Goodness Is Stronger Than Evil

Romans 12:9-21

When I was a young child, I learned definitions of good and evil in part by watching television shows. I loved watching Batman when I was a kid, and the show had both good and bad people. Batman, Robin, Alfred the butler, Batgirl, Police Chief O’Hara, and Commissioner Gordon were all good characters. The bad characters were the Joker, the Penguin, Catwoman (Although I always thought she was good deep down), and the Riddler. I rooted for the good guys to beat the bad guys, and, of course, in the ½-hour TV show world, good almost always won in the end.

We do not live in the world of Batman, where good always beats evil, and everything gets resolved in 30 minutes. It is much more complicated. Good and bad people in the world aren’t delineated by what they wear. If we pay attention, human actions and words can help us identify who is good and who is evil these days ( “You will know them by their fruits. Do people gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles?” Matthew 7:16). Still, even those former moral lines are blurry, at least to some people. Words and actions do not seem to be measured in the same way as before. I miss the old days, where you could easily tell Batman from the Joker.

This morning’s passage speaks at length about good and evil and ends with Paul suggesting that we can “overcome evil with good.”  Perhaps in going through the list in this morning’s passage, we can find ways to make that statement a reality?

At first glance, this passage from Paul seems like a long list of to-dos- like the lists my mom used to give me for doing chores around the house. I would check each item off the list before moving to the next, with one goal in mind: money to buy candy, model kits, Hot Wheels, and baseball cards. Is Paul expecting the same, that we check each item off the list once we have done it, with our ultimate goal “overcoming evil with good?” Let’s take a closer look.

V 9 says, “ Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil. Hold fast to what is good.” The word for “genuine” in this case is ἀνυπόκριτος (anupokritos), meaning “Sincere, genuine, without hypocrisy.” The Greek translation in my Interlinear Bible says, “Let love be without dissimulation, shrinking from evil, cleaving to good.” I looked up “Dissimulation” in the dictionary, and the definition is “To disguise under a feigned appearance.” (American Heritage Dictionary) The kind of love Paul talks about is real and sincere, with no hidden motives.

I was looking for an example of that kind of love, and for some reason the illustration that popped into my head was of our daughter, Abby, when she was a toddler and how much she genuinely loved her stuffed bunny. (For 10 am- This is exactly what Bunny looked like.) I am pretty sure we gave it to her one Easter. Bunny went everywhere with Abby and had to be with her at bedtime every night.

When we traveled a few hours to a dear friend’s memorial service, Bunny was along for the ride. Somehow, once the service was over and we headed home, Bunny was left behind. We did not know about it until we had traveled for at least a couple of hours. Despite Abby’s tears, there was no turning back, and Bunny was gone.

Fast forward a couple of weeks, and while in the church office, I mentioned my tale of woe about Bunny. My office manager heard the description and said, “I am pretty sure I have one of those at home!” She brought it in the next day, and there was a perfect, carbon copy of Bunny! I made up some story on the way home about how much Bunny missed Abby and had found her way home, much to her delight. She was one happy toddler. Her genuinely loved Bunny was back in her arms.

I texted my daughter last week that I was thinking of using that story, believing that, as a toddler, she didn’t believe it was the SAME bunny. I asked, “Just out of curiosity, when we supposedly found Bunny again, did you really think it was the same bunny?” She wrote back, “I did. Was it not?!?!?”  Then she asked me, “Man… what else was a lie? LOL!” Whoops. I demonstrated how even as a 64-year-old parent with a fully grown daughter, you can still make mistakes.

Verse 9 also encourages us to abhor what is evil. All Greek and Hebrew definitions to come are from the Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible. The Greek here, ἀποστυγέω (apostugeó), means to detest, to shrink away from. Paul exhorts believers to love sincerely and to have a decisive, active loathing of evil, as a complement to genuine love. He then says, “Hold fast to what is good,” which suggests we have to grip goodness, for sometimes it is difficult to hold on to amid the evil around us.

Before moving on, we should do our best to define good and evil so that we can decide whether we can, in fact, “Overcome evil with good.”

How do we define what is good? Good-Greek word: ἀγαθός (agathos) Meaning: Good, beneficial, virtuous. Psalm 34:8 reminds us to " Taste and see that God is GOOD.” God is the source of all that is good.

The Old and New Testaments use distinct terms that add depth to the concept:

• Tov (Hebrew)  טוֹב meaning, “ Wholeness, function, purpose, working as intended.”
• Agathos (Greek) ἀγαθός, meaning “Intrinsic moral goodness, righteousness, beneficial in character.”  (Mark 10:18) 
• Kalos (Greek) καλός, meaning “ Noble, beautiful, praiseworthy, attractive in goodness.”

These terms highlight that goodness is both functional (creation works as intended) and moral (righteousness, beauty, praiseworthiness). Biblically, “good” is tied to justice, mercy, and humility (Micah 6:8).

How do we define evil?

 Evil-πονηρός (ponéros) is a New Testament Greek adjective meaning “evil, wicked, bad, malicious,” derived from the root πονεó (poneó), meaning “to toil or to labor.” In a literal sense, it means “Full of hard labor, annoyances, hardships; pressed and harassed by toil.”

In the Bible, evil is defined as anything morally wrong, sinful, or contrary to God’s will. It is the opposite of good and often represents rebellion against God’s authority. Evil can take many forms:

• Moral evil — Human actions that violate God’s justice.
• Natural evil — suffering, disasters, and calamities.
• Spiritual evil — the work of demonic forces like Satan, who seeks to deceive, destroy, and divide or split.

