Don't be Overcome
be an overcomer instead
Scripture Reading: Romans 12:9-21
Life would be great if it weren’t for people. People can be horrible, and we can’t escape them. The craziness of this world isn’t a recent phenomenon. It has been this way since Adam and Eve were excommunicated from Eden and their two sons had a falling out over their respective theological views, which resulted in the heretic boy killing the orthodox son.
Coming to the end of his mesmerizing letter to Rome, Paul gives instructions, some practical life-coaching for Christians, on how to live in this fallen world. In doing so, he acknowledges that Christians will face problems from people who mean to harm them because of their faith. How we are to respond and react when this happens is central to verses 14-21 of this text.
Paul is a realist. He tells us to live peaceably with everyone but admits we can only do what we can do. We can’t control what other people do. So, when we tried to live peaceably and that doesn’t work, what then? Well, don’t take it upon yourself to repay the evil done to you. Leave that work to God. Live contrary to that sinful human instinct. Bless the persecutors, do something kind for them. Paul didn’t make this up. He got it from Jesus (see the Sermon on the Mount).
The last line in this paragraph sums it up by saying, “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” I don’t believe “Do not be overcome by evil,” means evil can’t overcome us in the sense of doing us harm – even the ultimate harm of death. Paul himself would be overcome by evil in that sense when he was imprisoned and then executed for his faith in Jesus. What I believe this means is don’t let evil change who you are. Continue to be the kind of person who does the kind of things Paul listed in verses 9-13.
· A person of sincere love
· A person who abhors evil
· A person who clings to good
· An affectionate person
· A person who shows honor to others
· A person who is fervent to serve Christ
· A joyful person
· A patient person
· A prayerful person
· A person who is giving
· A hospitable person
Experiencing evil and not being able to turn it around and make peace with antagonistic people, having them persist in their hatred, can change a person. You can be so affected by evil that it “overcomes” you and turns you into the very thing you hate. You become like the ones who are attacking you. You start to talk like them and act like them. That is Paul’s cautionary word here. Don’t let that happen.
How can you prevent it? Practice overcoming evil with good. Don’t just take it. That’s not the point. It isn’t just the “Do not be overcome by evil…” end of the statement. It is “Do not be overcome by evil but overcome evil with good.”
To prevent evil from changing you, you must be proactively good in your response. You must pray for your persecutors, you must bless them, and you must do good to them. In doing so you are taking the offensive against evil, but not in the way the world would want you to. You are, instead, doing it Jesus’ way.
