The Christian Reaction to Wrongdoing
Romans 12:14-21 · Roger Henderson · Mar 9, 2025
Romans (2022-25), No. 114
Holly Hills Bible Church
https://hollyhillsbiblechurch.org/teaching/messages/492619383859

Transcribed from the recording by SermonAudio, so expect the occasional misheard word.

Actually, after the mishap last week, I had to kind of rethink the last part, the last couple of messages here. So, you know, we're heading toward chapter 13 here. And we're going to find that the last part of 12 really kind of gives us a good introduction to 13 here. OK, so I've labeled this section. We're going to go back and pick up 16 last week.

I've also kind of rethought the outline and listened to Bob's message this morning. Context, context, context. Amen. So we're going to find that the last part of chapter 12 is really going to help us kind of understand the contrast between man's interaction with wrongdoing on a personal basis and with governmental handling of wrongdoing, if you will. So okay, here we go.

So this is the outline I did last week. So I added, I started with McGee and I added Macaulay. Gotta keep with the M. Remember, we have McGee, Macaulay, Merriman, Malloy. I don't know. What can we say? Lots of M's there. So we started off months ago here, a month or so ago, with our relationship to God. You know, we're presenting our body, a living sacrifice. And the whole beautiful part of verses 1 and 2. Then we went on to the gifts of the Spirit, which Mike did a great job on that. And we eventually got down to a relationship with Jim Redd in 9-13 with other believers.

And then last week I went into, I started into verse 14, didn't quite got to 16, but I realized that that's to all men. But what I didn't realize is that it would be better to look at the last 17 through 21 as what's the Christian reaction to wrongdoing? Because all the verses talk about there's something going on in the Christian's life. How is he to respond to that is kind of the key point.

And it's basically when we are treated wrongly. Somehow we are treated wrongly in some way, shape, or form, whether by believer or unbeliever. Sometimes it's the hardest when we're treated wrongly by believers. That's probably the hardest thing as we view it, if we think we've been wronged. So, and I think God's Word covers the whole gamut of that. Okay, so let's get into, let's go back and look at 16 for a bit. And this is just a beautiful section about God wants us to think.

He wants to be thinkers, right? And I was thinking about relationships. And our youngest son, Ryan, if you follow him, I know you guys, I don't have Facebook, but he is in a relationship now. He has a girlfriend. So I was thinking about this being of the same mind. It's important in every relationship in life. between girlfriend and boyfriend. So now he's announced they're girlfriend and boyfriend. I don't know, that's a new thing for me, but whatever. But it's important to be of the same mind with individually and with God, certainly.

So we start off here. UB, I kind of supplied the subject, UB thinking, the same thing toward one another. I like the interlinear because it had the idea of thinking, you know, mindedness, thinking, they're all kind of the same area. Thinking for Neo, to think, to have a mindset, to be minded. The same thing, generally it means the same, not different, is to think in agreement.

You know, God wants us to be in agreement with him, and he doesn't beat us over the head. He gives us his very life, and he says, but we still have our old life in Adam, so he says, I want you to think with me. Think like I think. And we can do that only by his word and by his spirit.

So we're to think the same thing toward one another, with respect to one another. Beautiful, beautiful thoughts here. Okay, there we go. So it's toward one another, the idea of a loving, this is Denny that Weiss quotes a lot, unanimity or harmony, we're to be focused toward this loving harmony. So, Guilford, another person, he quotes, let each enter into a feeling and desire of the other as to be of one mind.

Boy, just, you know, certainly in your personal relationship, husband and wife, and certainly with our Savior, you want to be on the same page. If you're on different pages, you're not thinking the same way, you know, good things don't happen. Bad things happen. And here's a good point, Alfred, another person that Weiss quotes a lot, it's not uniformity, I think I mentioned last week, we're not to be cookie cutter Christians, we all look the same, all the ladies dress the same, all the men dress the same, they all have a certain kind of car, if it happens to be certain kinds of cars, or whatever.

