Vengeance, or Self-defense

Text: Rom. 12:18-19 – If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men. Beloved, do not avenge yourselves but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord.

Introduction

     Have you ever faced a need for protection from any kind of mental or physical abuse?   Perhaps you were intimidated by a bully, disturbed by the activities of an obnoxious neighbor, or the victim of a robbery? 

Did you hesitate to defend yourself, or fail to request aid from the police because, as a Christian, you felt required to suffer in silence - as if loving and forgiving those who "despitefully used you" left no room for self defense of any kind? 

     Some people seem to believe they have no right to act in their own defense under any circumstance.  They appear to be willing to give up anything necessary in order to avoid personal conflict. Unfortunately, many sinners are looking for the opportunities presented by that foolish attitude. They are more than willing to take whatever they can get without needing to fear either serious resistance from their victims or retribution from a higher power.

Criminals in places like England, Canada and Australia are enjoying a field day while violent crime statistics rise fast because ordinary citizens have been robbed of the ability to defend themselves effectively.

In England, one man currently serves a life sentence in jail for shooting an armed invader of his home. Another was convicted for defending himself, with an ornamental sword in his cane, against a pair of thugs who tried to kill him on a subway train. 

Please note! It can, and will happen here - if we fail to become more diligent quickly. Unless we vigilant at protecting our Constitutional Second Amendment rights from the gun-control activists we will lose them altogether.

     "Turning the other cheek" does not relegate Christians to pacifism. Although Romans 12:18 instructs us to try to “live peacefully with all men” the requirement is not only for us. It applies to all who would enjoy a peaceful relationship with us. We need not, and should not, submit to any form of unnecessary abuse, whether against our loved ones, our country, or ourselves.

The “vengeance” God reserved for Himself in Romans 12:19 has nothing to do with our God-given instinct of self-preservation. It concerns judgment He alone is qualified to dispense. God expects us to defend ourselves when the occasion demands it.

One very good crime prevention measure involves eliminating persons convicted of violent crimes. Capital punishment is not vengeance; it is, rather, earned retribution. Although it may not be popular today God invented it - not only as the most appropriate punishment for murderers and rapists but also as a threat to others who would commit those crimes.

Read the Bible

      Non-protectionist teachings simply cannot stand up to a reasonable application of common sense. Those teachings are not Biblical either. If you think otherwise, examine the Scriptures more carefully. 

First Corinthians, Chapter Five, describes an incident where   Christians were advised to face the facts when confronted by obvious immorality. The guilty ones had to be censored to protect the church.   Verse Six asks, “Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump?” The principle is the same. Criminals must be censored to protect society.

     As I said earlier, Romans 12:18 does not assign all of the responsibility for peaceful co-existence to Christians. It says, “If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men.” The next verse (Romans 12:19) does not prohibit us from defending ourselves either. It says, "Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, 'Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,' says the Lord." In other words, God reserved the right to exact the “eternal punishment” His “vengeance” demands. He is well able to defend His own honor. We are free to do what we must both to defend ourselves and to bring the guilty ones to justice. 

      Although we cannot pronounce eternal punishment, and we should not usurp the authority of those who punish evildoers lawfully (Romans 13:1-4), we need not assume the criminal’s guilt. His misdeeds demand his punishment, not ours.

Of course we should be loving and forgiving. (Matthew 5:44). We must forgive in order to be forgiven. (Matthew 6:15). But we do not need to allow others to destroy our peace and we must not allow them to interfere with our God-given directives. Our forgiveness does not necessarily wipe out offenses either. God may require offenders to continue paying for their crimes long after we have forgiven and forgotten them.

      Since God uses people to carry out His programs on earth, He may choose to use one of us to deliver an offender to the justice system. He may even direct one of us to punish an offender in some fashion. Look at Acts 13:6-12: The account mentions a man who interfered repeatedly in the Apostle Paul's ministry.  Paul called the man who bugged him deceitful, fraudulent, a son of the devil, and an enemy of righteousness. And he pronounced judgment on the offender, telling him he would be blind for a season. No doubt, God administered the punishment but He used Paul to deliver the message. Paul spoke the words that pronounced the sentence and it appears he did so without hesitation.

Vengeance

I. What is Vengeance?  Why does God reserve it for Himself?

The Greek word translated to "vengeance" in Romans 12:19 is "ekdikesis."  It means, "to vindicate, retaliate, and punish."  It comes from another Greek word, "ek-dikos," which relates to "carrying out justice as a punisher.”

As ordinary citizens, Christians don’t have time to get involved in trying to judge the world. We are not in the punishment business either. Our job is to share Jesus. Hopefully we will love people as God loved them and forgive as He forgives. (Remember, He offers forgiveness to everyone but some folks refuse it on His terms). 

