The Church’s Responsibility to it’s Neighbors, Romans 13:8-14

Beginning in chapter 12, Paul has been writing a series of practical exhortations to the church.  He started off in ch.12 vs 1 saying that as Christians we have a responsibility to present our bodies to the church as a living sacrifice, which is our reasonable service of worship. Now as we have learned, the church is not a building, nor a denomination, but a people.  The church is the eklesia, the called out ones, the assembly of believers who make up Christ’s body in local community.  So we are to physically present ourselves to be a part of that assembly, and give ourselves to that congregation, and render service to the church as our worship to God.

Then Paul spent the next few verses of ch.12  describing the church’s responsibility to each other through the use of our spiritual gifts.  Spiritual gifts are given by the Holy Spirit to individual members of the body for the building up of others in the body.  Not for your own edification, but the purpose of gifts is the edification of the church.

And then Paul adds that the motivation for utilizing our gifts is our love for one another.  Jesus said “they will know that you are my disciples by your love for one another.”  Christians love one another in the church in very practical ways; in hospitality, in service, in giving, in sharing, in perseverance.  Again, the emphasis is not on you feeling loved, not on reciprocation for our love,  but on you showing sacrificial love to others in the church.

Then at the end of chapter 12, we learned about the church’s responsibility to the world.  Never take revenge, but if your enemy is hungry, feed him.  If he is thirsty, give him a drink. Do not be overcome with evil, but overcome evil with good.

Chapter 13, which we began last week, is concerned with the church’s responsibility to government. And particularly in these days of government oversight and overstepping of their authority, that is a very pertinent section of scripture.  We could summarize the teaching of that passage by quoting the statement by Jesus, “Render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and render unto God the things that are God’s. “

Today we come to the final part of chapter 13, in which Paul tells us what should be the church’s responsibility towards everybody.  In a sense, it’s a summary of all the principles that have been said on the subject of church responsibility starting in chapter 12.  

Now I have used this term “responsibility” purposely as I have summarized these two chapters because that is really what Paul is getting at.  A responsibility is an obligation.  And the church is obligated to respond as Paul has indicated.  We are obligated because of what Christ has done for us.  Our response to our salvation should be one of gratitude for what Christ did for us, when we were the offenders, when we were enemies of God,  When we were unmerciful He was merciful to us.  When we were unloving, He was loving towards us.  When we were unforgiving, He forgave us. When we were unrighteous, His righteousness was counted to us.

So then, having been saved by grace, we have been changed in our hearts, we have received the Spirit of Christ to dwell in us.  And as a result of that transformation, we want to serve the Lord.  We love the Lord.  We want to please the Lord. And Jesus said that the way He wants us to serve Him is by serving one another.  Jesus speaking in a parable about Himself said in Matt. 25:37-40  "Then the righteous will answer Him, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You [something] to drink?  'And when did we see You a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You?  'When did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?' "The King will answer and say to them, 'Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, [even] the least [of them,] you did it to Me.’”

Now that obligation to serve others as a means of serving Christ is the basis for Paul’s statement in vs 8, “Owe nothing to anyone except to love one another; for he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled [the] law.”  Now Paul isn’t saying here that as a Christian you should never borrow.  Dave Ramsey may think that is always a bad thing, and he may have some valid points on that subject.  But Jesus indicated in Matt.5:42, and Luke 6:35 that borrowing or lending is permissible if done the right way.

What the apostle is saying though is that we have an obligation to love one another, not to take from one another.  Jesus said, It is better to give than to receive.  The world’s attitude is take all that you can get from life. Take  from anyone that can benefit you. But if that’s how you operate, then you owe all those people that you stepped on and took advantage of, that you used for your own purposes, in order to get where you wanted to get in life.

But the Christian is not to be like that.  Rather than being takers, we are to be givers.  The only thing we should owe anyone is love. We are obligated to love.  We must love because He first loved us. Notice that it is a love to anyone. Not love just to people I like.  Nor even love to people in the church.  But love to anyone who crosses my path.  Now this is difficult.  I will grant you that. It’s not natural. And it can only be done when we are in agreement with chapter 12 vs 2, “And be not conformed to this world, (don’t think like the world thinks, don’t think this is just the way the world is) but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.  Renewing there is present tense.  It’s continual.  It’s being conformed to the image of Jesus Christ first of all in our mind, so that we have the mind of Christ.  That comes from meditating on His word.  As we study the word of God His thoughts become our thoughts, so that our mind is renewed.  We have a different way of thinking.  We have a new heart, so that we have new desires.

