Why must Christians bless our persecutors?

Christians must bless our persecutors because we can be certain of our victory over them in Christ. As far as we know, there was not yet any persecution in Rome when Paul wrote his letter to the Romans. However, he himself had of course experienced the persecution characteristic of the Christian life. As such he is fully aware of the fact that it is part of the life of Christians, who must enter the kingdom of God through many tribulations (Acts 14:22). The Christians in Rome themselves would also soon experience that under the new emperor Nero. As such Paul warns them in advance: Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them (Romans 12:14. Blessing persecutors and praying for them is characteristic of followers of Christ, who himself also prayed for his persecutors even while hanging on the cross (Luke 23:34; consider also the example of Stephen in Acts 7:60). During the old dispensation Israel as a nation had been vulnerable to attacks from their enemies. It experienced wars and abuse, even though it restricted itself only to defensive wars. During the new dispensation, God’s Israel is unassailable. The kingdom of the Messiah is established in heaven and it will most certainly take over the world. In this dispensation, being assured of victory, persecuted believers can therefore bless their persecutors and pray for them. This inevitably flows from the exhortation in Romans 12:11 to serve the Lord.¹