In Romans 12:20 Paul says, “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty give him a drink; for in doing this you will heap coals of fire upon his head.” This is actually loving our enemies. Our love to them will be coals of fire heaped upon their heads to turn them to the Lord. It may be that by feeding our enemies and giving them a drink, we may, to at least some extent, move and turn their hearts and gain them for the Lord’s sake.
Romans 12:21 says, “Do not be conquered by the evil, but conquer the evil with the good.” To be conquered by the evil is to repay evil for evil (v. 17). Suppose someone treats you evilly and you treat him evilly in return. This indicates that you have been conquered by the evil. We should not be like this. Instead, we should conquer the evil with the good. This means that if someone treats you evilly, you give him good treatment in return. This is to conquer the evil with the good.
In the New Testament the believers are charged to pray for their persecutors. In Matthew 5:44b the Lord Jesus says, “Pray for those who persecute you.” This is a wonderful attitude to hold toward the persecutors. Stephen had such an attitude in Acts 7. When he was being stoned, even unto death, he knelt down and cried with a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them!” (v. 60). Stephen prayed for his persecutors in the same way as his Lord, whom he loved and lived (Luke 23:34).
Not only should we pray for our persecutors-we should also bless them. In Romans 12:14a Paul says, “Bless those who persecute you.” It is even more difficult to bless a persecutor than to pray for him. Nevertheless, through the divine dispensing this was Paul’s experience. Therefore, he could say, “Being reviled we bless” (1 Cor. 4:12b).
First Peter 3:9 says, “Not rendering evil for evil, or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary blessing, because to this you were called that you might inherit blessing.” We have been called to bless others, so we, as a blessed people, should always bless others that we might inherit blessing. What we bless others with, we shall inherit ourselves (Matt. 10:13). Peter’s word corresponds to what the Lord Jesus says in Matthew 5:44 and to what Paul says in Romans 12:14 and 1 Corinthians 4:12.
After charging us to bless those who persecute us, Paul goes on to say, “Bless and do not curse” (Rom. 12:14b). It is very difficult for us not to curse one who is persecuting us. Even if we would not curse him with our mouth, there may be a cursing of him deep within us. Therefore, in order to bless our persecutors and not curse them, we need to be saturated with the processed Triune God through His dispensing.
The believers also need to pursue peace with all men. Hebrews 12:14a says, “Pursue peace with all men.” To pursue here means to chase, even to chase vigorously. In having the best attitude toward others, we need to pursue peace, to chase peace vigorously.
The believers should not fight with anyone. Rather, we should pursue peace with all men. This means that we endeavor to keep a peaceful situation with everybody, living in peace with all men.
Romans 12:18 says, “If possible, as far as it depends on you, living in peace with all men.” We need to live in peace with others, as far as it depends on us to do so. Sometimes it is not possible to live in peace with all men because the other parties are not willing to have a life of peace. In such a situation, there is nothing we can do. This is the reason Paul says that we should live in peace with all men “if possible.” As far as it depends on us, we should do our best to live in peace with everybody.
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