And so as God so loved the world that He gave His only Son to die on the cross for them, so that sinners might be saved, the unrighteous may be made righteous, the dead might be given life, so we learn to love everyone as Christ loves everyone. Now I have made this point previously, but let me reaffirm it for a moment; Just because God loved the world does not mean that God condones the sin of the world.  No, God loved the world so that even though they were sinners, Christ died for their sin so that they might be saved.  Love does not mean condoning nor disregarding sin.  But the penalty for sin had to be paid, and God paid our penalty on the cross. We love the sinner but hate the sin. Because sin destroys.  And so because we love the sinner we show them the way that their sin can be forgiven.

So our obligation is to love anyone whom we come into contact with.  Showing Christian love is how the world might be saved, and if they are saved, love is how we build them up in their faith.  Love spoken of here is a sacrificial love.  We present our bodies as a living sacrifice to love the church, to love God and to love one another. We sacrifice what’s important to us for what is important for them.  Love doesn’t mean we have to approve of them, or even like them, or like their behavior, but we are to do for them that which is most beneficial for them.  We show love to them by sharing the good news of the gospel so that they can know salvation for their soul, and we share with them whatever earthly needs that they may have.

Paul says in vs 8 “he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law.”  Jesus said in Matt. 5:17  "Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill.”  As Christians, we are not under the penalty of the law.  Jesus paid that penalty on the cross.  But we are obligated to keep His commandments.  We are not saved by keeping the law, we are saved by faith in Jesus Christ.  But once justified by faith, out of gratitude we should be motivated to do what God wants us to do, to live as He wants us to live.  We should live as Christ lived.  And Christ kept the law perfectly.  The law is God’s standard of righteousness.

So how do we fulfill the law by loving one another as Paul said?  The short answer is in vs 10, “Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of [the] law.”  Love does no harm to a neighbor.

Now let’s pause for a moment and consider this word neighbor for a moment.  I’m sure you are all familiar with the story of the Good Samaritan.  What you may have forgotten was that Jesus told that parable in response to a lawyer's question; “Who is my neighbor?”  The lawyer asked that question because he had first asked Jesus how to inherit eternal life.  And Jesus turned him to the law, the man’s specialty.  Jesus said what does the law say?

Luke 10:27-28 tells us the lawyer answered, "YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR STRENGTH, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND; AND YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF." And Jesus said to him, "You have answered correctly; DO THIS AND YOU WILL LIVE.”  So to justify himself the man said, “who is my neighbor?”  He wanted to limit the concept of a neighbor as much as possible.

So Jesus gave this parable to illustrate who is his neighbor.  He said, ”A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among robbers, and they stripped him and beat him, and went away leaving him half dead.  And by chance a priest was going down on that road, and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. Likewise a Levite also, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side.  But a Samaritan, who was on a journey, came upon him; and when he saw him, he felt compassion,  and came to him and bandaged up his wounds, pouring oil and wine on [them;] and he put him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn and took care of him.  On the next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper and said, 'Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, when I return I will repay you.'  "Which of these three do you think proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell into the robbers' [hands?]"  And the lawyer said, "The one who showed mercy toward him." Then Jesus said to him, "Go and do the same.”

So your neighbor is anyone who you might come in contact with.  And we should consider how that Samaritan showed love towards his neighbor.  He interrupted his trip to take care of this man. He used his own resources to supply what the man needed, even to paying for future costs to the innkeeper.  He said he would come back that way and check on him and supply whatever more was needed.  He showed compassion for a stranger.  He showed mercy towards his neighbor.  That is what love looks like.

Now I skipped over a verse, vs 9, in which Paul says what love is not.  And to illustrate what love is not, he quotes from the 10 commandments.  He says in vs9, “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.”

What that illustrates is that if you love your neighbor, you will not break the law, you will not commit adultery with his wife.  If you love your neighbor, you cannot murder him. If you love your neighbor, you cannot steal from him. And if you love your neighbor, you will not covet his possessions. But rather you will rejoice with him as we saw back in 12:17. 

But as Jesus said, all the law pertaining to man’s relationship with man is summed up in the saying, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”  At the very least what he means by the phrase “as yourself” is the natural tendency towards self preservation.  That tendency means that everything I do is filtered by how it may hurt me, or how it may benefit me.  And both Paul and Jesus are indicating that same metric should be used for how we love our neighbor.  How we may benefit him, how we may avoid hurting him.  So that vs 10 concludes then that love does no harm to the neighbor.  He benefits his neighbor and he does no harm to his neighbor.  That is love.  And love is the fulfillment of the law.  Love is not based on how much you like someone, or how attracted you may be to them, or how you think they might reciprocate towards you.  But love is acting purely for their benefit.

