Romans 13:8-10

 

Romans 13:8-10

God’s Law of Love

 

Rom 13:8  Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law.

Rom 13:9  For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

Rom 13:10  Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.

 

        1.      The Greatest Christian Obligation is to Love Others – vs. 8

a.       Jesus taught that law and love were inseparable. You cannot love Christ without obeying His commandments and you cannot obey His commandments without first loving Him.

                                                              i.      John 13:34-35 

                                                            ii.      John 14:15 

                                                          iii.      John 14:21-23 

                                                          iv.      John 15:10 

        2.      The Law Can Be Summarized as ‘Love Thy Neighbor as Thyself’ – vs. 9

1. What Does the Law Say? – vs. 9

                                                              i.      Thou Shalt Have No Other God’s Before Me

1.      Exodus 20:3 

                                                            ii.      Thou Shalt Not Make unto Thee Any Graven Images

1.      Exodus 20:4-6 

                                                          iii.      Thou Shalt Not Take the Lord’s Name in Vain

1.      Exodus 20:7 

 

                                                          iv.      Remember the Sabbath Day and Keep it Holy

1.      Exodus 20:8-11 

                                                            v.      Honor Thy Father and Mother

1.      Exodus 20:12

                                                          vi.      Thou Shalt Not Murder

1.      Exodus 20:13

                                                        vii.      Thou Shalt Not Commit Adultery

1.      Exodus 20:14 

                                                      viii.      Thou Shalt Not Steal

1.      Exodus 20:15 

                                                          ix.      Thou Shalt Not Bear False Witness

1.      Exodus 20:16 

                                                            x.      Thou Shalt Not Covet

1.      Exodus 20:17 

b.      “We do not observe the commandments to make ourselves Christians, but rather we observe the commandments because we are Christians.” – Dr Martyn Lloyd Jones

                                                              i.      Ezekiel 36:26-27 

                                                            ii.      James 2:8 

          3.      Love Does Not Harm Others – vs. 10

a.       What is Love?

                                                              i.      Love is a new nature in Christ

1.      2 Corinthians 5:16-17 

                                                            ii.      Love is service to others

1.      Galatians 5:13-14 

                                                          iii.      Love is putting others first

1.      Philippians 2:3 

                                                          iv.      Love is putting away old habits

1.      Ephesians 4:23-29 

                                                            v.      Love is a bond of perfectness or completeness

1.      Colossians 3:11-14

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Romans 13:6-7

 

Romans 13:6-7

Honor to whom Honor

 

Rom 13:6  For this cause pay ye tribute also: for they are God's ministers, attending continually upon this very thing. 

Rom 13:7  Render therefore to all their dues: tribute to whom tribute is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honour to whom honour. 

        1.      A Government’s Duty is Protect and Provide for Her Citizenry

a.       Government is a God ordained wall between the chaos of anarchy and civility of order. To find a guide on what government should look like we should turn to the only perfect government in existence.

                                                              i.      Isaiah 11:1-5 

         2.      If Government’s God Given Duty is to Protect and Provide for Me What is My Duty to Her as a              Christian?

a.       Pay your taxes

                                                              i.      Taxes may include:

1.      Tribute

a.       Is not something we have to pay here in America, but it is a tax levied on a conquered people.

2.      Customs

a.       These are taxes levied on travel and the exchange of international goods

3.      Tolls

a.       Taxes that are charged for the use of roads and services given by the government

4.      Property taxes

a.       This is the taxation of the property owned by an individual

5.      Income Taxes

a.       Taxation of an individual’s salary

6.      Sales Taxes

a.       The taxation of the exchange of goods and services

7.      Supporting local congregations

a.       For many countries in the world, you are required to pax a tax for the maintenance of a state religion. Here in America because of our beliefs regarding the separation of church and state you are not compelled to pay such a tax.

                                                                                                                                      i.      The Levites were to collect a temple tax to support the work of the temple

1.      Exodus 30:13-16 

                                                                                                                                    ii.      Jesus condemned the system when it became corrupt and filled with greed, implying the need for taxation systems to be keep accountable

1.      Matthew 21:12-13 

                                                            ii.      Can taxation ever be unjust?

1.       Yes, it can, but our response in such situations should not be simple disobedience but collective petition.

a.       Jesus told Peter pay a tax to a system he would later publicly condemn. Peter was to pay this overbearing tax by seeking provision from God.

