A Higher Road - 1 Thess Lesson 36

A Higher Road: Responding to Evil with Good

Good morning, everyone, it is so good to see you this morning. Let’s go ahead and read our verse for the day and go ahead and dive into this. Open your Bibles to 1 Thessalonians 5:15.

“See that no one repays anyone evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to everyone.” (ESV)

Last Sunday we covered 1 Thessalonians 5:14 and we talked about admonishing the idle, encouraging the fainthearted, helping the week, and being patient with them all. 

Today we are going to be covering 1 Thessalonians 5:15 which talks about NOT repaying evil for evil and ALWAYS seeking to do good. 

Before we dive into today’s verse, I want to point out that there is an important connection between these two verses. Paul is not transitioning from one topic to another topic here. He is giving a set of interconnected instructions for the church. 

Even though Paul does move from talking about how to deal with those who are hurting in the church to talking about how to deal with those who hurt others, the connection is the church – the body of believers. 

Why is this connection so important? Well, I am glad you asked! 

Remember, last week we talked about how all of us in the church are different - some people are idle, some people are fainthearted, and some people are weak. Do you think that those people are going to all respond in the same way? 

Do you think that every idle person you admonish will respond with, “Oh, thanks for calling me out on my idleness. I will work on that.”

Or do you think that every fainthearted person you encourage will respond with, “Oh, thank you so much for your encouragement.” 

Or do you think that every weak person you help will respond with, “Oh, thanks for helping me in my time of need.” 

Of course not! No matter what the person’s state is, each person will respond differently. 

The truth of the matter is that some of these folks will respond with evil. 

No matter how sincere, how genuine, or how loving you are to them… some of those folks will ultimately respond with evil. 

This is the reality of the situation – this is the reality we face. But God already knows this, and this is why He says, “See that no one repays anyone evil for evil…” 

And this is where the rubber meets the road. This is where the sinful nature and our divine calling collide. 

And let’s just be honest with each other here today - when we are wronged, our natural impulse is to strike back. 

This situation really does not matter. I mean it could be as simple as playground dispute between two saved kids or as complicated as an intense dispute between two elders where one is offended by the other - the truth remains the same - the sinful nature craves retaliation when there is a perception of being wronged.

Let’s just take a moment to think about the two saved kids on the playground as an example. Let’s say that you caught one kid hitting the other kid. So, you do what a responsible adult does – you intervene, and you ask them what happened.

One kid says, “He yelled at me, so I hit him.” And the other kid says, “He hit me, so I hit him back.” 

Or let’s even consider the elder dispute, where one elder is offended by the other. 

One of the two disputing elders might say, “This guy offended me, so I’ll tell a truth in a way that hurts him and may end up helping me to get him kicked off the elder board.”

The truth remains the same - the sinful nature craves retaliation when there is a perception of being wronged. 

On top of all that, the sinful nature attempts to justify these natural instincts as a righteous form of justice. It says, “You hit me, so I’ve got to hit you.” Or “You offended me, so I’ve got to get you out of here.” 

The truth is… these are thinly veiled forms of vengeance. 

The truth is… these responses are evil and in direct conflict with what the Bible teaches. 

We need to be honest with ourselves and more importantly we need to be honest with God and acknowledge that revenge feels like the natural thing to do. However, we must also understand that revenge is NOT the Christlike thing to do!

And that is why this is a prohibition. God is forbidding us from repaying evil with evil. It is a line that we should not cross for any reason at all!

The imperative that we are given here is sweeping and universal. “No one” is exempt. “Anyone” includes every offender. 

On top of that word “evil,” it spans all manner of wrongdoing - from minor insults to major injustices. 

It doesn’t matter how evil or slightly evil it is – we are NOT to repay evil for evil. 

It doesn’t matter if the evil being perpetrated is moral wrongdoing, physical harm or even injustice – we are NOT to repay evil for evil.

And that is where truth comes in and simply obliterates any sinful notion that attempts to justify repaying someone evil for evil.

To take this even a step further that word “repay” means to give back, return, or render what is due. 

And in this context, it lets us know that retaliation or vengeance is an act of moral accounting – we falsely imagine ourselves restoring balance, paying back what we think is owed to us.

But the truth is… we are not moral accountants who calculate wrongs as debts to be settled by our own hands. 

Just think about that for a moment and let that sink in. 

We are NOT moral accountants. We don’t even have the capacity to measure our own moral state, so what makes us think that we can measure the moral state of another person, especially when given the bias of offense or the perception of being wronged. 

Yet, the truth is that in our own hearts we construct courts where we try, convict, and sentence those who have wronged us. 

Then we do things like rehearse what we are going to say to them when we see them. We vow to subtly withhold kindness and affection. We decide to be dismissive and distant with them. We gossip under the guise of “prayer concerns.” 

