Matthew 5:38-39 “You have heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.' (39) But I tell you not to resist an evil person. But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also.”
There are instances however when the church has no recourse available to them, and in those instances they are forced to undergo whatever persecution is brought against them by the governing authorities. God has specifically instructed His church not to avenge themselves for the wrongs they may suffer in those instances, for vengeance belongs to God and He will repay (Romans 12:19). In the above passage of scripture Jesus taught us that God applies different standards for the world to those that He applies in His church. The reason God does that is because He understands that those in the world have hardened hearts that prevent them from being able to live by His norms. And so God’s justice for the world allows them to avenge an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth, whereas His church is required to turn the other cheek. An example of this concept can be found in the book of Revelation when our Lord informed the church in Smyrna that Satan was about to have some of them arrested and put in jail. Jesus went on to tell them that they would be tested in prison for ten days. And so obviously the saints that were arrested in Smyrna were tortured in prison, and if you read the account you will see that they were ultimately executed. Nevertheless, even though our Lord had warned them about what was going to happen, He did not counsel them to flee or to resist, but rather to be faithful until death and He would reward them with the crown of life (Revelation 2:8-10).
Michael E.B. Maher
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