                                                                                                                                      i.      Matthew 17:24-27 

2.      Taxes can be illegal?

a.       No taxation without representation

3.      Taxes can be immoral?

a.       There are many forms of taxes that are condemned by the Bible, one of which is death taxes

                                                                                                                                      i.      Proverbs 13:22 

b.      Fear Her

                                                              i.      Fear is a form of respect. Paul has already been very clear that the wicked need to fear the government because they will receive the punishment that they deserve from Her.

1.      Proverbs 14:35 

                                                            ii.      Fear is not blind obedience

1.      Ecclesiastes 10:4-6 

c.       Honor Her

                                                              i.      We can honor our government in the following ways

1.      By being patriotic

a.       Nationalism is not wrong it is part of the way God created us to be. We need to have a loyalty to our people and a love for those that God has called us to serve.

                                                                                                                                      i.      Proverbs 14:34 

                                                                                                                                     ii.      Romans 9:1-4

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This is very interesting. Obviously there is more to this story. I have always admired Ravi and I was disappointed that my trust was misplaced. That being said, I want the truth and I am praying that it will come out. If Ravi did the things he is accused of he deserves to be judged for that, but if this is a lie then it would be a terrible tragedy as well.  

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Romans 13:4-5

 

Romans 13:4-5

You Must Needs Be Subject

 

Rom 13:4  For he is the minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil. 

Rom 13:5  Wherefore ye must needs be subject, not only for wrath, but also for conscience sake. 

         1.      Government is a Blessing from God for Your Good – vs. 4a

a.       What government am I currently blessed with?

                                                              i.      A Representative Republic whose founding is based on the ideas of American Exceptionalism which is an idea found in the preaching of John Winthrop, a signer of the Declaration of Independence.

                                                            ii.      In John Winthrop’s sermon “City Upon A Hill” he outlines his vision of what he hoped America would become.

1.      That Americans would be a people that loves justice and mercy

2.      That they would be a people marked by an exceptional generosity

3.      That they would desire to build a community in the following fashion

a.       The persons – The best way to build a fruitful and bountiful society is with people that love each other with the love of Christ.

                                                                                                                                      i.      It was said of the Waldenses: “They used to love any of their own religion even before they were acquainted with them”

b.      The Work - To work toward a government that is fashioned by the consent of the governed

                                                                                                                                      i.      “It is by a mutual consent through a special over valuing providence and a more than ordinary approbation of the churches of Christ to seek out a place of cohabitation and consortship under a due form of government both of civil and ecclesiastical.”

c.       The purpose - With the goal of improving the lives of all so they can be better enabled to serve God

                                                                                                                                      i.      So that us and our posterity can be preserved from the common corruptions of this evil world.

 

d.      The means – By covenanting ourselves to God’s law

                                                                                                                                      i.      Deuteronomy 30:1-6 

                                                                                                                                    ii.      “Ye shall find that the God of Israel is among us when 10 of us shall be able to resist 1000 of our enemies. When He shall make us a praise and a glory that men shall say of succeeding plantations (or nations): ‘the Lord make it like that of New England (or America). For we must consider that we shall be a city upon a hill. The eyes of all people are upon us so that if we shall deal falsely with our God in this work  which we have undertaken and so cause him to withdraw His present help from us we shall be made a story and a byword through the world. We shall open the mouths of enemies to speak evil of the ways of God, and all professors for God’s sake. We shall shame the faces of many of God’s worthy servants and cause their prayers to be turned into curses upon us till we be consumed out of the good land we are agoing.” – John Winthrop

         2.      God has Given Government the Ability to use Force in Order to Punish Evil – vs. 4b

a.       To protect her citizenry from threats that are found domestically

                                                              i.      Proverbs 20:26 

                                                            ii.      Psalm 82:2-4 

b.      To protect her citizenry from threats that are found internationally

                                                              i.      Psalm 18:47-50 

         3.      Government is Given by God to Execute His Wrath on the Wicked – vs. 4c

a.       There are three purposes for God’s law, 1. Restrain evil in the world; 2. Evangelism; 3. A prescription on how to love your neighbor (which Paul will outline later on in Romans 13). Government is ordained by God to execute the first purpose of God’s law.

                                                              i.      Romans 12:19 

                                                            ii.      Psalm 72:11-14 

         4.      You Must be Submissive to Government for Two Reasons: – vs. 5

a.       In order that you are spared from the coming judgement of wicked governments. Therefore, believers must warn a wayward government of the impending judgment of our Savior.

                                                              i.      Psalm 2:10-12 

b.      So that you do not violate your conscience

                                                               i.      1 Peter 3:14-17