“Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight.” Romans 12:14-16
A few things about this passage should jump out at us. Though we’re saved and now live in the grace of God through faith alone, we’re nevertheless still amidst a fallen, sin-sick world. What that means is that not only will mistakes, error, sickness and accidents still exist (until that glorious Day!) but we’ll also continue to experience conflict. Righteousness brings peace. Sin produces conflict (as well as death). Thus, all who preach peace and unity among men outside of Christ are fools or worse. Why do we say fools? Because only through faith in Christ can we attain righteousness. Righteousness exalts a nation (Proverbs 14:34) and without it there’s no way to the fruit of the Spirit, which includes peace and joy (Galatians 5:22). Trying to build unity, peace and happiness without righteousness, which we know comes from faith alone, is like building elaborate sand castles at low tide.
We must always labor to keep this critical truth foremost in mind lest we fall for utopian schemes and commit spiritual adultery.
Incidentally, this is why the U.S. Constitution got it mostly right insofar as a political union was concerned. It rightly assumed that man is fallen. A people infected with sin can’t be trusted with power. Therefore, power must be spread out. There must be a separation of powers lest there be greater abuses rather than lesser. The civil magistrate exists, in this understanding, not to produce happiness, but to punish crime/evil. No political party can bring peace or God is a liar. No politician is the 13th apostle.
Okay, so we’re in a sinful world. We wade through murky waters of our own making and that of others too. We note that the text reads “bless those that persecute you…”. It doesn’t bat an eye. Any Christian who lives in Christ will be persecuted. There’s no question. If the world hated Him, they’ll hate those who are in Him. Christians complaining about persecution are like Floridians complaining about the humidity. What did you expect?
And then, when we’re persecuted, guess what? We aren’t to slander. This is a tough one indeed. Many Christians are correct to point out that Democrats and the media are against Christ. This is unquestionably and demonstrably true. The problem is that this verse prohibits us from cursing them. Much political rhetoric that Christians engage in is, therefore, sinful. When was the last time we blessed Joe Biden or Nancy Pelosi? Do we think this verse doesn’t apply to them? Do you think that the Lord carves out an exception for some particularly loathsome fellow or another? Do you think that calling President Biden terrible names is fulfilling the spirit and letter of this verse?
Or have you been persecuted at work? Have you lost friends? Are you struggling with family relationships and tempted to be arrogant (haughty) toward those who aren’t saved? This is a tough struggle and we do well to remember that we’ve been saved by grace, not by works. This knowledge ought to always permeate our hearts and minds, which will militate against condescension. Jesus has been humble and patient toward us. How much more should we be with each other? Sinful men persecuted, lied about, arrested, tortured and killed the sinless Son of God. He endured all that for us. For us. This is the truth that brings us to the place in our hearts where we can live in harmony with one another.
The beggar of grace will see no one as beneath them. The man forgiven of a million dollar debt will hardly begrudge the one who owes him a dollar. The pauper who’s adopted by the rich man, brought from the slums to the million dollar mansion, won’t think he’s above the gardener, will he? How is it then that a Christian could think others are too low for him? And how could the man who’s brought to salvation through grace alone, who has his eyes opened to wonders and treasures from the Word, who was blind before, who was stupid and foolish, think himself wise?
So, we see how the grace of God and the sovereign work of God for our salvation has produced a logic of amity? Sin brought us into conflict and now all that enmity with God is replaced with mercy and love and we have the righteousness of God through faith alone. No one may boast. We are one in Christ through faith, so now we have the ability, at last, to have real relationships with one another. To rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep is the Bible’s way of saying that we can be honest now. Sin keeps secrets. Sin hides things away in the shadows of shame. And now that sin is gone, nailed to the cross, we’re free to know and be known…by God and each other.
This is the point of this passage. True intimacy is ours in Christ. Our prayers – oh, our sweet prayers – pour out from a heart given completely to God. We live openly – Coram Deo – before Him. No more secrets. No more hiding behind the bush in our nakedness. And so we rejoice with one another. We weep with one another. We are genuine at last. Because there’s now no condemnation and our war with God is over, our war with each other ceases at last too.
Oh, and yes, we can bless those that persecute us. I know this is hard today. We face, for Americans, unprecedented attacks on our liberty and this is terribly upsetting. I get it. But we must not repay reviling for reviling and the only way to stand strong in this storm is to know the promises of God in Christ. We know that we live on the precipice of the Second Coming and that He will judge all things someday. Maybe that Day is tomorrow. Maybe it’s next year or 1,000 years from now. Whenever it is isn’t for us to know. What’s important is that we know Him through faith and love and gratitude. This is our “vaccine” against bitterness and depression.
So bless Joe Biden. Go ahead. Pray for him and pray for all those enemies of God who will, if they can, put you in chains. This isn’t to say we’re to be doormats and naive but it is to say that we act and speak with our eyes completely open in an evil age. The shame of the church is that they don’t understand that persecution is to be expected. America isn’t a minor league Kingdom of Heaven, you know, so we must stop treating it like one. The true Kingdom isn’t shaken and when our hearts are fixed on this infallible truth we’re capable of facing the evils of this world with the peace of mind our verse today commands.
Speak the truth. Call evil what it is and abhor it – but also call for those involved to repent of their sin and turn to Christ. And, yes, we can call sin what it is, and we can contend for the truth (Jude 3) without cursing our enemies. I’ll leave you with this because it’s best to let Scripture speak to this so that we remember we aren’t alone and this time isn’t unexpected to the Lord of Glory. He knows. And He cares about you. So, don’t curse your enemies. Rather, pray to Him about your frustrations and hurts.
“Yet in like manner these people also, relying on their dreams, defile the flesh, reject authority, and blaspheme the glorious ones. But when the archangel Michael, contending with the devil, was disputing about the body of Moses, he did not presume to pronounce a blasphemous judgment, but said, ’The Lord rebuke you.’” Jude 8-9
“But you must remember, beloved, the predictions of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ. They said to you, ‘In the last times there will be scoffers, following their own ungodly passions.’ It is these who causes divisions, worldly people, devoid of the Spirit. But you, beloved, build yourselves up in your most holy faith, pray in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life. And have mercy on those who doubt; save others by snatching them out of the fire; to others show mercy with fear, hating even the garment stained by the flesh.” Jude 17-23
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