‘Render to no man evil for evil. Take thought for things honourable in the sight of all men. If it be possible, as much as in you lies, be at peace with all men.'
We might summarise these injunctions as ‘seek to get on with people'. The first warns against retaliation. The second requires that we genuinely reveal ourselves as being honourable. The third calls on us to be at peace with all.
‘Render to no man evil for evil.' The warning here is against retaliation (compare Colossians 3:13). Rather, as Jesus taught us, we should behave towards them as we would want them to behave towards us (Matthew 7:12). Indeed, He condemned the attitude of ‘an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth' (Matthew 5:38-42), and insisted that we should love our enemies, and pray for those who use us badly (Matthew 5:43-45).
‘Take thought for things honourable in the sight of all men.' Rather than retaliating and showing ourselves up in the wrong light, we are to put our thoughts into behaving is such a way as to win the approval of honourable men (compare Proverbs 3:4). He is not by this saying that we should follow the world's viewpoint, but is rather recognising that honourable men exist even in the non-Christian world, and that Christians ought to be even more honourable than them, as, in the last analysis, Christian moral standards are higher than theirs. But the underlying point is that we should never by our behaviour bring the Gospel into disrepute (compare 1 Peter 2:12). Note that it is ‘in the sight of all men'. There is nothing good about doing things of which the world disapproves, except, of course, when that disapproval arises because we are truly following Christ and fulfilling His commands.
‘If it be possible, as much as in you lies, be at peace with all men.' Jesus said, ‘blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God (i.e. be seen as behaving like God)' (Matthew 5:9). Making peace in society is to be the aim of the Christian. ‘Inasmuch as in you lies', that is, ‘as far as it lies within your ability'. Paul recognises that sometimes the world will not accept our offer of peace. He himself had wide experience of causing contention wherever he went, but it was not because of his attitude and behaviour. It was because men were disturbed by the truth. But his general aim was to be conciliatory. In the same we should make every effort to be on good terms with all men, even with the most obstreperous.
We Are To Overcome Evil By Goodness
Paul finishes his call for lives of true righteousness by stressing that vengeance must be left in the hands of God. It is not for us to take revenge. Rather we should respond to evil with goodness.