The Marks of a Christian - Never Avenge Yourselves
If you are a follower of Jesus, your life should have outward marks that reflect your inward convictions. These marks signify that you live your life in a way that imitates Christ.
Another mark of a Christian? “Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God” (Romans 12:19).
Christ-followers are addressed here as “beloved.” Cherished. Treasured. Jesus’s chosen are commanded to refrain from a costly sin. Vengeance. You are especially beloved and cherished by Him when you do so.
This protective command teaches us to never avenge ourselves. Never means never! The Lord knows that retaliation – at any level – only exasperates and incenses further hurt and harm. So He protects us through prevention. We stop retaliation before it starts.
God tells us that vengeance belongs to solely Him. Why? Because we’re not good at it. We can’t possibly know the whole story, or the ending that’s not yet in our sight. And as humans born into sin, we are rarely – if ever - able to calmly control intense emotions.
How then are we to satisfy our fleshly desire for vengeance? On Monday, we’ll explore just that.
But for today, leave vengeance to whom it belongs.
Our perfectly just Daddy.