Third, God hates “Hands
that shed innocent blood.” My how our Lord, and we in Him, hate the abortion of
innocent babies in this country and around the world. Fourth, object of God’s
hatred is “a heart that devises wicked imaginations,” or plans. Paul tells us
in Phil. 4:8 the things that saved people are to think upon. Five, God says He
hates, “feet that be swift in running to mischief.” This implies hatred of those
who direct their steps to join in evil that others are doing. God hates those
who corporate with evil doers. So we are to hate all evil courses of action.
Six, is “a false witness that speaketh lies.” Religious lies, lies in
conducting business, lying attorneys, all lying our Lord hates and so do His
true children. Seven, “and he that soweth discord among the brethren.”
Leaving this list of God’s hatreds in the
Book of Proverbs, we find several passages that speak of His hatred of false
religion. He sets up His own standards and shows great hatred against any
variance from that which He has planned and proclaimed through His servants.
Great multitudes are so blind to think that one religion is as good as another
and they stake their eternal souls on that lie. There is truth which is of God;
then there is the opposite of truth which is certainly not of God, no matter
what banner it presents itself under. This difference must ever be determined
by the Word of God.
Through the prophet Isaiah, God voiced one
of His greatest hatreds in connection with religion (Isa. 1:12-15). He hates
formal religion which comes from hypocritical hearts. Religions that leave the
adherents living disobedient and immoral lives are abominations to Him. Any
form of insincere worship is a stench in the nostrils of a Holy God. He
delights only in that which comes from a broken spirit, contrite heart, and
trembles at His Word (Isa. 66:2; 57:15) — that true worship which is in “spirit
and truth” (John 4:23-24). Oh, dear Reader, in salvation the life of Christ
becomes our life. His love becomes our love and His hate becomes our hate. May
He bring us more and more fully to hate all that He hates, fleeing from every
and all appearance of evil (1 Thes. 5:22),
and to love only what He loves.
“Cleave to that which is good.” The word
“cleave” means we are to stick to or keep company with (Acts 11:23. We are to
hold fast to truth — to the standard of God’s Holy Word in our connection with
civil government, our Church life, and our own private lives (1 Thes. 5:15). We
must stand for truth, honesty, and that which God’s Word proclaims is right
(Heb. 12:14). Lord, help us to walk with Thee, and with those who know Thee.
Help us to hold to the principles of godliness, associate with Thy people and
go to places which contribute to our spiritual growth (1 Pet. 3:10-11).
Verse
10 Be kindly affected one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring
one another. “Be kindly affected one to another with brotherly love.” Paul
had given directions about the use and improvement of spiritual gifts for the
edification of the Church, and now he is showing the manner in which these
gifts are to be used. The love spoken of here is not the desire for all men to
get along well in life or the relieving of the poor and afflicted. This love is
the great duty among true Christians brought to light by the Gospel. It is the
means of communication between all the members of the mystical body of Christ
our Lord (Phil. 2:3-4; Gal. 6:10). Besides that general benevolence or charity
the saints have to mankind, there is this peculiar and very distinguishing kind of affection, which
every true Christian experiences towards those whom he looks upon as truly
gracious persons (John 13:34-35); whereby the soul is very sensibly and sweetly
knit to such persons, and there is an ineffable oneness of heart with them; whereby the whole Church body can be
spoken of as “They are one heart and one soul” (Acts 4:32). This holy affection
is exercised between them on account of the spiritual image of God in them,
their relation to God as His children, and to Christ as His members, and to
them as spiritual brothers in Christ (1 Thes. 4:9). The words “brotherly love”
represents that peculiar endearment
that there is between gracious persons. It is a cleaving one to another, with
brotherly, strong, endearment. “seeing
ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit, unto
unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart
fervently” (1 Pet. 1:11).
This “brotherly love” is a fruit of the
Spirit. (Gal. 5:22). It is a fruit of the Spirit of God, an effect of true
faith, whereby believers, being knit together by the strongest bonds of
affection, upon the account of their interest in one Head, Jesus Christ our
Lord, and participating of one Spirit, do delight in, value, and esteem each
other, and are in a constant readiness for all those regular duties whereby the
temporal, spiritual, and eternal good of one another may be promoted (Psa.
133:1). That which renders it peculiarly Gospel love is it being the product of
the Holy Ghost in our hearts. It is that love which doth knit together the
hearts and souls of believers with entire affection one unto another. It is
that virtue that the Apostle John so much insists on in his first epistle, as
one of the most distinguishing characteristics of true grace, and a peculiar
evidence that God dwelleth in us, and
we in God (1 John 2:9-11). It is the
love of saints one for the other on account of the spiritual image of God in
Christ in us, and our spiritual relation to Him. We thus love others because
they are visibly real members of Christ.
“In honour preferring one another,” or, as
Paul says in another of his epistles, “In lowliness of mind let each esteem
other better than themselves” (Phil. 2:3). Where Christian love is cultivated
and exercised there is a thinking and acting respectfully unto our brothers and
sisters (1 Pet. 5:5). Paul does not mean that a very spiritual, intelligent Christian
should regard, as worthy of more esteem for his knowledge, a very weak and
ill-informed brother, nor that he should pretend a degree of respect which he
does not nor cannot feel. What he means is that under the influence of true
Christian love, we should put the best possible construction on the motives of
our brethren and, knowing ourselves, abase ourselves for “in us, that is, in
our flesh, dwells no good thing.” We are to cherish very lowly thought of
ourselves, and comparatively high and honourable thoughts of our spiritual
brothers and sisters. As Christians we must “honour all men,” but especially
“the brotherhood” (1Pet. 2:17); and to show this in the manner in which we
treat them — guarding their representation no less carefully than we do our
own. In discerning the image of Christ in our Lord’s people so as to make
deference in love to them both an easy and pleasant duty, we put their
interests before our own. In judging ourselves faithfully, we discover that
“the least of all saints” suits no one better than ourselves. The exercised and
humble believer will rather put honour on his brethren than seek it for
himself.
Verse
11 Not slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord. “Not
slothful in business.” Commentators are divided over the meaning of this phrase
but we ignore their dilemma for the utterance is clearly directed to the true
people of God, not to the natural man. The true believer is to “serve his
Master” as he is about his Lord’s business in ministering the Gospel as well as
when he is conducting his secular business, worldly calling (Eccl. 9:10). As
our Lord Christ said, “Wist ye not that I must be about My Father’s business” (Luke 2:49), we must be Followers of Him in
conducting that business of carrying out the Father’s will in the redemption of
His people. Secular business is included in the injunction, but only as that
forms a part of “the service of the Lord.” Let our whole life, every phase of
it, be service to our Lord.
