Anti-Evil
I got a cool shirt recently, that parodies the infamous Anarchy 'A', with a Cross, and the slogan, Anti-Evil. So I wore it and did a talk on it. Here it is!
Romans 12:14-21
And that God has shown us the way to live, in order to combat the evil that exists. But the war on evil that God calls us to is radically different than the way we tend to see it fought. Instead of retaliation in a misguided quest for justice, which too often looks like vengeance, St. Paul tells us here that our response must be blessing and patience. He tells us that we must not seek to retaliate, but to leave that to God's justice. It's hard, and it takes faith, but then, that's what it's all about. More, Paul tells us that we must be empathetic to others' needs, to rejoice with them or to weep with them. We must treat everyone as equals, and not celebrate ourselves above others.
He goes on to urge us to live at peace with everyone--but realises that peace is a two-way effort. So he qualifies it: As much as it is up to us, and to the best of our ability. What's that mean? Maybe your enemy doesn't want to reconcile. You still need to be open to it, and offering forgiveness, or even apologising for your own part. And you always need to be ready to do that.
Finally, Paul quotes from the book of Proverbs (15:21-22), and tells us to feed our enemies--to show them kindness in practical ways! He says this will have a similar effect to them as if you had dumped red-hot coals on their heads! Wouldn't that be fun? Most of us would prefer to dump the coals rather than be kind, but it is kindness and love that evil is combatted most effectively!
We can't fight fire with fire, or evil with more evil. Just as water extinguishes fire, Good defeats evil. Every time.
Or, to repeat my favourite quote, below the blog's title:
Do Good.
Romans 12:14-21
Bless your persecutors; never curse them, bless them. Rejoice with others when they rejoice, and be sad with those in sorrow. Give the same consideration to all others alike. Pay no regard to social standing, but meet humble people on their own terms. "Do not congratulate yourself on your own wisdom." Never pay back evil with evil, but bear in mind the ideals that all regard with respect. As much as possible, and to the utmost of your ability, be at peace with everyone. Never try to get revenge: leave that, my dear friends, to the Retribution. As Scripture says: "Vengeance is Mine--I will pay them back," the Lord promises. And more: "If your enemy is hungry, give him something to eat; if thirsty, something to drink. By this, you will be heaping red-hot coals on his head." Do not be mastered by evil, but master evil with good."People often bemoan the evils in this world, and decry the wicked state of our society. Many of them use the presence of the terrible things in this world to deny the very existence of God! But that very realisation that there is evil in this world, that the world is not as it should be, is itself an evidence that there is a God who is Good.
And that God has shown us the way to live, in order to combat the evil that exists. But the war on evil that God calls us to is radically different than the way we tend to see it fought. Instead of retaliation in a misguided quest for justice, which too often looks like vengeance, St. Paul tells us here that our response must be blessing and patience. He tells us that we must not seek to retaliate, but to leave that to God's justice. It's hard, and it takes faith, but then, that's what it's all about. More, Paul tells us that we must be empathetic to others' needs, to rejoice with them or to weep with them. We must treat everyone as equals, and not celebrate ourselves above others.
He goes on to urge us to live at peace with everyone--but realises that peace is a two-way effort. So he qualifies it: As much as it is up to us, and to the best of our ability. What's that mean? Maybe your enemy doesn't want to reconcile. You still need to be open to it, and offering forgiveness, or even apologising for your own part. And you always need to be ready to do that.
Finally, Paul quotes from the book of Proverbs (15:21-22), and tells us to feed our enemies--to show them kindness in practical ways! He says this will have a similar effect to them as if you had dumped red-hot coals on their heads! Wouldn't that be fun? Most of us would prefer to dump the coals rather than be kind, but it is kindness and love that evil is combatted most effectively!
We can't fight fire with fire, or evil with more evil. Just as water extinguishes fire, Good defeats evil. Every time.
Or, to repeat my favourite quote, below the blog's title:
"Nothing in the world is the way it ought to be. It's harsh, and cruel, but that's why there's us... It doesn't matter where we come from, or what we've done, or suffered, or even if we make a difference. We live as though the world were as it should be, to show it what it can be." --AngelIt's our job to fight evil, not just complain about it.
Do Good.
Labels: Good Works, Salt and Light, St. Andrew's
posted by Gregory at 3:31 p.m.
2 Comments:
Evil sucks.
Screw evil.
Christopher
So very true we often complain but it is in being kind and loving that we teach others that they were wrong and not in a mean way but one that truly speaks of God's love. This really relates to a story from work the other day when I was getting yelled at by a customer and I was very sweet and did everything in my power to help this lady and when I came back with what she needeed her daughter had told her that she'd been rude and she actually apologized!! If I'd been rude back I would have had another angry customer, who would have never come back cause that's already what she was promising because we didn't have the item she wanted, but instead I got an apology and she'll probably come back or at least not tell other people not to shop at our store.
God's rules rule!!!
Melissa
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