The Divine Inevitability of Good Defeating Wrongdoing

The apostle Paul told the Romans,

“Don’t be defeated by what is wrong, but defeat what is wrong with what is good.”

— Romans 12:21 (USC)

FAITH at its best is courageous. It will do what it knows is best without making excuses for fear or indifference. Faith when it’s courageous is justice; it’s ready with feet poised for whatever action needs to be taken. But faith is also wisdom to know that “‘Vengeance is Mine!’ says the Lord.”

God is bringing about justice even as we stew in the juices of our private moments of execration. Even as we bellow from the depths of our being, silently, a soul trembling for its integrity, God is preparing us for that moment when all will be seen for what it’s becoming.

And we can act. We are not useless in the meantime. There is a thing God will have us do. But it’s counter to the world’s way. Faith will see it instituted with pleasure. You’ll see.

We are not to deny our hurts and run from them; but to face them brings us, with intimacy, to those things we most dislike about ourselves — our anger and our cowardice.

We will have to face these two truths if we are to fight the good fight.

If we have no fear — for what, truly, is there to lose? — we have acquired love. And, glory to God, there’s no turning back!

If we have no fear, we welcome the truth. Some ‘truth’ we may yet to hear. But truth is purposed for our growth, so why should we ever fear it. Even when another’s truth is not the full truth we can handle it.

We’re not fighting their evil; we are fighting evil itself with God’s unfailing goodness.

This is less about our adversary than it is about who they are an agent for: Satan himself. There is only one way to beat Satan: as Jesus did, we are to die to ourselves.

To die to ourselves brings utter shame on evil. Even evil cannot stand in the face of such exposure. It may appear to, but the death of evil isn’t tarrying!

Wrongdoing is destined for judgment as surely as goodness is never out of the hands of God. Can there by anything more certain? Reflection over such matters will bring to us an undivided confidence in God’s providence means. And God’s means always have just ends!

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Wrongdoing cannot stand before goodness. Trust God, but do not think of justice coming in linear terms through time.

Justice comes with perfection on an eternal scale.

Do good. That is how you will overcome the wrongdoing done against you.

Justice comes.

© 2015 S. J. Wickham.