“Not slothful,” but diligent in serving
our Lord in the way of the use of the gifts and graces He sovereignly bestows
upon each member of the body of Christ, enlightening our souls with truth, and
enabling us to minister as He guides us. So also should we be diligent in
connection with the house and worship of God. So also it includes diligence in
whatever tends to our spiritual progress — be in it watchful and earnest (Heb.
6:10-11).
“Serving the Lord.” Make the Law of the
Lord your rule in everything. Whatever you do, do it as to Him (1 Cor. 7:22).
When engaged in the ordinary affairs of life, remember we are His servants, and
we beseech Him to enable us to ever act in His sight, under the motives and for
the ends He has enjoined (Eph. 6:5-8). When we are employed in the duties of true,
pure religion, still, whatever we do, it must be unto Him, guided by His
authority, animated by His love. In all of our lives let all of our actions be
“service to our Heavenly Master” and let it never degenerate into cold
formalism or mere bodily service; let all our duties be animated by His love
which constrains us (2 Cor. 5:14). And by His enablement may all our service
indeed be the expression of fervent zeal for the honour of our Lord, growing
out of a habitual faith of His truth — kept alive by constant supplies of Holy
Ghost power (Heb. 12:28). Oh, dear Reader may the Lord give us grace to be
diligent in the Master’s business, whose service is perfect freedom; and may it
be our increased delight to spread His name and fame.
Verse
12 Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer.
“Rejoicing in hope.” This hope is tried in a variety of ways, but being the
work of God in the soul and a grace planted in the heart by the Eternal Spirit,
it is an anchor to the soul (Psa. 16:9-11). Sweet, sweet hope! What would we be
without it? A good hope through grace — what a Divine source of consolation
(Lamen. 3:24-26). The hope of the believer appears in the preceding part of
this epistle as well as other parts of the apostles’ writings. That true
believers “shall never come into condemnation” (Rom. 8:1); that sin shall not
have dominion over us” (Rom. 6:14); that “all things work together for our
good” (Rom. 8:28); that “the God of peace will bruise Satan under our feet
shortly” (Rom. 16:20); that our “light afflictions, which are but for a moment,
shall work for us a far more exceeding, and an eternal weight of glory” (2 Cor.
4:17); that nothing “shall separate us from the love of Christ — the love of
God which is in Christ” (Rom. 8:35-39); that “when the earthly house of this
tabernacle is dissolved, we shall have a building of God, a house not made with
hands, eternal in the heavens” (2 Cor. 5:1); that when we “become absent from
the body,” we shall be “present with the Lord” (2 Cor. 5:8); that we shall
“attain to the resurrection of the dead” (Phil. 3:11); that “the Saviour, the
Lord Jesus, shall change our vile bodies and fashion them like unto His own
glorious body” (Phil. 3:20-21); and we shall be “with Him where He is, that we
may behold His glory” (John 17:24); and that we “shall be forever with the
Lord” (1 Thes. 4:17). This is the hope of every true child of God.
This hope comes to the children of God,
poor elect sinners, in the hearing of “the Word of the truth of the Gospel”
(Col. 1:5-6); and the Word coming “not in Word only, but in power, in the Holy
Ghost, and in much assurance” (1 Thes. 1:5). The true believer is brought to
“rejoice” in hope, being firmly persuaded in his saving interest in Christ, in
His precious blood and all-sufficient righteousness. A good hope rests in the
testimony of Him that cannot lie and it brings “joy” to the heart of the
believer in whatever circumstances he may find himself to be (Col. 1:27)).
The cultivation of this “rejoicing (or joy)
in hope” was used of God to bring Christians to the place of being able to be
“patient in tribulation;” to bear the afflictions of life, especially those
arising out of their walk with the Lord Christ. This injunction is only
obtained by the strengthening influence of the joy of the Holy Ghost (Col.
1:11). It is after coming to a saving knowledge of Christ that the believers
conflicts begin, and the way to the Kingdom of Heaven is proven to be through
much tribulation (Acts 14:22). “Tribulations” cause the throne of grace to be
prized — a covenant God in Christ, to be sought unto, and delighted in.
Patience is a grace of the Holy Ghost, and it is brought into the experience of
God’s children by means of the various trials, outward and inward, that the soul
passes through; and the believer feeling his need of continual supplies from
his Lord in the midst of many pressures. “Tribulation” is descriptive of
affliction, of whatever kind, and “patient” as expressive of the duty of the
saints to submit to afflictive dispensations brought by Divine appointment and
agency (1 Pet. 2:19-20). The Lord enables His people to bear the suffering
without murmuring, while He is pleased to continue the tribulation, and the
saints use no improper means to escape it, and calmly wait for it to bring its
intended goal to fruition in their lives (Heb. 10:23; 12:1).
“Continuing instant in prayer.” As prayer
is the appointed means of obtaining renewed supplies of the power of the Holy
Ghost in our lives, the apostle adds this statement. By being “instant in
prayer” it is not meant that a believer is to be praying with a form of words
from morning until bedtime; but praying when he is pressed to it in various and
heavy trials (Psa. 55:16-17). Peter was instant in prayer when walking on the
water and he began to sink. He cried out, “Lord, save me, or I perish” (Matt.
14:30), and it is for this the Lord weighs His people with afflictions and
crosses, so that they may cry unto Him (Jer. 29:18-19). It is prayer that is
the proper mode of expressing our entire dependence upon our Lord, and of
obtaining from Him such blessings as our circumstances requires (Phil. 4:6-7).
Our Lord says, “Call on me in the day of trouble, I will deliver thee” (Psa.
50:15). And our prayer must be “instant” — fervent and continued. “Men ought to
pray always,” continue praying, “and not to faint” (Luke 18:1).
“Never do we need more to be fervent and
persevering in prayer, than when tempted by afflictions to ‘make shipwreck of
faith and of a good conscience’ (1 Tim. 1:19). Then with redoubled eagerness,
feeling our own weakness, and aware of the fearful consequences of ‘casting
away our confidence which has great recompense of reward,’ we should cry ‘out
of the depths;’ and the deeper we sink, the louder we should cry. ‘Hold Thou me
up, and I shall be safe;’ ‘Give to me the joy of Thy salvation;’ and, in order
to this, ‘Lord, increase my faith;’ ‘then shall I not be ashamed when I have
respect to all Thy commandments.’” (John Brown).
