Romans 12:14-16

Scripture Verse

Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. ¹⁵ Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. ¹⁶ Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited.

 Work happily together

¹⁴If someone mistreats you because you are a Christian, don’t curse him; pray that God will bless him. ¹⁵When others are happy, be happy with them. If they are sad, share their sorrows. ¹⁶Work happily together. Don’t try to act big. Don’t try to get into the good books of important people but enjoy the company of ordinary folk. And don’t think you know it all. – The Living Bible

One verse of the song “And all the people say Amen” from Matt Maher says: Blessed are the poor in spirit, who are torn apart. Blessed is the persecuted and the pure in heart. Blessed are the people, hungry for another start. For theirs is the kingdom, the kingdom of God.

Especially the first phrase of this Bible passage is not easy to deal with. When we look at history, we can find examples of people, who were ready to suffer for their ideas, ideals and religions. Many even died for their political and social ideals. Whether they were revolutionaries, communists, fighting for freedom or defending their country against an invading aggressor.

Why are we not so much prepared to accept disadvantages and inconveniences for Christ’s teaching and person? Don’t we identify with the teachings any more or has this issue become too abstract for us during the past two thousand years? Do we still believe in Christ’s second coming and are looking forward to it with confidence?

In the Western hemisphere we don’t have to worry about our lives or health because of our faith, but there are other more subtle methods of intimidation. The generation during Paul’s time was much more exposed to political arbitrariness than we are nowadays. There weren’t any resolutions for ensuring the fundamental rights of men. People in power felt threatened in their privileges and tried to eliminate inconvenient and modern ideas to expand their influence – Now, how will we prepare ourselves to engage more consciously for the case of God’s kingdom?

Verses 15 and 16 hint to empathic and social behavior and the appeal to our solidarity. How can we accommodate this during our daily life, when everybody is struggling with challenges in the daily routine?

Verse 16 can be understood as a warning sign not to be arrogant. In the past some of us were in situations where we were seeking help or working hard to get from a lower professional position to a higher level to improve our living standards. Many people will not be able to rise from one career step to another. But this doesn’t reduce their human quality. I think remembering our own development in the past, often slowed down by various obstacles, should make us humble.