Whatever Happened to Overcome Evil With Good?

Whatever Happened to "Overcome Evil With Good"?
By Brian L. Harbour

[Dr. Brian L. Harbour is pastor of the First Baptist Church of Richardson, Texas.]

You don`t have to look far to find evil. It is "couching (lying in ambush) at the door" (Gen. 4:7). It is all around us. Living in a fallen world, we are confronted on every side with the reality of evil–in our world, in our nation, in our city, in our neighborhood, in our family. How are we to respond to this evil around us? Paul addressed that question in the twelfth chapter of his letter to the Romans. He presented both a defensive and an offensive strategy.

• A Defensive Strategy
• An Offensive Strategy
• The Problem
• The Recovery of a Biblical Idea
• The Protest
• Two Responses
• A Defensive Strategy

The defensive strategy is found in verse 2 and it is pretty much what we would expect Paul to say. "Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind." All around us there is evil, seeking to influence us to be like everyone else. Inside us is the Holy Spirit, seeking to influence us to be like Christ. So Paul`s advice: neutralize the negative influence of your external culture with the positive influence of your internal culture.

That is the defensive strategy for living in a fallen world, a world in which evil is everywhere present. As we live by the Spirit, as we walk in the Spirit, as we are controlled by the Spirit, and as we are empowered through the Spirit within us, we will be able to resist the influence of evil around us.

Many Christians today have adopted this as their code for living in today`s world. It is the defensive strategy which has motivated Christians to withdraw into their Christian communities and to isolate themselves from the world. It is the defensive strategy that has spawned Christian schools and, in more recent days, home schooling. It is an effective defensive strategy for living in today`s world.

The down side of this defensive strategy, however, is that it is limited. It relates to only one side of the issue. Because we have been told by our Master to "Go and make disciples of all nations" (Matt. 28:19), because Jesus told us we are to be salt which gives the world flavor and light which illuminates the world`s darkness (Matt. 5:13­-16), because the resurrected Lord declared to his disciples, "As the Father has sent me, I am sending you" (John 20:21), we cannot be content with simply isolating ourselves from the world and protecting ourselves from the world`s influence.

At the same time we are keeping the world from shaping us, we are to influence the world. Living in a fallen world in which evil is ever present, we cannot just have a defensive strategy. We must also have an offensive strategy.

An Offensive Strategy

Paul presented an offensive strategy in the remainder of Romans 12. The culmination of this offensive strategy is found in verses 17-21.

In verse 17 Paul advised: "Do not repay anyone evil for evil." Retaliation, which is the desire to get even with someone, is the world`s way. Instead of retaliation, Christians are to: "Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody" (v. 17) and "Live at peace with everyone" (v. 18).

In verse 19, Paul admonished: "Do not take revenge." Revenge, which is the desire to get back at someone, is the world`s way. Instead of revenge, Christians are to serve our enemies. "If your enemy is hungry, feed him," Paul says in verse 20, "if he is thirsty, give him something to drink" (v. 20).

The conclusion of Paul`s advice, the summary of the offensive strategy presented by the apostle, is found in verse 21: "Overcome evil with good."

"Do not be overcome by evil" (Rom. 12:2). That`s the defensive strategy.

"Overcome evil with good" (Rom. 12:21). That`s the offensive strategy.

The Problem

Whereas we are comfortable with Paul`s defensive strategy, we are often dissatisfied with his offensive strategy. OVERCOME EVIL WITH GOOD! That biblical admonition sounds strange to the ear of the American Christian living at the end of the twentieth century, because we have been presented a different strategy today. The primary offensive strategy in American evangelical Christianity today is to OVERCOME EVIL WITH FORCE, to attack evil.

We hear it from popular Christian spokesmen of our day as they use the language of warfare. In March, 1995, a debate erupted in the pages of Christianity Today between James Dobson on the one hand andJohn Woodbridge on the other. John Woodbridge wrote an article entitled, "Culture War Casualties: How Warfare Rhetoric is Hurting the Work of the Church," including James Dobson, among others, in his accusation. Dobson responded with an article entitled, "Why I use `Fighting Words.`" In the article Dobson spoke of a great Civil War of values raging in America today, of two great armies on opposing sides, and someday soon, he said a winner will emerge. And he wants Christians to be the winners. Dobson`s conclusion: we must attack evil and destroy it before it destroys us.

Whatever happened to "OVERCOME EVIL WITH GOOD"?

The popular strategy in American evangelical Christianity today is to try to overcome evil with force, to attack evil. We hear it from popular Christian authors whose fiction books develop themes of warfare. In 1986, a novel written by Frank Peretti entitled The Present Darkness vaulted to the top of the religious best seller lists, eventually selling more than 2 million copies. Set in a small college town, the story is about a horrific war going on, not a battle between twohuman armies, but a battle going on between the demonic powers of darkness on the one side and the angelic hosts of light on the other.

