Romans 12:14

12 ^arejoicing in hope, ^bpatient in tribulation, ^ccontinuing steadfastly in prayer;

13 ^adistributing to the needs of the saints, ^bgiven to hospitality.

14 ^aBless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.

15 ^aRejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep.

16 ^aBe of the same mind toward one another. ^bDo not set your mind on high things, but associate with the humble. Do not be wise in your own opinion.

17 ^aRepay no one evil for evil. ^bHave regard for good things in the sight of all men.

18 If it is possible, as much as depends on you, ^alive peaceably with all men.

19 Beloved, ^ado not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, ^b“Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord.

20 Therefore
^a“If your enemy is hungry, feed him;
If he is thirsty, give him a drink;
For in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head.”

21 Do not be overcome by evil, but ^aovercome evil with good.

Commentaries:

Forerunner Commentary
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What Does Romans 12:14 Mean?

Romans 12:14

At the very least, Paul derived this from the example of Christ, who submitted to wicked and corrupt officials and authorities. Jesus had every right to rebel. He was completely innocent and had done nothing wrong—nothing of which He was accused had been part of His conduct. However, He had every intention of doing the right thing, and He carried through with it.

The true Christian consciously chooses to suffer evil rather than do evil because it would be wrong to do anything other than what Christ did. He set the example. He is the archetype; He is the One who goes before. The Christian is not a masochist, but by faith, he takes steps to prevent war. He does this because he recognizes that two wrongs do not make a right. Just because someone abuses authority does not give him the right from God to fail to submit to it. This is why there is never any real thought to war. Somebody gets into power and abuses his authority, and those who are under him react carnally and retaliate to get back at the one in authority—and the cycle never ends!

Will there ever be peace? There will be peace when people submit to God, and that means submitting to His way. If everybody would submit to God's way, war would stop overnight—that would be the end! But men will not submit to God (Romans 8:7). A major principle we are to learn in this life is to submit under duress, under abuse—when the pressure is on and the desire to retaliate is strongest. We have to learn not to justify our retaliation by saying, "He made me do it—the Devil made me do it!" All the ways of man are right in his own eyes (Proverbs 14:12).

John W. Ritenbaugh
Submitting (Part 1)

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What Does Romans 12:14 Mean?

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