Romans chapter 12

by Keith Simons. Free online Bible course and commentary from the Useful Bible Study Centre.

A living sacrifice

(Romans 12:1)

In Leviticus chapters 1 to 7, there are several references to holy sacrifices (gifts to God) that pleased God (for example, Leviticus 1:9). For those sacrifices to please God, the death of an animal was necessary.

So Paul is discussing something new here when he speaks about a ‘living sacrifice’. The death of animals as sacrifices is no longer necessary, because Christ has died to free people from their sins (evil deeds) - Hebrews 9:22-26. So now God’s people can offer their own lives to God and, because of Christ’s death, their gift pleases God. God will then make it possible for them to do what he wants them to do in this world. By the power of his Spirit, he will make them into the kind of people that he wants them to be.

Not every Christian is willing to offer themselves to God in this way. So often, we care too much about the natural feelings of our own bodies: our emotions, desires, fears and ambitions. When such things guide our lives, we are not allowing the Holy Spirit to direct us (8:5-6). As Paul says in Romans 8:8, that kind of life cannot please God.

However, God has given his Spirit to every Christian (8:9). It is the Spirit who gives life to our bodies (8:11). Therefore, God’s people do not have to live selfishly, or to care only about their own feelings. God can change their thoughts (12:2), if they simply allow him to work in their lives. So Paul urges every Christian to offer themselves completely to God.

New thoughts so that we can do what God wants

(Romans 12:2)

If we offer our lives to God (12:1), then our lives must change. We cannot still live in the way that so many people live during this present age (Psalm 1:1; Romans 1:28-31). We need to have new thoughts, new desires and new attitudes. Therefore, we need God to change even the way that we think.

Genuine love - both for God and for other people - must replace our selfish attitudes (Mark 12:28-31). We must learn to trust God for those things that we truly need (Luke 12:22-34). Our attention should be upon heaven, where we belong, and not merely on the things of this world (Philippians 3:17-20).

When we first invite Christ into our lives, the change in our relationship with God happens at once (John 1:12; 2 Corinthians 5:17). We cannot always expect all our attitudes and thoughts to change so suddenly. So, we do wrong things that we should confess to God (1 John 1:9). However, as Christians we desire to live in the way that pleases God. So, we must learn from the Bible about how God wants us to live (Hebrews 5:12).

We might be afraid of what God wants us to do. However, we should not be afraid. God’s desires for us are always good (James 1:17). In every situation, he works in the lives of his people to achieve what is good (8:28). We may not now see that, especially when we suffer troubles (Romans 8:18; 2 Corinthians 4:17). Even Paul had to confess that he was not yet perfect (Philippians 3:12). However, in the end, God’s plan for his people is to make them perfect (Romans 8:18-21; Revelation 21:1-7). In that way, God will complete the work that he has now begun in their lives.

The measure of faith

(Romans 12:3)

Christians should be very careful in the opinions that they form about themselves. In this matter, it is so easy for us to think about ourselves either in a proud or a foolish manner. We imagine ourselves to be much stronger in our Christian life than we really are. So, we try to do something that is too difficult for us. As a result, perhaps, we fail in that task. We have caused our own troubles; we were trusting in ourselves and not in God.

Faith means belief and trust in God. It is not a quality that we have in ourselves; it is the gift of God. Some Christians have more faith than other Christians. So, they are more able to do difficult tasks in God’s work than those other Christians.

Some people seem willing to believe almost anything. That is not true faith; rather, it shows a simple or foolish attitude. Instead, faith is something that should develop in us during our Christian lives. In other words, our faith in God should become stronger as time passes.

Two things in particular will make our faith stronger: our study of the Bible, and our experiences:

(1) As we read God’s word in the Bible, we learn to trust him. God has given us wonderful promises, and those promises encourage us to believe him (Romans 10:17; 2 Corinthians 1:20; Hebrews 6:17-18).