As people of faith, we are encouraged to choose good over evil. Here are some quotes to consider.

“To choose good in a world filled with evil is a revolutionary act.” – American businesswoman Emily White.

“Evil thrives in the silence of good people.” – GETS Theological Seminary professor Isaac Chen.

So then, to help us make the right choices in our lives, let’s briefly run through Paul’s list.

In verse 10, Paul encourages the Roman congregation to love one another with brotherly, sisterly affection. There are some folks in this church whom I greet as brothers and sisters, thinking of them as kindred in Christ.

Then Paul says we are to “Outdo one another in showing honor.”  It means showing respect and valuing other human beings. Instead of participating in a world where we try to one-up each other, God wants us to delight in honoring others and “compete” to outdo one another in showing respect and value to each human being we meet. What would the world be like if we all lived in such a way?

Paul then says to “never wilt in zeal, be aglow with the Spirit and serve God.” How do we do this? Serve God diligently and passionately by serving others. You can do that here in this church by serving as a deacon or elder, acting as a lay reader, helping with the AV on Sunday mornings, helping with communion prep at the 8 am service, or volunteering in the office. You can serve God through volunteering your time to OHRA, Habitat, ACCESS, Rogue Food Unites, ACFB. There are so many opportunities to zealously serve God through serving others.

V 12 reminds us that trials will come. Encourage faith in others by modeling faith in times of difficulty.

V 13- the Greek term chreia χρεία means “necessity” or “need,” and “saints” ἅγιος (hagioi) refers to those set apart, to Christians, especially those in need within the church community. Check in on those in our church community to see what their needs are—practicing Hospitality. Our church models this in offering help with Gas, food cards, LFP, and a place for unhoused to gather in the early afternoon. I see many of them outside our office and say hello to them. How might you practice hospitality at home or in your neighborhood?

V.14- “Bless those who persecute you. Bless and do not curse.” This section is connected to verses 19-21: “Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but leave room for the wrath of God.” Theologian Nancy Lammers Gross, Professor of Speech Communication in Ministry at Princeton Theological Seminary, writes, “Rather than vengeance, we are to feed our enemies and, if our enemies are thirsty, give them something to drink. In so doing, we heap burning coals upon their heads. Aha! That is the little bit of vengeance we are allowed. We get to heap burning coals upon their heads as a punishment. And yet, no…Heaping burning coals upon an enemy’s head in ancient context is not a punishment; it is to enable life. To sustain life, one must keep the hearth’s fire burning. If the fire goes out, it threatens the ability to prepare food and keep warm. If a fire did go out, one would go to a neighbor to ask for some burning coals and would typically carry them back home in a container upon their heads.” Darn it… No vengeance allowed.

V.15- “Rejoice with those who rejoice. Weep with those who weep. “Be there for each other in the church. This was so fully exemplified on Friday at the memorial for the Millers’ son, Peter. Pies were made on Wednesday, extra work was done on the gardens, and weeding in the lot. Many people volunteered their time in the service and at the reception. If someone is hurting, mourning, in need of a shoulder to cry on, facing something difficult, or rejoicing- be present.

16- Live in harmony with one another. I have sung in many choirs over the decades, and when a chord is sung well by different voices, and we know our parts, the chord rings. Associate with others, no matter their “status.”

Overall, Paul’s message in this section: Direct your life in humility, hospitality, genuine love and forgiveness. This can then lead us to lives of goodness, to being good characters in the world. So, be a Batman, Batgirl, or someone else, living our lives overcoming evil with good.

Is there an example of someone living in this way, someone whose actions have demonstrated overcoming evil with good? There are many, and here is a famous one who just died last week.

Dolly Parton’s Christian faith was a central, lifelong influence on her life, music, and public service. Parton often described her faith as her ministry. She prayed daily, seeking God’s guidance in all decisions and asking to “do something to glorify God and uplift humankind.” She believed her music and public persona carried a “God spark,” aiming to make people feel good and see love in action. Her faith was rooted in love for neighbors, in rejecting judgment, embracing the LGBTQ community, and in striving to be loved as she wanted to be loved.

Despite her fame, Parton remained humble, drawing strength from her mountain roots. She founded The Imagination Library, a literacy program that sends free books to children. My Rotary Club has been actively supporting the DPIL for years. This initiative reflected gospel values of compassion, education, and lifting up the vulnerable. She saw her career as a way to share God’s love across cultures, races, and political lines. She embodied gospel virtues of humility, joy, and service, making her a “Saint Dolly” in the eyes of many who knew her.

Here is one of many of Parton’s faithful actions demonstrating overcoming evil with good. When Whitney Houston wanted to re-record her hit “I Will Always Love You,” Parton asked for $ 10 million to sell her the rights to the song, which was a lot. Did she go out and buy a sports car, more wigs, or a new mansion in Tennessee? No. In a 2021 interview, Parton revealed that she used most of that windfall to invest in a property in Nashville’s historically Black “Sevier Park” neighborhood. The purchase was a whole strip mall that was home to mostly Black families and businesses at the time. Parton expressed pride in the investment and called it “The house that Whitney built.” She overcame the evils of systemic poverty by giving back to a community in need, demonstrating God’s justice. This is but one of many of her faithful examples in helping those in need.

Paul was right. We can overcome evil with good, as we act in faith. “Every act of kindness is a small rebellion against the darkness.” – American actor Emma Stone. God be with us in every act of kindness and goodness as we rebel against the darkness, bringing light and hope. Alleluia! Amen.