I do; I want to be an avenging angel, raining down brimstone and fire on all that is evil in the world; I want God to empower me to wreak havoc on all that is wrong. I want to be invincible and omni-powerful; I want to walk into the private enclaves of the rich and powerful and demand retribution. How cathartic would that be? How validating and hopeful would the world seem to me? Me, reigning over the unjust and the unworthy. But who would want to rain down brimstone on me?
“There are two great days in a person’s life – the day we are born, and the day we discover why.” – William Barclay
Romans 12:19, “Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord.”
God’s Intent
But that is not God’s intent. One of the hardest lessons for me to learn is that salvation, not retribution, makes the world livable. When people come to understand God’s love, they become the type of people we want in our world. It is not the elimination of evil but the conversion of evil that makes all that Christ has taught us work.
Proverbs 20:22, “Do not say, “I will repay evil”; wait for the Lord, and He will save you.”
That’s difficult for me. I want revenge; I want evil to suffer. Like Jonah, I don’t want the people of Nineveh’s salvation but their elimination. I want them punished because they have caused so much harm to others. It is hard for me to comprehend God’s compassion. Why does He want them in His kingdom after what they have done?
Proverbs 24:29, “Do not say, “Thus I shall do to him as he has done to me; I will render to the man according to his work.”
Wouldn’t that be great to travel the world visiting the despicable, the vicious, the depraved, the unscrupulous, the hateful, and the godless people to present them with their eternal separation from Christ? To stand back and watch when they realize their actions culminated in destruction.
God’s True Intent
“The only way to overcome our enemy is by loving him.”. Dietrich Bonhoeffer in The Cost of Discipleship
That is not Godly. God will allow the Godless to reap their rewards, but only after giving them every opportunity to repent. My prayer should not be for retribution but salvation. I should dedicate my life to attracting those who do not know God to God. Boy, that is a big ask.
1 Peter 3:9, “not returning evil for evil or insult for insult, but giving a blessing instead; for you were called for the very purpose that you might inherit a blessing.”
Like Jonah, I need to accept that what Christ did for me is precisely what He will do for others. I should want Him to extend the grace He gave me to others. It is not us against the world. It is the world against God, and those who choose God will prevail.
Matthew 5:38-45, “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say to you, do not resist an evil person; but whoever slaps you on your right cheek, also turn the other to him. If anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, let him also have your coat.”
It would be nice to be God’s avenging Angel, to vanquish evil. But that is in Revelations, not today. That is God’s domain. We must save those who do not see the light, not condemn them. That’s the hard part. God wants us to love, not hate.
“To return evil for good is devilish; to return good for good is human; to return good for evil is divine.” – John Stott in The Message of the Sermon on the Mount
1 Thessalonians 5:15, “See that no one repays another with evil for evil, but always seek after that which is good for one another and for all people.”