Romans 7-16: “Overcome Evil with Good” (August 14-20)

Rome, Colosseum and the Roman Forum by Rudolf Weigmann

After explaining the atonement of Jesus Christ, the apostle Paul provided numerous words of advice and reassurance to church members in Rome. Here are some teachings from Romans 7-16 that are most meaningful to me, with Book of Mormon connections:

1. “All things work together for good.”

The first time I really studied the New Testament, as a high school student, the following passage really resonated with me:

We know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

Romans 8:28

What a powerful and hopeful message! Everything in our lives—the things that are amazing and the things that are challenging—are working together for our good. It’s the ultimate conspiracy theory: Under God’s direction, the universe is conspiring to make us successful, to help us achieve our highest potential!

Of course, this doesn’t mean that everything that happens to us is good. But just as God can turn our weaknesses into strengths, he can turn the bruising and damaging experiences of our lives into uplifting and ennobling ones. As Lehi assured his son Jacob, “Thou knowest the greatness of God; and he shall consecrate thine afflictions for thy gain” (2 Nephi 2:2).

Here’s a blog post on this topic:

• All Things Work Together for Good

2. “The gifts and calling of God are without repentance.”

We all have capabilities (gifts), and we all have opportunities to serve (callings). The apostle Paul tells us that these are long-lasting. “The gifts and calling of God are without repentance,” he wrote (Romans 11:29), or as the Contemporary English Version renders that verse: “God doesn’t take back the gifts he has given or disown the people he has chosen.” (See Romans 11:29 on biblehub.com.)

In the Book of Mormon, Moroni explains how church leaders were ordained in ancient times. The person performing the ordination would say a prayer and would then lay their hands on the head of the individual and say some prescribed words. Moroni concludes:

And after this manner did they ordain priests and teachers, according to the gifts and callings of God unto men; and they ordained them by the power of the Holy Ghost, which was in them.

Moroni 3:4

In The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, every time a person receives a leadership or teaching assignment, we follow a similar pattern. Hands are placed on our heads, and specific words are spoken. We are also given individualized promises and instructions. A church calling may have clearly defined responsibilities, but we each bring our unique talents and personalities to that assignment, and God can inspire us to perform specific acts of service within the framework of that role.

Here’s a blog post about this principle:

• Gifts and Callings

3. “Vengeance is mine…saith the Lord”

As the children of Israel prepared to enter the promised land, the Lord provided a stern warning: “To me belongeth vengeance, and recompense” (Deuteronomy 32:35).

The apostle Paul urged the Roman saints to heed that warning: “Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves,” he said, “for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord” (Romans 12:19)

Several hundred years later, as Mormon led the Nephite armies, he was horrified by their thirst for revenge. As he pondered their boasts and their violent oaths, the Lord said to him, “Vengeance is mine, and I will repay; and because this people repented not after I had delivered them, behold, they shall be cut off from the face of the earth” (Mormon 3:15). As a result of that message, he stepped down as their leader.

Mormon’s son Moroni extended the same warning to us. Don’t smite. Don’t judge. “For judgment is mine, saith the Lord, and vengeance is mine also” (See Mormon 8:19-20.)

The commencement speaker when I graduated from college was Truman G. Madsen. I will never forget the intensity in his voice as he lamented our human tendency to blame every problem on someone. “The agenda is vengeance,” he said, “and vengeance is self-destructive. And He who said, ‘Vengeance is mine,’ meant to say thereby that it is not yours” (“Upon Your Heads,” Brigham Young University Commencement Address, 12 August 1993).

Here’s a blog post about this warning:

• What Is the Meaning of the Phrase “Vengeance Is Mine?”

4. “Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep.”

Alma taught the people at the waters of Mormon that when we are baptized, we are promising to look out for one another, to “bear one another’s burdens, that they may be light,” to “mourn with those that mourn” and to “comfort those that stand in need of comfort” (Mosiah 18:8-9).

The apostle Paul adds another element to this imperative in his epistle to the Romans: “Rejoice with them that do rejoice,” he wrote, “and weep with them that weep” (Romans 12:15). I like that reminder that empathy is not limited to sharing the difficult experiences of life. As we minister to other people, it is important to share their joys as well as their sorrows, to celebrate their successes and to cheer them on as they accomplish significant goals.

Here is a blog post about the empathy we strive for as followers of Jesus Christ:

• Mourn with Those That Mourn – Mosiah 18:8-10

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