Study of Romans 12 – Verse 14

“Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.” (Romans 12:14 NKJV)

Bless (Strong’s #G2127 ‘eulogeo’) means to speak well of, give reason(s) why this person should be seen as beneficial.

    Look at the Greek word again – eulogeo – it is from this Greek word that we get a well-known English word: eulogy. A eulogy is most commonly associated with a funeral service. It is the part of the service when a friend or family member will stand up and speak well of the deceased, telling of their work, their faith, their family, their kindnesses, their achievements, etc. God commands us to speak kind words and uplifting words about others while they live, even while they persecute us. Read and think about Ephesians 4:28-32.

Persecute (Strong’s #1377 ‘dioko’) means to pursue, chase, harass, trouble, molest, etc.  Consider those who persecuted Jesus (John 5:16-18, 11:53), how Saul persecuted the church (Acts 7:58, 8:1-4, Philippians 3:4-6), and then after his conversion (Acts 9, 22, 26) how Saul, also known as Paul (Acts 13:9), began to face persecution (Acts 17:5-13, 23:12-14).

    When we are persecuted for righteousness’ sake we are told to rejoice and be exceedingly glad because it means we’re doing what is right! Jesus told us in John 15:18-20 that the world hates us because we are not of the world (if we were of the world they would love us), and those who walk as Jesus walked will face persecution just as He did. When we commit to follow Jesus’ steps it means we will encounter persecution, but it also means we will follow His example to respond to it just as He did: He took it patiently; when He was reviled, He did not revile in return, when He suffered He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously (1 Peter 2:20-24). Take time to read and consider Isaiah 50:6-9.       

“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” (Matthew 5:10-12 NKJV)

    How do we bless those who persecute us? 

    The ultimate examples are, for one, Jesus, who asked His Father to forgive those who were crucifying Him “for they do not know what they do” (Luke 23:34), and the other is Stephen, who, while the rocks being thrown by angry men were breaking his body, he cried out to God the Father to “not charge them with this sin” (Acts 7:54-60). They looked beyond the agony, called out to God, and asked a blessing for their persecutors.

    We are told in Matthew 5:44 that we are to love our enemies, bless those who curse us, do good to those who hate us, and pray for those who spitefully us and persecute us – we do this, because we are God’s children (Matthew 5:45). This means that we will not go around telling everyone about what was said or done by our persecutors. It also means that we will not go around saying bad things about our persecutors; we will not do to them as they have done to us (Proverbs 24:29). We will be merciful and gracious, just as God is toward us and we will run to God, lay out our troubles before Him (consider 2 Kings 19:14-16), and ask Him for wisdom (James 1:5, 3:13-17) and for strength (Ephesians 6:10-18). We will get up from our prayers enveloped in God’s comfort (2 Corinthians 1:3-4) and with His peace guarding our hearts and our minds (Philippians 4:6-9), wholly prepared to bless and not curse.

Curse (Strong’s #2672 ‘kataraomai’) means to invoke evil upon, to pray for evil against another; to wish them harm or doom.

    We are to speak good words about others, not mentally plot revenge or daydream about their ultimate doom. Let’s make it our practice to go to God in prayer – just as Jesus did – and ask Him to renew our minds (so we are transformed and different than the world, Romans 12:2), and to help us to change from reactive to responsive, to feel pity for our persecutors instead of indignation. Let’s pray that we may see others as they truly are: souls in need of salvation. Let’s not hurt our hearts further by stewing and fretting (Psalm 37:7-8); instead let’s make our requests known to God and trust that He will help us to stand, withstand, and move forward in the best way possible.

“And who is he who will harm you if you become followers of what is good? But even if you should suffer for righteousness’ sake, you are blessed. “And do not be afraid of their threats, nor be troubled.” But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear; having a good conscience, that when they defame you as evildoers, those who revile your good conduct in Christ may be ashamed. For it is better, if it is the will of God, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil.” (1 Peter 3:13-17 NKJV)

    We should rejoice that we have been found worthy to suffer shame for Jesus’ name, and be motivated to continue shining as lights in the world and in doing good works (Matthew 5:16, also see Titus 2:8). In appreciation of God’s longsuffering with us, we will suffer long and be kind (1 Corinthians 13:4) desiring the same thing He desires: that all should come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9) and that all men be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth (1 Timothy 2:3-4). Valuing God’s mercy and grace, we will pray that those who trouble us may get the help they need and that they may turn to God and come to know the hope found only in Jesus.   

    Much of what remains in this chapter will magnify this command, so let’s leave our thoughts here. Obedience to this command takes commitment and self-control, and God has provided all we need so we can learn to respond appropriately to our persecutors instead of reacting in kind. Are you ready?

You can do it! So can I!!