However, our roles as peacemakers do not exclude us from the benefits of the civil justice system. Abuse demands punishment and we should not impede the process. We should feel free to defend ourselves against tyranny and violence when necessary, leaving the administration of justice to those who are responsible for it.

When the Apostle Paul wrote Romans 12:19 he quoted from Deuteronomy 32:35. "Vengeance is Mine, and recompense; Their foot shall slip in due time; For the day of their calamity is at hand, And the things to come hasten upon them." In other words, the unrepentant will be punished eternally. God will determine the punishment and God will execute judgment in His time. But we can, and should try to restrain criminals who attack us.

II.   I will quote from three specific passages of Scripture here: Matthew 18:15-35, Romans 12:9-21, and Romans 13:1-7.  Because my quotes need to be understood in context, please read each of them, in turn.

   A. Mat. 18:15-35 (read it).

          This passage of Scripture is often tied (perhaps wrongly) to the kind of forgiveness that requires us to dismiss all offenses as a matter of course. Look at Verses 21 and 22:  "Then Peter came to Him and said, 'Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him?  Up to seven times?' Jesus said to him, 'I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.'"

Are there any limits here?  Must we dismiss every offense without question?  Let's look a little closer at the passage from which that quote was taken.

       1.   Peter's Question.

               Both Peter's question and Christ's answer dealt with a specific type of person. They spoke of offending Christians. When Peter used the word "brother,” he referred to a "brother-in-Christ," a fellow Christian.

       2.   The Setting.

               Peter asked his question immediately after Jesus finished a discourse on how to deal with offending "brothers-in-Christ." When He answered Peter’s question, Jesus spoke only of Christians who had repented for their offenses. Unrepentant Christians and heathen were not included.

Look at Verses 15 through 17: "Moreover if your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone.  If he hears you, you have gained your brother.  But if he will not hear you, then take with you one or two more, that 'by the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.'  And if he refuses to hear them, tell it to the church. But if he refuses even to hear the church, let him be to you like a heathen and a tax collector."

                3.  Unrepentant Christians Must Be Confronted.

              Jesus said we are to confront sinning brothers.  Before Peter could drop the matter he had to try to convince the offender to make things right - which required confession and repentance. If the offender refused to come to terms, Peter was to put him on trial before the church.

Charges were not to be dismissed lightly. Offenders who remained stubborn and unrepentant would be dismissed - from the church and from fellowship with other believers.  Remember, the Jews thought very little of heathen and even less of tax collectors.  They did not willingly associate with them or with other sinners.

     4.           Forgiveness should be Sought By The Offender.

                 The "brother" Peter referred to in verse 21 was one who repented of his offense and asked for pardon.  Jesus spoke of the same type of person in Verse 22, where He might have added something like this:  "You must forgive, and welcome back into fellowship, any brother who repents and asks for your pardon."

Verses 22 through 35 contain Jesus Parable that seemed to connect the possibility for forgiveness to those who asked for it. The story concerned two men who were in debt. Jesus taught that God forgives those who ask Him only when they forgive offenses against themselves.  The first man owed an impossible sum to his king and could not repay it.  He asked for and received forgiveness. The second man owed the first man a trifling sum.  He asked forgiveness but was refused.  Note! The man who refused to forgive had his own forgiveness revoked. 

B.   Romans 12:9-21 (read it).

            The Book of Romans was written to people who professed Christianity so it speaks primarily to Christians. 

           1.   Abhor Evil (verse 9).

                  "Let love be without hypocrisy.  Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good."

Casually dismissing the guilt of an offender is not consistent with love or with abhorring evil.  Abhorring evil does not even imply ignoring sin or excusing sinners.  Real love requires an attempt to get the sinner to repent, if only to allow him to escape eternal punishment.

             2.               Act In Love (verses 10 - 17).

                 “Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another; not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer, distributing to the needs of the saints, given to hospitality.  Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.  Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep.  Be of the same mind toward one another.  Do not set your mind on high things, but associate with the humble.  Do not be wise in your own opinion. Repay no one evil for evil.  Have regard for the good things in the sight of all men." 

These instructions, which tell us how to go about living without hypocrisy, abhorring what is evil, and clinging to the good, require the give and take of persons who really care for one another. They also help to create an atmosphere in which failures are easier to forgive.

        3.    Live In Peace (verse 18).

                    "If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men."

We should not start trouble.  We should try to keep the peace when someone else threatens it. However, it isn't always possible to avoid trouble.  Sooner or later most of us can expect to run into persons who must be confronted about their sin before they will even consider stopping it. 