True “prayer” does not consist in
repeating a form of words at set seasons; but it is the heart going up to God
in sighs, desires, and wishes (Rom. 8:26). Under these inward feelings the
saints do not need to be told they must pray; for no matter where they are;
they are pressed to cry out to God, pouring out their hearts. The Lord keeps
His children poor in spirit that they might have continual errands to Him. Dear
fellow saint, live in the spirit of prayer all the day: continually groaning up
petitions, “Lord keep, strengthen and sanctify me.”
Verse
13 Distributing to the necessity of saints; given to hospitality. While the
Christian is to exercise human sympathy for the needy — human sympathy for
human suffering — this injunction is directed to the Christian regarding that
which we owe to our suffering brethren; “distributing to the necessity of
saints.” The “saints” here are just another name for Christians, as “set apart
by the Lord for Himself” — His “peculiar people.” To ‘distribute to the necessities
of the saints” — is to communicate to them what is necessary to supply their
wants and needs, thus relieving their distress. This was a loving practice of
the early Church and any church (?) that does not practice this is not a true
Church. “But whoso hath this world’s good, and seeth his brother have need, and
shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in
him?” (1 John 3:17). When another believer is in need, the Church will respond
to that need. We are to clothe the naked, feed the hungry and see that the
family of God is provided for.
Secondly, to our needy brethren we are to
be “given to hospitality.” We are to take home to our houses, those who had
“forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or lands, for
Christ’s name sake” (Matt. 19:29). “I was hungry, and ye gave Me meat; thirsty,
and ye gave Me drink; naked, and ye clothed Me” — this is “distributing to the
necessities of the saints.” “I was a stranger, and ye took Me in” (Matt. 25:34-40)
— this is Christian hospitality. We are to “bear one another’s burdens, and so
fulfil the law of Christ” (Gal. 6:2), which the law of love, sympathy, and
kindness. The Scriptures say, “It is more blessed to give than to receive;” and
our Lord Christ said, by way of expostulation, to those who had indignation
within themselves because the woman with the alabaster box of ointment broke
it, and poured it on His head, “She hath done what she could”
Being believers we are to look around us,
and see what we can do to help the needy, especially the poor brethren and
sisters, and to extend the friendly hand to the suffering and sorrowful. “Pure
religion and undefiled before God” is not to isolate one’s self in selfish
separation, but it is to “visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction”
(James 1:27), and be friends with the friendless. In this way we shall be
following in our Master’s footsteps.
Verse
14 Bless them which persecute you; bless and curse not. Paul had stated how
Christians are to behave toward their fellow believers, and here he proceeds to
show how they should conduct themselves toward their opponents — the authors of
their sufferings. Persecutors are those who are the authors of these unjust
sufferings of true believers. It is natural for man to resent ill-treatment,
and, if in his power, to avenge it. It is very easy for those abused to respond
with abuse; but that is the natural reply of the unregenerate. But Paul’s
injunction to the Christian is the same as what our Lord Christ has said to us
in the Sermon on the Mount: “Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt
love thy neighbor, and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, Love your enemies,
bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which
despitefully use you, and persecute you” (Matt. 5:43-44).
The word “bless” does not mean here to
praise or commend them, but Christians are to show them kindness, speak in
kindness to, speak well of, and to pray for our enemies, revilers, and persecutors.
True sheep, as followers of the Good Shepherd, are to answer all challenges in
the spirit of our Lord, with Christian restraint and consideration (1 Cor.
4:12-13). “Persecution” here speaks of harassment, of the hostility of
troublemakers, of any maltreatment of the believer. It is met without
reciprocation; hostility is not met with hostility. The spirit of the believer
speaks in kindness, gentleness, and Christian meekness (1 Thes. 5:15). It does
not pray blessings upon evil, but neither does it pray revenge or doom upon its
attackers (1 Pet. 3:9).
Instead of imprecating vengeance on our
persecutors, pray for their salvation. “Inspired men, under the teaching of the
Holy Ghost, were often called prophetically to denounce God’s judgments against
the wicked; and in the way of kindly and solemn warning good men may now do the
same; but every thing like bitterness, cursing and imprecation is contrary to
the Christian temper and to the teachings of both the Old and New Testaments
(Psa. 35:13-14; Matt. 5:44).” (William S. Plumer).
Verse
15 Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep. A
fellow-feeling with our neighbors and particularly with our Christian brethren
is the duty the Holy Ghost gives here. Persecuted believers have a peculiar
claim on the sympathies of the whole household of faith, and should therefore
be given a special place in their supplications and intercessions. The
cultivation and exercise of love one to another is incumbent upon us at all
times, but especially in seasons when fellow saints are in distress (1 Cor.
12:26). Oh, what a blessing does the Lord make one Christian to another! And
often are we enabled to solve each other’s difficulties, and made a means of
deliverance from misery and burdens.
The
persecuted Christian must not withdraw from society. He must not go out of the
world; he must mingle with his fellow-men and take an interest in their
happiness — “rejoicing with them when they rejoice, and weeping with them when
they weep.” This is the duty of the Christian in reference to all men. Of
course the joys of the worldling are often that which the Christian ought not,
yea, cannot rejoice; but in all the moral enjoyments of his fellow-men we are
to take a kindly interest. And in every case of suffering we are to pity the
sufferer.
Verse
16 Be of the same mind one toward another. Mind not high things, but condescend
to men of low estate. Be not wise in your own conceits. “Be of the same mind” — regard every
Christian brother and sister with true affection — a kind of affection which
none but regenerate children of God can cherish, and which can only be
cherished to another true member of the family of God. And in love let us put
forth conscious effort to coincide with one another in thought and action;
giving deliberate effort to be in agreement, not in conflict with each other (1
Cor. 1:10); Phil. 1:27).
Let us guard against an inspiring
ambitious spirit, “mind not high things.” No member of the body of Christ our
Lord is to make the attaining of a high position in the world their great
object. The duty and delight of the true children of God is to “seek first the
Kingdom of God” — mind spiritual things — “the things that are above” — and
look down on what the world classifies as high things as low things. Christians
are not to “love to have the pre-eminence” (3 John 1:9). They do not seek high
office and honour in the Church, nor do they aspire to lordship over the faith
or practice of their brethren (1 Pet. 5:3). “In love they serve one another”
(Gal. 5:13). Our Lord Christ tells us, “One is your Master, and all ye are
brethren” (Matt. 23:8).
As true believers are not to be guilty of
“minding high things,” and we are to “condescend to men of low estate,” to
regard no employment beneath us by which we may benefit a fellow creature who
is dejected in mine and whose spirit is overwhelmed within him (Matt. 18:1-4).
Let us not despise the most menial duty (Phil. 4:11-13). Remember that our Lord
Christ washed the feet of the disciples. As followers of the Lamb we must count
it not beneath us to associate with the poorest, and the most despised and
persecuted among the Lord’s children (Jam. 2:1-7).
