Romans - Lesson 13

Text

D. The righteous man and his civil relationship 13:1-7

1. The character of authority 13:1-4

Chapter 13

1 Let every person be in subjection to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God.

2 Therefore he who resists authority has opposed the ordinance of God; and they who have opposed will receive condemnation upon themselves.

3 For rulers are not a cause of fear for good behavior, but for evil. Do you want to have no fear of authority? Do what is good, and you will have praise from the same;

4 for it is a minister of God to you for good. But if you do what is evil, be afraid; for it does not bear the sword for nothing; for it is a minister of God, an avenger who brings wrath upon the one who practices evil.

2. The control of authority (our subjection) 13:5-7

5 Wherefore it is necessary to be in subjection, not only because of wrath, but also for conscience’ sake.

6 For because of this you also pay taxes, for rulers are servants of God, devoting themselves to this very thing.

7 Render to all what is due them: tax to whom tax is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honor to whom honor.

E. The righteous man and his public relationship 13:8-14

1. The standard of conduct 13:8-10

8 Owe nothing to anyone except to love one another; for he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law.

9 For this, "You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet," and if there is any other commandment, it is summed up in this saying, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself."

10 Love does no wrong to a neighbor; love therefore is the fulfillment of the law.

2. The crisis of service 13:11-14

11 And this do, knowing the time, that it is already the hour for you to awaken from sleep; for now salvation is nearer to us than when we believed.

12 The night is almost gone, and the day is at hand. Let us therefore lay aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light.

13 Let us behave properly as in the day, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual promiscuity and sensuality, not in strife and jealousy.

14. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts.

Thought questions for chapter 13

1. Have you ever driven at 4 in the morning and come to a red light when not one car was in sight? What did you do, and why?

About 90% of the time I wait for the light to change, but not all the time. If I’m in a real hurry – well, I just go.

2. What single guiding principle should control the Christian’s life in society? See verses 8-10

Love.

3. How would we rank the six sinful actions of verse 13 today?

Sexual promiscuity Sensuality Strife

Jealously Drunkenness Carousing

4. Who are the authorities in my life, and how well do I submit to them?

God, Government, and my employer. Spotty submission at best.

5. How does the law help us to know what it means to love?

Love is more interested in others than self. Love is not about rules and therefore does not hedge as lawkeepers do.

For further thought

When would it be right to refuse to obey a law?

If that law was in direct opposition to God see Acts 5:29

What potential problems was Paul trying to prevent (or solve) by what he says in verses 1-7?

To prevent (or refute) the concept that Christians are enemies of the state.

What three reasons are given in verses 1-7 for submitting to civil authority? How will this submission be expressed practically?

Its from God 1 If you don’t submit, you are opposing God 2

Do right – no fear.

Submitting to civil authority means being a model citizen.

In verses 11-14, Paul mentions the “armor of light”. What is this, and what will it do for us?

The armor of light see Eph 6:13-17

To what degree are the statements of verses 11-12 still true today?

Whether Christ comes today or 60 years from now, it is still a short time, for our life is like a vapor of smoke.

be not of an evil life

pp. Prov 23:30; Lk 21:34; 1Pet 4:3; 1 Cor 6:9; Eph 5:5; Jas 3:14

We are to walk in newness of Life

Rom 6:6, 11; also Phil 4:8; 1Thess 4:12; 1Pet 2:12; Gal 5:16

Put on the aromor of light Eph 6:13; 1Thess 5:8

Walk in the day Phil 4:8; 1 Thess 4:12; 1Pet 2:12

Put on the Lord Jesus Christ Col 3:5-15; Gal 3:27; Eph 4:24; Col 3:10

Every soul to be in subjection

Resistors (evil doers) Government The Christian

1. Withstand God’s ordinances 1. Of God 1. Subject to the government1,5

2. Against God’s minister 2. Ordained of God 2. Fears (respects) authority 3

3. Brings self-appointed 3. Of rulers 3. Does good 3-4

condemnation

4. Vengeance and wrath results 4. Avenger of God 4b 4. Does good not only because

of wrath

5. Obey for wrath + conscience 5b Pays tribute (taxes) + debts

Owe no one anything

pp. for above Tit 3:1; 1 Pet 2:13; Prov 8:15; Dan 2:21; 4:32; Jn 19:11; 1 Pet 2:14; 3:13

By way of illustration

I desire so to conduct the affairs of this administration that if at the end, when I come to lay down the reins of power, I have lost every other friend on earth, I shall at least have one friend left, and that friend shall be down inside of me.

