Theme: Evil Plans
In this week’s lessons we see that as David looks to God for victory over his enemies, there is much we can learn as we face battles of our own.
Scripture: Psalm 64:1-10
Theme: Worshiping While in a Wicked World
In this week’s lessons, we see the stark reality of evil, even in our own hearts, and that God protects and preserves those who come to him through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
Scripture: Psalm 140:1-13
I have been arguing for a number of studies that the final psalms in the Psalter, beginning with Psalm 135, are chiefly about worship. They tell us what worship is and how we are to worship God acceptably.
Theme: A Portrait of Evil People
In this week’s lessons, we see the stark reality of evil, even in our own hearts, and that God protects and preserves those who come to him through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
Scripture: Psalm 140:1-13
Theme: All in Need of a Savior
In this week’s lessons, we see the stark reality of evil, even in our own hearts, and that God protects and preserves those who come to him through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
Scripture: Psalm 140:1-13
Theme: The Ground for Our Appeal to God
In this week’s lessons, we see the stark reality of evil, even in our own hearts, and that God protects and preserves those who come to him through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
Scripture: Psalm 140:1-13
Theme: God’s Actions and Our Response
In this week’s lessons, we see the stark reality of evil, even in our own hearts, and that God protects and preserves those who come to him through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
Scripture: Psalm 140:1-13
Today we come to the last sentence of Romans 12, and it is worth noting, as we look back over the preceding verses, that Paul has said three times that we are not to return evil for evil. Verse 14 commands, “Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.” Verse 17 urges, “Do not repay anyone evil for evil.” Now, verse 21, the last verse in the chapter, demands, “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” This is Paul’s overriding theme in this section.
Our text has two parts. The first part says, “Do not be overcome by evil.” That is the negative. The second part says, “But overcome evil with good.” That is the positive, and of the two it is the hardest to accomplish.
Triumphing by overcoming evil with good sounds great, but how are we to live like this? That is the real problem. How is this to be done in our lives, we being what we are?
If we are to learn what it is to overcome evil with good, and actually overcome, we must study the example of Jesus Christ. For this is what Jesus did, and if He is our Savior, we will love Him and want to be like Him in this as in His other acts and characteristics.
We have come to the end of Romans 12. As we look back over this remarkable chapter, starting with the offering of our bodies to God as living sacrifices and ending with the offering of ourselves and our own best efforts to others in order that, by the grace of God, we might overcome their evil with good, we marvel at the wisdom, scope and power of a Gospel that can do that.
Canadian Committee of The Bible Study Hour
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