Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
– Romans 12:21
We come to the end of a short but significant journey through Romans chapter 12, or as J.D. Walt calls it, the Jesus Manifesto. That’s not a bad way to look at it; the content of the chapter serves quite well as a declarative statement regarding what it looks like to follow Jesus. Of course the content of this chapter doesn’t touch on everything scripture has to say about the Christian life. Even so, it is interesting to note how these verses touch on so much of what the New Testament has to say. Applying the text of Romans 12 to our lives will get us a fair way down the discipleship pathway.
Paul ends this chapter with a succinct but powerful exhortation. As we consider it, let’s be reminded of a few other verses in the chapter that have laid the foundation. “Do not be conformed to this world…” (v. 2). “Abhor evil, cling to good” (v. 9). “Bless those who persecute you…” (v. 14). “Never pay back evil for evil to anyone” (v. 17). These along with other verses help us to understand how Paul sees life as part of the church. We might accurately say that the church is a body of people who are called out of the world so that Christ can prepare us to live in the world as those who are not of the world. We are, by our connection with Christ, unavoidably placed at odds with the way of the world.
At times, probably often, this can feel like a formidable calling. In my country we have just come through an ugly season of political elections. The entire process is wearisome because of its ability to draw us into the vortex of a polarized world system. Bruce Mehlman, in his Substack called Age of Disruption, concisely portrays our reality. “(The voters) are frustrated, anxious & angry. So they keep voting to ‘throw the bums out’ and bring in new bums, hoping for real change. Rinse & repeat.”1 Rinse and repeat indeed. When we get drawn into a world system like this, it is akin to jumping into a mud pit to wrestle with a pig. After a while you realize that the pig enjoys the mud and has no desire to change. All you have done is consent to join it there and gotten yourself filthy in the process, often discovering that you have been robbed of the joy and peace of mind that is supposed to come with the Christian experience.
When Paul encourages us to “not be overcome with evil,” I don’t think he envisions the overcoming being in the form of submission. In other words, it is not like a wrestler being subdued by a stronger and more skilled opponent. Rather, the overcoming happens by way of consuming us, like a malevolent entity that has deceived and manipulated us into joining its ranks (think of Anakin in the Star Wars saga). Of course it is not wrong to think of evil in the world as a force that seeks to literally destroy you. It does, and our protection against such attacks comes not from ourselves, but from Christ. Nevertheless, the strategy of evil forces is often not to beat us down, but to draw us in. The world wants us to play its game. It is like the pig that enjoys nothing more than getting you into the mud with it. Jesus calls us to say “no” to the mud.
Taking this approach to life will often feel difficult, a little like taking the field or court in a sports match and discovering that you must play by a more stringent set of rules than does your opponent. While it is true that the follower of Jesus has a higher calling, we must also remember that Christ will work through us to accomplish what we would never be able to do when playing on the world’s terms. This requires a high level of trust, or to use the more fitting term, faith. By faith we can willingly go the second mile when we have been forced to go the first. By faith we can “turn the other cheek” when we have been assaulted, whether verbally or physically. By faith we can demonstrate mercy when the voices around us are calling for blood. These are only a few illustrations of times when faith is difficult. Thankfully they are also illustrations of times when faith is effective.
Friends, before the day is over the world will tempt you to walk in the mud. Don’t do it. All it will do is perpetuate the evil already at work. Instead, take the path of Jesus. Only in Him will evil meet its match.
See you along the Winding Path.
- Bruce Mehlman, “ABC: Always Bet on Change,” Age of Disruption, Substack November 4, 2026. https://brucemehlman.substack.com/p/abc-always-bet-on-change?utm_source=post-email-title&publication_id=1646195&post_id=223464964&utm_campaign=email-post-title&isFreemail=true&r=8jmr05&triedRedirect=true&utm_medium=email ↩︎
