Dear Christian friends:

I'm sure you will agree with me: There is much evil in our world today and growing worse. Personal enmity against person and groups. There is a new word for that someone invented and you see printed in the paper, "polarization." How can we conquer evil? In our text St. Paul tells us God's way:


There are two ways of natural man. Pay evil with evil, verse 17 and "Eye for an eye, and tooth for tooth." How? Get revenge. The government is often forced to use that way, because the church has failed. If the government is strong enough with enough soldiers and enough police it can force people to obey and keep some peace, but by using force.

And often government, parents, schools and other in power must use force to keep order and peace. But we must remember that does not make the enemy become our friend. He will obey because you have the gun in his back, but he still hates you and will get you if you're not careful. So we have arms races between governments.

So also with each one of us in our relations with one another. You can't make your enemy become your friend by "paying evil for evil." By that you multiply evil in Him and poison your own soul. Many people's minds are sick because they are full of hate and want to get revenge.

Instead of overcoming evil, you let evil overcome you. (verse 21a). In an argument with an opponent if you become angry or cross you fail. Even if you keep your calm and argue better than he, you will not win him. He only becomes more stubborn.

Here Paul tells us the right way: (read verses 16-21) It takes two to fight. If you refuse to get angry etc. and instead be kind to your enemy and do good to him, you will overcome his anger. King Solomon said in Proverbs 15:1, "A soft answer turns away wrath." Try it and you will see that it works.

If a wife is angry against her husband and he goes and buys her a box of candy or a bouquet of flowers, can she stay angry at him? It isn't easy to do our nature is to blow-up.

Where can we find strength to do good to our enemy? Only from God, Himself. He has shown us the secret in Jesus Christ. We were enemies, but He gave His Son to die for us. Examples of God's love changing enemies. Saul became Paul. Before Saul was a enemy and a destroyer of the church. After becoming Paul he was a friend and builder of the church.

In Aesop's Fables, "The Argument Between The Wind and The Sun" Which one could get the man to take off his coat shows that the gentle approach by the sun won.

God gave a soft answer to Jonah when he was angry at God. Jesus Himself tells us in Matthew 5:44-45, "But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust."

Live like children of God; give praise and glory to His name: Overcome evil with good!

Amen.