WHAT TO DO ABOUT EVIL (ROMANS 12:9-13:7)

9/27/2016

What are we to do about the evil that evil people do? If evil people bring their evil to where we live, are we allowed by God to take any action against them? There are professing Christians on polar opposite extremes in answer to that question. This topic could be covered in a lengthy series, so, today’s message is not intended to be exhaustive, but overarching. The message comes from Romans 12:9-13:7, not exhausting the passage, but hitting the high points of the passage on how we are to respond to evil. The structure of particular actions must be built on foundational principles, and we find those principles in this passage. First, we must expel evil for good. Second, we must engage evil with good. Third, we must expect evil to be avenged by God’s servant for good.

A note of clarification: In the message, I make reference to John Piper's position on using force to prevent evil acts. Looking back on it, it seems to me that I was a bit too simplistic in stating his position, even though I disagree with him. Therefore, in fairness to him, here is a link to an article he wrote on this issue: "Should Christians Be Encouraged to Arm Themselves?"