January 30, 2014
WHOM DO YOU LOVE?
Romans 13
Rob Heath
Central Truth
We are being watched whether we realize it or not. This passage teaches us how to live in this world in a manner that will attract others to Christ. How we deal with our government and our neighbors is indicative to those watching of Whom we follow.
Key Verse | Romans 13:10
Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law. (Romans 13:10)
Romans 13
Submission to the Authorities
1 Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. 2 Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. 3 For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, 4 for he is God's servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God's wrath on the wrongdoer. 5 Therefore one must be in subjection, not only to avoid God's wrath but also for the sake of conscience. 6 For because of this you also pay taxes, for the authorities are ministers of God, attending to this very thing. 7 Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed.
Fulfilling the Law Through Love
8 Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. 9 For the commandments, “You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,” and any other commandment, are summed up in this word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 10 Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.
11 Besides this you know the time, that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed. 12 The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light. 13 Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy. 14 But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.
Dive Deeper | Romans 13
In this chapter, Paul talks about how we as Christians are to live in this world as Christ followers. He begins by talking about subjecting ourselves to our government, because no authority has been granted anyone except by God (verse 1). He ends this passage teaching about loving each other while we are waiting for Christ to return. Apparently, it is important how we live in our area of influence and how we love each other.
We are to live in submission to our government. That means obeying the law, paying our taxes, etc. If we don't, there are consequences from the government, such as fines or imprisonment. Does that mean to blindly follow the law? I don't think so. It means that if we think a law is unjust or against God's law, we can work to change that through the government. In the USA, some means available for us to change a law include peaceful protests, running for office, or championing an issue publicly to make others aware of the problem. What would motivate people to work to change unjust or ungodly laws? Love for their fellow man.
And that's why Paul finishes this chapter by teaching about love. That is something I have been learning about, even at my age. If we are to love one another, we need to understand what love is. In 1 Corinthians 13, specifically verse 4 through the first part of verse 8, Paul defines what love is, and, more importantly for me at times, what it's not. (Someone else will be writing about that chapter later in this Journey, so I'll leave the depth for them.) One way I can show love is by looking to the interests of others (Philippians 2:4), and that is hard for me. Frankly, I can't do it without His Spirit guiding me because "I'm not much, but I'm all I think about." My relationship with Christ defeats that selfishness in me. Hopefully, others can see me following Him and the difference that makes while attracting them to investigate where that difference comes from.
Discussion Questions
1. Are you praying for our leaders to be influenced by the truth of the gospel, whether you like them or not?
2. Who in your realm of influence is watching how you live, and how do you think they perceive you?
3. Are you loving others at home? At work? On the road? In public?
4. How do you define "love"? Would those closest to you be able to observe love by watching you?