Romans 12:19

Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord. DEARLY BELOVED, AVENGE NOT YOURSELVES (SEE THE NOTE AT ROMANS 12:14 ), BUT [RATHER] GIVE PLACE UNTO WRATH, [ dote (G1325) topon (G5117) tee (G3588) orgee (G3709)]. Ordinary readers take this to mean, 'give room,' or 'space to wrath' to spend itself; and our translators must have so understood the precept. But besides that the phrase "give place" suggests rather the sense of 'give scope to' the exerci...

19._Avenge not yourselves, etc. _The evil which he corrects here, as we have reminded you, is more grievous than the preceding, which he has just stated; and yet both of them arise from the same fountain, even from an inordinate love of self and innate pride, which makes us very indulgent to our own faults and inexorable to those of others. As then this disease begets almost in all men a furious passion for revenge, whenever they are in the least degree touched, he commands here, that however grievously we may be injured, we are not to seek revenge, but to commit it to the Lord. And inasmuch as they do not easily admit the bridle, who are once seized with this wild passion, he lays, as it were, his hand upon us to restrain us, by kindly addressing us as _beloved _ The _precept; _then is, — that we are not to revenge nor seek to revenge injuries done to us. The manner is added, a _place _...

17-21 Since men became enemies to God, they have been very ready to be enemies one to another. And those that embrace religion, must expect to meet with enemies in a world whose smiles seldom agree with Christ's. Recompense to no man evil for evil. That is a brutish recompence, befitting only animals, which are not conscious of any being above them, or of any existence hereafter. And not only do, but study and take care to do, that which is amiable and creditable, and recommends religion to all with whom you converse. Study the things that make for peace; if it be possible, without offending God and wounding conscience. Avenge not yourselves. This is a hard lesson to corrupt nature, therefore a remedy against it is added. Give place unto wrath. When a man's passion is up, and the stream is strong, let it pass off; lest it be made to rage the more against us. The line of our duty is clea...

Verse 19. _DEARLY BELOVED, AVENGE NOT YOURSELVES_] Ye are the children of God, and he loves you; and because he loves you he will permit nothing to be done to you that he will not turn to your advantage. Never take the execution of the law into your own hands; rather suffer injuries. The Son of man is come, not to destroy men's lives, but to save: be of the same spirit. When he was reviled, he reviled not again. It is the part of a noble mind to bear up under _unmerited_ disgrace; _little minds_ are litigious and quarrelsome. _GIVE PLACE UNTO WRATH_] Δοτε τοπον τῃ οργῃ· Leave room for the civil magistrate to do his duty, he holds the sword for this purpose; and if _he_ be unfaithful to the trust reposed in him by the state, leave the matter to God, who is the righteous judge: for by avenging yourselves you take your cause both out of the hands of the civil magistrate and out of the h...

DEARLY BELOVED - This expression of tenderness was especially appropriate in an exhortation to peace. It reminded them of the affection and friendship which ought to subsist among them as brethren. AVENGE NOT YOURSELVES - To “avenge” is to take satisfaction for an injury by inflicting punishment on the offender. To take such satisfaction for injuries done to society, is lawful and proper for a magistrate; Romans 13:4. And to take satisfaction for injuries done by sin to the universe, is the province of God. But the apostle here is addressing private individual Christians. And the command is, to avoid a spirit and purpose of revenge. But this command is not to be so understood that we may not seek for “justice” in a regular and proper way before civil tribunals. If our character is assaulted, if we are robbed and plundered

EXPOSITION VER. 1–CH. 14:23 III. HORTATORY. It is St. Paul's way to supplement his doctrinal treatises with detailed practical directions as to the conduct that should of necessity ensue on belief in the doctrines propounded. So also in Ephesians 4:1, etc., where, as here, he connects his exhortations with what has gone before by the initiatory παρακαλῶ οὖν_. _Beyond his exposition of the truth for its own sake, he has always a further practical aim. Saving faith is ever with him a living faith, to be shown by its fruits. Nor, according to him, will these fruits follow, unless the believer himself does his part in cultivating them: else were these earnest and particular exhortations needless. If, on the one hand, he is the great assertor of our salvation being through faith and all of grace, he is no less dist

DEARLY BELOVED,.... This affectionate appellation the apostle makes use of, expressing his great love to them, the rather to work upon then, and move them to an attention to what he is about to say; which they might assure themselves was in great tenderness to them, for their good, as well as the glory of God: moreover, he may hereby suggest to them, not only that they were dear to him, but that they were greatly beloved of God, that they were high in his favour and affection; and this he might him unto them, in order to melt them into love to their fellow Christians and fellow creatures, and even to their enemies, and never think of private revenge: AVENGE NOT YOURSELVES; this is no ways contrary to that revenge, a believer has upon sin, and the actings of it, which follows on true evangelical repentance for it, 2 Corinthians 7:11, and lies in a displicency at

III. EXHORTATIONS AND THE CONCLUSION. Chapter s 12-16. CHAPTER 12 _ 1. The Body as a Willing Sacrifice. (Romans 12:1 .)_ 2. Service. (Romans 12:3 .) 3. The Daily Walk in Holiness. (Romans 12:9 .) Romans 12:1 . Grace calls for obedience. After God has made known the riches of His grace, the fulness of the Gospel, His Spirit shows how believers should walk in a world of sin and tribulation. The first thing is to present the body a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God. This connects with the truth of Romans 6:19

IN THE CHRISTIAN TEMPER, _modesty_ is the first desideratum. Romans 12:3. I tell everyone that is among you not _to_ be high-minded above a right mind, but to be of a mind to be sober-minded (Sp.). This is the mind as _temper, disposition_ (so in Romans 8:5), not as _intellect_ (Romans 12:2). A modest temper comes from appreciating other men's gifts. Measure of faith, as the sequel shows, means faith in the variety of its apportioned manifestations. Romans 12:4 f. For Christians form in Christ a single body with many members, of widely diverse functions (pp. 646, 812);...

THE TRUE WORSHIP AND THE ESSENTIAL CHANGE (Romans 12:1-2)...