Only God Can - Romans 12:21 (Part 2)
Dear Friends,
In our last Discovering Grace Weekly, we began a series on the verse in Romans 12:21, “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” Our concentration was primarily on the first portion of the verse which encourages us...“Do not be overcome by evil.” We’ve come to understand that this is impossible to do by yourself. However, if you have received the eternal life of God, through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, you have everything it takes to “not be overcome by evil.” This is such great news!
(If you have not had a chance to read the previous article on Romans 12:21, we encourage you to do that right now. Click on this link to take you to Discovering Grace Weekly - #5 to read the first article in this new series.)
By way of reminder, we learned that since Jesus has overcome the world for those of us who have believed on him by faith, we can also overcome any challenge through His love and our faith in His promises.
“I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have [perfect] peace and confidence. In the world you have tribulation and trials and distress and frustration; but be of good cheer [take courage; be confident, certain, undaunted]! For I have overcome the world. [I have deprived it of power to harm you and have conquered it for you.]” - John 16:33 AMPC
Now that we have confidence that Jesus has overcome the world and that we have the Overcoming One living within our hearts, we can move on to the second part of Romans 12:21, which is to, “overcome evil with good.” This begs the question… How? How do we overcome evil with good? Before we can answer this question, and before we go rushing off to try to do something “good,” we must first know a thing or two about how the Bible defines “good” and where it comes from. Let’s get started!
We’re going to visit one of the saddest stories in the Gospel narratives. It is the story of the Rich Young Ruler. All wrapped up in this one person’s package is wealth, power and prestige, youth and immaturity, and flaunted pride. What a combination! This story clearly demonstrates a very powerful principle, that “the ability to do goodness and to be good lies in the nature of God alone.” We will learn from this story that without the nature of God, it is impossible for mankind to be essentially good or to do anything that is truly good.
This story appears in three of the Gospel accounts including Matthew, Mark and Luke. In Matthew’s Gospel account, we learn that this young man had hoped to “do something good” to earn a place in the Kingdom of God. “Teacher, what [essentially] good thing shall I do to obtain eternal life [that is, eternal salvation in the Messiah’s kingdom]?” (Matthew 19:16 AMP) When we observe the young man’s response to Jesus’ answer to his own question, it proves something about what is necessary for even the motivation for doing good. It is not possible for mankind to generate a genuine act of true goodness apart from God. You may desire to overcome evil with good, according to Romans 12:21, but you will need the nature of God to accomplish this.
I’d like for us to look at the whole story out of the Gospel of Mark.
“As He was leaving on His journey, a man ran up and knelt before Him and asked Him, “Good Teacher [You who are essentially good and morally perfect], what shall I do to inherit eternal life [that is, eternal salvation in the Messiah’s kingdom]?”
Jesus said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is [essentially] good [by nature] except God alone.
You know the commandments: ‘Do not murder, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not testify falsely, Do not defraud, Honor your father and mother.’”
And he replied to Him, “Teacher, I have [carefully] kept all these [commandments] since my youth.”
Looking at him, Jesus felt a love (high regard, compassion) for him, and He said to him, “You lack one thing: go and sell all your property and give [the money] to the poor, and you will have [abundant] treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me [becoming My disciple, believing and trusting in Me and walking the same path of life that I walk].” - Mark 10:17-21 AMP
Oh, I love the heart and compassion of Jesus. Why did Jesus feel love and compassion for this pompous, young man? This Rich Young Ruler wasn’t fooling Jesus with his empty words and his unrealistic, self- aggrandizement. Jesus had just told him that “No one is [essentially] good [by nature] except God alone.”Was he trying to fool Jesus into believing that he was nearly as good as God in his perfect commandment-keeping, since his youth? Jesus knew that this poor man could never earn favor with God by his good works. It was the compassion of Jesus that motivated Him to set before this man God’s perfect moral standard, the Ten Commandments, in order to expose the condition of his heart and to help him see that neither his money, nor his power and prestige, nor his estimation of his own good works and good behavior were good enough.
When we set our minds to do good in our own effort, we will always come up short of something. There will always be one thing we lack, one attitude that reveals our self-serving nature. It’s that tenth and final commandment that will get us every time. (See Romans 7) The Rich Young Ruler’s own covetousness kept him from receiving the true riches of the Kingdom of God that day, which was the power and ability necessary for all good that is inherent only in the life of God Himself. He walked away, unable to do any good at all. Jesus told us clearly…
“No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will stand devotedly by the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and mammon [that is, your earthly possessions or anything else you trust in and rely on instead of God].” - Luke 16:13 AMP
This is a real revelation of the true nature of mankind without God. It truly is selfish, even when trying to do good. Oh, how I wish the young man had humbled himself and stuck around long enough to hear the rest of Jesus’ answer to humanity’s very stubborn problem. Let’s continue with the story...
“But the man was saddened at Jesus’ words, and he left grieving, because he owned much property and had many possessions [which he treasured more than his relationship with God].
Jesus looked around and said to His disciples, “How difficult it will be for those who are wealthy [and cling to possessions and status as security] to enter the kingdom of God!”
The disciples were amazed and bewildered by His words. But Jesus said to them again, “Children, how difficult it is [for those who place their hope and confidence in riches] to enter the kingdom of God!
It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man [who places his faith in wealth or status] to enter the kingdom of God.”
They were completely and utterly astonished, and said to Him, “Then who can be saved [from the wrath of God]?”