We're to have this unanimity, this harmony, not uniformity. Okay, so here's a couple of verses that kind of speak to this same-mindedness. You know, this is not the only place in Scripture where Paul brings this across. So we start off here in Romans, a little later on we'll study this.

Now, may the God who gives us perseverance and encouragement grant grant you to be of the same mind with one another according to Christ Jesus. Always important, you know Macaulay does a great job, if you listen to him a lot, he talks about our vertical, our horizontal relationship depends upon our vertical relationship to God. As we relate to God, we can have the right horizontal relationship. So we can be of the same mind according to our relationship to the Lord Jesus Christ. So that's what that verse is about.

Then Philippians talks about this a lot. Make my joy complete. So it makes Paul joyful by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent upon one purpose. And again, Philippians, I urge you, eutyche, I urge you, syndiche, to live in harmony in the Lord. That's what we want of all people, right? So Paul's just bringing this across in this section, this talking about what does our Christian life look like? It looks like a relationship to God on the vertical level, but that results in a harmony on the horizontal level. Okay, let's go on. So the B part of this verse starts off not thinking the high things. I took the interlinear. It has the Hottie and the New American Standard and others.

So God is really concerned, and probably rightfully so, that man thinks he's something special, right? Just look. Just look at the political arena. And I like a lot of the good things in recent times in the political arena for a change. It's encouraging. I thought we'd have a rest, but maybe this is my opinion here. But anyway, so, but what happens? Politics kind of brings out, you know, men and women, we're something special. I have something to really share that you really need to know. Really?

So God warns us, don't think about the high things. So now we're, this is a warning about how we think. So he says, and actually this is the negative. Then he said, introduced to the clause. This is thinking these high things or these haughty things are not gonna help us in our relationship with one another. They're gonna be a detriment because we're gonna think, well, I'm smarter than you. Back in the school, kids make fun of each other. Well, I know more than you or whatever it might be. But that's not how we're to think. not thinking the high things.

High things here are highly esteemed, regarded with pride, haughty, a haughty person is, being around a haughty person is not very pleasant that I've ever seen. And a couple of verses that speak to this, Luke 16, 15, but God knows your hearts for that which is highly esteemed among men, this is an incredible word, that's what's highly esteemed among men is detestable in the sight of God. Whoa!

Okay, and then Romans, earlier on we had in Romans 12.3, For through the grace given to me, I say to everyone among you, not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think. So God doesn't want us to be haughty in mind.

He wants to be the opposite of that, and that's the next part of the verse. So, and actually, Newell says, the high things are a continual temptation. Don't we see that over and over again where people that have knowledge, that knowledge puffs us up, they just, they think the world themselves, you know, I know this and I, you know, what a great person if I understand this and you don't, so to speak. But that's not what God is about, not what he wants. Okay, so let's go on to the flip side of that.

And this has the idea, the second part, but be willing to go to the humble things. He says, I don't want you to go to the high things, I want you to go to the humble things. And the but here is in the Greek, there's a couple of different words for but, and this is a sharp contrast. So in sharp contrast to thinking the high things, I want you to go to the humble ones, the humble things.

Be willing to go is the idea to be led. It's actually a passive, which is interesting. So God is going to, in a sense, God is going to lead you into this. This is God's doing in your life, being led or carried away, present continually, being carried along. And the word here is to lead a way together. It means to be carried away with, to yield or submit oneself to the lowly things or conditions.

You know, our first thought, you think of lowly, you think, well, that's down with the bums on Larimer Street, right? That's the lowly things. I hang out with the bums on Larimer Street and I want to do that? Doesn't sound too good. But I think it's a different view, really, the humble things. being humble, poor, of low degree. So here's a verse that speaks to that.

Now I, Paul, myself, urge you by the meekness and gentleness of Christ. So the idea, Christ did not exalt himself, right? He humbled himself, right? In so many ways, and ultimately on the cross. I who am meek when face to face with you, but am bold towards you when absent. Paul, interesting guy. Meek when face to face. I've seen that with other people too. He's not the only one, but it's interesting.

