Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult. On the contrary, repay evil with blessing…
Summary: What is evil? Anything you don’t like might qualify. Peter tells us to respond to things we don’t like with a blessing.
As we delve into this passage, please keep in mind who Peter is talking to. At first, he addressed his letter to “God’s elect” (1:1). Then, in 2:11, he calls his readers “friends” and “foreigners and exiles.” After a while, he addresses those who are slaves (2:18). Then he addresses wives directly (3:1). In 3:7, Peter switches his attention to husbands, and in 3:8 he changes the focus of his letter to “all of you.” This would be all of you who are “chosen” (1:2), obedient to Jesus Christ, shielded by God’s power (1:5), and who believe in him even though we have not seen him. (1:8)
He is speaking to those of us who are believers. You know, the ones who are like-minded, sympathetic, love one another, are compassionate and humble (3:8). To us, he says, “Do not repay evil with evil.”
This is important: The people doing the ”evil” are your brothers and sisters in Christ.
So what, exactly, does Peter mean by using the word “evil?”
Without going into a lot of detailed definitions, I would propose that “evil” is something you don’t approve of or something that offends or hurts you. (If you have a definition you like better, please share it in the comments, below.)
Now, this is where we have to return to the concepts discussed in “Oil on the Water.” In that discussion, we examined what happens when two or more people hold different opinions about what Scripture means. When someone holds a view that conflicts with mine, it can feel like they are attacking my view. From my perspective, when someone attacks me, I consider that evil.
Peter’s teaching on this is powerful. Instead of arguing, offer a blessing.
Application: Prepare for the next time a brother or sister in Christ says something that strikes you as ”evil.” Practice being sympathetic, applying brotherly love, withholding your wrath (compassion) and being humble.
Food for Thought: What are some blessings you might use to ”repay evil?”
Rob said it nicely with the whole covid 19 thing going on.” I think someone needs a hug”. You also already said some of it with the sympathy, compassion, love along with understanding, knowledge, patience, friendship, kindness, wisdom and the word.
Not only Covid 19 but the political situation. So much discord. I agree with Tim and would add Listen. Listen. And then talk. Then pray together.
Laura,
Nice to hear from you again! Thank you for checking in. 🙂
I really appreciate your emphasis on listening. Oftentimes listening to someone, just uncritical listening, can be a HUGE blessing.
Well said!
Your right Laura. I’m a guy and I always forget the listen part. The talk and pray are great ones too.
Good comments Tim and Laura. Good devotion too brother.
The word for blessing means to speak well of and is where we get the word to eulogize. The word for evil can refer to malice. I have noticed at funerals as people share, they tend to remember the good and speak well of the deceased. They tend to forget the bad and remember the good. We don’t have to wait until someone dies to do that. As believers we still struggle with sin. Thus, unfortunately from time to time we will hurt one another instead of love one another.
This can escalate into measured malice against a brother or sister in Christ, when what comes out of our mouth reveals the evil in our own hearts. To stop this cycle we can choose to say something kind. We can choose to bless. We can do that now. We don’t have to wait until someone dies. It is my choice today.
Ephesians 4: 29 – 32.
Thanks for that verse Rich,..Ephesians 4:29 especially,..we do need to encourage one another with words of love, kindness, mercy and grace,..just as our Lord Jesus has taught us to,..and yes it is hard at times,..but we need to be building each other up instead of breaking one another down with our words,..
I was just talking with my granddaughter last night about what dead to sin means to me and then when Jesus came into the picture of my life HE shone a light on all that sin and brought life to my life and made me aware of what I had been doing is wrong and made me more aware of the temptations that took me to that line to cross and commit the sin,..
He is so strong in this that if we obey we will turn away and therefore live a better life amidst all the temptations in this life,..
We had a real good conversation last night,..she knows of Jesus but has not made that confession of faith as of yet,..16 yrs young is a tough age these days for something like that I guess,..but I see it in her and I hear it in her by the way she speaks out,..there is a precious love that tends to flow from her being,..maybe Christ is starting to rub off & out of those she is around and into her,..
So yes,..the blessing’s I can repay evil with are words of encouragement and love,..keep smiling!
What are some blessings you might use to ”repay evil?”
Luke 23:34, Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.
C. S. Lewis once said, “everyone thinks forgiveness is a lovely idea, until they have something to forgive.”
God says, do it! Matthew 5:45, Luke 6:27-31, Romans 12:9-21, Ephesians 4:32.
We have just finished discussing Sympathy and Compassion which God gives us in abundance when He brings the less fortunate to us for ministry. Our hearts go out to them and we set everything else aside, allowing God to use us to convey his love and free gift of salvation to them.
Then He brings a christian brother into our lives. From a christian home, raised in the church, father was a pastor, knows the Bible extremely well and looked up to by everyone. He is your brother, you hug each other when you meet and have many deep discussions about our Lord. And then after years of fellowship, he drops the facade, shows you his true colors, and you suffer great loss for his personal gain.
The first time was unbelievable difficult to overcome and can take years to ask God to forgive him. The second time it hurt however I turned to God very quickly and more quickly received the blessing that comes from forgiving another. We cannot allow the sins of another to become embedded in our hearts, creating a separation from our God.
One of the toughest, best witnessing opportunities we can be given is when we are unjustly persecuted by a brother of sister and we can pray for their forgiveness. We refuse to repay their evil with evil. We are given an opportunity to powerfully demonstrate the love our God has for all men, the love we don’t deserve. We cannot do this on our own, and the greatest blessing is we become more Christlike as we allow Him to grow and minister in our lives. We deny our flesh as our spiritual strength is increased.
All –
Thank you for your comments today. Great thoughts being shared!!
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