And even though our subtle forms of retaliation seemed justified to us and certainly a more refined course of action than then the evil done to us… it is still repaying evil for evil. 

Now some might want to argue against this and say something like, “Didn’t the Old Testament say ‘an eye for an eye’?” 

Yes, it did (Exodus 21:24; Leviticus 24:20). But this law was not meant to promote personal vengeance, it was meant to restrain it. 

It was a legal principle ensuring that the punishment matched the crime, not exceeded it. 

In fact, Leviticus 19:18 explicitly says, “You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge... but you shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

The Torah called God’s people to justice, but never to personal revenge. It always pointed forward to a more perfect expression of love and mercy that would be fulfilled in Christ.

Speaking of Christ, Jesus reinterprets and deepens this ethic in His Sermon on the Mount. 

He says in Matthew 5:38–39: “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say to you, Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also...”

And again, in Matthew 5:44–45:

“Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven.” 

Jesus is not commanding us to be passive doormats. He’s commanding us to be active imitators of divine mercy. 

He is calling us to shut down the courts we construct in our own hearts - where we try, convict, and sentence those who have wronged us.

He is calling us stop rationalizing evil against another person. 

He is calling us to a higher standard. And Jesus didn’t merely teach this standard… He lived it out every day of His life. 

He hung on a cross, bruised and beaten by evil men, and He did not retaliate. Instead, He prayed, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.”

Why? Because He entrusted justice to the Father. 

He didn’t need to repay evil. He knew vengeance belongs to God alone (Romans 12:19).

And this is where I want to stop, pitch a tent, and make a very important point. 

If you’ve been wronged and if you are struggling with this… or if you are conducting a kangaroo court in your own heart every time someone does you wrong… if you are milling over what you are going to do or say when you see them… 

Just stop in your tracks right now and do these 4 things. 

1. The first thing I want you to do is repent. Go to the Father, confess that you held evil intent in your heart towards someone else and turn away from that intent. Refuse to think about it or contemplate it and refuse to dwell on it. 

2. The second thing I want you to do is to go to that person who you had ought with and reconcile with that person. Even if you know that you know that person isn’t going to want to reconcile with you, do it anyway! 

3. The third thing I want you to do is trust that our good and holy Father will exercise justice. Every time a thought enters your mind that seems like it might lead you back to that kangaroo court room comes up trust that God will take care of it. 

4. The fourth thing I want you to do is exercise understanding. Understand that when we choose not to repay evil for evil, we are not condoning wrong - we are surrendering that wrong to the righteous Judge.

Don’t even let the wheels of your mind start turning back to that kangaroo court room, stay focused on the Father and let Him deal with the evil. 

Now the other side of this prescriptive coin is that word “see.” And I intentionally didn’t start with that word because I wanted to address the personal prescription aspect of this verse before I addressed the communal aspect of this verse. 

Yes, you heard my right. There is a personal aspect to this verse and a communal aspect. This verse is directed to both the individual Christian and the church as a whole. 

The word “see” comes from the Greek verb horaō (ὁράω), but in this context it is used in an imperative form of eidō (εἶδον), which means to watch, to be mindful, to take care, or to make sure. 

It’s not about physical sight - it’s a call to intentional vigilance. 

Paul is saying, “Make absolutely sure this happens.” “See that no one repays anyone evil for evil” is a directive to the whole community: keep your eyes open, guard your hearts, and look out for one another so that no act of retaliation sneaks in. 

It implies responsibility and active attention - not just for us, but for each other. It is a call to live with eyes wide open, alert to the danger of vengeance and committed to protecting a culture of grace.

This is so important for us to get because if we are not paying attention, vengeance can easily slip into our church and reck havoc on it. I mean how many times have we seen this? 

How many times have we seen a good church go south quickly because someone did some evil to someone else and then that someone else did evil right back? And now, you’ve got a situation on your hands where other people are getting involved and participating in exchanging subtle blows. 

It may that one person is a friend of the person who was done wrong and that person feels the need to be that moral account we talked about earlier – the one who feels the need to balances the scales of the other’s evil debts. 

It could be that the wrong doer was a leader and now his whole staff take up the cloak of being the moral accountants who are going to settle his debts by bad mouthing him behind closed doors. 

Whatever the case or situation may be, when we allow someone to repay evil for evil and we do not deal with it in a Godly way, it will only fester and infect others at the church. And if it allowed to go on for any length of time, it will eventually kill that church. 

That is why it is so important that we are vigilant… that’s why we need to be paying attention to what’s going on around us… that’s why we need to “See that no one repays anyone evil for evil.”

This leads us to an important question: How do we “see?”

