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Romans 12:16
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“Live in harmony with one
another.”
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Discuss what it means to live in harmony
in a general sense and also within the church.
Let’s look at the context. Read Romans
12:14-21.
Our context gives us several examples,
some not easy to do, of living in harmony. What are they?
What things are listed in this passage
that could impede harmony? How could they destroy harmony?
verse 14: Tells us how to deal with our
enemies. Here Paul is borrowing directly from the teachings of
Jesus (Matt 5:44)
verse 15: Gives us specific examples of
how to live in harmony with other believers.
If someone is rejoicing,
don’t be envious, but rejoice with them.
If someone is grieving,
share their burden.
verse 16: Some other ways to live in
harmony include humbling our pride, not being vain, and being able
to associate with people from various social classes.
Philippians 2:1-4 also
addresses these three issues.
verse 17: Do not retaliate. Why not?
Because retaliators are trespassers.
Why are they trespassers?
Because they are appointing themselves to a role that belongs solely
to God.
(Hebrew 10:30) Not only is
retaliation a form of trespass on God’s territory, it is also a form
of unbelief. It says that I don’t believe that God will be fair in
judging this wrong, so I had better get involved in ensuring that
justice is done.
verse 18: Let’s tie this verse in with
the second half of verse 17. Do your best to do what is right.
Even unbelievers have some sort of damaged sense of right and
wrong. We should try not to offend anyone’s sense of right and
wrong, provided we don’t cross the line of offending God’s standard
of right and wrong. You should do all that is within your power to
live harmoniously with both believer and unbeliever without
disobeying the Word of God.
Will this always result in a harmonious
relationship? No, but you are only responsible for your honest
effort. The other person is responsible before God for his or her
reaction.
verse 19: The government has a duty to
execute justice (see Romans 13:1-7), but they do this as an agent of
God. Their authority is derived from God not from any human
institution. Don’t get back at someone because to do so results in
sin. “Two wrongs don’t make a right” is a correct statement.
verse 20: Do good to your enemy, and not
in a begrudging manner. To do so will prick his conscience. He
will wonder why someone returned him good rather than evil, and it
will be a testimony to him.
verse 21: What does it mean to be
overcome by evil or to overcome evil with good? Evil overcomes us,
not in what it does to us by hurting us, but in how we respond to
it, or to those who perpetrate it against us. The only way to
overcome evil is by doing good in return. The Christian should not
be one to demand his/her rights every time offended. Look at the
example of Jesus’ trial and crucifixion and the martyrdom of the
saints.
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