But I tell you not to resist an evil person. But whoever slaps you on the right cheek, turn the other to him also. If anyone wants to sue you and take away your tunic, let him have your cloak also. And whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two. Matthew 5:39-41 NKJV
Evil behavior surrounds us. I liken it to Noah’s day in Genesis 6:5 which says, “When the LORD saw that man’s wickedness was widespread on the earth and that every scheme his mind thought of was nothing but evil all the time, the LORD regretted that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in HIs heart.”
As Christians, the same things that upset us grieve the Lord in His heart.
The Bible clearly tells us we will have trials and tribulations. Evil people will do their best to make us suffer. In the last few weeks, I have sat under some very good teachers who have been teaching on things that relate to how a Christian deals with evil.
It’s too much to put into one blog, but if you bear with me, I will do several blogs and give you what I have taken from God’s word and these scholars.
I want to begin by looking at our Scripture passage today. We are told not to resist an evil person but even turn the other cheek and go the extra mile. Now we all know this is contrary to the flesh. The flesh wants to pulverize them, right?
Charles Spurgeon had this to say about today’s Scripture passage, “The rule of the judgment seat is not for common life, but the rule of the cross and the all-enduring sufferer is for us all. Yet how many regard all this as fanatical, utopian, and even cowardly? The Lord our King would have us bear and forbear and conquer by mighty patience. Can we do it? How are we servants of Christ if we have not his spirit?”
Christianity is not for sissies. God calls us to do the hard stuff. He calls us to bear suffering here on earth and to even rejoice in it (James 1:2-4).
What Charles Spurgeon is saying here is if we are going to dedicate our lives to Christ, we must be all in. We must determine to follow His lead no matter the cost.
Jesus Christ could have stopped his torture and the crucifixion at any time, but He suffered for our sake because it was God’s will. He prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane, “not my will but Your will be done” (Luke 22:42). He didn’t endure such suffering because He wanted to, He did it to save you and Me.
Doesn’t that leave us owing Him our all? He gave His life for us so it’s only fair we dedicate our lives to Him. We patiently endure suffering. We don’t get caught up in evil schemes, we conquer evil with good (Romans 12:21). And we trust God is working all this out for our good if we love Him and are doing what He has called us to do (Romans 8:28).
Romans 12:20 tells us if our enemy is hungry to feed him and if he’s thirsty give him something to drink. This is contrary to our nature, but it’s what God calls us to do. Are you strong enough to do it?
If you’re not that’s okay, because we are told in Philippians 4:13 that Christ gives us all the strength we need to do what He calls us to do. He can give you the strength to do these things.
Now, so far, I have listed what God calls us to do concerning our enemies. You may read this and think, “Oh, so I’m supposed to be a door mat?” Well, not exactly, and we will talk about this in the days to come.
But in Romans 12:17-18 we are told not to repay evil for evil, try to do what is honorable in everyone’s eyes and if possible, live at peace with everyone. If you have tried living at peace with an evil person, you know it is more often than not impossible and if the Lord is willing, we will talk about that tomorrow.
Have a great day!