The Book Of ROMANS.....A Systematic Teaching

Romans 13:3.........
"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,"
What does God establish humans over government?

#1. To keep order.
The God-given role of governmental authorities is to keep order and limit chaos. This is true whether those authorities are good people or not. Broadly speaking, human government is one of the ways God restrains the influence of evil in the world.
We as Christians cannot embrace anarchy—rejection of all forms of government—or disobey authority simply because we disagree.

#2.
To maintain the law of the land. Paul describes the way to live without fear of someone in authority: Do good. Authorities are no threat to those who do what is right. In fact, they will approve of you.

This is certainly a sound principle to the extent that those in authority are fair-minded and operate out of sense of integrity. Of course, our instinct is to recall moments in history where those in authority were most definitely a terror to people who were doing good, or at least not doing anything wrong, including Paul himself! The fact that Paul, personally, experienced ungodly government should give us pause before we dismiss his command as unrealistic.

Paul's point here is simply the general case. He's not interested—in this passage—in addressing exceptions. Paul's first concern is that Christians be known in their communities as people in submission to authority; those who do what is good.
We are known by what we do, not what we say we do. Believers ought not have a reputation as law-breakers living in needless conflict and rebellion against authority.

Of course, Jesus and nearly all the apostles, including Paul, were killed by those in authority over them, often for a refusal to obey laws that were in conflict with God's commands to them. This is a key subtlety in Paul's teaching: to "submit" does not necessarily mean to "obey."

We as Christians are to respect our rulers who are enforcing the law. I have the greatest respect for Law enforcement officers and the military. Yes......I do know that they are honeycombed with corruption. Yes......I know they make mistakes.
Remove them and watch what happens my dear friends.

None of the apostles were killed for breaking laws merely for the sake of defying authority; they were "submissive" to the government when they refused to follow ungodly laws.
 
Romans 13:4...........
"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."

Of course, not everyone in positions of authority would agree with that statement. They may not see themselves as servants of God. If fact I would say that most do not. However the key is.......God doesn't care, though.

He put them where they are for His own purposes. In fact, Paul boldly states that God's uses men and women in positions of government authority to execute His own wrath on wrongdoers. Whether knowingly or not, those in authority are avengers for God, used by Him to punish criminals. If we as Christians choose to do what is wrong, sinful actions that break the law, we should be afraid of those in authority, as well.

It should be kept in mind that Paul himself was a lawbreaker; he disobeyed the government.

However, Paul followed his own teaching here by being submissive to that same government: he eventually paid for his crimes against the state with his life, as did many of the other apostles. Paul does not choose this passage to address the need to break the laws of men when they stand against God's direct commands to us (Acts 5:27–29).

Instead, Paul makes clear that, in the normal course of life, human authorities instituted by God carry out God's will by punishing people who do what is wrong. Christians, in that sense, should submit to those in authority, doing good in all cases, and obeying all laws that are not a violation of Christian conscience.
 
Romans 13:5........
"Therefore one must be in subjection, not only to avoid God’s wrath but also for the sake of conscience."

Christians are to obey the law not only because we will be judged and have to pay a fine if we do not, but because of our own conscience sake.

By that, Paul means that we should be in submission to human authorities because we know, as Christians, that it is the right thing to do. It is God's will for our lives. In a general sense, it's part of the Christian sense of humility. We are not the ultimate authority, so we ought to be submissive to those in power over us. Since God put them there then in essence we are obeying God.

It goes without saying that there are exceptions to the idea that government is a force for good. Paul was painfully aware of this himself. He spent much of his life in Roman prisons. He did so without attempting to harm or overthrow his captors—that's submission. However, Paul was not "obedient" to the ungodly parts of Roman law. He refused to stop preaching about Jesus, even when those in authority told him to. He understood that he was responsible to obey God first if it came to a choice between that and obeying human laws.

Paul chooses not to address that in this passage, however. Truthfully, that is the exception and not the rule. In the case of almost every law and human authority, submission is God's will for His children during our short time on this side of eternity. Submission and obedience are normally the same thing—but they are not always the same.
 
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Romans 13:6...........
"For because of this you also pay taxes, for the authorities are ministers of God, attending to this very thing."

We may not like the way our tax money is being spent, we still need to pay our taxes.