-Reply to Missouri Committee of Seventy Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865)

Denying oneself is not to be equated with losing one's uniqueness or becoming of no value. There have been great people in each generation who modeled self-denial as they made significant contribution to humankind. One such man was General Robert E. Lee, commander-in-chief of the Confederate troops during the Civil War. Few eagles soared higher during these darkest days of our nation's history than General Lee. In fact none of his biographers have overlooked his trait of self-denial when describing the qualities of that Southern gentleman. Douglas Southall Freeman, in fact, concludes his lengthy volume, Lee, with these moving words that illustrate the extent of the General's humility:

Of humility and submission was born a spirit of self-denial that

prepared him for the hardships of the war and, still more, for

the dark destitution that followed it. This self-denial was, in

some sense, the spiritual counterpart of the social self-control

his mother had inculcated in his boyhood days, and it grew in

power throughout his life. His own misfortunes typified the fate

of the Confederacy and of its adherents. Through it all, his

spirit of self-denial met every demand upon it, and even after he

went to Washington College and had an income on which he could

live easily, he continued to deny himself as an example to his

people. Had his life been epitomized in one sentence of the Book

he read so often, it would have been in the words, "If any man

will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross

daily, and follow me." And if one, only one, of all the myriad

incidents of his stirring life had to be selected to typify his

message, as a man, to the young Americans who stood in hushed awe

that rainy October morning as their parents wept at the passing

of the Southern Arthur, who would hesitate in selecting that

incident? It occurred in Northern Virginia, probably on his last

visit there. A young mother brought her baby to him to be

blessed. He took the infant in his arms and looked at it and

then at her and slowly said, "Teach him he must deny himself."

An interesting thing about flight in outer space is that you must "slow down in order to catch up." If two satellites, or spacecraft, desire to rendezvous, the one that is making an approach cannot accelerate, it must decelerate. If it increases its speed, the craft goes into a higher orbit, but if it decreases its speed, it will drop into a lower orbit and actually gain on the craft ahead of it. Most rendezvous are designed so that the approaching craft comes in from a higher orbit and "slows down, in order to catch up." As a result, it drops into place by decelerating. In a sense this is how we best discover God's will for our own life. If we struggle spiritually and emotionally to please God, we only make it hard on ourselves and will probably move further away from God's perfect will. The best way to serve God is to submit our lives to his control. The more we yield ourselves to his power, the more power is available to use for service. It's a case of "If you lose, you win; if you give in, you won't give out."

The Christian way is different: harder, and easier. Christ says "Give me All. I don't want so much of your time and so much of your money and so much of your work: I want You. I have not come to torment your natural self, but to kill it. No half-measures are any good. I don't want to cut off a branch here and a branch there, I want to have the whole tree down. I don't want to drill the tooth, or crown it, or stop it, but to have it out. Hand over the whole natural self, all the desires which you think innocent as well as the ones you think wicked -- the whole outfit. I will give you a new self instead. In fact, I will give you Myself: my own will shall become yours." -- C. S. Lewis

In the Reader's Digest, December 1982, a marvelous little piece of philosophy appeared that may be helpful to you this year. It is entitled "Anyway."

People are unreasonable, illogical and self-centered. Love them anyway.

If you do good, people will accuse you of selfish ulterior motives. Do good anyway.

If you are successful, you will win false friends and true enemies. Succeed anyway.

Honesty and frankness make you vulnerable. Be honest and frank anyway.

The good you do today will be forgotten tomorrow. Do good anyway.

The biggest people with the biggest ideas can be shot down by the smallest people with the smallest minds. Think big anyway.

People favor underdogs but follow only top dogs. Fight for some underdogs anyway.

What you spent years building may be destroyed overnight. Build anyway.

Give the world the best you have and you'll get kicked in the teeth. Give the world the best you've got anyway.

Romans chapter 13

1. Is the statement “Caesar is Lord” approved by Romans chapter 13?

2. We are to be subject to governing authorities

Dt. 17:12; Titus 3:1; 1 Pet 2:13-17; 2 Pet 2:1-10

3. No Authority but from God

1Sam 2:6-8; Psa 62:11; Prov 8:12-16; Jer 27:5-8; Dan 2:20-21; 4:32;

5:18-23; Matt 6:13; Jn 19:11; Rev 1:5; 19:16

4. What about Acts 5:29, 16:25; 2Cor 11:18-24; Daniel chapt 3?

What about a government that ordered the murder of innocents, or funded an unjust war, or passed a law that was against every moral truth we hold dear?

Is there a difference in our attitude between governmental actions that relate to the physical as opposed to the spiritual?

5. Should we pay taxes to a corrupt, ungodly government?

Matt 17:24-27; Matt 22:15-22; Mk 12:13-17; Rom 13:6-7

6. Is Romans 13:8 talking about Christians being debt free?

Examples—Ex 22:14; 2 Ki 6:5; Neh 5:1-12; Matt 5:42

Collateral -- Ex 22:26; Dt 24:6; Job 24:3

Surety—Prov 6:1; 11:15; 17:18; 22:26

What about the context? See vs 7 and 9ff. of Romans 13