The Forbiddence of Retaliation

This sermon teaches that Christians are called to endure personal wrongs without seeking revenge. Using Atticus Finch’s restraint in To Kill a Mockingbird as an illustration, the preacher contrasts the Old Testament law of “an eye for an eye” with Jesus’ command to “turn the other cheek.” While civil and church authorities are right to uphold justice, individual believers are forbidden to retaliate personally. Followers of Christ must suffer evil because vengeance belongs to God, because God rewards the meek and persecuted, and because Christ himself exemplified patient suffering. The sermon concludes with practical applications—urging believers to trust in God’s justice and rewards, to overcome evil with good, and to view patient endurance as a life-giving testimony that can lead others to faith, just as Jesus’ own suffering brought salvation.