“18 If possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. 19 Friends, do not avenge yourselves; instead, leave room for God’s wrath, because it is written, Vengeance belongs to me; I will repay, says the Lord. 20 But if your enemy is hungry, feed him. If he is thirsty, give him something to drink. For in so doing you will be heaping fiery coals on his head. 21 Do not be conquered by evil, but conquer evil with good.”
Christians are called to be a peaceable people. We should not go looking to cause trouble or to antagonize others into wrongdoing.
“So then, let us pursue what promotes peace and what builds up one another.” — Romans 14:19
However, Paul recognizes, even when Christians do our best to live peaceable lives, trouble will come. In verses 19-21, Paul explains how a Christian should respond if and when they are wronged. Paul’s thoughts come from the Old Testament.
“Vengeance and retribution belong to me. In time their foot will slip, for their day of disaster is near, and their doom is coming quickly.”” — Deuteronomy 32:35
“Lord, God of vengeance — God of vengeance, shine! Rise up, Judge of the earth; repay the proud what they deserve.” — Psalm 94:1-2
When Christians are wronged, why must we leave vengeance to God? For one, God’s vengeance is much more effective than ours. Not to mention, God’s motives in avenging those who wrong Him are perfectly pure. Our motives tend to be tainted by sin or hatred towards our enemies. Paul, in his first letter to the Thessalonians, speaks of God’s vengeance as a way to deter sinful behavior.
“For this is God’s will, your sanctification: that you keep away from sexual immorality, that each of you knows how to control his own body in holiness and honor, not with lustful passions, like the Gentiles, who don’t know God. This means one must not transgress against and take advantage of a brother or sister in this manner, because the Lord is an avenger of all these offenses, as we also previously told and warned you.” — 1 Thessalonians 4:3-6
The most important reason why Christians must leave vengeance to God is because He says to do so! It is God’s role to seek vengeance, not ours. Afterall, it is God who has been wronged when someone transgresses His law, not us.
So, if it is God’s role to seek vengeance, what are Christians to do? “But If your enemy is hungry, feed him. If he is thirsty, give him something to drink. For in so doing you will be heaping fiery coals on his head.” (v. 20) Paul quotes this directly from Proverbs 25:21-22. Even in the midst of persecution and wrongdoing, Christians are called to love and serve their enemies.
““But I say to you who listen: Love your enemies, do what is good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.”” — Luke 6:27-28
Why is God glorified when we endure persecution and suffering at the hands of those who hate us? We would do well to remember that Jesus endured suffering and persecution to the point of death so that He would save His elect.
“For while we were still helpless, at the right time, Christ died for the ungodly. For rarely will someone die for a just person — though for a good person perhaps someone might even dare to die. But God proves his own love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. How much more then, since we have now been justified by his blood, will we be saved through him from wrath. For if, while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son, then how much more, having been reconciled, will we be saved by his life.” — Romans 5:6-10
Paul fittingly concludes chapter 12, “Do not be conquered by evil, but conquer evil with good.” (v. 21) This is a simple statement, but one that is hard to achieve. As Christians we should not be consumed with the evil done to us by others, rather, we should be concerned with how we can serve them, bringing the gospel of Christ to God’s elect and serving one another in Christ-like love. Jesus served and died for His enemies for the glory of the Father. Are we willing to do the same? Are we willing to love those who persecute us, serving them even in the midst of suffering while we wait for God’s perfect vengeance?