Okay, let's go on. So that kind of wraps up that little thought. So we're not to be the high things, not to hang out with the high things. We're to be, let the Lord lead us to the humble things and meek things of life. That's where he wants us to be. And then he kind of wraps up the verse by saying, do not be wise in your own estimation.

And that's another key part. Literally, here, and this brings us out so greatly many times, this is a condition that's already going on. You're already thinking a lot of yourself. You're wise in your own estimation. He says, stop being wise. Stop being those who are wise in their own opinion. So the action is assumed to already be going on. It's already in progress. He tells us to stop it. So Paul tells us to stop being wise in our own estimation, opinion. And here's a verse we had earlier.

For I do not want you, brethren, to be uninformed of this mystery. And he's going to use that phrase to explain that. So that you would not be wise in your own estimation. I wanted to just pick up on that last phrase, not going back and covering that topic. So you're not to be wise in your own estimation. And wise is another one of these freneo words. The core word is fron, P-H-R-O-N.

So wise is that don't be conceited, wise in yourself, judged by the standards of yourself. You like yourself, you're judged by your own standards. You gotta be a great person, right? Because you evaluate yourself totally. I'm the greatest thing walking around, right? Okay, and then in Proverbs it says, Do not be wise in your own eyes, fear the Lord, and turn away from evil.

All right, so that wraps up 16. So let's go on to 17. So 17 through 21 is a package, if you will, in my mind. It's going to talk about this wrongdoing. So what's happened here is that the believer is being has encountered evil. So something has happened and he's encountering evil. So the Lord's going to give us instructions about what are we to do in response to that evil.

So he starts off, never pay back evil for evil to anyone. Respect what is right in the sight of all men. If possible, so far as it depends upon you, be at peace with all men. Never take your own revenge. Beloved, But leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord."

So if you look at here, the issue is stated in verse 17, right? He says the key issue here, don't repay evil for evil. And then he goes on to give a couple other details on that and about Well, let's be at peace with all men. Actually, while I'm talking, I'll get ahead of my notes here. He says, so what's our reaction to wrongdoing, this evil? He says, 17 presents the issue. paying back evil for evil. 17 adds the idea of being at peace with all men. And then 19 adds about revenge. Do I go out and take revenge? What am I supposed to do with that? So 17 states it, and then 18 and 19 kind of clarify it. We're going to see next week, 20 and 21 will be a similar thing. 20 will state the issue, and 21 will state the issue.

And these are all kind of leaning toward, well, what about Is there any, in our lifetime, is there, who handles, you know, let me just keep talking. This is on a personal level. That's the key part to see. This is a personal level, person to person. We're gonna see in 13, it's gonna be the government, human government. What part do they play? Okay, let's go on here.

All right, never pay back evil for evil to anyone. So basically, Interlinear has it, to no one return evil for evil. So no one is literally no one, whoever it may be. So it doesn't matter, believer, unbeliever, if you've encountered evil from them, you're not to repay them. From this verse, don't pay back evil for evil.

Let's kind of keep going here, see if he has some more understanding here. Could be a believer or an unbeliever, but it's an individual, and he's talking about here, returning inside to give back or pay back or restore or return. And it assumes that there's evil happening, something's going on that's evil. And it's literally, in the original, it's evil in exchange for evil. Tit for tat, with all kind of expressions we have in our society, tit for tat, if he does X, I do X back to him, right?

A couple of verses that speak to this. Actually, this phrase occurs three times. In this verse, 1217, it occurs in 1 Thess 515. See that no one repays evil with evil for evil, but always seek that which is good for one another for all people. What we're going to notice is that Paul states the negative first, and then he'll state a positive secondly.

And then the third verse that has the same phrase is 1 Peter 3.9, not returning evil for evil or insult for insult, but giving a blessing instead, for you are called for this very purpose that you might inherit a blessing.