If a Christian lies on his IRS tax forms to lower his taxes or to get a refund, is he sinning?? YES!!!!
Paul is being very specific here and he writes, because those taxes support the work God intends to do through the human authorities He has put in place.

Even when those men or women stand against the truths of God, their fundamental role as order-keepers is still part of God's will.

This was a controversial position even among the Jewish leaders of Jesus' and Paul's day. Critics tried to trip Jesus up by asking Him if it was lawful to pay taxes to the Roman ruler, Caesar. Jesus, pointing out that Caesar's picture is on the money, stated flatly that the taxes should be paid in Matt. 22:15-22.

In a similar manner, some in the modern day have suggested Christians should not pay taxes if the government is funding evil practices. Jesus and Paul disagree. Both paid taxes to the same government that ultimately killed them and persecuted other Christians, as well. Neither endorsed the option of not paying taxes as a matter of conscience.

Paul's larger point is that we must trust God to provide for us as His children. In the case of this passage, that includes provision through the government authorities He puts in place. God is fully capable of using them for our good no matter who they are or what their intentions.

Also.........another hold onto your hat moment, Christians should never ever file for bankruptcy!!! Christians, are people who pay what is owed in all cases.

Just because the law allows it does not mean that the Christian should.

YES....I am aware that the Bible does not address bankruptcy per se, we do have some principles that might apply and therefore help us make some judgments.

Biblical principle #1.
We have the responsibility to keep our promises and pay what we owe. Ecclesiastes 5:4-5 says, .......
“When you make a vow to God, do not delay to pay it; For He has no pleasure in fools. Pay what you have vowed — Better not to vow than to vow and not pay."

Biblical principle #2.
Living on credit and not paying back what we owe is characteristic of the wicked. Psalms 37:21 says.........
“The wicked borrows and does not repay, but the righteous shows mercy and gives.”

Christians have no business behaving in the same manner as “the wicked.”

Is it proper for a Christian in debt to get a “quick fix” to his problem by seeking bankruptcy? Based on these verses, the answer is “No.”
A Christian is obligated to pay what he has agreed to pay, under the original terms of the agreement. It may mean a change of lifestyle and a radical revision of the budget, but the good stewardship of money is a part of godly living.

There are certain types of bankruptcy which are designed to postpone repayment, rather than evade it. In such cases, the debt is not erased, and the one filing for bankruptcy communicates his intention of repaying the debt. Court protection is extended until one has the ability to repay. This type of bankruptcy would not violate the biblical principles discussed above and would be, for the individual Christian, a matter of conscience.
 
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Romans 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.”

We may believe that the man or woman if office is unworthy and known crooks, we are to respect the office!

When I was in the Army and many of you were as well, you did not salute the officer in front of you. You saluted the "Uniform" he was wearing!!!! We show respect for the position of the man standing front of us! That is showing respect for authority.

A Christian should be the best citizen in his community although his citizenship is actually in heaven.
 
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Romans 13:8...........
"Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law."

This of course validates what I said earlier about bankruptcy. This is NOT a command to not borrow money or finance a home. It is about paying back what you borrow.

The sense of the Greek is that we should not let any debt remain outstanding—that we should not keep on owing anyone for anything.

However, we need to dig a little deeper here. In truth, however, Paul is not primarily concerned with money here, as the following verses will show. He wants to talk about our obligation as Jesus-followers to love other people, including our neighbors. He seems to say that loving others is a debt we will never pay off. We will never be done with "paying" love to each other.

How does continuing to pay our debt to love others fulfill the law, exactly?

Paul is reflecting what Jesus said are the two greatest commandments, to love God and our neighbors. Paul will show in the following verses that Christlike love will naturally motivate us to keep all the other relationship commands in the law.
 
Romans 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."
Now....do not tell me that you love someone and are committing adultery with that person. You can call that love but it is not love. It is carnal sex and it is sin! It is "Licentiousness" and it is SIN!

Isn't it interesting how we as humans have changed the name of SIN to make it more acceptable.

We call it and "Affair"......................... God calls it adultery =............ SIN.
We call it "Abortion". ........................ God calls it murder = .............SIN.
We call it "Gay".......................................God calls it homosexuality =SIN.
We call it "Positive Attitude ".............God calls it Boasting = SIN.
We calling it "Partying"........................ God calls it Carousing = SIN.