Well, the first step is that we prayerfully and actively look for signs that someone is holding bitterness, resentment, animosity, ill will or unforgiveness towards another believer in the church. 

The second step is to pray about it and then approach that person in love with the intent of seeking reconciliation. 

I am not talking about calling this person out in a church service or something like that. I am talking about inviting this person out to coffee or lunch and having a conversation with them. 

Ask them how they have been doing, how the kids are doing… that type of stuff. And then maybe say, “You know when we were talking the other day, it seemed like you weren’t too happy with so and so… what happened?” 

Let them share their heart with you and then lovingly guide them as they share with you. 

During your conversation with them, you might ask questions like, 

“Were you offended by what he did?” or

“Do you feel like you were wronged in this situation?”

Find out what is going on, where their heart is at, pray with them, encourage them with Scripture, and then continue to be there for them. 

This is the communal call for all believers within the church – we should be there for one another. To help each – not in a retaliatory sense, but in this sense of guiding each other out of the deadly fog of vengeance. 

To help each other navigate the thoughts, feelings and emotions that come from being wronged by someone else. 

But this isn’t the only thing we are called to do in this verse and now that we’ve covered the duality of the prohibition given by Paul, let’s turn our attention to the prescription… 

“but always seek to do good to one another and to everyone.”

Paul does not merely prohibit the behavior he prescribes a way of life. The Christian ethic is not only about what we avoid, but also about what we pursue. 

After commanding us not to repay evil, Paul exhorts: “Always seek to do good to one another and to everyone.”

This is a comprehensive, proactive, and relentless call to goodness. And it’s worth breaking this down into several layers so we can understand its power and implications.

The Greek verb translated “seek” (διώκω, diōkō) is rich with intensity. It is the same word used in contexts of pursuit - like a hunter chasing game, or a persecutor chasing Christians. 

Paul himself used this word to describe his former persecution of the church (Galatians 1:13). So here, when he says, “seek to do good,” he is commanding us to chase after goodness with relentless passion.

Goodness is not accidental folks, it is intentional. 

It is not reactive, it is proactive. 

And it is not occasional, it is continual. 

Paul says “always.” Not sometimes. Not when people deserve it. Not when it’s convenient. And certainly not when we feel it fits the situation. He said, ALWAYS.

This means we are not waiting around for opportunities to arise. We are searching for them. We are pursuing them. We are out hunting for them! 

However, before we go on the hunt let’s start by packing our gear with some understanding… put a little knowledge into our backpacks. 

The first thing we will start off with is the two relational spheres Paul talks about here:

1. “To one another” — This refers to the Christian community, the local church, our brothers and sisters in Christ.

2. “And to everyone” — This expands the command beyond the church walls to include unbelievers, strangers, and even enemies.

Let’s look at each one.

1. Doing Good to the Church

There is something uniquely powerful when Christians show goodness to each other. In John 13:35, Jesus said:

“By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

The early church grew not just because of powerful preaching but because of radical community. 

They shared what they had. They fed the hungry. They visited the sick. They forgave quickly. They bore each other’s burdens.

To do good to the church is to build the body of Christ. It means supporting those in need. Encouraging the discouraged. Honoring the overlooked. Reconciling with the offended.

It means showing up. Listening deeply. Giving sacrificially. Serving joyfully.

Paul writes in Galatians 6:10:

“So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.”

The household of faith should be a family of goodness, a place where grace overflows.

2. Doing Good to Everyone

Paul does not limit our goodness to the church. He says we are to seek to do good “to everyone.” 

That includes:

• That rude neighbor.

• That dishonest coworker.

• That arrogant classmate.

• That estranged family member.

• That stranger in need.

• That enemy who hurt you.

This echoes Jesus' teaching in Luke 6:27–28:

“Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you.”

The Christian life is radically outward facing. 

We do not reserve love for the lovable. We extend it freely, lavishly - even to those who least deserve it. Why? Because that’s what God did for us.

Romans 5:8 says:

“But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

When we do good to our enemies, we display the gospel.

Ok, so we now know that we should do good, but what does “doing good” really look like?

Well, “Good” is not merely the absence of harm. It is the presence of love in action. 

It is generous, tangible, Spirit-empowered service. Here are some ways goodness manifests in daily life:

• Listening when it’s inconvenient

• Encouraging when someone is down

• Giving without expecting anything back

• Forgiving deeply and silently

• Refusing to gossip when others do

• Making space for the marginalized

• Staying faithful in commitments

• Confronting sin with love and humility

• Sacrificing comfort to meet someone’s need

• Responding to criticism with grace, not retaliation

Goodness is not random acts of kindness. It is a deliberate discipleship. 

It is being like Jesus, who “went about doing good” (Acts 10:38).

