“Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep. Be of the same mind toward one another; do not be haughty in mind, but associate with the lowly. Do not be wise in your own estimation. Never pay back evil for evil to anyone. Respect what is right in the sight of all men. If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men. Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord. ‘But if your enemy is hungry, feed him, and if he is thirsty, give him a drink; for in so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.’ Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” (Romans 12:14-21 NASB1995)

When Jesus was still on the earth, he warned his disciples, his followers, that we would be hated as he was hated, and that we would be persecuted as he was persecuted. And who were Jesus’ greatest persecutors? They were those who professed faith in the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, many of whom were rulers in the temple and in the synagogues, and who were teachers of the law, and who were people of prominence and influence within the temple gatherings, too, such as were the Scribes, Pharisees, and Sadducees.

[Matthew 5:10-12; Matthew 10:16-25,34-39; Matthew 24:9-14; Luke 6:22-23; Luke 12:49-53; Luke 21:12-17; John 15:18-21]

So, it should not surprise us, if we are following in the ways of the Lord, and not in the ways of the world, that we should also be persecuted by the religious, i.e. by pastors, elders, deacons, denominational heads, and others who profess faith in Jesus Christ who are dedicated followers of institutional religion and religious creeds and practices which are of the flesh and not of God. For they will view us in the light of institutional religion and religious practices rather than by the teachings of the Scriptures, i.e. by God’s Word.

But we are never to pay back evil for evil to anyone, even to those who treat us with contempt, who deliberately do evil against us, who lie about us, and who cast us out from their presence because we do not adhere to the worldly culture within the gatherings of “the church.” But we follow after the Scriptures and the teachings of Christ. For if we are following Jesus and his word, we may be judged by worldly standards. But we are never to take our own revenge, but we are to leave room for the wrath of God. He’s the judge.

So, if we are to rejoice with those who rejoice, and to weep with those who weep, this has to be in accord with the word of God and with his morals and values. So we don’t rejoice with those doing or saying what is evil, and with what is contrary to the teachings of Scripture. And we don’t weep with those who are crying and complaining because they got caught in evil and/or that they did not get their evil way. And we are not to be of the same mind with those of corrupt and immoral thinking, even if they profess to be Christians.

And, when it says here that, if possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men, this is never about compromising our morals, or truth and righteousness, or God’s values, or his gospel message. We are not to choose peace with all men over peace with God ever. We are not to prefer to be liked by other humans more than being approved by God as his servants. Living for the Lord and doing his will and spreading the message of the gospel have to be top priority. But that will likely get us persecuted, too.

But we are to love our enemies, and do good to them, and pray for them, and be kind to them. And we are to say to them what will be beneficial for them spiritually if they will accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. And if they are without food or drink, we are to share with them from what we have in showing them love and kindness despite how we are treated by them, in return. For we are not to be those who are overcome by evil, but we are to be those who overcome evil with good, as our practice.

Oh, to Be Like Thee, Blessed Redeemer

Lyrics by Thomas O. Chisholm, 1897
Music by W. J. Kirkpatrick, 1897

Oh, to be like Thee! blessèd Redeemer,
This is my constant longing and prayer;
Gladly I’ll forfeit all of earth’s treasures,
Jesus, Thy perfect likeness to wear.

Oh, to be like Thee! full of compassion,
Loving, forgiving, tender and kind,
Helping the helpless, cheering the fainting,
Seeking the wandering sinner to find.

O to be like Thee! lowly in spirit,
Holy and harmless, patient and brave;
Meekly enduring cruel reproaches,
Willing to suffer others to save.

O to be like Thee! while I am pleading,
Pour out Thy Spirit, fill with Thy love;
Make me a temple meet for Thy dwelling,
Fit me for life and Heaven above.

Oh, to be like Thee! Oh, to be like Thee,
Blessèd Redeemer, pure as Thou art;
Come in Thy sweetness, come in Thy fullness;
Stamp Thine own image deep on my heart.

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