“Be not wise in your own conceits” — and
stand not in high estimation of your own supposed wisdom, power, and
acquirements (Isa. 5:21). Let no man think he has a monopoly on all the
knowledge and wisdom in the Church body that we belong to and therefore refuse
to co-operate in works of importance to the body because his plans are not followed
(1 Cor. 3:18). We must cherish a deep sense of our own ignorance and
fallibility, and ever stand ready to receive instruction from our Christian
brethren (1 Cor. 8:2). What kind of Church would it be if all men were “wise in
the own conceits?” Instead of being in unity, bound together “in the unity of
the Spirit and the bond of peace,” there would be nothing but “strife and
division,” “the biting and devouring of one another,” and “confusion and every
evil work.”
Verse
17 Recompense to no man evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of
all men. Now the apostle proceeds to instruct the saints of God in their
duties in this ungodly, unfriendly world around them. Believers will
experience, not only afflictions, but injuries from the hands of unsaved men
and women. The apostolic writers and our Lord Himself warned us of the
sacrifices we must make, the hazards we would be exposed to, and the sufferings
we must endure, as genuine disciples of the Captain of our salvation. Christ
said, “In this world ye shall have tribulation” (John 16:33). The apostle
wrote, “All that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution” (2
Tim. 3:12). And again the apostles preached, “that we through much tribulation
enter into the kingdom of God” (Acts 14:22). And, though we will receive many
injuries, we are not to inflict injuries on others (Prov. 20:22).
We are not to “Recompense to any man evil
for evil.” Private revenge is contrary to the God whom we serve and the Gospel
that we preach. We are not to “pay back” evil words with evil words, or evil
deeds with evil deeds (1 Pet. 3:9). In our hearts we are to be patient in
tribulation; our words are to be fountains of blessing, not of cursing. In our
actions we are never to repay evil with evil (1 Thes. 5:15). However believers
are not prohibited from going to law enforcement to defend their persons,
property, and reputation from lawless violence, or to obtain justice when we
have been wrongfully injured; but we are forbidden everything of vindictive
retaliation. What our Lord is forbidding is not the resisting of evil by a
lawful defense, but by way of public revenge. Public reparation is when proper
law enforcement officials, according to the justice and mercy of the Divine
Law, sentence an evil person who has injured another. Private revenge is when
those who are not law enforcement officials take matters into their own hands
and retaliate against those who have wronged them. Any man who seeks to take
vengeance on another is trespassing on the functions of God. “For we know him
that hath said, Vengeance belongeth unto me, I will recompense, saith the Lord”
(Heb. 10:30).
“Provide things honest in the sight of all
men.” The word “honest” carries with it the meaning honorable, comely, and of
good report. We are to add to the substantial virtues of Christianity, such as
piety, truth, justice, beneficence, chastity, and temperance — a temper and a
behavior fitted to command the respect and esteem of all mankind. As believers
we must assuredly not “be conformed to the world,” in order to avoid the
contempt and secure the good will of the worldly. However, we must avoid acting
in a way that increases the worlds dislike of us, nor should we act so as to
strengthen their prejudice against the truth of Christianity and fellow
Christians, and give plausibility to their misrepresentations of both. There
should never be anything mean, or suspicious about the character and conduct of
a true believer in Christ. We must be honorable, with strict integrity, open
and straightforward in the sight of all men in all our business dealings, our
clean conversation, our kindness, our conduct in public, and our faithfulness
to all family, civic and business duties (2 Cor. 8:21).
“The idea here seems to be that the true
follower of Christ is to face life with definite consideration of all that he
must do; to ponder the effects of his movements on other people; so to live his
life that the things that are noble, good, pure, true, will mark him. The
believer in Christ is to take serious consideration of the kind of music he
prefers and listens to. He is to calculate the effect of his literary tastes on
others. He never goes with the crowd for the crowd’s sake. His life is such
that everyone who knows him will know that the smutty joke will fall flat in
his presence; the ugly will be avoided; the ignoble will be spurned.
“The thought embedded in this verse is
that a true believer in Christ will seek to be outwardly attractive as well as
inwardly holy. His love for the Lord Jesus will keep him from being vulgar.
Yieldedness to Christ will bring a power of discrimination that will eliminate
the cheap, the low, and the tawdry. The believer’s taste in all things will
progress toward higher and higher cultural standards. Paul wrote to Titus, ‘And
let ours also learn to maintain good works for necessary uses’ (Titus 3:14).
Thus, wherever the believer finds himself he will be a witness for the beauty
and goodness of the Lord Jesus Christ. Especially as the humble grow in wisdom
and nobility, men will take knowledge of them that they have been with Jesus
Christ (Acts 4:13).” (Donald Grey Barnhouse).
Verse
18 If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men.
In reference to the Christians conduct toward all men the apostle lays down
this injunction in this verse. To “live peaceably” is to live so as the saint
of God does not disturb others and
neither is the saint disturbed by
the words and actions of others (Matt. 5:5, 9). “If it be possible, as much as
lieth in you.” True believers ought never to offer an offence, insult, or
inflict an injury. Neither must we put forward that will cause others to
quarrel with us. We are to overlook many slights; put up with many injuries; we
are to make many sacrifices. We are to avoid all needless occasions of
contention, yet never to the point of sacrificing the Truth, compromising
principle, of forsaking duty. Our Lord Jesus Christ Himself did not so (Matt.
10:34).
“If it be possible;” these very terms
denote that so far from compliance therewith being a simple task, it is one
which calls for constant vigilance, self-discipline, and earnest prayer. Such
is the state of human nature, that offences must come, nevertheless it is part
of Christian duty to see to it that we so conduct ourselves as to give no just
cause of complaint against us (2 Cor. 13:11).
If we are to be successful in “living
peaceably with all men” we must bridle our unmanageable tongues” (Jam. 3:5-6).
Too, we must not be “tattlers” or “busybodies in other men’s matters” (1 Tim.
5:13). We must do all possible to avoid anger and enmities. A relish for
discord is no part of Christian virtue and the children of God must make every
effort to preserve and promote peace with his fellowmen (Heb. 12:14). Peace is
a priority in the followers of the Prince of peace (Col. 3: 14-15).
But there are things that must never be
done, even to secure peace. We must never flatter nor imitate that which is
Scripturally wrong in men’s opinions and conduct. We must never compromise but
stand for truth and justice in true humility. We must not omit our God given
duties and certainly not commit sin. If we, in order to gain peace with men,
must in any way be disloyal to our Heavenly Master, then peace, must not be
sought under such damnable conditions. With such persons the saints will never
have peace. That is the reason Paul said, “If it be possible,” for we meet with
some touchy, captious people, even among the children of God, with whom it is
very difficult to maintain peace (Jam. 3:16-18).
