Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. Romans 12:21
Speaking against the grim background of life in Rome and the glorious background of life in Christ, God says, “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”
Here is good news: The evil you have suffered does not need to define you. If you have suffered a great evil, you know how easy it is for that evil to overcome you; for you to be defined by it; for the evil that was done to you to dominate your life.
God says, “Don’t let that happen to you. Do not be overcome by the evil that surrounds you, or by the evil that has been done to you. You are in Christ, and something better is possible for you. Overcome evil with good.”
Think about all the evil that was heaped on Jesus—the injustice, the abuse, the violence. Evil could not overcome Him. And if He is for you, with you, and in you, evil will not overcome you!
The story of the church gives remarkable testimony to how this worked out. The light of the gospel did shine in the darkness and the darkness did not overcome it. Two thousand years later, the Roman Empire is dead and gone. But the church of Jesus Christ is alive and well.
How has the Church survived for two millennia, even with all the persecution and opposition it has faced?
