(Photo by Quinn Simonson on Unsplash. Berean Standard Bible)

Romans 12:19 Do not avenge yourselves, beloved, but leave room for God’s wrath. For it is written: “Vengeance is Mine; I will repay, says the Lord.”

In this life, you will have people who wrong you. You may be unjustly fired, betrayed or slandered. It can be easy to develop deep bitterness toward those people. The desire for revenge can take hold of you and poison your heart.

God does not want you to take personal vengeance into your own hands. Jesus calls us to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us (Matthew 5:44). He teaches us not to respond to personal offenses with retaliation, but to respond in a way that reflects His character (Matthew 5:39).

Later in Romans 12, Paul says that if your enemy is hungry, you should feed him, and if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. He then says, “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good” (Romans 12:20-21).

Because we have a perfectly just God, we can entrust justice to Him. This does not mean that we should ignore serious wrongdoing or never involve the authorities. God has established governing authorities to administer justice, and Romans 13:4 describes them as God’s servants who have a responsibility to punish wrongdoing.

If there is genuine danger, abuse, violence, assault or another serious crime, seeking help from the appropriate authorities may be necessary to protect yourself and others and to prevent further harm. Seeking legitimate justice is different from taking personal revenge.

Remember that the person who has wronged you needs Christ just as you do. Jesus died for sinners, and we should desire their repentance rather than their destruction. God can work in their life even as He is working in yours.

You do not have to make things right yourself through revenge. Ask God to release your desire to get even and help you entrust the outcome to Him, the righteous Judge. If you need to involve authorities, ask God for wisdom to know how to respond. Protect what needs to be protected, pursue legitimate justice when necessary and refuse personal vengeance. Respond in a way that honors Christ and leave ultimate judgment in God’s hands. ~ Jeff M Newman

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Lesson 95 - 1 John 3:11 This is the message you have heard from the beginning: We should love one another.

Observe Jesus’ Commands

If another believer sins against you, go privately to them, and point out the offense. If they don’t listen bring one or two others to discuss the offense. Then, take your case to the church.

Matthew 18:15-17 (NLT) “If another believer sins against you, go privately and point out the offense. If the other person listens and confesses it, you have won that person back. 16 But if you are unsuccessful, take one or two others with you and go back again, so that everything you say may be confirmed by two or three witnesses. 17 If the person still refuses to listen, take your case to the church. Then if he or she won’t accept the church’s decision, treat that person as a pagan or a corrupt tax collector.

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Vengeance Is Mine; I Will Repay, Says the…