Part of the reason for the popularity of the book is that readers sensed the author was giving a symbolic picture of what is happening in our country, and the challenge of the book is to join the battle against evil. Be constantly on guard. Demonic forces all around want to possess you. Stamp them out. Destroy them. That is Peretti`s advice.

Whatever happened to "OVERCOME EVIL WITH GOOD"?

The popular strategy in American Christianity of trying to overcome evil with force is heard from the Christian right, partisans in the politics of polarization. In his 1991 book, The New World Order, Pat Robertson gave shape andform to the enemy against which we must fight and then laid out a strategy of attack that focused on developing a block of voters to support his agenda. He said, "We must rebuild … America from the grassroots, precinct by precinct, city by city, and state by state." And the strategy is clear: we need to organize politically so we can crush evil. The time-honored principle of separation of church and state so the state can do what it is supposed to do–provide freedom–and the church can do what it is supposed to do–promote faith freely chosen–has been replaced by the political strategy of using the government to promote the church–not just any church, but one particular understanding of the church-and its agenda.

We are confronted by the language of warfare by some Christian leaders, the themes of warfare in much religious fiction, and the politics of polarization in many Christian political action groups.

Whatever happened to "OVERCOME EVIL WITH GOOD"?

The Recovery of a Biblical Idea

Is this an anachronistic idea that needs to be discarded or is it a timeless Christian truth that needs to be rediscovered?

I want to declare that overcoming evil with good is not an idea of the past but an idea for the NOW, the very idea pronounced by Paul in our text, the idea declared by Jesus himself in Matthew 5:38-42 and then demonstrated by Jesus on the cross, the idea repeatedly referred to in the New Testament in places like 1 Thessalonians 5:15 and 1 Corinthians 4:12-13 and 1 Peter 3:9.

We are to be peace makers, instead of peace breakers. We are to be distinctive instead of vindictive. We are to be dispensers of grace instead of moral judges. We are to "OVERCOME EVIL WITH GOOD"!

The Protest

I can hear the whispers-I know, because I said the same thing to myself as I developed this message-"This mamby pamby approach is not going to work today. Doing good to those who do evil to us; refusing to get in there and fight against evil; it`s not going to work. We need to take the tough position. We need to get out there and fight. We need to take our stand."

Two Responses

The first response is this: what is at stake is not what works but what is right, what is Christian. We are not told to stamp out evil. We are not commanded to win the battle. We are not told to come up with a strategy which will work. We are commissioned to tell the good news. We are called to be the light of the world. We are commanded to love as Christ loved us. We are enlisted to be distributors of grace, encouragers, burden bearers, peace makers. Whether or not this strategy will "work" is not the point. We need to overcome evil with good because that is the Christian thing to do.

Then there is a second response. As I thought about this biblical idea and the protest to it today, I came to the conclusion that overcoming evil with good is the only thing that will work. The only power which can transform evil into good is the transforming power of a redeeming love.

Do you see our Lord? He`s in the Garden. With his disciples–eleven of them that is. He is praying. They are sleeping. Suddenly the garden of prayer is turned into a coliseum of confrontation. Judas, one of the twelve, arrives. With him is a large crowd armed with swords and clubs, sent from the chief priests and elders of the people. They are there to arresthim. To take him away. To very soon put him to death. It is the classic confrontation between good and evil.

Defend yourself, Jesus. Use your omnipotent power. Call on the twelve legions of angels at your disposal. That`s what we want to shout out to Jesus.

But instead, he does nothing. To Judas, the betrayer, Jesus says, "Friend, do what you came for." To the angry crowd, Jesus says, "I`ll go with you." The ultimate good confronted by the epitome of evil, and Jesus … does nothing.

Do you see him? He`s on the cross now. Hanging between two criminals. One of them rails at him. The people standing at the foot of the cross hurling insults at him. Ridiculing him. "If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross!" "This is the man who saved others. Hah! He can`t even save himself!"

Do something Jesus! Come down from the cross and show them who you are. Zap them with your divine power. That`s what we want him to do.

But instead, he does nothing. To one of the criminals he promises, "This day you will be with me in paradise." About the crowd, Jesus prays, "Father, forgive them for they know not what they do." The ultimate good confronted by the epitome of evil, and Jesus … does nothing.

Or does he?

There is another word from the cross. Do you remember? Jesus said, "It is finished." The ultimate good confronted by the epitome of evil, and Jesus won the battle. Jesus completed his assignment. He destroyed death. He overcame evil. He defeated the kingdom of Satan and established the kingdom of God. That is the meaning of that phrase. That`s why he said, "It is finished." But did you notice? He won the battle, not with a sword but with a cross.

Do not be overcome with evil–yes. We must not forget that defensive strategy. But this is the higher level to which we must ascend as Christians today–overcome evil with good.

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