Daily Devotional: Romans 12:14-21

When it comes to presenting our bodies as living sacrifices in response to the grace of God in His monergistic work, we also bless those who persecute us instead of cursing them. This means that a Republican who is a Christian will not curse a Democrat because the Holy Spirit has so changed him or her. Instead, he will bless even the Democrat who persecutes him. This does not mean we don’t care about justice. It does mean that, personally, we consider others to be more important than ourselves. 

When someone else is rejoicing, we rejoice with him. When someone else is weeping, we weep with him. We resolve to be of the same mind as others, sympathizing with them instead of being haughty. We associate with the lowly, not considering our own depth or breadth of knowledge to make us better than anyone else. There is something to be said about sympathy and empathy, here. What we see commanded of Christians is sympathy, not empathy. Empathy is impossible and outright insulting to those trying to be empathized with. True empathy would be feeling what another person feels, truly “walking in his shoes.” We can’t do that because we cannot know how another person feels. When we claim to know or feel it too, we trivialize their feelings or circumstances. Instead, Christians are encouraged to have sympathy, to try to understand and care without trivializing or mocking another’s feeling unintentionally. Sympathy is more sincere than empathy. Empathy places the one empathizing at the center; it is selfishness and entitlement because it takes ownership of another’s feelings. Sympathy considers others first and respects their feelings as their own. 

Because of the monergistic work of God, we also choose not to be a people of revenge. You’ve heard that two negatives don’t make a positive. That’s true. We cannot solve problems by contributing to them. Since we are not entitled, we don’t have to seek revenge or restitution. The seeking of restitution is as ungodly as it gets because we have not considered others to be more important than ourselves. Further, we care about others’ wants and needs, considering what is right in the eyes of all people. Life is not about us taking every advantage we can. It is about loving God and loving people—for the whole Law is summed up in these two commands. God promises justice. We can trust Him. We have the freedom to speak truth in love.

Along these same lines of thinking, Paul exhorts the unincorporated in Rome to feed their enemies and give them drinks. Overcome evil with good. This is how the battle is won—not by being loud or condemning others, but by loving our enemies.

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