(2) Our experiences also help to make our faith stronger. Usually, we begin to trust God in small matters. God does not always give us what we request in prayer - but he never disappoints us. We see how he is working to achieve good things in our lives (8:28). That gives us the confidence to trust God more.

Christians should help each other

(Romans 12:4-5)

God has designed the parts of the human body differently from each other, because they all carry out different tasks. We do not expect our hands to do what our feet do; our eyes cannot do what our ears do. However, no part of the body operates for its own benefit; all the parts work together for the benefit of the whole body.

That is how God wants Christians to live, too. God has brought together people from different nations (Ephesians 3:6), and they all have different skills and personal qualities. God has also given them all the Holy Spirit (8:9); but the Holy Spirit works in them in many different ways (1 Corinthians 12:28-31)

Therefore, Christians should never be selfish. In other words, they must not use what God has given them solely for their own benefit, or to increase their own importance. Nor should Christians refuse to meet with other Christians (Hebrews 10:25). God has placed them together because they need each other.

Instead, Christians should be eager to help each other, by their prayers, their words and their actions. They should care about each other, and by their kindness they should show their love for each other (John 13:34-35). The greatest among them should be ready to serve the least important of them (Mark 10:43-44).

Paul teaches the same lesson in more detail in 1 Corinthians 12:14-27. Here in Romans 12:4-5, he repeats the same word-picture more briefly. This was not just a lesson for the church at Corinth, which had many problems. Rome’s Christians, and the Christians in every church, needed to learn this lesson too.

The ways that God works through his people

(Romans 12:6)

God can work in our lives directly (for example, Galatians 1:11-12). He does not depend on the actions of any person. However, he often chooses to use his people when he shows his kindness to other people. So, God works in and through his people. That is like a master who directs his servants in their work. The master may choose to show his kindness through the actions of his servants (Luke 14:21-24).

In Romans 12:6, Paul uses the words ‘grace’ and ‘gifts’. In the original language (Greek), the two words are very similar, in fact different forms of the same word. Grace means the kindness that God shows to us. God’s gifts are the ways that God shows his kindness to other people through our lives.

In verses 6 to 8, Paul gives examples of some of the ways that God does that. Some of these ‘gifts’ are supernatural, in other words, they cannot happen by natural means. We can only do these things if the Holy Spirit directs us to do them. For example, a prophecy is a message from God. We can only speak such a message if God, by his Spirit, gives us that message. It does not come from our own thoughts or our imagination.

However, Paul mentions other ‘gifts’ that may not be supernatural. Some of these we might describe as skills, for example, the skill to teach the Bible. Others of these are simply opportunities. If we can afford it, we can give to help poor people. Whether supernatural or not, God is using us in these ways to show his kindness to people.

In all these matters, Paul warns us not to go beyond our faith (belief and trust in God). We must always make sure that our belief and trust in God remain strong. The danger is that we can start to depend on ourselves, or on other people, and not to depend on God.

The leader's duties at a church meeting

(Romans 12:7)

In Romans 12:6-8, Paul mentions 7 ways in which church leaders do God’s work. Although we call them ‘leaders’, leadership is only one of these 7 tasks. In fact, the most important duty of our church leaders is not to lead, but to serve (Mark 10:42-44).

The first 4 tasks in Paul’s list seem to refer particularly to the leader’s duties at a church meeting. The last 3 probably refer to his duties at other times; Paul emphasises there how the leader should carry out these duties. In all 7 tasks, the leader must depend on God with faith (belief and trust in God). Also, the leader should not expect God to use him in all these ways on every occasion. God gives different skills to different people, so that all God’s people must work together (12:4-5).

In this article, we shall discuss the first 4 tasks:

(1) In verse 6, Paul refers first to ‘prophecy’. A prophecy is a message from God. In 1 Corinthians 12:10, it refers to a special message that the Holy Spirit gives.

(2) In verse 7, ‘ministry’ is a general word for the way that a church leader acts as a servant. As the leader leads a meeting, his principal duty is to serve God, but also humbly to serve the people there. He must not use the meeting for his own benefit, or as an opportunity to increase his own importance. Instead, as God’s servant, he must do the work that God has given him to do.

