Repaying Wrong with Right

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What happens when someone wrongs you? That knee-jerk reaction to defend yourself, push back, or even the score—it's as natural as breathing for most of us. But in Romans 12:17, Paul delivers a radical challenge that cuts straight to the heart of how we navigate conflict: "Repay no one evil for evil."

The surprising revelation is that the Greek word for "evil" here—kakos—doesn't just refer to horrific acts. It simply means "wrong" or "not right." This transforms Paul's teaching from an abstract ideal about extreme situations into practical guidance for our everyday relationships. When your spouse speaks harshly, when a coworker undermines you, when someone cuts you off in traffic—these are the battlegrounds where this principle is tested.

Scripture never sugarcoats our reality. Evil will touch all of us. People will lie about us, hurt us, and come against us. The question isn't whether evil will affect you—it's how you'll handle yourself when it does. And here's the sobering truth: you can only control one person in this world—yourself.

Jesus modeled this perfectly. While being mocked, beaten, and crucified, Isaiah tells us "He opened not His mouth." With all power at His disposal, Jesus chose a different path. Joseph too, when facing his brothers who had sold him into slavery years earlier, declared, "What you meant for evil, God meant for good."

Our struggle to follow this teaching stems from that primordial temptation in Genesis—"you will be like God." Our desire to control, to have the final word, to sit at the center of our universe drives our retaliatory instincts. Getting over ourselves is our biggest hurdle.

Yet here's the beautiful paradox: surrendering our "right" to retaliation doesn't leave us vulnerable and miserable—it sets us free. When we stop repaying evil with evil and instead do "what is honorable in the sight of all," we begin to experience the abundant life Jesus promised. This counter-cultural choice becomes our most powerful testimony in a world obsessed with getting even.

What wrong are you holding onto today? What bitterness has taken root? There's a way to be set free—by following the One who forgave those who nailed Him to a cross.