City Life Starter

I. The Word: Romans 12:19-21

¹⁹ Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord. ²⁰ Therefore

²¹ Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

II. Study Questions

1. How do you deal with injustice?

2. Why is the nature of God (doctrine of God) important?

3. What did Jesus say in Luke 23:34?

Injustice, it is quite difficult to deal with when society is screaming for justice for victims and those who are mistreated.  It is also difficult for individuals to determine and engage in which injustice to be involved (Seems like US is obsessed with airlines these days). Living in a society where we can quickly hire a lawyer to sue anyone who wrongs you, whether it is an individual or corporation, it is quite easy to let those who offend us pay for the pain and inconvenience they caused.  “How dare they?” “Who do they think they are?” “I’m going to make them pay!” Whether we go after a businesses who mistreated us or an individual who cut us off on the road, we can easily become a judge and the enforcer.  What we are really saying is that we don’t need God, whether it is injustice or persecution, we will carry out justice on our own.

In today’s reading, Paul reveals the character and nature of God that Christians rarely discuss today.  That our God is just, and He is a righteous judge that will judge the living and the dead.  The idea that God can inflict wrath on the wicked is difficult for those who have been taught only that God is love.  To accept the nature of God that only accept He is love but not just, is simply a bad theology.

As Christians, we are called to love our enemies and pray for them.  I have wrestled with this quite often and have to remind myself constantly that we are to be quick to forgive those who offend us, consciously and unconsciously.  When we forgive those who offend or have wronged us, there are some things that are being accomplished.  First, when we forgive, we are trusting God that He is just.  Second, when we forgive, we are keeping our heart pure from bitterness and anger.  Most importantly, when we forgive, we are praying that God will forgive them.  By praying for them, we become a priest who stands in the gap for their wrongdoing.  That God who forgave us for our sins will have mercy on them.  In His final Word on the cross, Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” (Luke 23:34) This should be our model prayer for forgiveness.

The world will continue to seek justice with their own means to solve the problem.  We will pray that God will have mercy on them.  Yes, we will overcome evil with good.  JY