So we see in 1 Peter 3.9 that the positive side of this is don't return evil for evil, but return a blessing. So we do the opposite of what what the person would expect, so to speak. Then in 1 Thess it said, but always seek after that which is good for one another. We're to seek what is good. Then in our verse it says, respect what is right in the sight of all men.

So Paul gives us the negative, he gives us something to do in return, if you will. OK, let's continue on. Evil for evil. And this is apparently, you know, two wrongs don't make it right. Evil for evil is that kind of thought process. But what about punishment under human government?

So this is a little peek ahead. We're getting into Mike's area. Mike gets to teach most of Chapter 13. And we've been watching Andy Wood. Yeah, anyway, pretty good stuff. Cool stuff. So this is a little sneak preview here. Human government. So it actually kind of goes back to the Noahic Covenant. It's kind of where we kind of see the beginning of this.

And this is before the law. Whoever sheds man's blood, by man's blood shall he be shed. By man's blood shall he be shed, right? For in the image of God he has made man. Okay, so then Romans 13.1 kind of clarifies this a little bit more.

Every person is to be in subjection to the government authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those who exist are established by God." Boy, that is a toughie, right? That is a toughie. So I go back and say Nero, I go back and say different administrations in our country, that were established by, they were doing God's doing. I have a tough, it's a tough one.

But it says, it says, so there's no authority except from God and those which exist are established by God. And many times they're established, you know, to show us how bad we are, I gather. So anyway, so we're gonna get into that shortly, but that's in contrast to this individually evil for evil, if you will. Okay, so let's go on. So now here's the positive response.

Respect what is right in the sight of all men. Or in the interlinear, it has taking forth that for the good things before all men. So another Fresnel word, taking forethought, taking thought, care for beforehand, to think through what is right, is what Helen McCauley renders it, to think through what is right.

2 Corinthians 8.21 says, for we have regard, and this is really cool, for we have regard for what is honorable, So he says, what is honorable, Paul says, we have regard for it, not only in the sight of the Lord, but also in the sight of men.

A really key point, don't be so focused, or he's warning us, it must look right in both domains, in a sense. Yes, it may offend them that you follow Christ, but it can't, it has to be, you have to count the coins right. If you say, well, I'm counting these coins right, and somebody thinks you're cheating, there's a problem. So not to say, oh, somebody wrongly slanders you. That's a different story.

But you're to regard it as what is right in the sight of the Lord and the sight of men. Good things here are this is an exterior goodness based upon the inner goodness, what comes out on the outside. the outward expression of an inward goodness before all men and in the sight of all men.

So 1 Peter 2.12 says, holding your manner of life honest among the Gentiles. So that's what they wanted to be honest in front of unbelievers is to be honest in front of the Lord and honest in front of all men. Okay, so that's 17.

So now, actually, I underlined the wrong part. You say, OK, I want to start this verse off. So the main idea here in this verse, if possible, so far as it depends upon you, be at peace with all men. So the main part of this verse is at the end. And it's the main subject. In this case, it's a participle. But participles have, like verbs, it's a verb aspect and a noun aspect. So let's take the verb aspect here.

You, supplied, be at peace. This is a Rene, New Testament, the idea to live in peace and harmony and accord. You live in peace. That's the main part of this verse. You live in peace. Present tense, continuous action, active voice. So we're continuing to live in peace. So the remainder of the verse modifies this main thought. You live in peace.

First of all, with all men. So now it kind of points that this piece is, we're not talking about a national piece, but an individual piece. So it narrows it to person to person. And here's a verse that kind of supports that. Finally, brethren, rejoice, be made complete, be conformed, be like-minded, live in peace, and the God of love and peace will be with you. So all those things, live in peace. That's what we're to be about as believers. And then we go on, if possible.

So now it puts some conditions here. First of two conditions, if possible. And it's not, if you can. This is a little bit tricky, I found. And so Alfred, that Weiss quotes a lot, mentions this. If possible, if possible, if others will allow. So you desire to live in peace with your brothers and sisters in the Lord and with all men, but sometimes you try, and what happens? It doesn't work out, right? People have it in for you, so to speak. If possible, to live in peace.

