“Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them.” -Romans 12:14
As Paul continues to list these precepts for the new gospel-centered humanity, the church, it doesn’t appear that he is taking any great pains to lay them out in any precise order. Rather, he exhorts the church with a barrage of simple principles that would be most relevant for the new humanity in the present circumstances.
This present directive calls on believers to go further than the mere stoic discipline of simply avoiding retaliation for wrongs suffered; Instead, Christians are called to bless those who persecute us. Though the precept is admittedly wholly contrary to human nature, it is consistent with the divine nature granted to us who believe.
“His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire.” -2 Peter 1:3–4
To bless (from the Greek word εὐλογέω from which we also get eulogize) is to ask God to bestow special favor; to call down God’s gracious power. In Hebrew and other Ancient Near East cultures, to be blessed is to flourish in field and fertility. We are to seek God’s blessings on our persecutors, asking God to make them flourish in righteousness, which is also to ask God for their salvation.
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