Treat Everyone with Goodness

Summary: Paul instructs the believers to make sure that no one repays another person with evil for evil. Rather than seeking revenge or returning wrongdoing in kind, they are to pursue what is good. This commitment to doing good is to be shown not only toward fellow believers within the church, but also toward all people. The verse presents a community that responds to wrongs with goodness and actively seeks the welfare of others instead of retaliation. Teaching: When someone harbors ill will toward me, speaks evil against me, or acts wrongly toward me, God commands me not to respond with the same evil attitude, words, or actions. Evil is the hatred, speech, and behavior that oppose God's character. It is what God hates and condemns. Therefore, when a person who believes in God responds to evil with the same kind of evil thoughts, words, and deeds, that is not the conduct God desires of His people. Instead, God calls us to answer evil words and actions with good words and actions. Yet this is not something we can accomplish by our own strength. Responding to evil with goodness is not a natural human ability; it is the work of God within us. This teaching assumes that goodness does not originate from us. To think, speak, and act in ways that are truly good, we need God's help and grace. Such grace comes through faith in God, through His power, through the work of the Holy Spirit, and through His guidance in our lives. For this reason, we must continually reaffirm our complete trust in God's Word, convinced that living according to His commands is always for our good. And what makes such confidence possible is the gospel itself. Through the gospel, we learn to trust God, rely on His grace, and walk in obedience even when it means returning good for evil. Excerpt from the sermon by Pastor Lee, Jul 20, 2026 1 Thessalonians 5:15