Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.
What does Romans 12:21 mean?
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.
Key themes
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Keep this verse inside Romans 12:19-21 and alongside a few nearby related passages.
Commentary on Romans 12:21
Do not suffer your temper to be excited; your Christian principles to be abandoned; your mild, amiable, kind, and benevolent temper to be ruffled by any opposition or injury which you may experience. Maintain your Christian principles amidst all opposition, and thus show the power of the gospel. They are overcome by evil who suffer their temper to be excited, who become enraged and revengeful and who engage in contention with those who injure them; Proverbs 16:22 . But overcome evil with good - That is, subdue or vanquish evil by doing good to others. Show them the loveliness of a better spirit; the power of kindness and benevolence; the value of an amiable, Christian deportment.
Context in Romans 12
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Romans 12 belongs to the middle movement of the book, especially the section often described as union with Christ and life in the Spirit. Romans is Paul’s fullest sustained exposition of sin, grace, righteousness, faith, Israel, the Spirit, and transformed life in Christ. Read this chapter with the wider themes of justification, grace, and faith in view so the individual verses keep their proper weight.
Related topics
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Passages on trusting God, receiving Christ, persevering without sight, and the relation between faith and lived obedience.
Key passages on God's unmerited favour, the grace of Christ, salvation by grace through faith, and how grace transforms the way believers live.
Passages on the nature of sin, its consequences, God's judgment, repentance, and the way of forgiveness through Christ.
Who quoted Romans 12:21?
Find out who used Romans 12:21 in their speeches and writings. Which famous people quoted Romans 12:21?
William J. Clinton used Romans 12:21 in Remarks at a Memorial Service for the Bombing Victims in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
APP: Remarks at a Memorial Service for the Bombing Victims in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma »
Mike Pence used Romans 12:21 in Remarks by the Vice President to Alliance Defending Freedom in Arlington, Virginia.
APP: Remarks by the Vice President to Alliance Defending Freedom in Arlington, Virginia »
Quotes found on Wikiquote (match for «overcome evil with good»):
George W. Bush · Good and evil · Lancelot Andrewes · Man on Fire (2004 film) · Mary Baker Eddy · Peace Pilgrim · Ysabella Brave