Looking at them, Jesus said, “With people [as far as it depends on them] it is impossible, but not with God; for all things are possible with God.” - Mark 10:22-27 AMP
If this Rich Young Ruler had only waited to learn this powerful principle that Jesus continued to explain to His disciples, he may have received the eternal life of God by the grace of God, gained himself a place in God’s eternal Kingdom where he could fulfill his divine purpose, and would have encountered the goodness of God to such an extent that it would have empowered him to be able to share that goodness with others. You see, since only God is good, we can only expect to be able to do good or overcome evil with good or be good, when we are indwelt with God, Who is truly Good.
Since we know that Jesus, being God in the flesh, fulfilled all of the righteous requirements of the Law (The Ten Commandments), which was something that neither we, nor the Rich Young Ruler, were capable of doing, He made it possible for us to receive His righteousness as a gift by faith. (Romans 5:17; Philippians 3:9) What was not possible for mankind, was possible for God. “For all things are possible with God!”Now, we can be assured that in believing in Jesus and all He has accomplished on our behalf, we receive from Him everything we need for life and Godliness (2 Peter 1:3-4) and the ability to overcome evil with good; being filled to the fullness and goodness of Christ Himself. Jesus tells us something important about our unity with Him…
“I am the Vine; you are the branches. Whoever lives in Me and I in him bears much (abundant) fruit. However, apart from Me [cut off from vital union with Me] you can do nothing.” - John 15:5 AMPC
I want to encourage those of you today who may be rich in this world or have power and prestige and you really do want to overcome evil with good. Jesus did not say that it was impossible for you to enter the Kingdom of God and to possess the life and goodness of God, He just said it would be difficult. You may have placed your affections on your wealth, your power and prestige, and your attempts at doing good in the past, but you can set all of your personal efforts aside and first receive of the true goodness of God by receiving His free gift of salvation through faith in His Son, Jesus Christ. Just like Jesus said, “With people [as far as it depends on them] it is impossible, but not with God; for all things are possible with God.” (Mark 10:27 AMP) You can be saved whether you are rich in this world or even if you are poor and miserable. God is not asking anything from you except that you believe in His Son. This is not difficult, just let you heart believe in just how good God really is. See it for yourself...
“And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert [on a pole], so must [so it is necessary that] the Son of Man be lifted up [on the cross],
In order that everyone who believes in Him [who cleaves to Him, trusts Him, and relies on Him] may not perish, but have eternal life and [actually] live forever!
For God so greatly loved and dearly prized the world that He [even] gave up His only begotten (unique) Son, so that whoever believes in (trusts in, clings to, relies on) Him shall not perish (come to destruction, be lost) but have eternal (everlasting) life.
For God did not send the Son into the world in order to judge (to reject, to condemn, to pass sentence on) the world, but that the world might find salvation and be made safe and sound through Him.
He who believes in Him [who clings to, trusts in, relies on Him] is not judged [he who trusts in Him never comes up for judgment; for him there is no rejection, no condemnation—he incurs no damnation]; but he who does not believe (cleave to, rely on, trust in Him) is judged already [he has already been convicted and has already received his sentence] because he has not believed in and trusted in the name of the only begotten Son of God. [He is condemned for refusing to let his trust rest in Christ’s name.]” - John 3:14-18 AMPC
“...if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; - Romans 10:9 NASB
My Friends, God is the only One who can truly overcome evil with good. He took the evil of sin that fell to our account because of the choice of Adam and Eve in the Fall of mankind, and He placed that evil sin upon His beloved Son who bore the punishment of it for us all, then He raised Him from the dead to prove that the price for all sin had been paid and we were justified (declared not guilty) in God’s court of Law. This is the greatest achievement for overcoming evil with good, and we owe it all to The Father God and to His Son, Jesus Christ for the greatest sacrifice ever made. Glory to God! The Goodness of God has overcome all evil. With the goodness of God through the eternal life of God within us, we can now do great and glorious things in unity with God through our Lord Jesus Christ and the power of His Holy Spirit. It is most unfortunate that the Rich Young Ruler did not loosen his grip on his riches long enough to allow God to fill him with all the riches of heaven. Oh, how his life on earth would have been even more fulfilling. Let’s finish the story...
“Peter started saying to Him, “Look, we have given up everything and followed You [becoming Your disciples and accepting You as Teacher and Lord].”
Jesus said, “I assure you and most solemnly say to you, there is no one who has given up a house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or farms, for My sake and for the gospel’s sake,
who will not receive a hundred times as much now in the present age—houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and farms—along with persecutions; and in the age to come, eternal life.
But many who are first will be last, and the last, first.” - Mark 10:28-31 AMP
Friends, there is nothing that you will give up for Jesus that will not be returned to you in mass...”a hundred times as much now in the present age!”
Now that, dear Friends, is Grace!
written by
Eileen R. Jacobs (January 2021)
Copyright © 2021 Eileen Jacobs Ministries. All rights reserved.
Note:
One last note...if today you received Jesus Christ as your personal Savior, we encourage you to write the date down somewhere important to you. Many people like to write the date of their salvation on the inside cover of their Bible. I can’t stress enough how important this is to do. Not only does it help you remember the day you became a Child of God, but it is a marker of your New Birth like a birth certificate, which is a legal proof of your existence. This marker is important because, whether you know it or not, there actually is a devil. Since he is a spirit, he has an ability to speak to our minds by way of deceptive thoughts. I can almost guarantee that there will come a time when a suggestive thought will come to your mind that will cause you to question whether you are really saved or not. This is where that date recorded or marker or New Birth certificate becomes important. You can simply go back to your Bible or wherever you wrote it down, and remind yourself or say to the devil...”Nope, you’re wrong! This date is the day I received Jesus, the day of my New Birth, the day I became a Child of God, the day I was saved, the day my name was written in the Lamb’s book of life...end of discussion!”
Finally, we would love to know that you have joined the family of God. We are so excited for you and we want to keep you in our prayers. Email us to let us know!
Comments