Posted December 8, 2006
If you're tempted by vengeance, remember to make sure
Have you ever felt like you've been treated badly, and you did little or nothing to deserve it? Have you seen someone you love suffer great injustice? The thought could have come easily; in the blink of an eye you may have decided to take revenge.
Today in films, television and computer games revenge (or the more casual term, "payback") is often portrayed as an effective solution to a problem. The question isn't so much " should I take revenge?" as it is "what's the ultimate revenge? " Even though revenge is glorified and portrayed as the right thing to do, as Christians we should still ask the question, "Is it really the right thing to do?"
There are at least two distinct ways of handling revenge: the just way or the personal way.
The just way is necessary for societies to function in today's world. God gave man—usually the king or other national rulers—the authority to carry out punishment for criminal offences. "…For he [the ruler] does not bear the sword in vain; for he is God's minister, an avenger to execute wrath on him who practices evil" (Romans 13:4). In a sense it's comforting to know that God cares enough for mankind that He directs vengeance to be carried out in order to keep evil at bay.
The personal way is when ordinary people decide that they have the right to take personal revenge, and this is when we have a problem. When revenge becomes too personal, it often strikes blindly.
Consider the differences of intent of these two ways: Tempered by due process, the leader's motives should be justice and fair recompense—a desire to repay and subdue evil. Man's personal revenge, on the other hand, is driven by hate, and although sometimes confused with justice, it is evil.
God commands: " You shall not take vengeance , nor bear any grudge against the children of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself " (Leviticus 19:18, emphasis added throughout). All Christians—young adults included—should live by the code of no revenge taught by Jesus Himself (Matthew 22:37-40).
The people of God should not seek revenge. "Beloved, do not avenge yourselves , but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, ' Vengeance is Mine, I will repay ,' says the Lord" (Romans 12:19). Vengeance is the business of the Almighty who will repay injustice. If He doesn't do it now, He will do it later. God will also repay evil rulers of society who abuse their authority, fail to bring justice or punish the innocent.
You can learn more about God's true justice by downloading or requesting your free copy of The Ten Commandments .
Personal revenge invokes a hateful spiritual influence in your mind and always brings something worse coming back at you. This is exactly what the Devil desires, because he has then fooled another human being into acting like himself, often with most tragic results.
When you are tempted to take personal revenge, remember: "Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good " (Romans 12:21). First, hand over the revenge part of your life to God. Then strive to love others as yourself. This is how evil is overcome by good. As children of God, we should set our hearts on seeking God, not revenge! VT
