As those made in the image of a just God, we expect to be rewarded when we do good and to reap the consequences when we do evil. And yet, believers especially can often find themselves on the receiving end of poor treatment for having done the right thing.
Persecution—mistreatment for the sake of Christ—can take many forms. It can be physical suffering at the hands of a governmental power. It could also be the cold shoulder from a family member who finds your commitment to Christ off-putting. Could be ostracism or demotion in the workplace for refusing to do the unethical. Some have been disowned for their biblical stance on gender and sexual issues. Others have been labeled “spiritual abusers” for applying biblical principles of accountability.
How should we respond when we do good but are repaid with evil?
First, we shouldn’t be surprised. When fallen humans associate believers with the God they hate, they will often mistreat those believers. Consider:
John 15:19, “If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.”
1 Peter 4:12 “Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you.”
1 John 3:13 “Do not be surprised, brothers, that the world hates you.”
Second, we shouldn’t get even. Our bent is to take vengeance, to repay evil for evil, to bring about our own justice. Rather than the Golden Rule (“do unto others as you would have them do unto you,” [Matt 7:12]), our sinful hearts are inclined to follow a Dismal Rule: “do unto others as they have done unto you.”
However, such a response would undo the radical, gospel-validating faithfulness to which we’ve been called. We proclaim a gospel that transforms sinners into saints. When we respond to persecution in retaliatory ways, we implicitly deny the gospel we claim to believe. Anyone can treat well those who treat them well. Jesus said, “For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same?” (Matt 5:46–47). It takes gospel transformation to choose a better way.
Third, we should bless those who persecute us. Blessing our enemies takes two main forms:
- Praying for them (Matt 5:44). The highest and best thing we could pray is for their repentance and faith unto reconciliation with God and man. Along these lines, we could pray: that God would surround them with many people speaking gospel themes around and to them; that God would make them miserable in their sin such that they crave relief from its tyranny; that they would find no solace in their idols; and, that the Holy Spirit would repeatedly bring Christ to their minds as the only answer to their plight.
- Doing acts of kindness for them. In Romans 12:20, Paul quotes Proverbs 25:21-22, writing, “To the contrary, 'if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink…’” Similarly, in the OT law, God’s people were commanded to provide assistance when their enemies’ livestock went astray or was otherwise in danger (Exo 23:4-5). Paul labels this kind of blessing “overcoming evil with good” (Rom 12:21). By these acts of kindness, we seek to leave our enemies no room to discount the gospel on the basis of our behavior. In real life scenarios, persecutors have a very difficult time making sense of believers being kind in the face of poor treatment. It is so counter-intuitive, they have no choice but to wrestle with what it means.
Fourth, we should trust in the justice of God. Paul writes in Romans 12:19, “Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, ‘Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.’” Here, Paul quotes Deuteronomy 32:35, but the principle is pervasive throughout the Scriptures, particularly in the Psalms, where writers find comfort in knowing that God is just (Psa 9:7; 33:5; 37:6, 28; 99:4; 103:6; 140:12). If anyone can be trusted to right wrongs, it is the God of whom the psalmist writes, “the LORD loves justice; he will not forsake his saints. They are preserved forever, but the children of the wicked shall be cut off” (Psa 37:28).
In every case, with every sin, God will bring justice in one of two ways. In the case of the unrepentant, God will bring justice by pouring out eternal wrath on the sinner. In the case of the repentant, that guilt was already imputed to Christ, justice being meted via His suffering on the cross. Either way, every evil act, thought, or word will be recompensed by God. In the certainty of God’s justice, we are free to obey Christ, blessing those who persecute us.
In short, Jesus commands us to love our enemies (Matt 5:44). That is, He calls us to give of ourselves for their highest good. This is an other-worldly response to injustice, a response that can only be maintained by a heart transformed by the gospel. As we seek to live faithfully and as we occasionally are punished for it, may we love our enemies, commending the gospel to those persecuting us. We are not our own.
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