“Not returning evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary blessing, knowing that you were called to this, that you may inherit a blessing.”

Not returning

“Returning” means to give back, to pay off. This conveys the idea of retaliation. The Christian does not give lip for the lip. 

PRINCIPLE:

The mature Christian does not retaliate. 

APPLICATION: 

Two wrongs do not make a right. When someone says something terrible about us, we do not have to get back at them. If someone has it in for us, we lower ourselves to enter their game. 

We do not have to build our happiness on someone else’s unhappiness. Vindictiveness is not God’s method of providing us satisfaction. When we exercise vindictiveness, we take the matter out of the Lord’s hands. Now it is a matter of dog eat dog. In this case, the Lord will kick both dogs! This is why some people never take one step forward in their Christian lives. Our vindictiveness, implacability, bitterness, hatred, and antagonisms produce self-induced misery. 

This results in multiple disciplines. If we retaliate by gossip, we parade someone else’s sins even though it is imagined or real, God’s disciple will come our way. Discipline comes when we try to hurt others. If the sin is real, God may take the discipline off that believer and give it to you (Mt. 7:1,2)!!