In Romans 12, Paul tells us that God wants us to transform into living sacrifices. This daily devotional looks at how we do that by transforming from evil to good through our interactions with others.
Nuggets
- Transforming from evil to good means we love each other, not seek vengeance.
- Transforming from evil to good means our goal is to live peacefully with others.
- Transforming from evil to good means we become more like God.
To read devotions in the Redo for Godliness series, click the appropriate button below.
Devotions in the Transformed to Perfection series
Romans 12 is about what happens next after salvation. It is all about transforming ourselves from the sinner we were to the disciple we are supposed to be.
In Scripture terms, that means we go from being evil to being good. When we are good, we are like God.
Paul is still kind of giving bullet points, but it is a little more fleshed out. To me, it leads to the point – transforming from evil to good.
Let's Put It into Context #1
Here is a running list of what we’ve discussed previously.
Let's Put It into Context #2
• Good, in the biblical sense, is the workings of God within His people.
• Evil is equated with sin because it is that which goes against God and His purposes.
When Evil Happens to Us
“Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Give careful thought to do what is honorable in everyone’s eyes” (Rom. 12: 17 CSB)
Transforming from evil to good means we love each other, not seek vengeance.
This verse is really a great Reverse Golden Rule. The Golden Rule says, “Just as you want others to do for you, do the same for them” (Lk. 6: 31 CSB).
So, instead of “Do unto others as you would have them to do you,” it is “don’t do unto other as they do to you.” Our reactions are not based on their actions.
Beveridge gave us a bunch of verses that addresses that.
- “But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you!” (Mt. 5: 44 NLT).
- “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” (I Thess. 4: 6 CSB).
- “They must not slander anyone and must avoid quarreling. Instead, they should be gentle and show true humility to everyone” (Ti. 3: 2 NLT).
According to Beveridge, we also have a duty toward them.
- “First of all, then, I urge that petitions, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for everyone” (I Tim. 2: 1 CSB).
- “Rejoice with those who rejoice; weep with those who weep” (Rom. 12: 15: CSB)
- “Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us work for the good of all, especially for those who belong to the household of faith” Gal. 6: 10 CSB).
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Lyth was right that, when we retaliate, we take our focus off God and try to do it all ourselves. He also said that retaliation is harmful to our moral development.
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We really have to think about how other’s see us. This is important because this is our witness. We are witnessing to others without saying a word.
Read the last part of the verse again. “… Give careful thought to do what is honorable in everyone’s eyes” (Rom. 12: 17 CSB).
It doesn’t say be honest. It says what everyone thinks is honorable.
I can get that. But I also have problems with that.
I see it like Paul thought. “To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some” (I Cor. 9: 22 NIV).
We just have to be careful that we do not compromise God’s laws and commandments to placate worldview people. We have to use God’s definition of love instead of the worldview’s definition of tolerant love.
A Peaceful Existence
“If possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone” (Rom. 12: 18 CSB)
Transforming from evil to good means our goal is to live peacefully with others.
Lyth noted we should maintain an upright, meek, and peaceable spirit. Meekness is a personality trait exhibiting a mild or moderate disposition that places dependence on God.
That isn’t going to happen all the time. Satan is going to try to stir up trouble.
Others can be difficult, even contentious. Lyth said that we cannot sacrifice our conscience to promote a false peace.
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When Satan stirs up trouble, we have to leave everything in God’s hands. We have to let Him address the situation. We have to respond in the ways God would want us to respond.
Lyth told us why it is important that we react to our enemies with kindness. He wrote, “You will thus achieve a noble conquest over evil in yourself, and subdue enmity by love.”
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When we find ourselves in these situations, we need to exercise patience and wisdom. We can’t appease the worldview people.
Evans gave us what our goal should be. He wrote, “… we should have a hearty love and value for peace as far as it may be obtained.
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Evans admitted that we will not always reach this goal. Still, we are to “turn away from evil and do what is good; seek peace and pursue it” (Ps. 34: 14 CSB).
Sometimes, life gets in the way. Sometimes, we can’t put the priority on peace. We can’t sacrifice our spiritual graces and holiness to promote peace.
Evans gave us advice on how to live peacefully with those who are not God’s children. He wrote, “Setting aside the consideration of their religion or their virtuous character, we are obliged by the dictates of nature, and of Christianity too, to study peace with them as our fellow-creatures …”
- “Give no offense to Jews or to Greeks or to the church of God” (I Cor. 0: 32 ESV).
