Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Try to do what is honorable in everyone’s eyes. If possible, on your part, live at peace with everyone. Friends, do not avenge yourselves; instead, leave room for His wrath. For it is written: Vengeance belongs to Me; I will repay, says the Lord. But if your enemy is hungry, feed him. If he is thirsty, give him something to drink. For in so doing you will be heaping fiery coals on his head. Do not be conquered by evil, but conquer evil with good. (Romans 12:17-21 — Holman Christian Standard Bible)
The advice in these passages is so opposite to the way we normally think and act, only God would ask us to react this way. This type of behavior does not show weakness, it’s not a surrender to evil and bad people, instead these reactions show a refusal to give in to evil or to copy its reactions. To do what this passage tells us to do, we would have to rise above the evil behavior of people around us, and choose to do what pleases God — knowing that He would deal with their behavior.
The most powerful statement in this passage is: “Do not be conquered by evil, but conquer evil with good.” We fight with different weapons. We use truth, faith, hope, the word of God, and the name of Jesus to conquer the powers of darkness. Think about what your enemy needs, and then give it to him. Do it with prayer and a genuine desire to see him change for the better, but act toward him as a person that is compelled by the love of God. Let light conquer darkness through you.
We would never do this because we’re afraid of our enemies or because we’re weak, or because we our beliefs and convictions cave in to pressure. No, we do this because we’re convinced that God is much stronger than the devil, that truth is more powerful than lies, and that goodness will eventually triumph over evil. Above all, love is the most powerful attitude in the world. God proved His love through the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross, and that love enables people to draw close to Him. We can also draw others to God by loving the person and hating the demons working through them.
When we obey God and allow Him to deal with evil, wicked people — instead of getting back at them ourselves — this passage says that we heap fiery coals on their heads. The idea behind this is that whenever people refuse to respond to our forgiving and patient behavior, they will suffer guilt, embarrassment, shame, the criticism of others, sleepless nights, and so forth as a way of getting them to the point of surrendering to God. He wants us to fight evil spirits and to hate the devil, but when it comes to human beings God wants us to remember where we came from, and to pray for them to be saved. — You have a lot of work to do, so get busy working on your enemies!
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