“Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.” – Romans 12:14
Paul’s words in Romans 12:14 stretch us far beyond the comfortable circle of people we enjoy: “Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.” Earlier in the chapter, we were holding hands with those we naturally love—family, friends, fellow believers. But now Paul widens the circle to include those who wound us, oppose us, or even pursue us with harmful intent. To “bless” means to speak well of someone, to desire God’s favor upon them. And Paul doesn’t soften the command—he tells us to bless those who persecute us. This isn’t irritation over a wrong bill or a rude customer service call. The word “persecute” means to chase down with the intent to harm. Paul knew this firsthand. Before Christ saved him, he hunted Christians, approved of Stephen’s execution, and dragged believers to prison. Now this same man—once the persecutor—is teaching us how to respond to persecution with grace.
Paul wasn’t speaking theoretically. He had stood at Stephen’s stoning and heard the dying man cry out, “Lord, do not charge them with this sin” (Acts 7:60). He knew Jesus’ words from the cross: “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.” These moments were likely the first beams of gospel light that pierced his darkened heart. Paul didn’t become gentle because he tried harder—he became gentle because Christ changed him. The Book of Romans is, in many ways, Paul’s testimony: an enemy of God transformed into a servant of God. And now he urges us to respond to hostility the way Christ and Stephen did—with humility, compassion, and a heart that prays for those who cause us pain. Your response to mistreatment may be the only glimpse of Jesus someone ever sees.
This kind of love is impossible without the Holy Spirit. Our natural instinct is to retaliate, defend ourselves, or curse those who hurt us. But the Spirit empowers us to bless instead of curse, to pray instead of lash out, and to shine instead of strike back. When we choose blessing over bitterness, we become living testimonies of the gospel’s power—a light in a world that desperately needs to see something different. Ask the Lord to give you a heart like Christ—a heart that blesses even when wounded. Pray for those who have wronged you. Speak well of those who have spoken poorly of you. Refuse to let bitterness take root. As you bless those who persecute you, you reflect the Savior who blessed His enemies from the cross. And through your obedience, someone watching may finally see the light of Christ
“The Christian must treat his enemy as a brother, and requite his hostility with love.” —Dietrich Bonhoeffer
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