(3) For a church leader, ‘teaching’ means to teach the Bible. A church leader must always be careful to teach God’s word, and not his own ideas.

(4) Then, in verse 8, Paul speaks about the work to ‘encourage’ people. In this work for God, the leader appeals to people. He urges them for example, to trust God or to do what God wants. Sometimes he may need to warn people against wrong behaviour and attitudes.

Other duties of church leaders

(Romans 12:8)

We are very aware of the tasks that our church leaders carry out during the meetings. Perhaps we are less aware of the many tasks that church leaders carry on at other times. However, they still need to carry on those private tasks with faith (belief and trust in God). This work is still a sacred duty, even when nobody but God knows about it.

(1) So, church leaders are responsible for the gifts that people give to the church. Really, those gifts are gifts to God, and so they are very holy. However, it is the leaders in the church who decide how to use those gifts. Paul urges those leaders always to act in a sincere manner.

Often, a church appoints people with the special duty to deal with the gifts. You can read how the first church, in Jerusalem, did this in Acts 6:1-6.

(2) A Christian leader should think about himself as a servant of God, rather than as someone important (Mark 10:42-44). However, he is still leading people, because he shows them how to live. People should be able to learn from his life, and to imitate his good behaviour (1 Corinthians 4:16; Titus 1:6-9; Hebrews 13:7). So, Paul urges leaders to do this work of leadership in an eager manner. In 2 Corinthians 8:16-17, Paul mentions how eager Titus was to do God’s work in Corinth.

(3) Finally, Paul urges church leaders to carry on acts of kindness in a joyful manner. It is not always easy to visit ill people or to care for people who are suffering greatly. So, when we carry out sad or uncomfortable tasks, we should remember God’s goodness. He has been very kind to us. We should be grateful that he is showing his kindness to other people by means of us. Then, when we share other people’s pain, the joy in our hearts will help them to be stronger.

Instructions for every Christian

(Romans 12:9)

In verses 4 and 5, Paul taught that every Christian has his own special work for God. However, the tasks that he mentions in verses 6 to 8 seem to us often to be the work of leaders. Perhaps sometimes we expect our leaders to do the work that we ourselves should be doing. For example, every Christian should be glad to have an opportunity to show kindness to other people.

The instructions that follow, from verse 9 on, are clearly for every Christian. Paul reminds us about how Christ taught us to live. His instructions remind us of such passages as Matthew chapters 5 to 7, and John chapters 13 to 16. This is how Christians can and must live in an evil world.

There can be no proper place in their lives for selfish behaviour. Instead, an attitude of true love must guide all their actions (Mark 12:29-31; 1 Corinthians chapter 13).

Christians should be very aware of the difference between right and wrong behaviour. They should firmly refuse to do any evil thing; they should make a strong decision only to do what is good (Psalm 1:1; Psalm 15; Psalm 24:3-6).

However, that does not mean that Christians must separate themselves completely from evil people. Rather, Christians have a responsibility to show God’s goodness to the world (Matthew 5:16). In fact, they may even have to show love to their enemies (12:20). Their good actions may even cause some of those evil people to turn from their evil behaviour. God wants even the most wicked people to turn to him, so that he can forgive them (Ezekiel 18:21-23).

How to love in a way that gives honour to other people

(Romans 12:10)

Christ urged Christians to love each other. He even called it his ‘new command’ (John 13:34-35).

That is a lesson that John taught very carefully in the Book of 1 John. We cannot love God but hate our brother (1 John 4:20-21). Christians are the children of God (John 1:12-13); therefore, they are all brothers and sisters in the family of God (Mark 3:31-35). So, Christians must love each other with the love that comes from God, their Father in heaven (1 John 4:7-11).

Many people today only know love as a kind of emotion that attracts people to each other. That is not the kind of love that the Bible is referring to. Rather, true love shows itself in a genuine desire that good things will happen in other people’s lives. We do not need to like another person in order to desire that good things will happen for him.

