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17. Thou shalt not hate thy brother in heart, and be sure to rebuke him, lest he suffer sin because of his neighbour.
18. Do not take revenge, do not grumble against your fellow men, love your neighbor as yourself; I am the LORD.
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14. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.
15. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep
16. Be of the same mind, do not set your heart on high things, but rather be lowly, and do not pretend to be wise in yourselves.
17. Repay no one evil for evil, but do good in the sight of all men.
18. As far as possible, be at peace with all men.
19. Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath, for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, says the Lord.
20. If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him a drink, and you will heap coals of coals on his head.
21. Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
Content
Subject: I can do it
Text: Lev 19:17-18, Romans 12:14-21
Peacemaking in the Christian life is an inescapable mission. “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God” (Matthew 5:9). If you are reconciled with God first as a new creature, then you must become a channel of reconciliation. “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.... He reconciled us to himself through Christ and has given us the ministry of reconciliation... ” (2 Corinthians 5:17-19). That is why ‘peace-making, reconciliation’ is a sacred mission that all Christians must fulfill. It must be the story of the hesitation experienced during the holidays. It must be a reaction of shame for not fulfilling its mission.
There are words that lighten this heaviness a little. This is the expression in today's New Testament text (Romans 12:14-21). It means 'I can do it'. Regardless of the true meaning of the expression, it seems to take a breather first. That's the thought that comes to mind. ‘Yes, there are relationships that you can do and there are relationships that you can’t, right?’ If you hold your breath with ‘I can do it’ like this, and savor the next words, you will find yourself feeling much less heavy. “As for you, have peace with all men!” (Romans 12:18b). Of course, the expression 'I can do it' does not indicate this reaction in all cases. Because the nuance changes depending on the context. In the Gospel of Mark (9:23), it is a story of rebuke, and in the book of Job (33:5), there is a feeling of oppression. There are also words that stimulate positive thinking (Philippians 4:13).
Now let's find out the true meaning of the text. The Old Testament text (Leviticus 19:17, 18) is a commandment between the people of Israel. ‘Brother’, ‘neighbor’, ‘comrades’ as well as ‘enemy’ refer to the same object. There are three things not to do (hate from the heart, revenge, and resentment) and two things to do (benevolence, love of neighbor). These are the words of 3500 years ago (1445 B.C.?). The New Testament text (Romans 12:14-21) tells believers to extend the practice of love (Romans 12:9-13) to unbelievers. Neither one is easy. If the spirit of the Old Testament was love that embraced all the Israelites, the spirit of the New Testament speaks of love that embraces all mankind. “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good” (Romans 12:21) is the conclusion of today's New Testament text. Evil is conquered only by good. Hate is conquered only by love.
How to overcome evil with good without being defeated by evil is the content of today's New Testament text. 1) When you are persecuted, give blessings, not curses (verse 14). praying for it. This is what the Lord has done before us (Luke 23:34). 2) Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep (verse 15). 3) Be of the same mind, let go of arrogant thoughts and live in peace (verse 16). 4) In love, do good in front of everyone (verse 17). 5) If possible, make peace with all men (verse 18). 6) Do not take revenge yourself (19-21). ‘If you can’ is ‘If it be possible’, not ‘If you can’. It presupposes that ‘peace with all men’ is never easy. This is because we are limited by the imperfection of our love and the wickedness of the world. Nevertheless...