        4.    No Vengeance (verses 19-21).

                    “Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, 'Vengeance is Mine, I will repay, says the Lord.'  Therefore if your enemy hungers feed him, If he thirsts, give him a drink; For in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head.  Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good." 

Heaping coals of fire on someone's head can hardly be considered wishy-washy. It reminds me of when Paul told the Corinthians to "deliver" a certain sinner "to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus" (1 Corinthians 5:5). As you will see, if you read that verse in context, (check all of 1st Corinthians, Chapter 5) the sinner professed Christianity but Paul judged him unacceptable as a member of the Christian community.

      The NIV translates give place to wrath (Romans 12:19) to "leave room for God's wrath."   Don't get in God’s way.  He has provided people to deal with offenders of man's law. As Romans 13:6 says, God's ministers "attend to this very thing."

When it is possible we should leave the punishment of offenders to the law. It’s all right for us to help in apprehending them. And we may need to employ force in order to restrain some offenders until the law can take over.

Vengeance belongs to God.  He can choose to vent His wrath, or not, and we should not interfere with His prerogative.  But remember this: It is possible to exercise self-defense without being vengeful. And self-preservation is a natural, God-given instinct. It does not normally require an apology of any sort.

  C.    Romans 13:1-7.

          1.     This chapter speaks, at least in part, of submission to constituted authority.  Verse 1 says, "Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities.  For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God."

If you were to read down through Verse 7, of Romans 13, you would see how the government is supposed to work as God's instrument for vengeance. Ecclesiastes 8:11 explains why we have so much crime in this country today.  It says, "because the sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil."

      Although God is the ultimate Judge, and He will pass the ultimate sentences, But He uses men to fulfill His purposes on earth. And men are the "executors of His wrath" to living law-breakers. The Old Testament is especially graphic in relating specific instances where they were exactly that. Some times the "executors" were agents of ruling governments, but not always.

We leave room for God's wrath when we turn offenders over to the proper authorities. We can do that even when we forgive personal offenses against ourselves. In fact, there are times when we must insist the offender face the law in order to protect other people from similar abuses by him.

  2. Earlier I said Christians, as a whole, were not "normally" appointed to be either administrators of justice or executioners of God's judgment.  But Christians can, and often do have secular roles that make them agents of the government. Those who do may be required to administer punishment or to declare it necessary. This is especially true among police officers, members of the armed forces, judges, juries, and subpoenaed witnesses to crimes.

Don't refuse to serve God or country in any of the roles listed above. God may want to use you to defend the rest of us against the criminal element in our world. Remember, "the authorities that exist are appointed by God" (Rom. 13:1). And the authorities can draft Christians into some phase of the law enforcement business on occasion.  It happened to me during World War II.

III.  Recapitulation:

 A.  Now let's review this discussion with answers to questions asked earlier. 

             1.   Must we always forgive those who abuse us?

                    The answer is yes. We must be forgiving in order to be forgiven by our Lord. Even so, no one is entitled to unqualified forgiveness before admit guilt and repenting.

            2.   What does this forgiveness involve?

                   It involves turning the offender over to God without malice, thus releasing him, and ourselves, from any need for our personal vengeance.

            3. Does our pardon release the offender from all responsibility for his offense?

                  No. We cannot, and usually should not, interfere with the execution of applicable civil or criminal penalties for crimes.

              4.   Are we supposed to pretend we have no reason to want an offender punished appropriately?

                     No.  We should cooperate when the authorities need our help in prosecuting offenders. Setting unrepentant criminals free to prey on other people is stupid. It also amounts to criminal neglect.  

              5.  Do we give up all right to defend our homes, our families, our country and ourselves when we become Christians?

                    No. Self-defense is a responsibility we should be prepared to exercise vigorously as often as necessary.

History has proven, over and over again, that personal freedoms must be defended or lost.  This makes you and me responsible both to remain alert and to defend our own.  Since few of us actually learn anything from history, those of us who do learn must always be prepared to defend our dependents and ourselves. 

In fact, as Sir William Blackstone said in the 18^th-century, “Self-defense is a right that no government can deprive people of since no government can protect the individual in his moment of need…. The individual must arm for his self defense.” (Blackstone’s “Commentaries On The Law”).

- - - -

David E. Beneze, Colorado Springs, Colorado, 1 April 1987. Latest revision at Canon City, Colorado, on 03/16/2007.

Acknowledgments: See “Other Voices” in the Colorado Springs Gazette Telegraph, for both July 12, 2002 and July 16, 2002, for Editorials by Mike Rosen and James Humes.