Of course, such a desire achieves nothing unless we act because of it. That is when we show the kind of love in 1 Corinthians chapter 13. Love causes us to act, not for our own benefit, but to help other people (Luke 10:25-37).

When we show that kind of love, it sometimes causes us to act in an extraordinary manner. Normally people desire honour for themselves; they want other people to respect them (Luke 14:7). However, the person who shows true love does not need anyone to give him honour. Instead, he cares much more that other people should receive honour. He does not believe that only famous and important people deserve honour. A good person whom nobody respects deserves honour too - and the person who truly loves would gladly suffer shame in order to give honour to that person.

An eager desire to serve God

(Romans 12:11)

The fire on the altar of God’s house, the temple, burnt continuously (Leviticus 6:13). It never went out.

The altar was the place where Israel’s priests offered sacrifices (gifts to God). The fire there burnt both day and night to show that the service to God was continuous.

Christians also offer a sacrifice to God: they offer their bodies as a living sacrifice (12:1). In other words, they do not live to please themselves or to satisfy the desires of their bodies. Instead, they choose to live in the way that pleases God. As a result, they do his work and they show his love and his goodness to other people in our world.

That sacrifice too, is like a fire that burns continuously. It does not, of course, burn in a Christian’s body, but in his spirit. That is what Paul seems to refer to in the middle phrase of Romans 12:11. In the original language, he speaks about a spirit that is ‘burning’. That fire means a Christian’s eager desire to serve God, that is, to work for God. That desire should never stop. Rather, a Christian should have, deep inside him, a continuous desire to do what God wants. That desire should constantly direct his thoughts, words and actions.

Fire can be a terrible thing, because of its power to destroy. However, this desire is like a fire that does not destroy (compare Exodus 3:1-3). Rather, like the power of love, it burns but it makes our spirits stronger (Song of Solomon 8:6-7). In fact, this desire has a very strong connection with love. It is God’s love that first creates this desire inside us. Then, this desire becomes an expression of our love for God. In addition, this desire cause us to show love to other people (Mark 12:29-31; 1 Corinthians chapter 13; 1 John 4:7-21).

Joy during troubles

(Romans 12:12)

We do not usually expect people to have joy during their troubles. However, God’s people can and should be different. They do not, of course, have joy because of their troubles. Their joy is because of the good things that God is doing in their lives, even during their troubles (8:28). In other words, their joy is because of their hope.

In the Bible, hope does not mean something uncertain, like luck or chance (Hebrews 6:19). God’s people put their hope in God, in the certain knowledge that he cannot disappoint them (8:31-39). In the end, he will certainly do all that he has promised to do for them (Romans 8:18; 2 Corinthians 4:16-18). So, their joy does not depend on their present circumstances; it depends on the promises of God.

However, God’s people may still suffer great troubles at the present time. The proper reaction to those troubles is not despair, but patience. In other words, even during the worst troubles, God’s people should stand firmly and they should continue to trust God (Hebrews 10:35-39). Their pain cannot last always, because God will rescue them. Even while it continues, he supports them (Psalm 23:4). He looks after them; he makes them strong.

Even God’s people will be weak if they constantly allow doubts and fears to fill their minds. Their strength must come from God, and not from themselves (2 Corinthians 12:9-10). That is why Paul taught Christians to pray much and often (1 Thessalonians 5:17). God acts powerfully when his people pray (James 5:16).

Christians should be eager to help other people

(Romans 12:13)

God’s people should not live their lives as if nobody else matters. Rather, they should be ready to share both their homes and their possessions with other people.

The idea that God’s people should live like this is not new. In Genesis 18:1-8, we read how eagerly Abraham provided for three visitors to his home. Hebrews 13:2 says that, in this way, some people have even shown kindness to angels (God’s special servants).

In Romans 12:13, Paul mentions two particular groups of people that Christians should be especially eager to help.

