Romans 12:18
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The context
Romans 12 has just commanded blessing on persecutors and is about to hand vengeance to God. Verse 18 sits between them, and its two qualifiers — "if possible" and "so far as it depends on you" — are unusual in a chapter of blunt imperatives. Verse 19 then quotes the divine prerogative of vengeance.
What it establishes
Peace is to be pursued, and the pursuit is bounded honestly. The verse acknowledges that peace depends on more than one party, and it locates responsibility with the reader without promising success. It is an imperative with a realistic clause attached, which is itself part of the teaching.
What it does not establish
It does not make peace the highest good. The same chapter commands truth, love without hypocrisy and the refusal of revenge; peace is one item among them, not a trump card. Nor does the verse say when the limit has been reached.
Short note, first pass, October 2026. Corrections welcome.
Cited in these answers
Part of Scripture, Opened — the exegetical layer behind every citation on this site. Scripture quotations are from the ESV.