This kind of goodness isn’t surface-level or sentimental, it’s deeply rooted in the life and mission of Jesus. It’s not just about being nice; it’s about being formed. 

Formed by the Spirit. Formed by the cross. Formed by the daily decision to walk in His footsteps. 

When we pursue good in a world that often returns indifference - or even hostility - we are not simply performing good deeds; we are participating in the very work of Christ. 

Yet, this kind of work is not without its challenges as you may already know. 

Let’s be honest. This kind of living is profoundly difficult. The command not to repay evil for evil, coupled with the call to pursue doing good to everyone - especially to those who have wronged us - is one of the most countercultural and challenging calls in all of Scripture.

Why is it so hard?

It’s hard because retaliation feels justified. When we are wronged, our natural instinct is to defend ourselves. 

And sometimes, our minds go a step further - we begin to believe that revenge is not only permissible but righteous. We tell ourselves, “They started it,” or “They need to be taught a lesson.”

We justify bitterness, unforgiveness, and harsh words and all kinds of evil acts in the name of justice – all while bending our knee to injustice.

But justice, apart from mercy, turns into self-righteousness. 

And vengeance, no matter how eloquently disguised, does not belong to us. It belongs to God.

Romans 12:19 says:

“Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, ‘Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.’”

When we trust that God will deal with all injustice, we are freed to respond not with retaliation, but with redemptive goodness.

Now, let’s now get very practical about this. How do we apply this teaching in the real world? What does it look like to actually live this out in our daily lives?

Well, I am going to give you a few practical tips. 

The first one is prayer. It all starts with prayer – start by asking God to reveal whether or not you are harboring retaliation, bitterness, or unforgiveness towards someone. 

Ask the Spirit of God to bring to mind specific people you need to forgive or bless.

Make it a daily prayer:

“Lord show me my heart, help me to change it, and Lord, make me a vessel of Your goodness today. Help me repay evil with kindness and pursue opportunities to do good.”

Secondly, practice the pause. When someone wrongs you - whether it’s a cutting word, a betrayal, or a careless offense - don’t respond immediately. Pause. Breathe. Pray.

A moment of reflection can spare you a world of regret. Ask:

• What would Jesus have me say right now?

• What response reflects grace and truth?

• Can I bless this person instead of reacting?

The third one is to return words of Grace! 

Proverbs 15:1 says:

“A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.”

Choose words that de-escalate, that bless rather than bruise. You do not have to agree with someone to speak gently. You do not have to approve of their behavior to treat them with dignity.

Even when correcting or confronting sin, do it with gentleness and humility (Galatians 6:1).

Number four is to look for opportunities to do good things. 

You do not need a huge platform to make a godly impact. Sometimes the most powerful acts of goodness are quiet, uncelebrated, and small:

• Writing an encouraging note to someone who’s discouraged.

• Offering to help a co-worker who is struggling.

• Buying lunch for someone who never says thank you.

• Refuse to gossip when everyone else is.

• Pray for someone who annoys or insults you.

These are not simply good deeds - they are kingdom deeds. They reflect Christ.

Number five is to initiate reconciliation. 

Jesus says in Matthew 5:23-24 that if we remember someone has something against us, we should go and be reconciled.

Be the one to make the first move. Don’t wait for others to apologize or change. As far as it depends on you, seek peace (Romans 12:18).

Sometimes this means asking for forgiveness. Sometimes it means offering it freely. It always means loving more than you feel.

Number 6 is to practice generosity without expectation. 

Doing good does not mean doing what is easy, it means giving without needing applause. Love does not keep score.

When you bless others - especially enemies - do it without needing to be noticed. Jesus said, “When you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing...” (Matthew 6:3)

Do good in secret. Your Father sees.

As I close this up today and extend a challenge and commission to you, let’s read it once more:

“See that no one repays anyone evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to everyone.” (1 Thessalonians 5:15)

This is not simply moral instruction, it is a gospel-shaped ethic. 

It is not a checklist of niceties - it is a blueprint for supernatural living. 

This verse, in all its clarity and force, invites us to live in a way that is utterly foreign to the world. So here is the challenge:

To whom do you need to stop repaying evil?

Who is that person you are holding a grudge against – the one you have been silently judging? Is it your spouse, is it your mom or dad, is it your neighbor, or is it a person who is sitting here with us today? 

Who needs to see the goodness of Christ through your actions?

And here is the commission:

Go and reflect Jesus. Go and choose the higher road. Go and be a person of mercy, a channel of grace, a witness to the kingdom of God.

Your kindness may not always be returned. Your goodness may not be appreciated. Your forgiveness may be misunderstood. But you will be walking in the footsteps of Christ—and that is reward enough.