Verse
19 Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for
it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord. “Dearly
Beloved” — exemplifying what Paul has already called for among the Church, he
displays affection for all the brethren. This shows the genuine affection of
the Church members toward each other for the truly regenerate love each other.
Paul in earnestness is pressing this matter upon them which is so important to
individual Christian improvement and the credit and progress of the Christian
cause.
“Avenge not yourselves.” It is evident
that this is a problem that must be handled for Paul deals with it in verses
14, 17, and here in 19. Its admonition applies both within the Church and among
the society of the world (Prov. 24:17-19, 29). It is not ours to vindicate our
rights among each other, for we are to be “esteeming the other better than
himself” (Phil. 2:3). Our interest is not to be in this world’s realm, but in
our Heavenly inheritance. Christ is our Defender, our Deliverer; we rest our
right in Him. It is certain that true Christians have many injuries inflicted
upon them by the unsaved. There is no “living godly lives in this world”
without meeting with hatred and harm by its citizens (2 Tim. 3:12). But the
Christians must not seek to injure those who have injured them. The good of
society may make it necessary for believers to prosecute those who have wronged
them, but in no case must they do this to gratify ill-will, or to avenge
injury. Resentment must not be the impelling cause, nor the suffering of the
one who caused the injury the ultimate object.
“But rather give place unto wrath:” the
wrath of that man who has injured us; who is our enemy; we must give place to
his wrath, not by approving him or his wrath, but by not answering him with our
own wrath (Luke 6:27-29). When he becomes angry, we must remain calm; when he
rages, we must remain gentle and meek, both in speech and spirit, then we give
place to wrath: that is, we allow it to pass away and blow over. Solomon has
given us the sum of this exposition, “A soft answer turneth away wrath, but
grievous words stir up anger” (Prov. 15:1). While we must not allow our own wrath
to cause us to take revenge, and we must let it be abated calmly, peacefully,
and without vengeance, we must understand that we must give way to the wrath of
God.
“For it is written, Vengeance is mine: I
will repay, saith the Lord.” Paul quotes here from Deut. 32:35. If we would
take upon ourselves to avenge ourselves, we take God’s work from His hand.
God’s perfect justice will settle all things, and must be left to do so (Nahum
1:2-3). The voice of God has spoken it; let it stand! God Himself has laid
claim to vengeance; all repaying is His business. “I will repay.” Our Lord will
not abandon the cause or the rights of His beloved children. Wrongs against
them will be avenged by Him in due time.
Verse
20 Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for
in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head. This is a quotation
from Prov. 25:21-22. The law of love is not expounded more spiritually in any
single precept either by Christ or His apostles than in this exhortation. As
Christians we are to seize upon the moment of distress in our enemies to show
kindness to them even though they hate us. Rather than be guilty of malice and
insult we must “give place to wrath” by being willing to submit to their
insults.
“Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him;
if he thirst, give him drink.” The enemy of the child of God is anyone who is
hostile to him, opposing or otherwise odious to his person, faith, or service.
Believers do not respond in kind, but rather renders benevolence, meeting the
needs of their enemy. The command of our Lord is, “Love thine enemy, do good to
them that hate you” (Matt. 5:44). If our enemy is needy in any way, do him
good, and supply his needs. Our anger will never win the heart of our foe, but
kindness may reach his heart and conscience. Scriptural principles by which
Christians are to live is that of overflowing love which under God will become
overcoming love (1 Sam. 24:16-19).
John Gill says, “‘thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head;’
not to do him hurt, not to aggravate his condemnation, as if this would be a
means of bringing down the wrath of God the more fiercely on him, which is a
sense given by some; as if this would be an inducement to the saints to do such
acts of kindness; which is just the reverse of the spirit and temper of mind
the apostle is here cultivating; but rather the sense is, that by so doing, his
conscience would be stung with a sense of former injuries done to his benefactor,
and he be filled with shame on account of them, and be brought to repentance
for them, and to love the person he before hated, and be careful of doing him
any wrong for the future; all which may be considered as a prevailing motive to
God's people to act the generous part they are here moved to.”
Verse
21 Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil of good. The word “evil” here
carries with it the meaning “injury,” just as it does in verse 17. Thus the
believer is not to be overcome by the injuries he receives from others, however
numerous, varied, severe, and long-continued they may be. “Say not, I will do
so to him as he hath done to me: I will render to the man according to his
work” (Prov. 24:29). Corrupt nature thirsts for retaliation, but grace must
suppress it. If someone has slandered us, that does not warrant us to slander
him. “He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty; and he that ruleth
his spirit than he that taketh a city” (Prov.16:32). Never allow the injuries
and malignity of man to interfere with our loving obedience to the authority of
God and love of our Lord Christ. Never let the diabolical pleasure of revenge
displace the Divine delight of forgiveness.
“But overcome evil with good.” True
believers cannot disregard evil around us or within us, nor are we at liberty
to try, for our calling is to face evil and overcome it with good. We are to
refuse to take revenge when others wrong us, to bridle our passions, control
ourselves, and rest contented in every state and condition of life that God in
His wise and good providence may be pleased to place us in (Phil. 4:11). The
rule of conduct which our Lord gives us in His Holy Word sets before us far
more than a series of negative prohibitions that forbid us certain things: He
also marks out a path to be walked in, setting forth positive directions of
righteous action. His Word directs us in the path of righteousness and
preserves us from sinning, but it also impels us into practical holiness.
“What a blow such a line of things is to
the taunt that, if you know you are saved, you can just live as you list —
throw the reins on the neck of the wild steed of human nature, and let it
plunge wherever it likes! Far, far from it! We are to ‘present our bodies a
living sacrifice unto God.’ It is true the child of God will live as he lists,
but that living will be in the ways of the Lord, which will become his delight;
for the Lord has shown us the emptiness of this world and its pleasures, and
led us to higher and more substantial joys. And I am satisfied that, when the
heart is truly humbled, and a Saviour unfeignedly loved, there will be the
earnest desire to please Him and glorify His name. I am sure of this from
personal observation, that loose-living professors are chiefly found among
persons of a loose creed, while the children of God, who are fed from the
stores of the covenant of grace, will be circumspect in their lives, testifying
by their life, walk, and conduct that they are on the Lord’s side, and thereby
putting to silence the ignorance of foolish men who assert the contrary”
(George Cowell).