Others may not want to be at peace with you, and then here's John 17, 14, I've given them your word, he's speaking to the disciples here, and the world has hated them. So the Lord said, I've given the disciples his word, and what does the world do? And we said, it hates us because we follow Christ, right? It doesn't like us. So we try to be at peace with them, we try to tell them, but they don't like us. And why is that the case? Because they're not of the world, even as I am not of the world.

Possible is the idea to able, is a key idea, within your power. So you do your best to be at peace, if it's possible, with all men. And then the second part, which sounds very repetitive, so far as it depends upon you, it sounds almost like a restatement, but it's separate. So this is the second condition, is the idea of possession, relationship.

And so, first of all, it kind of occurred to me, we have in the, Sermon on the Mount, I believe. Blessed are the peacemakers. But if we're good students of Scripture, we say, oh, wait a minute, that's for the kingdom. The kingdom, the Lord's on the throne. It's easy to be a peacemaker then, right? But Paul says, wait a minute, Charlie. Hold on, Sarah. I want you to do it right now. It's kingdom teaching, but I want you to be a peacemaker now.

It's in our own interests that we seek, we are seeking peace. Now, here's something to think about. Macaulay brought this out, and I kind of struggled for a while with this. On a personal, let's see, in representing ourselves, this is the act of the meekness, letting the Lord, and being in the humble position. In our own interests, we're seeking peace.

But in Christ's interests, we stand for the truth, right? We don't let our seeking peace compromise the truth about the Lord Jesus Christ. That's kind of that balance between we seek the humble position, but we present Christ in truth and love. And then in the form of 1 Timothy 2, I urge prayer for all men so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all Godliness and dignity. And that's one of the prayers I've had for Holly Hills for many years.

A lot of churches get wrapped up in the world, right? We don't want to get wrapped up in the world. I don't want to be on the 6 o'clock news. I want to quietly present the gospel in truthfulness and draw all men and women to Christ. That's my desire. I don't want to make the front page of any newspaper. ever, I want to present Christ quietly and godly so men and women will be drawn to him and not be, let the world get in the way. That's the Roger view of that verse. Okay. All right, so let's go on. So now we go on to 19.

Never take your own revenge, beloved. Interlinear has it kind of flipped around a bit. You supplied, you avenge yourselves not, beloved. Okay, so again, the whole kind of thing is all the idea of responding to evil. And Wiest is just great. I just love this. This little tidbit is that you're already, you're already doing this. You're already avenging yourself.

Maybe quietly. I'll just avenge myself a slight bit, right? And verbally many times, right? Have you ever spoken, you know, I've Why did you say that? Somebody will say something and you come back with a real quick statement, real fast. Avenging yourself, making yourself, well, I got that covered, I can do that. No, we're not to avenge yourself. Stop avenging yourself, beloved, is the idea. Avenging is the idea from Eck and Dyck.

It's the idea which proceeds from justice. And I think in our minds we think, well, justice will be served if I can just make my point here. Let me make my point, Lord, and we can, you know, I'll nail this and it'll be good. Is that really what He wants us to do? No, it's not. So it's actually not to execute justice, defend one's cause, maintain one's right.

You say, well, I have the, America, I have the right to say this. I have the right to say that. Well, you may have the right in America, but God says, I'm the one that's gonna take care of it. And that's where human government comes in. And we're gonna see a lot of that coming up here. You are not to be continually avenging yourself.

Beloved here, so one of the questions, why beloved? And beloved is this cool word that we see, 1 John has it a lot, spoken only of Christians as united with God, with each other in the bond of love, agape love. So a couple of, this is from Macaulay. Beloved is used because Paul is saying something very hard. Option A. Option B, maybe A and B. Beloved is used in a fatherly approach.