We chane the name so that we can commit the sin and not feel guilty about doing it!!!!
 
Major said:
Romans 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."
Now....do not tell me that you love someone and are committing adultery with that person. You can call that love but it is not love. It is carnal sex and it is sin! It is "Licentiousness" and it is SIN!
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Where would you place the Sabbath in this list of Paul's?
 
Romans 13:10...........
"Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law."

When we are acting in love, we will never hurt anyone. Thus, love fulfills the intention of every other commands given to protect people from harm.

We should be careful, though, not to read Paul's words here to mean that the command to love our neighbors has now become the equivalent of the law of Moses. Paul is not teaching that if we succeed in loving others, we will obtain on our own the righteousness of God. Paul has been extremely clear that those who are in Christ have died to the law and have been released from the law .

Nor is Paul's command suggesting that anything which displeases or bothers another is, by definition, unloving. For example, Christians are commanded to speak the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15); truths such as the reality of our sin are sometimes hard to hear. What Paul means is that acts of love—in and of themselves—are not a source of harm. When we act for others' best interests, we're not doing anything to harm them.

Paul's point here is that those who are in Christ are called to keep on loving our neighbors as we love ourselves. If we were able to do so perfectly—which we are not—we would perfectly keep the law—which we can't. That distinction is one Paul has already addressed in this letter in Romans 3:10; and 7 :22-23.

Loving your neighbor is the fullness of the Law! This kind of love is the fruit of the Spirit.
 
Romans 13:11.................
"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."
Using a series of commands, many of them difficult to follow, Paul has painted a picture of a believer as a person who sets himself aside for the good of others and radically trusts God to provide all that is needed.

Now, in this verse, Paul begins to describe why it is so essential for Christians to live this way.

Time is of the essence. The world is changing right now. Paul writes to the Roman Christians that the hour has come for them to wake up, in the sense that the sun is about to rise. It's time to get to work.

The schedule of day and night drastically controlled the world of Paul's day. With no artificial lighting, firelight—feeble by modern standards—was all that stood between people and darkness. Most work stopped as soon as the sun went down and started again when the sun rose. Paul is urging Christians to see, in a spiritual metaphor, that the sun is about to rise. It's time to get up.

What does it mean that the sun is rising?

Paul describes the moment as one in which salvation is closer now than when his readers first trusted in Christ.

Does this mean that Paul did not think of Christians as being saved? Not at all. The New Testament often describes salvation as something that has happened, is happening, and will happen.

We have been saved. We are being saved as we live. We will be saved from the judgment in the end. In this case, Paul is referring to salvation in the sense that all who are in Christ will have reached eternity, that the time of ultimate victory and judgment is fast approaching.

Paul believed that day could come at any time. Two thousand years later, we are still looking forward to it.
 
Major said:
No.

Dave gave the answer I would give in #489.

Not only that, God gave the words to Paul to write and Paul did not include it.
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That sounds fine, but I'm not convinced the commandments can be so neatly compartmentalized, as James says, if you broke one you broke them all.
 
Romans 13:12...........
"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."

Paul said this 2000 years ago an we need to say it now with more urgency than ever before. Our ultimate salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. The day of the Lord could come at any time. It can be at the Rapture or the moment we die physically!
Either way......we will meet the Lord!

Now Paul writes that the night is far gone, and the day is at hand. He describes the moments when the sky turns gray and the birds begin to stir before the sun breaks the horizon. Spiritually, this symbolic moment began when death was defeated at the resurrection of Jesus. The world remains broken by sin, but the clock is ticking. Creation groans along with us as we wait for our adoption to be finalized and the redemption of our bodies.

Because of the nearing daybreak, Paul writes, Christians must throw away any works of darkness, any of the worthless things we have done that belong to the night and not to the day. He will list some of those in the following verse.

Instead, Paul insists, Christians must prepare for the day by putting on the armaments of light. The actual Greek root word used here is hoplon, which is also translated as "weapon" or "tool" in English. Suddenly, Paul has introduced the concept of Christians taking a defensive position against the darkness rather than joining with it. Paul communicates this idea of the Christian life as a battle in several letters.

