SPF 268: How to Overcome Evil with Good

She Proves Faithful

Charles Spurgeon once preached, "You must either be overcome of evil, or you must yourself overcome evil: one of the two. You cannot let evil alone and evil will not let you alone. You must fight, and in the battle you must either conquer or be conquered." Today I am sharing the hard, yet Spirit-accomplished call to overcome evil with good.
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Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. Romans 12:21
Note there are two options: Either be overcome with evil or overcome evil with good. There is no passive place in the fight against evil. We are either being overtaken or we are taking over.
"Let not the evil of any provocation that is given you have such a power over you, or make such an impression upon you, as to dispossess you of yourselves, to disturb your peace, to destroy your love, to ruffle and discompose your spirits, to transport you to any indecencies, or to bring you to study or attempt any revenge. 'He that cannot quietly bear an injury is perfectly conquered by it.'" - Matthew Henry
Evil for evil does not succeed. Spurgeon said, "Nobody ever did overcome evil by confronting it with evil yet."
Spurgeon said "Good is the only weapon which in this dread conflict we are permitted to use, and we may rest assured it will be sufficient and effectual."
Overcoming evil with good is to offer patience, forbearance, kindness to the one who wronged you. To defeat evil, we do what is good. Proverbs 16:32 says Whoever is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city.
Overcoming evil with good is a challenge and it's something done through Christ at work in us and through the power of the Holy Spirit.
Scripture does command us not to seek getting even, or revenge after being personally wronged, society as a whole must all be held accountable to the same just laws.
Good for evil includes direct and overt acts of kindness. Paul gives us several ideas in exercising good to overcome evil in chapter 12:14-21
"Fix it, then, in your minds that evil is to be overcome; it is a matter of necessity that we wage this war and succeed in it." - Charles Spurgeon
Charles Spurgeon sermon: https://www.spurgeon.org/resource-library/sermons/overcome-evil-with-good/#flipbook/

Ligonier: https://www.ligonier.org/learn/devotionals/overcoming-evil-good

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