(1) The first group is called the ‘saints’ in some translations. That word means God’s holy people, in other words, other Christians. Every genuine Christian is holy, because of his relationship with God. Therefore, God will reward anyone who helps one of them (Mark 9:41). God accepts such acts of kindness as if they were for God himself (Matthew 25:40).

(2) The second group does not appear clearly in many translations. Those translations mention ‘hospitality’, which often means kindness to a guest. However, Paul’s original word in the Greek language means: ‘Show love to strangers’. A stranger is someone whom we do not know, especially someone from another country. That was an especially important instruction for Rome’s Christians, to whom Paul was writing. Many people travelled to Rome, and their journeys were very dangerous (2 Corinthians 11:26-27). They might arrive in Rome in a desperate situation, without any friends or family there who could help them. So God’s people, who are themselves living as strangers in this world (Hebrews 11:13-16), have a special duty to help them (compare Deuteronomy 10:19).

Christians should be kind to their enemies

(Romans 12:14)

Paul has just said that Christians should show kindness both to other Christians and to strangers (12:13). Now he adds an extraordinary statement. Christians must not only be kind to good and grateful people; they must also be kind even to their enemies. They should desire good things to happen in the lives of those people who deal cruelly with them. Most people would bitterly curse their enemies; Christians should bless them.

By that action, Christians do not of course desire that wicked people will succeed in their evil plans. Instead, they express the desire that God will show mercy (great kindness) to those people. The punishment for that evil behaviour is truly terrible; however, God desires to save people from that punishment (Ezekiel 18:21-23). Therefore, God’s people should also desire that, in his great kindness, God will save even their enemies. That was what had happened in Paul’s own life (1 Timothy 1:12-15).

Christ taught that his people should show love even to their enemies (Matthew 5:43-48). That was a hard lesson, even for James and John, who were among his most loyal students (Luke 9:51-56). Even they would have preferred to see God’s judgement against those people who opposed them. However, Christ’s own attitude was different. Even at his death, he was praying for the people who had dealt so cruelly with him (Isaiah 53:12; Luke 23:34).

Paul reports elsewhere that all the apostles (first Christian leaders) were showing kindness and not hate to their enemies (1 Corinthians 4:12-13). They had already suffered great cruelty from their enemies, but those troubles had not made them bitter and angry (2 Corinthians 6:3-10). Instead, their sincere desire was to know Christ better, and to behave as he did (Philippians 3:8-12).

Christian attitudes towards other people's successes or troubles

(Romans 12:15)

We often see people who are achieving much in their lives. God has been good to them in so many ways. We ourselves would like to have been successful in these matters. However, our successes seem so few, and our troubles seem so many.

Perhaps their success has been in business, and they have become rich. Perhaps they have a large family of healthy children, all of whom behave well. Perhaps they are strong people when we seem weak. If we are church leaders, perhaps their church is larger and better than ours.

It seems only natural for us, like Cain (Genesis 4:2-7), to think that God should have shown that kindness to us, too. Like Absalom (2 Samuel 15:1-14), we desire what God has not given to us. We become jealous (Exodus 20:17); if we are not careful, we can become bitter and angry against God himself.

It is much better if our joy does not depend on our own circumstances. We can be happy because God has shown such kindness to someone else. We can be glad about the good things that other people are achieving.

When we are pleased at other people’s successes, then we will have a different attitude towards other people’s troubles. When we truly love other people, we will feel their pain (Mark 12:31; 1 Corinthians 12:26; 2 Corinthians 11:29). We will not merely sympathise with them, like Job’s friends, whose words did not match their actions (Job 2:11-13; Job 19:1-3). Instead, in our thoughts, our prayers and our actions, we will show the true love that Christians should show (Matthew 25:31-46; 1 Corinthians chapter 13; James 1:27; James 2:1-17; 1 John 3:11-17).

Christians should not try to be superior to other people

(Romans 12:16)

Paul had recently been dealing with an extremely difficult situation in the church at Corinth. Many of its members had formed themselves into opposing groups, which argued with each other fiercely (1 Corinthians 1:11-12). Each group wanted to prove that they were superior to the other groups (compare 2 Corinthians 10:12).