Those in Christ no longer belong to the night. We are people of light, and that must change how we live in this critical moment.
 
crossnote said:
That sounds fine, but I'm not convinced the commandments can be so neatly compartmentalized, as James says, if you broke one you broke them all.
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I understand what you are saying. However the Law was not given to the Church. If going to heaven depended on keeping ALL of the commandments, how many people would be in heaven???

Isn't that why Christ dies for us, because He knew that no one could keep all of the Law?

The law was given to show man his fallen nature, and believe it or not, to even increase his sin so that he would look away from himself as the answer and turn to the only one who ever could save - Jesus. These verses teach this -

Rom. 5:20.......
'The law was added (given) so that the trespass might INCREASE. But where sin increased, grace increased all the more, so that, just as sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign through righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Gal. 3:23-25.......
'Before this faith came, we were held prisoners by the law, locked up until faith should be revealed. So the law was put in charge to lead us to Christ that we might be justified by faith. Now that faith has come, we are no longer under the supervision of the law.

So the law exposes our sin. We see ourselves as we truly are. And having seen the problem, we will then look for the solution - which is that through the death of the Lord Jesus, we may be declared righteous in God's sight through faith in what Jesus has done on our behalf.
 
Hello Major;

I wanted to thank you for teaching The Book Of ROMANS.....A Systematic Teaching

Many readers from the world wide public read your thread and it's good to know it's available to them daily.

God bless you, brother, and your entire family. Happy Thanksgiving.

Bob
 
Major said:
I understand what you are saying. However the Law was not given to the Church. If going to heaven depended on keeping ALL of the commandments, how many people would be in heaven???

Isn't that why Christ dies for us, because He knew that no one could keep all of the Law?

The law was given to show man his fallen nature, and believe it or not, to even increase his sin so that he would look away from himself as the answer and turn to the only one who ever could save - Jesus. These verses teach this -
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The law not given to the Church, agreed; but that would beg the question, "Why the litany of commands in verse 9 to the Church, in which many were Gentiles"?
 
bobinfaith said:
Hello Major;

I wanted to thank you for teaching The Book Of ROMANS.....A Systematic Teaching

Many readers from the world wide public read your thread and it's good to know it's available to them daily.

God bless you, brother, and your entire family. Happy Thanksgiving.

Bob
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I have preached the gospel for a long time and taught the Scriptures even longer. From Florida to Central America and many points in-between. Who knew that at the end of my life I would be able to share the Word of God TO THE WORLD!!!!!

The internet may very well be a tool of Satan in these last days, but I am wearing him out with it!!!!!
 
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crossnote said:
The law not given to the Church, agreed; but that would beg the question, "Why the litany of commands in verse 9 to the Church, in which many were Gentiles"?
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The 1st 5 Commandments were between Man and God. The next 5 were between Man and Man. Those 2nd 5 are the ones Paul used in verse #9. He is talking about how love conquers all things and those 5 actions he listed destroy mans relationship with his neighbors.
 
Romans 13:13.........
"Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying."
In other words, let us walk honorably as those in the day do, not in revelings and drunkenness, and not in sexual activity and dissolute abandon, and certainly not in strife and jealousy!

Paul is talking about deeds of darkness, in which those who follow Christ should no longer participate. These things don't fit with who we are or the time in which we live. Paul urges us to walk as if it were daytime instead of taking part in the things that people usually do under the cover of darkness.

What happens every single time a group of people gather at a bar???? A FIGHT!!! When is that.......AT NIGHT!!!

What should daytime people no longer do? Orgies and drunkenness describe a lifestyle of reckless partying. Sexual immorality and sensuality are the focus of those seeking personal pleasure above the good of others. Quarreling and jealousy are both about the need to serve ourselves first and best.

These are nighttime lifestyles, Paul writes, but the sun is coming up. Christians need a new way of living because we are New Creatures in Christ Jesus.

May I say here to all of you......WAY TOOOOO MANY PEOPLE WHO CALL THEMSELVES CHRISTIANS, LIVE SO CLOSE TO THE FLAME OF SIN, THAT THEIR EYEBROWS ARE PERMANITLY SNIGED!!!!!

Folks...listen to an old fashioned southern preacher, you as a Christian, can not read Playboy on Saturday night and go and worship a Holy God on Sunday morning and expect the blessing of God!
 
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