Worthy
Doctrinal and Spiritual Notes and Quotes on Romans 12:9-21
Verse 9. One can never be rid of sin until it is
buried in the grave of the Lord Jesus. — T. T. Shields (1873-1955).
Christian love is the
distinguishing mark of Christian life. — John Blanchard.
The hypocrite is a cloud
without rain, a blossoming tree without fruit, a star without light, a shell
without a kernel. — Thomas Brooks (1608-1680).
I do not understand how a man
can be a true believer in whom sin is not the greatest burden, sorrow and
trouble. — John Owen (1616-1683).
Christian love does not ignore
or deny evil; rather, it hates evil. Not because of personal offense, but
because it is offensive to its Lord. It rejects any behavior contrary to the
character and spirit of Christ. It has no place for that which does not promote
the love of Christ among His people. How is this hatred manifested? Not by an
objectionable or abusive attitude, but by abstinence; it avoids evil in its own
character and conduct. What is this evil? It is that which falls short of God’s
glory. — Jay Wimberly (1936-2012).
It is not the absence of sin
but the grieving over it which distinguishes the child of God from empty
professors. — A. W. Pink (1886-1952).
Faith and obedience are bound
up in the same bundle. He that obeys God, trusts God; and he that trusts God,
obeys God. — C. H. Spurgeon (1834-1892).
Verse 10. The language here
emphasizes the family spirit among the household of faith. It directly and
strongly contradicts the more modern concept of the institutionality of the
Church. The Church was never intended to be a business, or to be conducted like
a business. It is not a club, or structured in any way like the organizations of
the world. It is a family, and is to be conducted as one. — Jay Wimberly
(1936-2012).
As there is nothing more
opposed to brotherly concord than the contempt which rises from pride, while
each esteems others less and exalts himself, so modesty, by which each comes to
honour others, best nourishes love. — John Calvin (1509-1564).
Fidelity to God does not
require any to act uncharitably to his servants. — C. H. Spurgeon (1834-1892).
Love is the binding power which
holds the body of the Christian Church together. — Stephen Olford (1918-2004).
Oh for true unfeigned humility!
I know I have cause to be humble; and yet I do not know one half of that cause.
I know I am proud; and yet I do not know the half of that pride. — Robert
Murray M’Cheyne (1813-1843).
Verse 11. There are two options
here; both are true. (1) Make the Lord’s glory your rule in everything. Whatever you do, do it as
unto the Lord. If you are engaged in secular work for wages, or if you serve
the public, work as if the Lord Jesus is your employer (Eph. 6:5-7; Col. 3:
22-23). (2) Let not the worship and business of the Lord degenerate into a cold
formalism. Let our religious duties
(such as study, prayer, witnessing, and singing giving, and preaching) be
always motivated by fervent zeal and interest. — Henry Mahan (b. 1926).
Our laziness after God is our
crying sin . . . No man gets God who does not follow hard after Him. — E. M.
Bounds (1835-1913).
(1) Negatively, ‘not slothful
in business;’ you will do nothing at it if ye be sleepy or slothful; the
business is not such as may be done in a dream. Ad idleness is the burial of
our persons, so slothfulness is the burial of our actions. It is bad to be slow
at our business, but much worse to be slothful. (2) Affirmatively, ‘fervent in
spirit;’ this is the greatest diligence possible. Fervency is the heat and
height of the affections, and is as contrary to slothfulness as fire to water.
— George Swinnock (1627-1673).
“Fervent in spirit, serving the
Lord.” The Greek word Zeovres (fervent), signifies seething hot. God loves to see His people zealous and warm in His
service. Without fervency of spirit, no service finds acceptance in Heaven. God
is a pure act, and He loves that His people should be lively and active in His
service. — Thomas Brooks (1608-1680).
Since my heart was touched at
17, I believe I have never awakened from sleep, in sickness or in health, by
day or by night, without mu first waking thought being how best I might serve
my Lord — Elizabeth Fry.
Verse 12. The Christians hope
of glory is not the fact Christ is in him, but the Christ who is in him as a
fact. — Anonymous.
Patience is the ballast of the
soul that will keep it from rolling and tumbling in the greatest storms. —
Ezekiel Hopkins (1634-1690).
Sin has brought many a believer
into suffering; and suffering has kept many a believer from sinning. —
William Gurnall (1617-1679).
There
is no set time to pray, for it is always appropriate. Our text tells us to “continue”
in prayer, and this is the same word as in Romans 12:12, which urges us to be “instant in” prayer.
In fact, the admonition of 1 Thessalonians 5:17 is to “pray without ceasing.”
Children
should pray, as did little Samuel. When the Lord called him, he could answer:
“Speak; for thy servant heareth” (1 Samuel 3:10). Young people should pray, as
Timothy, who was exhorted by Paul to make “supplications, prayers,
intercessions, and giving of thanks . . . for all men” (1 Timothy 2:1). Adult men should pray, as
did Paul himself, who could say to the Christians of Philippi that he was “always
in every prayer of mine for you all making request with joy” (Philippians 1:4). Old men should pray, like
Simeon, and old women, like Anna, who “served God with fastings and prayers
night and day” (Luke 2:25, 36-37). And even dying men should pray, as did
Stephen who, as he was being stoned to death, was also “calling upon God, and
saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit” (Acts 7:59).
We
can pray at dawn like David, who said: “My voice shalt thou hear in the
morning, O LORD; in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will
look up” (Psalm 5:3). In a Philippian prison, “at midnight
Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God” (Acts 16:25). Daniel “kneeled upon his knees three
times a day, and prayed” (Daniel 6:10). There is no time that
is not a good time for prayer. One should pray in times of sorrow and also in
times of joy, as did Hannah in both circumstances (1 Samuel 1:15; 2:1).
It
is a most marvelous privilege that we have through Christ, that we are able to
speak to the infinite God in prayer, and to know that He hears, and cares!
Therefore, pray! — Henry M Morris (1916-2006).
“Men
ought always to pray.” This is but another way of saying, “We shall never on
earth be without needs, or a God, able and willing, and engaged to supply them.
— Hardy.
Prayer
is the task and labour of a Pharisee; but the privilege and delight of a
Christian. — Joseph Hart (1712-1768).
Verse
13. True liberality is the spontaneous expression of love. — Geoffrey B. Wilson
(b. 1929).
A holy
life and a bounteous heart are ornaments of the Gospel. — Thomas Manton
(1620-1677).
