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. Meditation The word of God transforms. In 386 Augustine was seeking freedom from the bondage of sexual pleasures. In prayer Augustine asked God, “How long!?!” He heard a voice say, “Tolle Lege” (“Take up and read”). Understanding this to be direction from God, Augustine picked and read Romans 13:13-14. In faith, Augustine put on Jesus Christ, made no provision for the flesh, and went on to become one of the most influential people in history. Following direction to love enemies and overcome evil with good (12:14-21), Paul commands Christians to honor the state and love the world. God ordains state rule and authority (Daniel 4:17; 1-2), and it is both right and wise for Christians to honor the governing authority over us (1-7). As Christians, we are citizens of Heaven (Philippians 3:20), so our lives today are marked not only with honor of authority but love for neighbor (8-14). Love is the fulfillment of God’s law, both positive and prohibitive. Positively believers “put on the Lord Jesus” and the “amor of light.” Prohibitively we “cast off the works of darkness” and “make no provision for the flesh.” The obligation of love for neighbor is opportunity to embody God’s authority by fulfilling the law of the Lord with love. “Take up and read” is a Divine invitation to everyone. May the Spirit of God use the word of God to dwell richly in you, that your life may embody God’s love. May your true Divine citizenship be marked with freedom from deeds of darkness and be full of the love and light of our Lord Jesus. Richly Dwelling -What does it look like for you to live freely as a citizen of heaven? -What role does honoring authority on the one hand and loving the world where we have been place on the other play? -Where can you positively “put on Christ” and prohibitively “cast off works of darkness” in your life and love? Be specific, knowing the Spirit of God uses the word of God so the power of God is available to/ for you! Key Verse 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. Comments are closed.
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AuthorPastor Mitchell celebrates twenty-five years of marriage with Lisa and together they have four adventurous children. |