Romans 12:9-21
“Let Evil Ruin Itself”
By: Rev. Kenneth E. Sauer,
Pastor of Parkview United Methodist Church, Newport News, VA
www.parkview-umc.org
The famous autobiography of Corrie Ten Boom, called The Hiding Place, tells how the Ten Booms, a Christian family living during the Nazi occupation in World War 2 risked life and limb in order to save Jews and others from certain death in concentration camps.
Eventually, Corrie and her family were caught and sent to live in a concentration camp called Ravensbruck.
Corrie was the only member of her family who survived to tell the story.
And Corrie became a much sought after speaker and writer.
In the book she recounts an amazing experience which occurred after the war.
“It was at a church service in Munich that I saw him, the former S.S. man who had stood guard at the shower room door in the processing center at Ravensbruck…”, Corrie writes…
“…And suddenly it was all there—the roomful of mocking men, the heaps of clothing…” her sister Betsie’s “pain-blanched face.
He came up to me as the church was emptying, beaming and bowing.
‘How grateful I am for your message, Fraulin.’ He said.
‘To think that, as you say, He [Jesus] has washed my sins away!’”
Corrie continues to write: “His hand was thrust out to shake mine. And I, who had preached so often to the people…the need to forgive, kept my hand at my side.
Even as the angry, vengeful thoughts boiled through me, I saw the sin of them.
Jesus Christ had died for this man; was I going to ask for more?
Lord Jesus, I prayed, forgive me and help me to forgive him.
I tried to smile, I struggled to raise my hand.
I could not.
I felt nothing, not the slightest spark of warmth or charity.
And so again I breathed a silent prayer.
Jesus, I cannot forgive him. Give me Your forgiveness.
As I took his hand the most incredible thing happened.
From my shoulder along my arm and through my hand a current seemed to pass from me to him, while into my heart sprang a love for this stranger that almost overwhelmed me.
And so I discovered that it is not on our forgiveness any more than on our goodness that the world’s healing hinges, but on His.
When He tells us to love our enemies, He gives, along with the command, the love itself.”
All of us, every human being, created in the image of God, has this capacity to love.
We may not exercise it, but it is available to us through Christ, through the grace which surrounds everyone of us.
For many, the idea of the image of God has been linked to those unique abilities that we humans have that set us apart from other creatures.
John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, saw the image of God not so much in terms of what we possess ourselves, but as the way we relate to God and then live out that relationship in the world.
As those endowed with the image of God we are to receive the love of God and then reflect that love toward all other creatures.
We humans were created to be mirrors of God, but as a result of the Fall this natural image of God in us has been corrupted.
According to Wesley, instead of reflecting the image of God, we reflect the very “image of the devil,” and he sees no stronger evidence of this fact than in our universal practice of resorting to war in order to settle our disputes.
“There is still greater and more undeniable proof that the very foundations of all things, civil and religious, are utterly out of course in the Christian as well as the heathen world,” writes Wesley, “There is war….
War, revenge and violence are a natural outgrowth of our Fallen Nature...
…but as Christians, we are called to regain that image of God for which we were originally created!
We are to be new creations…
…not of this world…
…but of the kingdom of God!
Therefore, as Paul instructs us in our Epistle Lesson for this morning we are to Love sincerely with a love that is real, without selfish motives.
We are to share with those in need.
We are to pray for and bless those who hurt us.
We are to “Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn.”
We are to “Live in harmony…not be proud…be willing to associate with people of low position…”
…We are “not to repay anyone evil for evil.”
…We are not to take revenge, but we are to feed our enemies, give them a drink…
…we are to love others with such a genuine love that it will move others to repentance and salvation…
We are “not to be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”
Are we practicing this?
Do we see this happening among us and around us?
All of us, like Corrie Ten Boom, are faced with the natural inclination toward angry, vengeful thoughts.
But as those who are called to be mirrors who reflect God’s love to others, we are to see the sin in these thoughts and not allow them to fester.
We are to see others, all others, persons who are red, yellow, black, and white…
…persons who live in poverty or prosperity…
…persons who treat us kindly or hurt us deeply…
…as individuals for whom Christ has died.
We are not to ask for anything more!
We are not to take it upon ourselves to inflict revenge, because in doing so, evil wins!!!