Distributing
to the necessity of saints; given to hospitality. This is not common charity,
as compassion would call the believer to reach out o the starving, no matter
who on earth they might be. Rather, this is a particular relationship with
fellow believers in Christ. It is to become partners with the saints in their
needs, especially whatever they need to carry out their duty or calling in the
faith. Believers are to take care of each other, seeing to it that none suffers
need. Here, however, offered in the context of hospitality, believers are
called upon to share what they have with those who are given to the service of
the Gospel. As men give themselves to the service of Christ in the ministry of
the Word, see to it that their needs are supplied. — Jay Wimberly (1936-2012).
I shall
not value his prayers at all, be he never so earnest and frequent in them, who
gives not alms according to his ability. — John Owen (1616-1683).
Verse
14. Our lives are to be so lived that we are patient in tribulation; so when
someone persecutes us, we are to pray for him and ask God to bless him. This
does not mean that we are to ask God to prosper his evil ways, but to deal with
him so that he will see his folly and repent. Then God can bless him. The
Christian is to live in such a fashion that it is apparent that he is not
animated by original, human life, but is indwelt by Christ. The child of Adam
by nature is a rock, which, when struck, brings forth bitter water. Thus we
will stand in our wilderness surroundings as fountains for Him. Is not this
implied in Christ’s wonderful promise and announcement of the quality of the Christian
life? “If any one thirst, let him come to me and drink. He who believes in me,
as the Scripture has said, Out of his innermost being shall flow rivers of
living water” (John 7:37-38). Through the centuries many preachers have noted
that the Christian life, like a rose, gives forth perfume when it is crushed.
By tribulation and persecution our Lord fulfills this purpose: “Now thanks be
unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the
savor of his knowledge by us in every place” (2 Cor. 2:14). — Donald Grey
Barnhouse (1895-1960).
Take
care if the world does hate you that it hates you without cause. — C. H.
Spurgeon (1834-1892).
Suffering
for Christ’s sake is to be viewed as a privilege. As God has bestowed the gift
of salvation so He has also bestowed the gift of suffering. — Howard F. Vos (b.
1925).
Verse
15. Think it not hard if you get not your will, nor your delights in this life;
God will have you to rejoice in nothing but himself. — Samuel Rutherford
(1600-1661).
Be a sinner and sin strongly, but more
strongly have faith and rejoice in Christ.
— Martin Luther (1483-1546).
— Martin Luther (1483-1546).
Rejoice with them that do rejoice,.... Not in
anything sinful and criminal, in a thing of nought, in men's own boastings; all
such rejoicing is evil, and not to be joined in; but in things good and
laudable, as in outward prosperity; and to rejoice with such, is a very
difficult task; for unless persons have a near concern in the prosperity of
others, they are very apt to envy it, or to murmur and repine, that they are
not in equal, or superior circumstances; and also in things spiritual, with
such who rejoice in the discoveries of God's love to their souls, in the views
of interest in Christ, and of peace, pardon, and righteousness by him, and in
hope of the glory of God; when such souls make their boast in the Lord, the
humble hearing thereof will be glad, and will, as they ought to do, join with
them in magnifying the Lord, and will exalt his name together: and weep with
them that weep; so Christ, as he rejoiced with them that rejoiced, at the
marriage in Cana of Galilee, wept with them that wept, with Mary at the grave
of Lazarus. The design of these rules is to excite and encourage sympathy in
the saints with each other, in all conditions inward and outward, and with
respect to things temporal and spiritual; in imitation of Christ their great
high priest, who cannot but be touched with the infirmities of his people; and
as founded upon, and arising from, their relation to each other, as members of
the same body; see 1 Corinthians 12:26. — John Gill (1697-1771).
Verse 16. Think of, that is, regard, or seek
after the same thing for each other; that is, what you regard or seek for
yourself, seek also for your brethren. Do not have divided interests; do not be
pursuing different ends and aims; do not indulge counter plans and purposes;
and do not seek honors, offices, for yourself which you do not seek for your
brethren, so that you may still regard yourselves as brethren on a level, and
aim at the same object. — Albert Barnes (1798-1870).
“Not thinking,” he
says, “of high things:” by which he means, that it is not the part of a
Christian ambitiously to aspire to those things by which he may excel others,
nor to assume a lofty appearance, but on the contrary to exercise humility and
meekness: for by these we excel before the Lord, and not by pride and contempt
of the brethren. A precept is fitly added to the preceding; for nothing tends
more to break that unity which has been mentioned, than when we elevate
ourselves, and aspire to something higher, so that we may rise to a higher
situation. I take the term humble in the neuter gender, to complete the
antithesis. Here then is condemned all ambition and that elation of mind which
insinuates itself under the name of magnanimity; for the chief virtue of the
faithful is moderation, or rather lowliness of mind, which ever prefers to give
honor to others, rather than to take it away from them. Closely allied to this
is what is subjoined: for nothing swells the minds of men so much as a high
notion of their own wisdom. His desire then was, that we should lay this aside,
hear others, and regard their counsels. — John Calvin (1509-1564).
Pride is a vice, which cleaves so fast unto the hearts of
men, that if we were to strip ourselves of all faults, one by one, we should
undoubtedly find it is the very last and hardest to put off. — Thomas Hooker
(1586-1647).
Neither God nor man will care to lift up a man who lifts up
himself; but both God and good men unite to honour modest worth. — C. H.
Spurgeon (1834-1892).
Verse 17. Now, such a life must inevitably arouse the
hatred of those who do not experience it. To live supernaturally in the midst
of a natural world is a silent rebuke that becomes intolerably galling to those
who are not trusting the Lord Jesus Christ. Thus this section of the epistle to
the Romans forearms for conflicts that must result as we draw nearer and nearer
to the Lord Jesus Christ who is the central target of all of earth’s hatreds. —
Donald Grey Barnhouse (1895-1960).
Provide things honest - Be
prudent, be cautious, neither eat, drink, nor wear, but as you pay for every
thing. “Live not on trust, for that is the way to pay double;” and by this
means the poor are still kept poor. He who takes credit, even for food or
raiment, when he has no probable means of defraying the debt, is a dishonest
man. It is no sin to die through lack of the necessaries of life when the
providence of God has denied the means of support; but it is a sin to take up
goods without the probability of being able to pay for them. Poor man! suffer
poverty a little; perhaps God is only trying thee for a time; and who can tell
if He will not turn again thy captivity. Labour hard to live honestly; if God
still appear to withhold His providential blessing, do not despair; leave it
all to Him; do not make a sinful choice; He cannot err. He will bless thy
poverty, while He curses the ungodly man‘s blessings. — Adam Clarke
(1760-1832).
