The One Year Bible Club with Teaching
Commentary by Nick Boork
July 30
Romans 13:1-14
Commentary by Nick Boork
July 30
Romans 13:1-14
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July 30 Romans 13:1-14
Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. 2 Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves. 3 For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to evil. Do you want to be unafraid of the authority? Do what is good, and you will have praise from the same. 4 For he is God’s minister to you for good. But if you do evil, be afraid; for he does not bear the sword in vain; for he is God’s minister, an avenger to execute wrath on him who practices evil. 5 Therefore you must be subject, not only because of wrath but also for conscience’ sake. 6 For because of this you also pay taxes, for they are God’s ministers attending continually to this very thing. 7 Render therefore to all their due: taxes to whom taxes are due, customs to whom customs, fear to whom fear, honor to whom honor.
8 Owe no one anything except to love one another, for he 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 bear false witness,” “You shall not covet,” and if there is any other commandment, are all summed up in this saying, namely, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 10 Love does no harm to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law. 11 And do this, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed. 12 The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light. 13 Let us walk properly, as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in lewdness and lust, not in strife and envy. 14 But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts.
OKAY, HERE’S MY TEACHING COMMENTARY
In Romans chapter 13 we find the apostle Paul continuing to teach believers what it means to be followers of Jesus Christ as Lord and what it means to have a renewed mind. Remember that when the Holy Spirit inspired this to be a written there were no chapters and verses, no, this was an ongoing thought of what it means to be a Christian with a renewed attitude and a life transformed by God. He first talks about the need to be subject to the civic leaders of the land because he says all authority to govern has been appointed by God. For this reason we need to have an attitude of obedience acknowledging that these authorities have been placed over us by God and they are servants of God to do his will especially those in law-enforcement to be an enforcer of the punishment of God against evil doers. For this reason he also says that we need to pay taxes because those taxes are going for good purposes. Sometimes we are unable to control through a vote every detail of how the government spends taxpayers money but according to the Scriptures God uses the government to fulfill his purposes. But does this mean if a government does evil with tax money that it is the will of God? Obviously not but it’s the principle that God has appointed civic leadership in the land.
Next the word of God says that we are to owe nobody anything except to love one another. In other words, the most important thing that you really need to be committed to live as a principal is loving people with the love of God but why love? Because if you love someone you're not going to do them any kind of harm or wrong. For this reason Paul says that when you walk in love toward your fellow man you are fulfilling the law or in other words the highest principle of the law when you take care of people and treat them right. Remember Jesus said that we are to be children of God acting like our heavenly father because he loves both the righteous in the sinner the same because he causes the rain to fall on both and the sun to rise on everybody the same. Loving your neighbor as yourself means that you’re going to respect people and treat others the way you would like to be treated.
Lastly Paul says that we should understand the times were living in because the Lord could come at any time. Therefore, we need to walk just like Jesus is coming back at any moment and put off any kind of evil practice or sinful living and then put on Jesus Christ is Lord of our lives and not make plans to live in any kind of sin. It's very easy to be carried along by the current of this evil world and be conformed to its ways of death but it takes a Christian with determination to stand up and say enough is enough I'm going to follow Jesus Christ as Lord and I am not going to yield to all the temptations around me but I’m going to allow Christ to live his life through me as a testimony for others to see and glorify God.
WHAT’S THE BOTTOM LINE?
1) A Christian is supposed to behave different than somebody that is not saved.
2) The principle of civic government has been ordained by God and our attitude should be a submissive attitude just like we have said yes to Jesus Christ is Lord of our lives.
3) This applies to the areas of paying taxes and giving honor to those that are in civic leadership and law-enforcement.
4) Choosing to walk in the love of God is the highest principle of living we can follow.
5) We are living in the last days before the Lord Jesus Christ returns so we need to live like he is coming at any moment and walk in the Spirit and not the desires of our carnal nature.
