Outward peace among men is here intended--peace with Christians
and heathen, with the godly and the wicked, the high and the low. We
must give no occasion for strife; rather, we are to endure every ill
patiently, never permitting peace to be disturbed on our account. We
must not return evil for evil, blow for blow; for he who so does,
gives rise to contention. Paul adds, "As much as in you lieth." We are
to avoid injuring any, lest we be the ones to occasion contention. We
must extend friendliness to all men, even though they be not friendly
to us. It is impossible to maintain peace at all times. The saying is,
"I can continue in peace only so long as my neighbor is willing." But
it lies in our power to leave others at peace, friends and foes, and
to endure the contentions of all. "Oh yes," you say, "but where would
we be then?" Listen:

"Avenge not yourselves, beloved, but give place unto the wrath of God:
for it is written, Vengeance belongeth unto me; I will recompense,
saith the Lord."

68. Note, in forbidding us to return blow for blow and to resort to
vengeance, the apostle implies that our enjoyment of peace depends on
our quiet endurance of others' disturbance. He not only gives us
assurance that we shall be avenged, but he intimidates us from
usurping the office of God, to whom alone belong vengeance and
retribution. Indeed, he rather deplores the fate of the Christian's
enemies, who expose themselves to God's wrath; he would move us to
pity them in view of the fact that we must give place to wrath and
permit them to fall into the hands of God.

The vengeance and wrath of God are dispensed in various ways: through
the instrumentality of political government; at the hands of the
devil; by illness, hunger and pestilence; by fire and water; by war,
enmity, disgrace; and by every possible kind of misfortune on earth.
Every creature may serve as the rod and the weapon of God when he
designs chastisement. As said in Wisdom of Solomon, 5, 17: "He shall
... make the creature his weapon for the revenge of his enemies."

69. So Paul says, "Give place unto wrath." I have inserted the words
"of God" to make clearer the meaning of the text; the wrath of God is
intended, and not the wrath of man. The thought is not of giving place
to the anger of our enemies. True, there may be occasion even for
that, but Paul has not reference here to man's anger. Evidently, he
means misfortunes and plagues, which are regarded as expres