Overcoming

Scripture:

Rom. 12:9   Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good; ¹⁰ love one another with mutual affection; outdo one another in showing honor. ¹¹ Do not lag in zeal, be ardent in spirit, serve the Lord.  ¹² Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere in prayer. ¹³ Contribute to the needs of the saints; extend hospitality to strangers.

Rom. 12:14   Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. ¹⁵ Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. ¹⁶ Live in harmony with one another; do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly; do not claim to be wiser than you are. ¹⁷ Do not repay anyone evil for evil, but take thought for what is noble in the sight of all. ¹⁸ If it is possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. ¹⁹ Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave room for the wrath of God; for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” ²⁰ No, “if your enemies are hungry, feed them; if they are thirsty, give them something to drink; for by doing this you will heap burning coals on their heads.” ²¹ Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

Observation:

There is a counterbalance to love, which is hating that which is evil. We are to cling to everything that is good. This entire section is about how to become an overcomer. We are all confronted with challenging situations and yet, we are called to become overcomers. We don’t fight back with the weapons of this world, but we do by participating in the lavishing love of God. Our loving Lord wants to pour out buckets of holy love on us, his children, and in the same way we are to lavish this love on others. Only in this way can we not be overcome by evil, but we will “overcome evil with good” (12:21). 

Application:

As a teenager my Pastor, Gordon Wetmore preached on Romans 12. This last section is one that I remember quite clearly. I was up in the balcony at Kansas City First Church. The church was meeting in the Seminary chapel at the time and somehow the phrase about heaping burning coals on their heads was etched into my mind. I remember him saying “burning coals of fire” — I’m not sure where the extra “of fire” came from but that’s how I remember it from when I was about 17 years of age. I’ve pondered that phrases often and maybe not always in a good light. Maybe in a mischievous way I thought about doing good just to get back at someone. Now, that’s from a wrong heart — and that is not what the passage is telling us. We have to go back to the very beginning of the passage and remember that Paul is telling us that we need to be transformed in the renewing of our minds. 

When we are transformed, we behave differently. We bless people, just because we are now made new. We don’t work to avenge ourselves, but we leave that to God. The resulting coals of fire may or may not come — but if they do — they are from God, not because we have outdone ourselves in doing good. That’s not the point. 

To be an overcomer is not necessarily about overcoming that which we face every day, but overcoming our natural inclinations. We are overcomers when we are transformed and no longer does the old self rule us, but we are overcome by the presence of the Lord through the power of the Holy Spirit. The good of Jesus wells up inside of us and we are now a different people. We live very differently in this world. 

Prayer:

Lord, please help me to live into your power and presence everyday as an overcomer. Amen.