St. John's Reformed Church

If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord. On the contrary: “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.” – Romans 12:18-20

 

This is one of those verses that make many uncomfortable. Showing hospitality to an "enemy" goes against our sense of justice – or even propriety. It just doesn't seem right. That's the point. We don't live by the world's system. We have a heavenly Father who will judge the world with justice. We trust Him. Or do we?

 

We've probably all seen the reaction to the spectacle at the Olympics opening ceremonies: the feast of the Greek god Dionysius that many saw as a parody of da Vinci's The Last Supper. Sasha Grishin, an art historian, noted, "The idea of the central figure with a halo and a group of followers on either side—it’s so typical of the Last Supper iconography that to read it in any other way might be a little foolhardy."

 

Offensive? Certainly. The question is how do we, as Christ-followers, rightly respond to such offense?  Many believers were understandably outraged by such a slanderous depiction of The Last Supper. Such a "food fight" raged over social media. How are Christians to respond to such offense? Scripture teaches, "Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger,  and give no opportunity to the devil." Ephesians 4:2-27.

 

How do I deal with my anger – presumably before sundown, without sinning or giving the devil an opportunity? Social media brings out the worst in us, as we are often alone, venting our unchecked outrage when, if we were face-to-face with the group – we would likely choose our words more carefully, and others around us would signal if we over-reacted. Many otherwise good Christians over-reacted. Dallas Willard observed that when Christians react as the world expects (with harsh outrage), it actually entrenches them in their sin. This is the opposite effect than what we as Christ's Ambassadors are here to do! Trusting God's sovereignty, leaving vengeance to Him, frees us to treat such "enemies" as Scripture teaches us, as cited above. When we don't react, this disrupts the cycle of conflict, leaving the aggressor to "burn with shame" and wonder what makes us different. The Apostle Paul concludes, Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. Romans 12:21

 

We have an inspiring example from the Apostle Paul in Acts 17 when he was in Athens, where the Olympics originated. He took offense at all the idols that littered the city (Acts 17:16). Rather than chide them that they had a god for everything imaginable, that they would bow down to anything that crossed their path, Paul instead found a point of connection – an altar to an unknown god. Paul used that as a springboard to tell them about the one true God who created heaven and earth – and introduced the Gospel by teaching how Jesus rose from the dead. The conversation ended there, but some believed, including, curiously, a man named Dionysius!

 

As "ambassadors for Christ" our primary focus is to share the Gospel of Christ and invite people to trust Him as Savior and Lord. That's a very different perspective then taking offense at unbelievers acting like unbelievers. Frankly, I expect unbelievers to act like unbelievers. I also expect Christians to act like Christians, responding to offense – even persecution, with the fruit of the Holy Spirit– rather than anger and accusation, which reflects our carnal nature. Christ transforms us! We are a new creation in Him!

 

Growing with you, in Christ,

Dave Meckley, Pastor