A similar situation was starting to develop in the church at Rome. In Corinth, there were several groups, but in Rome there were just two. Jewish Christians established the church there, but then Rome’s rulers forced them to leave Rome (Acts 18:2). Gentile Christians then led the church, but now the Jewish Christians were returning (16:3-5). So now the church had two groups of leaders: the Jews (people from Israel) and the Gentiles (people from other nations).

In Romans 12:16, Paul repeats some of the advice that he gave earlier to the Gentile Christians (11:20; 11:25). A Christian should not try to prove that he is superior to other Christians. Such an attitude only causes arguments and troubles. It spoils the love that Christians should show to each other (12:10).

Instead, a Christian should think about how he can serve other people (Mark 10:43-44; John 13:2-15).

In particular, he should try to help other Christians, and he should not be afraid to do even humble tasks. Those are the tasks that other people do not want to do. Nobody except God may notice them; but God will reward the person who does them.

When Christians have that right attitude towards each other, they work together to make each other stronger. That is how God wants churches to operate (12:4-5).

Higher standards for Christians

(Romans 12:17)

All people have done wrong and evil things (3:23). In fact, their wicked behaviour even brings God’s anger against them (1:18). However, people have not lost all knowledge of what is good.

All people still understand that certain kinds of behaviour are noble, honourable and right. They may not themselves be honest or sincere, but they still consider an honest, sincere person to be a good person. They may themselves be very evil, but they would not trust an evil person. They know that they can only really trust someone good.

Paul urges Christians to test their own behaviour by those standards. It may be right and fair to cause pain to someone who has hurt you. However, by those standards, such action seems wrong. It is as if we can mend one evil act by another evil act. It gives an impression that we do not really care about good and right behaviour. It is as if we can choose whether to be good or evil, simply to suit ourselves. In Romans 3:8, Paul insists very strongly that Christians should not have such attitudes.

Christians have the responsibility to show God’s true nature to the world (Matthew 5:14-16; Romans 2:21-24). God is perfect in every way (James 1:17); he never does any evil thing (James 1:13). As God’s children, Christians must show this by their actions. Christians need to behave in a different and better way than other people behave (Matthew 5:43-47). Christ told Christians to be perfect, even as God, their Father, is perfect (Matthew 5:48).

The right way to live in an evil world

(Romans 12:18)

Christ is called ‘the prince of peace’ (Isaiah 9:6) and his rule will bring perfect peace to the world (Isaiah 11:6-9). However, Paul’s subject is not the future age, but the present time.

At the present time, God’s message separates people (Matthew 13:10-17; Mark 13:9-13). The first Christians, with their many troubles, understood that well (1 Corinthians 4:11-13). People hated them simply because they belonged to Christ.

In such circumstances, Paul urged Christians to be very careful how they lived. If a Christian always behaves in a good and moral way, then his enemies will have no proper reason to hate him. They might accuse him of many wrong things, but their own conscience will declare their words to be lies.

A Christian should not allow his own behaviour to be the cause of bitter feelings or anger for other people. In his business, he should not take unfair advantage of anyone. If he has authority over people, he should not deal cruelly with them. In conversation, he must not try to start bitter arguments between people. He should forgive those people who offend him (Matthew 6:14-15); he should not be lazy (2 Thessalonians 3:6-13); he should not speak lies or gossip. He should always be kind, and good, and truthful. He should obey the law; and he should respect those people who have authority over him (13:1-7).

It is not possible to be friendly with everyone. People who hate Christ, will hate Christians too (Matthew 10:25). We cannot change what God declares to be holy, or true or right; we cannot agree to do any evil act. However, often, in order to establish a friendship with someone, we do not have to carry out any wrong act. Rather, we must show love to that person - and that is a duty for Christians (Mark 12:31; Romans 13:8).

