Christ 4 Responders

A Ministry of Compassion Church of Katy

Rev Robert A Crutchfield

Overcome Evil With Good

This article is

part of what I call my "classic series." In fact I originally wrote it while I was serving as Chaplain-General of the Order of St. Iisdore of Seville.

I am reprinting it in my blog here because as first responders we encounter evil on a daily basis.This article serves as a good reminder of how we as Christians should deal with the evil we encounter.

Overcome Evil With Good
By Rev. Robert A. Crutchfield

Overcome evil with good. A nice idea isn’t it? But what does it mean exactly? How do we apply this neat idea to our Christian walk?


The phrase comes from the 12th chapter of Paul’s letter to the Romans. It is found in verse 21, “Do not be overcome with evil, but overcome evil with good.” It can be said that the book of Romans is written in three parts. In the first Paul presents the gospel, this lasts through Chapter 8, from there through Chapter 11 he outlines God’s plan for the Jews and the Gentiles. In the last third of the epistle he lays out practical lessons for the members of the church in Rome. I t is one of these lesson’s we wish to explore now.


It is interesting that in Chapter 12 Paul was speaking of evil in the context of those who were being persecuted for their faith. Paul himself was persecuted and eventually sent to death by the Romans on account of his faith in Christ.
In a broader sense this verse does not just apply to those who would persecute us for our faith. It applies to any person or group that does not treat us well for whatever reason. May times over the years I have counseled very angry Christians who had been wronged by someone in some way. Their comments are always something along the lines of “Well I’ll show them If they’re going to do that to be me they’ll be sorry I’ll...” This reaction is perfectly human. But it is not God’s way. The whole theme of Chapter 12 is that we should not return the evil done to us with evil. This would be vengeful. Vengeance is the province of God alone. What God expects of us is to return increasing amounts of goodness and charity toward those who wrong us until it reaches a point they can no longer mistreat us. In fact in the NEW LIVING TRANSLATION this same verse reads “ Don’t let evil get the best of you, but conquer evil by doing good.” God expects this of us not because it is easy, but because he knows it takes great effort on our part.

 

In his famous commentaries Mathew Henry has this to say “The line of our duty is clearly marked out, and if our enemies are not melted by persevering kindness, we are not to seek vengeance; they will be consumed by the fiery wrath of that God to whom vengeance belongeth.” I am particularly struck by Henry’s use of the term “persevering kindness. We are not to react with kindness that can survive only kindness in return, but kindness that can repel the worst evil. What a spiritual weapon to have When I’ve worked with people in this sort of situation what I’ve always told them is “its not about them, its about you, and the kind of person you want to be.” The sooner you make “Overcome evil with good” a daily part of your Christian walk, the sooner you will be closer to God.

 

Remember always vengeance belongs to God. Our weapon is the overflowing goodness that comes from our relationship with Christ. Build your sense of kindness at every opportunity, and wage war with it whenever evil strives to make you its own.

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Rev Robert A Crutchfield Comment by Rev Robert A Crutchfield on May 2, 2010 at 4:08pm
No unfortunately Roland I have to agree with you. God has put in my path at least a handful of young people who have been working against the tide. I also try to teach my two grandchildren (with two more on the way) the way we were taught. As I say often love is a verb not a noun. If you say you love God, your Country, your city, your family, what have you done for them lately ? We certainly could use more Christian role models !

Maybe I just have a distorted view since I serve, and serve with first responders who by and large are some of the most truly generous people you would ever want to meet !

All I can suggest we do about the rest is pray for them, and trust God to change their perspective.

Chaplain Crutchfield
Roland Dell Comment by Roland Dell on May 2, 2010 at 1:31pm
Vince Malum Bono ; "Overcome evil with good" is the motto found on my family crest... It is an old school Christian value, that is becoming ever more rare in a post modern society.

Instead self has moved to the throne of many, and this is obvious to me as I grow older, as many in the newer generation has had little training with putting others ahead of self.

Yes, this is a Christian value that has been taught through the ages even in secular society, yet as I age I see less and less people that ascribe to this principle.
It is not just a moral principle, but rather a principle of the heart from the "old school" if you will...

I have a heart condition suffered on my 20 years of military service: today I was up on my roof struggling to hammer up some aluminum flashing that blew off in a wind storm this past winter.

My younger and more influential neighbor, simply ignored my struggling in the heat, and sat on his porch and ate his lunch. If the situation had been reversed, you can bet that I would at least have offered my assistance to my neighbor in need, and even my wife or friends my age would have done the same.

This is not the first time I have noticed a total disregard for others from him, even if being directly approached. To make matters worse, he one attended Seminary claiming to be steeped in compassion for others, yet will not lift a finger to help others in need.

I am not saying that I am not guilty of this from time to time, yet it is not a habit; as I was raised and taught better in my day; than what is quite obviously missing from the "Me generation" - instilled in the generation soon after mine.

I really wish I was wrong, and I'm sure people still exist today that have these values instilled in them, yet it is less and less today than in the past and is scoffed at by many.

What a shame, I helped my elders when I was a young man, and they really appreciated it!
Normally, the rewards I received were more than I ever would have expected from this post WWII generation.
Today even television spots have to be used to try to encourage such behavior. In the Army "value cards" were issued in an attempt to strengthen a team concept, rather than the moral relativism that exists today.

Hedonism and multiculturalism, I fear has largely replaced the ethical standards I was taught to embrace, and even the philosophy of the present day President of these United States, and his cabinet, seem foreign to me.

Is this just a generational gap, or something much more serious that could even threaten the fabric of Western Civilization, and the principles this country was founded upon for God and County..?

Pray for our leaders and our families, thank you.

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