Verse 18. If it be possible, as much as lieth in
you, live peaceably,.... Or be at peace, seek after peace, pursue it, and
cultivate it: with all men; with those that we are immediately concerned with,
in a natural relation; so husbands should live peaceably with their wives, and
wives with their husbands; parents with their children, and children with their
parents; masters with their servants, and servants with their masters; and one
brother, relation, and friend, with another: and so with all we are concerned
with in a spiritual relation, as members of Christ, and in the same church
state; such should be at peace among themselves, 1 Thessalonians 5:13;
peace should rule in their hearts, Colossians 3:15, and they
should study to keep "the unity of the Spirit, in the bond of peace",
Ephesians 4:3, yea, with
all we are concerned in a civil sense; saints should live peaceably in the
neighborhood, towns, cities, and countries, where they dwell, and show
themselves to be the quiet in the land; should pray for the peace of the place
where they are; and do all that in them lies to promote it, by living
themselves peaceably and quietly, in all godliness and honesty; yea, they
should live peaceably with their very enemies, "if it be possible";
which is rightly put, for there are some persons of such tempers and
dispositions, that it is impossible to live peaceably with; for when others are
for peace, they are for war; and in some cases it is not only impracticable,
but would be unlawful; as when it cannot be done consistent with holiness of
life and conversation, with the edification of others, the truths of the
Gospel, the interest of religion, and the glory of God; these are things that
are never to be sacrificed for the sake of peace with men: the apostle adds
another limitation of this rule, "as much as lieth in you"; for more
than this is not required of us; nothing should be wanting on our parts; every
step should be taken to cultivate and maintain peace; the blame should lie
wholly on the other side; it becomes the saints to live peaceably themselves,
if others will not with them. — John Gill (1697-1771).
Few things more adorn and beautify a Christian
profession than exercising and manifesting the spirit of peace. — A. W. Pink
(1886-1952).
He that is not a son of peace is not a son of
God. — Richard Baxter (1615-1691).
Verse 19. Avenge not yourselves - To “avenge” is
to take satisfaction for an injury by inflicting punishment on the offender. To
take such satisfaction for injuries done to society, is lawful and proper for a
magistrate; Romans 13:4. And to take satisfaction for injuries done by sin to
the universe, is the province of God. But the apostle here is addressing
private individual Christians. And the command is, to avoid a spirit and
purpose of revenge. But this command is not to be so understood that we may not
seek for “justice” in a regular and proper way before civil tribunals. If our
character is assaulted, if we are robbed and plundered, if we are oppressed
contrary to the law of the land, religion does not require us to submit to such
oppression and injury without seeking our rights in an orderly and regular
manner. If it did, it would be to give a premium to iniquity, to countenance
wickedness, and require a man, by becoming a Christian, to abandon his rights.
— Albert Barnes 1798-1870).
To give place to wrath, is to commit to the Lord the
right of judging, which they take away from him who attempt revenge. Hence, as
it is not lawful to usurp the office of God, it is not lawful to revenge. —
John Calvin (1509-1564).
God Himself has laid claim to vengeance; all
repaying is His business. The voice of God has also promised the evening up of
all things. I will repay, saith the Lord.
God will not abandon the cause or the rights of His beloved! Wrongs against His
servants will be avenged in due time. — Jay Wimberly (1936-2012).
Verse 20. .If
therefore, etc. He now shows how we may really fulfill the precepts of not
revenging and of not repaying evil, even when we not only abstain from doing
injury but when we also do good to those who have done wrong to us; for it is a
kind of an indirect retaliation when we turn aside our kindness from those by
whom we have been injured. Understand as included under the words meat and
drink, all acts of kindness. Whatsoever then may be thine ability, in
whatever business thy enemy may want either thy wealth, or thy counsel, or thy
efforts, thou oughtest to help him. But he calls him our enemy, not whom we
regard with hatred, but him who entertains enmity towards us. And if they are
to be helped according to the flesh, much less is their salvation to be opposed
by imprecating vengeance on them. — John Calvin (1509-1564).
Coals of fire are doubtless emblematical of
“pain.” But the idea here is not that in so doing we shall call down divine
vengeance on the man; but the apostle is speaking of the natural effect or
result of showing him kindness. Burning coals heaped on a man‘s head would be
expressive of intense agony. So the apostle says that the “effect” of doing
good to an enemy would be to produce pain. But the pain will result from shame,
remorse of conscience, a conviction of the evil of his conduct, and an
apprehension of divine displeasure that may lead to repentance. To do this, is
not only perfectly right, but it is desirable. If a man can be brought to
reflection and true repentance, it should be done. — Albert Barnes (1798-1870).
Verse 21. Be not overcome]
In revenge of injuries, he is the loser that gets the better. Hence the apostle
disgraceth it, by a word that signifieth disgrace or loss of victory, ηττημα, 1 Corinthians
6:7. When any one provokes us, we use to say, We will be even with him.
There is a way whereby we may be, not even with him, but above him; that is,
forgive him, feed him with the best morsels, feed him indulgently (so the
apostle’s word ψωμιζε in the former verse
signifies), feast him, as Elisha did his persecutors; providing a table for
them, who had provided a grave for him. “Set bread and water before them,”
saith he, and mark what followed; “The bands of Syria came no more after that
time,” by way of ambush or inroad, “into the bounds of Israel,” 2 Kings
6:22-23. In doing some good to our enemies (saith a grave divine hereupon)
we do most to ourselves: God cannot but love in us that imitation of his mercy,
who bids his sun to shine on the wicked and unthankful also; and his love is
never fruitless. It is not like the winter sun that gives little heat, but like
the sun in his strength, that warms and works effectually upon the rest of the
creatures.
But overcome evil]
This is the most noble victory. Thus David overcame Saul, and Henry VII,
emperor of Germany, overcame the priest that poisoned him at the sacrament; for
he pardoned him, and bade him be packing. (Fanc. Chron.) So did not Jacup the
Persian king, who perceiving himself poisoned by his adulterous wife, enforced
her to drink of the same cup; and because he would be sure she should not
escape, with his own hand he struck off her head. (Turkish Hist.) But this (to
say truth) was not revenge, but justice. Henry IV of France was wont to say,
that he made all the days of those golden, who had most offended him; that so,
the lead of their wickedness might be darkened by the gold of his goodness. —
John Trapp (1601-1669).
Be not conquered by the evil that thy enemy may
show thee, do not let this incite thee to thoughts of enmity and revenge under
any circumstances; rather conquer the evil by doing good. Subdue your enemies
by kindness, not by meanness. For doing good is the sphere in which we
believers should move at all times, and this must exert its influence in the
case of our enemies. Many a bitter enemy has been overcome by Christian
magnanimity and has become the friend of the Christian cause. — Paul E.
Kretzmann (b. 1883).
