ACC ~ Romans 12 v14

BLESS THOSE WHO PERSECUTE YOU. ORIGEN: Paul does not want those who believe in Christ to curse but rather to speak and to pray for good things so that they may be thought to be servants of a good Lord and disciples of a good Master. … What the apostle says here refers to when we are provoked by our enemies or afflicted by harm. Paul warns us not to repay curses with curses but to do what he says he himself did, as he wrote: “When reviled, we bless.”COMMENTARY ON THE EPISTLE TO THE ROMANS.

OVERCOME ANGER WITH PRAISE. AMBROSIASTER: God makes Christians new people in every respect, so that here too he wants to take away from us the habits of anger which are common to everyone, so that instead of cursing others in anger, which we once did so easily, we might rather overcome our anger and bless them, so that the Lord’s teaching might be praised. COMMENTARY ON PAUL’S EPISTLES.

BLESS, DO NOT CURSE THEM. CHRYSOSTOM: Those who persecute us are conveyors of a reward to us. If you are levelheaded, there will be another reward after that one which you will earn yourself. For your enemy will let you get a reward for persecution, but you will earn a further reward by blessing him, because by doing so you will be demon-strating a very great sign of love for Christ. Just as the man who curses his persecutor shows that he is not pleased to be suffering this for Christ’s sake, he who blesses his persecutor shows the greatness of his love.HOMILIES ON ROMANS 22.

TRANSFORM THE PERSECUTORS. GENNADIUS OF CONSTANTINOPLE: Paul wants them to exhibit such brotherly love that those who want to persecute them will have no excuse for doing so. PAULINE COMMENTARY FROM THE GREEK CHURCH.

CURSE AS PROPHECY. CAESARIUS OF ARLES: How can the Scriptures, which forbid us to curse, contain so many curses themselves? Those curses are not spoken by a person who desires their fulfillment but merely foretell the fact. They do not want this to befall sinners, but because they will doubtless come to pass these curses are proved to be prophecies. SERMON 48.2.

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