Romans 12: Part 20
After telling us that we should "not repay anyone evil for evil", Paul goes on to write that we should "be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone" in the second part of verse 17.
This is a harder passage today, because my initial interpretation is "we need to do what everyone sees as right", but everyone has a different version of what they think is right. So it seems impossible to live this out in our divided, polarized, and argumentative country and world. There are people with diametrically opposed views of what is right, so for us to do what is right in Person A's eyes, we are doing what is wrong in Person B's eyes.
It would be easier if Paul merely wrote "be careful to do what is right in the eyes of God". That is at least clear cut and definable. God has made it clear in His word that He wants us to love Him and love each other. Then He gave 613 examples (commandments) in the Old Testament to break this down further. Additionally, we have the commands of the New Testament to guide us as well.
When a passage confuses us, we can look through different translations to shed new light on a confusing passage. On the Bible app on my phone, I can click "compare" and see the verse in every English translation. Yet for many commentaries, it is useful to go a bit old school in our translations. In the King James, this verse is translated as "Provide things honest in the sight of all men." and the New King James translates this verse as "Have regard for good things in the sight of all men".
We can also look into a few Bible commentaries on this verse (here and here). The first commentary (here), using the NKJV, interprets this passage as instructions to live by praising the good in the world. The commentator goes further and states that people should be able to tell what is good (and what is not good), based on our conduct. The second commentary (here), using the KJV, interprets this passage as we should do, study, plan to do, and intentionally do things that are good so that our actions will recommend our religion to everyone we interact with.
After reading these commentaries, I can see where an alternative interpretation is possible. Instead of being "we need to do what everyone sees as right", it could be interpreted as "we need to do what is right in sight/view of everyone we meet". When we are confused with a passage, we shouldn't just shrug our shoulders and move on. We have resources available to us that can clarify, shed light, and widen our perspectives.
Questions to Wrestle With
Take time this week to consider:
-How have you been careful to do what is right in the sight of everyone?
-Which translation of this verse makes the most sense for you?
-How do the Bible commentaries shed additional light on this passage?
-How can you apply this verse to your life?
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