When we think of the book of Romans, we think first of all of the impact that it has had in the life of the church.

Now in the book of Romans, the Apostle Paul gives us his most careful exposition of the gospel itself.

The thematic statement of the whole epistle is found in the first chapter, when Paul talks about his own conviction of being a debtor, both to the Jew and to the Greek, to the learned and to the unlearned, that he had this mission to proclaim the gospel to everyone.

Doing Good in Response to Evil

Vengeance is one of the primal urges of human beings. When someone wrongs us, our first thought is usually that we should pay him back for what he has done. Our love for retaliation in kind has even entered our everyday language, appearing in phrases such as “Revenge is sweet.”

The Christian ethic, however, stands against this urge for personal vengeance. Paul says in today’s passage that no one should repay anyone “evil for evil” (1 Thess. 5:15).