PRAYER TO APPLY THE WORD OF GOD TO OUR LIVES
Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. 2 Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves. 3 For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to evil. Do you want to be unafraid of the authority? Do what is good, and you will have praise from the same. 4 For he is God’s minister to you for good. But if you do evil, be afraid; for he does not bear the sword in vain; for he is God’s minister, an avenger to execute wrath on him who practices evil. 5 Therefore you must be subject, not only because of wrath but also for conscience’ sake. 6 For because of this you also pay taxes, for they are God’s ministers attending continually to this very thing. 7 Render therefore to all their due: taxes to whom taxes are due, customs to whom customs, fear to whom fear, honor to whom honor.
8 Owe no one anything except to love one another, for he 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 bear false witness,” “You shall not covet,” and if there is any other commandment, are all summed up in this saying, namely, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 10 Love does no harm to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law. 11 And do this, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed. 12 The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light. 13 Let us walk properly, as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in lewdness and lust, not in strife and envy. 14 But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts.
OKAY, HERE’S MY TEACHING COMMENTARY
In Romans chapter 13 we find the apostle Paul continuing to teach believers what it means to be followers of Jesus Christ as Lord and what it means to have a renewed mind. Remember that when the Holy Spirit inspired this to be a written there were no chapters and verses, no, this was an ongoing thought of what it means to be a Christian with a renewed attitude and a life transformed by God. He first talks about the need to be subject to the civic leaders of the land because he says all authority to govern has been appointed by God. For this reason we need to have an attitude of obedience acknowledging that these authorities have been placed over us by God and they are servants of God to do his will especially those in law-enforcement to be an enforcer of the punishment of God against evil doers. For this reason he also says that we need to pay taxes because those taxes are going for good purposes. Sometimes we are unable to control through a vote every detail of how the government spends taxpayers money but according to the Scriptures God uses the government to fulfill his purposes. But does this mean if a government does evil with tax money that it is the will of God? Obviously not but it’s the principle that God has appointed civic leadership in the land.
Next the word of God says that we are to owe nobody anything except to love one another. In other words, the most important thing that you really need to be committed to live as a principal is loving people with the love of God but why love? Because if you love someone you're not going to do them any kind of harm or wrong. For this reason Paul says that when you walk in love toward your fellow man you are fulfilling the law or in other words the highest principle of the law when you take care of people and treat them right. Remember Jesus said that we are to be children of God acting like our heavenly father because he loves both the righteous in the sinner the same because he causes the rain to fall on both and the sun to rise on everybody the same. Loving your neighbor as yourself means that you’re going to respect people and treat others the way you would like to be treated.
Lastly Paul says that we should understand the times were living in because the Lord could come at any time. Therefore, we need to walk just like Jesus is coming back at any moment and put off any kind of evil practice or sinful living and then put on Jesus Christ is Lord of our lives and not make plans to live in any kind of sin. It's very easy to be carried along by the current of this evil world and be conformed to its ways of death but it takes a Christian with determination to stand up and say enough is enough I'm going to follow Jesus Christ as Lord and I am not going to yield to all the temptations around me but I’m going to allow Christ to live his life through me as a testimony for others to see and glorify God.
WHAT’S THE BOTTOM LINE?
1) A Christian is supposed to behave different than somebody that is not saved.
2) The principle of civic government has been ordained by God and our attitude should be a submissive attitude just like we have said yes to Jesus Christ is Lord of our lives.
3) This applies to the areas of paying taxes and giving honor to those that are in civic leadership and law-enforcement.
4) Choosing to walk in the love of God is the highest principle of living we can follow.
5) We are living in the last days before the Lord Jesus Christ returns so we need to live like he is coming at any moment and walk in the Spirit and not the desires of our carnal nature.
PRAYER TO APPLY THE WORD OF GOD TO OUR LIVES
ORDINATION
We provide Ministry Credentials and Ordination through Diamond Ministerial Association. Click to learn more and apply! http://www.diamondinstitute.org/ordination
ONLINE COURSES
For Bible courses and ministry resources see our online school Diamond Institute. Enroll free today and get access to our free and pay as you go courses. http://www.diamondinstitute.org/enroll
We provide Ministry Credentials and Ordination through Diamond Ministerial Association. Click to learn more and apply! http://www.diamondinstitute.org/ordination
ONLINE COURSES
For Bible courses and ministry resources see our online school Diamond Institute. Enroll free today and get access to our free and pay as you go courses. http://www.diamondinstitute.org/enroll