- “Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger” (Jas. 1: 19 ESV).
One thing we have to watch is how we interpret the “if possible …” (Rom. 12: 18 CSB). We can’t use the if possible as an excuse. That doesn’t give us a pass to sin.
Transforming from Evil to Good
“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. 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. Do not be conquered by evil, but conquer evil with good” (Rom. 12: 19-21 CSB)
Transforming from evil to good means we become more like God.
Okay. Remember, we were just talking about living in peace with everyone. But there was a qualification of if possible.
So, if it is not possible, vengeance is not ours. It can’t be.
“The second [commandment] is, Love your neighbor as yourself. There is no other command greater than these.” (Mk. 12: 31 CSB).
Love and vengeance are opposites. If we give in to the desire to seek vengeance, we are breaking the law of love.
But it is more than that. “But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you” (Mt. 5: 44 ESV).
But it is even more than that. Look at verse 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” (Rom. 12: 20 CSB).
We can’t give lip service and say we love our enemies. We have to show it.
Grant took it another way. He asked some really pointed questions.
- What if we are wrong about something?
- Are we trying to get revenge for something that was unintentional?
- Are we trying to get revenge for something we actually started?
- Are we starting a new offense?
The answers to the questions, though, aren’t really important in the grand scheme of things. Grant wrote, “God alone is qualified to apportion the measure of retribution, because He alone has a full and exact view of the injury.”
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Wrong or right, intentional or unintentional, we started or they started, new or old — vengeance isn’t on our pay grade. It is on God’s.
We need to choose what is right and good in order to combat evil.
- That means not repaying evil with evil.
- It doesn’t even mean repaying good with good.
- It definitely doesn’t mean repaying good with evil.
- It means repaying evil with good.
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Clark talked about sacrificing our passions. Remember we started this series talking about being living sacrifices.
What Clark was talking about was giving up the evil and replacing it with good.
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We need to figure out what we are going to do with good and evil. They are both here in this world. Thomas said “that the way to overcome evil is by the force of good.”
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I love the last verse, “Do not be conquered by evil, but conquer evil with good” (Rom. 12: 21 CSB).
We know that — in the end — evil will be conquered by good. That can happen now, too.
Making the Connections
When we are in the middle of a trial, we don’t want to sin by kicking back at God for giving us the trial. We grow as the trials teach us Who God is and what we have to change to be like Him. Beveridge wrote, “It is one of the noblest virtues of a Christian to live above injuries.”
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Beecher said something else that got me thinking. He wrote, “Those who are called to teach unwelcome truths must make up their minds not to live peaceably. No man can preach the truth faithfully without offending men. Our Master could not do it. The apostles could not.”
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So, applying this to me, if I am teaching the truth faithfully, I will offend some people.
I have to. God’s ways make worldview people anything from uncomfortable to angry.
But that turns around a worldview person’s statement that disciples need to keep peace with them by leaving them to do whatever they want.
- Worldview people want to maintain their peace.
- The gospel will destroy their worldly peace.
- So, they tell us to not witness to them.
- Godly peace is much better than worldly peace.
How Do We Apply This?
- Live in peace.
- Don’t offend others.
- Don’t take offense.
- Control our tongues.
- Watch our body language.
- Look on the positive side.
- Control our pride, selfishness, anger, hatred, and jealousy.
- Sometimes, we may have to give up something that is rightfully ours to keep the peace.
- Watch when we try to joke that we don’t make it offensive.
- Don’t be a bully.
- Don’t only find fault in others.
- Lovingly tell others the hard truths.
- Overcome evil with kindness.
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It all boils down to the fact that we should try to do that which is good. We follow God’s ways. We are obedient to Him.
We transform to be like Him.
Father God. We do want to transform ourselves to be living sacrifices for You. While we are doing that on the Sanctification Road, You are perfecting us. Lord, we want to be like You. We want Your moral character. Help us to overcome evil so that we can be like You. Amen.
The ABCDs of Salvation
If you have not become a believer in Christ, please read through the
Plan of Salvation and prayerfully consider what God is asking you to do.
A – admit our sins
B – believe His Son Jesus is our Redeemer
C – confess God as Sovereign Lord
D – demonstrate that commitment by making any changes needed in our lives to
live the way in which God has called us
The Disciple’s Job Description
What do you think?
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