HEAP BURNING COALS ON HIS HEAD

In the English Standard Version of the Bible, the heading for Romans 12:9-21 is, “Marks of the True Christian.” Paul writes about the distinguishing traits or qualities of those who are followers of Jesus.

These verses are challenging! As I studied this passage for a teaching series, I had to stop and make a phone call. I reached verse 17 in my preparation and the Holy Spirit put me under conviction. “Repay no one evil for evil.”

I called an old friend with whom I had gotten sideways. The last time we had talked I was angry at him and said some things that were wrong. As I studied this teaching by Paul, I realized the Holy Spirit was convicting me about this so I called my friend and apologized for my bad behavior and we repaired our friendship.

I hope you will take the time to slowly read through this passage in Romans 12 and let the Holy Spirit speak to you about continually growing in these important qualities.

Paul begins this teaching with a strong statement about love: “Let love be genuine” (Romans 12:9, ESV). Paul clearly teaches that love cannot be hypocritical; in other words, you cannot wear a mask of love. A mask is something we put on and then take off, and for a believer that is hypocrisy. Our love for everybody in and out of the church cannot be “pretend,” it must be genuine and constant. I am concerned about how flippant some have become with the use of the word love. For some, “I love you” is the new cool statement and there is little regard for what it actually means. For many it is just slang, but as followers of Jesus we are to be honest in what we say and how we say it.

The last statement that Paul makes in this passage has been a struggle for me to understand for years. When I come across one of those passages that is hard to understand, my tendency is to not allow it to hang me up; instead I accept the fact that I don’t understand it and move on. My problem this time, however, was that I had made a commitment to do a teaching series on this passage, so I really sought the Lord. And I dug deep into my library and the collected the wisdom of people a lot smarter than I am. And I’m so glad I did! What I discovered is an incredible statement of victory over evil for every believer.

Verse 19 - “Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, ‘Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.’’’

In verse 19 Paul makes it clear that if someone does us wrong we are not to return their bad behavior by bad behavior on our part. We are not to hold a grudge against the person. If their behavior was criminal, however, this doesn’t mean that we should not get the authorities involved because, actually, we must! What it does say is that we need to forgive the person for their conduct and let the final reckoning come from God Who promises that He will repay.

Verse 20 - “To the contrary, ‘if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.’”

The last part of verse 20 has been the challenge for me: “. . . for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head ”

How am I supposed to reconcile having genuine love with the imagery of pouring burning coals over an enemy’s head? This sounds more like revenge than love!

Two ideas are put forth to explain this unusual statement. The first has to do with judgment day when all will stand before God and be judged for their life and behavior. This position seems to say that our enemies will get their appropriate punishment on that day.

The second thought I think is more plausible and fits better with the context. This position says that when we act out of love by feeding or giving water to our enemy, those acts of goodness will be used by the Holy Spirit to bring that person under conviction. The act of goodness releases the conviction of the Holy Spirit on the person; the act of goodness becomes the pouring on of coals of fire.

In Acts 7 Stephen was stoned for his faith. As he was dying he cried out, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them” (Acts 7:60). Standing close to where Stephen died was a young Jewish zealot by the name of Saul who was committed to destroying the Christian church. Stephen’s act of goodness/love began the work of the Holy Spirit in Saul that would be consummated on the road to Damascus. Saul was struck by the power of the Holy Spirit and was marvelously converted. Saul became Paul — who became the greatest apostle the Christian Church has ever had.

If any man understood what it meant to have “coals of fire” poured on his head by an act of goodness, it was the Apostle Paul.

Verse 21 - “Don’t let evil conquer you, but conquer evil by doing good” (NLT).

Good conquers evil! Evil wins when we stop doing good and that’s the whole intention of evil . . . to destroy good.

Good trumps evil every time! We may not see that final reckoning right away but it will come because God’s Word declares it so! Paul was proof that good conquers evil.