A desire for revenge lives in most of us, and to our natural minds the best way to get revenge is to fight fire with fire.
“An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.”
This is the principle on which most of the world seems to work.
The New Testament tells us that, although this is the way most of the world reacts, this is not the way we are to react.
Remember what Jesus tells us in Matthew Chapter 5: “You have heard it said, ‘Eye for eye, tooth for tooth.’ But I tell you, Do not resist an evil person…
…You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you…”
When someone hurts us how do we respond?
With revenge or love?
Revenge has no place in the life of a Christian!
As Christ’s followers, we are called to a higher standing of morality than the standards of this world.
The story is told of a man who went into the preaching ministry, worked for seven years, then resigned to go back to medical school and become a doctor.
He came to the conclusion that “People don’t want spiritual health. They just want to feel good.”
He said that after working as a physician for seven years, he again resigned, this time to go back to school and become an attorney.
He said, “People don’t want spiritual health. They don’t even want physical health. They just want to get even.”(from a sermon by: Ray Ellis)
As Christians, we are not to worry about what folks want…
…we are to be concerned about what folks need!
And what folks need is to see the image of God reflected in you and in me!
That is the only way to overcome evil.
When we think of seeking revenge, let’s think of Jesus.
He was unjustly accused, whipped, inflicted with pain, and yet when He was hanging on the Cross He did not seek revenge.
Instead, He prayed: “Father forgive them for they do not know what they are doing.”
When someone hurts us, let us pray for them.
Let us go out of our way to speak words of kindness and words of encouragement to them.
Believe me, they will be shocked!
It will be like having burning coals of love heaped over their heads.
Returning hatred for hatred only increases hatred!
Returning good for evil causes evil to ruin itself!!!
Booker Washington said, “I will not allow any man to make me lower myself by hating him. The only way to destroy an enemy is to make him a friend.”
Sounds pretty good, doesn’t it?
The problem arises, though, when we make a commitment to live this way, but leave God out of the equation!
When we leave God out of the equation our good intentions don’t last very long.
No human being, no matter how well-meaning, can overcome evil on his or her own.
If this were possible, then Christ would not have had to die!
If this were possible, there would be no need for salvation—we would already be perfect!
When faced by a jailer who aided in the extermination of so many in the concentration camp, including her very own family, Corrie Ten Boom, a Christian, could not bring herself to forgive, to shake the man’s outstretched hand.
Corrie, who had preached so often to people about the need to forgive, kept her hand at her side.
And as the angry and vengeful thoughts began to flood her mind…it was only through the grace of the Holy Spirit living inside of her…and through her constant reliance on the Holy Spirit…that she was able to see the sin in her thoughts.
It was only through the grace of Jesus Christ Who had died for her and for him that she even knew that revenge was not the answer.
So, she prayed, “Lord Jesus, forgive me and help me to forgive him.”
She still felt no love for this man.
So again she breathed a silent prayer.
Jesus, I cannot forgive him.”
And oh, how true that statement is!
Then she prayed: “Give me Your forgiveness.”
And through Christ’s forgiveness, she was able not only to forgive this person, the love she had for this person became so great she could hardly contain it!!!
It’s not about us, my friends, it’s about Christ and Christ alone!!!
That’s all it’s about!
Christ is our only hope!
Christ is the only way to overcome evil with good!!!
Christ is the only one Who can save, heal and forgive!!!
Oh, the love Jesus has for sinners such as we!!!
And, oh, the power of that love which is available for any and all who seek it!!!
As Corrie learned, and as we all must learn: “it is not on our forgiveness any more than on our goodness that the world’s healing hinges, but on” Christ’s!
When Christ tells us to love our enemies, He gives, along with His command, the love itself!!!
This is grace: God’s love for Fallen humanity made available and evident only through Christ.
And this grace, when it is received by Fallen humanity both forgives and makes it possible for God’s reflection to be mirrored through us!
And in allowing this to happen, evil will indeed ruin itself!!!
Let us pray: Holy Father, we acknowledge that Your natural image in us has been corrupted. The original purposes for which we were created are so often not evident in our lives. We exercise our freedom to turn to self rather than to You and our neighbors. Our wills are dedicated to our own desires, and we use our reason to rationalize and excuse our sins. Jesus we cannot forgive. Jesus give us Your forgiveness. Amen.