Revenge and the judgement of God

(Romans 12:19)

Early in the world’s history, people considered it their right to punish anyone who hurt them (Genesis 4:23-24). That is called 'revenge'. Acts of great cruelty were often the result of it. Families would take action on behalf of someone who had died. Often then whole families, town and nations would join in the fight.

Kings and rulers wanted control over such matters for themselves. They appointed judges and they set up courts. Often, they did this not to stop the cruelty, but rather to increase their own power.

However, even in our modern world, people still act as if they have that right. Perhaps they cannot actually punish the person who caused their trouble. So instead, they choose to have bitter feelings towards that person. Or, perhaps they try to find an opportunity to upset that person. For example, they may choose to say bad things against that person. Or, they may try to cause trouble for that person.

God’s people have a different attitude: they forgive (Luke 17:3-4). They cannot of course deny that evil things have happened. However, they recognise God to be the perfect judge (Genesis 18:25). So, they hand over all their rights in such matters to him. They appeal to him to deal with the matter instead of them (Genesis 4:10; Revelation 6:10). With such an attitude, they have no bitter feelings, because it is not still their right to punish the guilty person. It is a matter for God alone to deal with, and all his judgements are right and good (Revelation 19:1-2).

Like burning coals on your enemy's head

(Romans 12:20)

To ‘heap burning coals on someone’s head’ is a strange word-picture; not all Bible teachers agree about the meaning.

As we read the Bible, we should not depend on guesses. Instead, we should study carefully for accurate information, and we should pray for God to guide us. However, on this particular occasion, a guess about the origin of the phrase may help us to explain its likely meaning

If we are embarrassed (deeply ashamed) about something, our face becomes red and hot. In fact, our face feels as if it is burning; and we can do nothing to stop it. It is as if someone is heaping hot coals on our head.

A person’s enemy expects that person to hate him. Such a reaction seems to prove all the bad things that the enemy has spoken against that person.

However, Christ told Christians to love their enemies (Matthew 5:44). Paul’s words, from Proverbs 25:21-22, give a practical example of how they can do that. God is good even to evil people (Matthew 5:45), and Christians can behave in the same way. If an enemy needs help, then they can give him that help.

For the enemy, that is a much more difficult reaction to deal with. Nobody expects a person whom he hates to care about him. So it is not surprising if the enemy feels a deep sense of shame in that situation. That shame only becomes worse as the Christian continues his kind and generous acts. To the enemy, it feels like a burning fire: he is ashamed of his cruelty, his bad words, his evil actions.

The purpose of all this is not to make the enemy uncomfortable. Rather, the Christian hopes that his enemy will turn from his evil behaviour. God does not want even evil people to suffer the punishment that is due to them. He wants them to turn to him, so that he can forgive them (Ezekiel 18:21-23).

Do what is good to defeat the power of evil

(Romans 12:21)

Christians choose to live in a good, honest and truthful manner because that kind of life pleases God (Matthew 5:48; Romans 12:2). In fact, God, who is good and perfect in every way (James 1:17), can approve of no other kind of life (Psalm 15).

It is not easy to live in a good manner in this world, where evil forces have so much power. People will often oppose us, with their evil words, evil plans and evil behaviour.

God’s people will certainly overcome all their troubles in this world, because of Christ’s great love for them (8:37). However, to do that, they cannot behave as many people do in this world. They cannot allow hate, or cruelty, or bitter feelings to direct their actions. They must not use bad words to oppose someone who speaks bad words against them. They cannot act cruelly, even against someone who has been cruel to them. If they did those wrong things, they would not have achieved anything good.

Christians overcome their troubles, not by evil acts, but by good acts. They show kindness, even to their enemies (12:20). They show love, even to people who hate them (Matthew 5:43-44). They do not do these things in order to impress people, or in order to give themselves a sense of satisfaction. Often, they find it very difficult to do the right things in such circumstances, because it is against their natural feelings. So, they must depend on God to help them and to give them strength. They themselves are often weak - but Christ gives them the power to live in the manner that pleases God (2 Corinthians 12:9-10).

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