And I kind of think that kind of fits better, especially in Weiss' translation. Stop avenging yourself, beloved ones. You're speaking to family. You're speaking to your children, your husband, your wife. Darling, don't do that. Don't go there. It's not good for you.

Okay, so here's the contrast, but leave room for the wrath of God. Another strong contrast, so we had the first point, then a strong contrast, but Allah, strong contrast, leave room So the idea here is that this is to be an event. You have this thing going on, and then an event happens. All of a sudden, you say, OK, I'm going to stop.

Lord, you're going to have to do it. I talk to myself sometimes. Lord, I tried everything possible. You're going to have to do it. I can't do it anymore. Anyway, the idea is to give place at once. It's an Aorist tense, give place at once. leaving room for the wrath of God. So you're stepping back, so to speak, and you say, well God, you're going to have to take care of it.

Wrath is preceded by the article to point to a specific wrath. So here we have to kind of think of, be careful, God's wrath is not like man's wrath, right? My wrath is, you know, evil for evil, right? He socks me in the jaw, I sock him back in the jaw. That's not, God doesn't work that way. He doesn't, you know, he maintains his holy and righteous standard.

To give place to God, wrath means to leave room, room for it, not to take God's proper work out of his hands. So the idea is not that instead of executing vengeance ourselves, we are to abandon... to abandon the offender to the more tremendous vengeance of God. Woo, sounds kind of scary to me, but I kind of think God will do it, will deal with every man and every woman appropriate to His love and compassion and His righteousness and it won't be like man. Man has a different, man has a view from the sin nature many times. God will do it righteously and holy. He will seek vengeance upon that person in accordance with who they are and where they are.

Okay, let's carry on here. So the last part is this quote. So two final statements. Vengeance is a noun in this case. Vengeance is mine. So God says, I'm the one, I'm able to do vengeance right, right? I'm able to execute vengeance right. Man, you're not able to do that. Except for human government, which we'll see in a while. next week actually, a revenging punishment. Kind of an interesting word. God cannot be said to have vengeance in the sense that a person has vengeance. And a key point, God's vengeance is righteous vengeance, holy vengeance. I will repay, says the Lord. Repay is this word to give back or to requite.

And the verse that kind of supports this, 1 Thessalonians 4, 6, that no man transgressed and defrauded his brother in the matter, because the Lord is the avenger in all things, just as we told you before and solemnly warn you. So the Lord is the avenger in all things. So that kind of frees us, right? We stand back and say, Lord, you will take care of that in your time.

Now this is a personal relationship, but what happens if a person, you know, in the human government area. So to wrap this up, Macaulay had three things he mentioned. Three methods for obtaining justice. So all of us want justice, right? How do we get justice? Well, we just talked about a bunch of them already. How do we get justice?

Okay, we just looked at 1219. Do not be avenging your own self, this is Weiss, do not be your own self's beloved, but give place at once, notice that, that's the Aorist idea, give place at once to the wrath, for it stands written, to me belongs punishment, I will be paid, says the Lord. So that's one possibility for obtaining justice.

Next possibility we're going to see down the road here, In Romans 13.4, civil government, for it, civil government or human government, is a minister of God for good. But if you do evil, be afraid. For it, civil government or human government, does not bear the sword for nothing. For it, Civil government, human government is a minister of God, an avenger who brings a wrath upon the one who practices evil. So we had God himself will avenge the situation, human government Well, can avenge it?

And then thirdly, which we'll cover next week, feed your enemy. This is interesting, you know, heaping the coals. I haven't actually studied it totally out yet. It's interesting. So 1220B says, for doing this, you will heap burning coals of fire on his head. So stay tuned next week. We'll find out what that means. All right. Let's close in prayer. We thank You, Father, so much. We thank You for the blessings we have, Lord. Just thank You for Your Word. Thank You that You say, vengeance is mine, Lord. We know in reality we cannot do vengeance right. We will do it wrongly. We will do it sinfully. But we all desire that justice be done. We pray for Your will to be done. In Christ's name, amen.