Let me assure you that this is not our natural behavior.  This is learned behavior. This is consciously patterning ourselves after Jesus Christ and deliberately being transformed by the renewing of the mind.  I would suggest that this kind of love  is like the maturation process of  raising a child.  A child is naturally selfish and self centered.  “Mine!” is probably one of the first words a child learns.  So learning to share is a result of maturity, but it’s a learned behavior, it’s not natural.  And I would suggest that Christian love is a discipline that has to be learned as well.  Christian love is not an automatic response, an overwhelming emotion, but love is a commitment.

Then in vs 11, Paul says that there is needs to be an urgency to our love.  He says time is of the essence.  There is a natural tendency on the part of human nature to procrastinate, to put off for another day.  And the degree of commitment to love that Paul is talking about is the sort of thing it is very easy to put off until tomorrow.  

I had a friend that I knew from surfing.  We weren’t that close, but we knew each other for many years.  We surfed together from time to time.  And occasionally he would call me just to talk about surfing.  The other day he called and during the conversation  he revealed that his cancer had returned with a vengeance and he was getting very high doses of radiation and chemotherapy to treat the cancer.  I tried to speak with him about his relationship to  the Lord, but I must confess that what I said was kind of generic.  I didn’t feel comfortable really taking the opportunity to drive home the message of the gospel.  He was kind of weeping at one point, and I just hesitated to push the question of his spiritual condition too far.  So as we finished the conversation I said  that I would be praying that God would help him recover and that I hoped we would be surfing together again soon.  

Later on, I was really convicted that I did not say all that I could have said at that time.  And so a few days later I was driving by one of his stores in Salisbury and I stopped in to ask one of the clerks for his address.   I thought perhaps I could send him a card and write some things to him about his salvation.  But the clerk apologized and said I’m sorry to be the one to tell you,  but  my friend had passed away just a couple of days after our call.  My opportunity to love him the way Christ loved him was gone.

And I think that’s what Paul is getting at here in these closing verses of this chapter.  He says, in vs 11, “Do this, 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.”  Do this… do what?  Love your neighbor as yourself. Do that. Love your neighbor, knowing the time, that it is already the hour for you to awaken from your sleep.

I’m afraid that a lot of Christians in the church can be related to a person who is sleeping on the job. We may be present in body, but we are asleep spiritually.  We have an obligation to God, we owe our neighbors, we owe the congregation of the church our love but we too occupied with our own needs. But if we loved our neighbors we would tell them the good news.  We would tell them that whoever believes in Christ will have eternal life, they will never die.  But we  are tired.  We’ve turned off the lights and zoned out.  We are too busy taking care of our deal to think about others.  I’ve often said, the sign of an immature Christian is that they come to church for themselves, when they feel like it, when it’s not inconvenient for them.  The sign of maturity is you come for others, to serve others, to encourage others, to love others.  Paul says the time is critical.  It’s urgent.  Wake up.  

What does Paul mean though when he says we need to wake up because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed? Notice he says our salvation.  Not others salvation, but ours.  We were justified by grace through faith. The penalty for sin has been dealt with. Thats the first phase of our salvation.  The second phase of our salvation is sanctification.  Sanctification is when we are freed from the power of sin.  Sin no longer controls us.  We are transformed, renewed, walking in the power of the Spirit.  It’s the phase when we are being conformed to the image of Jesus Christ. Now that’s a process.  And Paul says in that process we are further along than we were.  

And the final phase of our salvation is glorification.  Glorification is the phase when sin’s presence is done away with.  Glorification comes at the consummation of the age, when Christ returns, and we will be like Him, and sin will be done away with.  So as we progress in our salvation, looking for the day when we shall be with Christ, that day is nearer than when we first believed.  Time for us is short, and growing shorter every day. We don’t know how much time we have left to do what God commanded us to do, but it’s less than we had yesterday.

 Paul says the time is  like the sunrise after a long night. vs12, “The night is almost gone, and the day is near. Therefore let us lay aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light.”

Morning is coming. Jesus Christ the light of the world is going to return soon.  Paul says that the world is in darkness. And the world has been living in darkness since the Light of the world was taken up into heaven.  The world does the deeds of darkness.  That speaks of the sin of the world, the ignorance of the world.  But we that are saved are to be lights in the darkness.  Notice Paul says put on the armor of light.  This is spiritual warfare, and the way to defeat the kingdom of darkness which holds men and women captive is by putting on the armor of light which God has given us.  That light is the truth of the gospel.  It is the knowledge of salvation.  That is the armor of light.  Put it on.  Wear it.

Paul said in Phil. 2:15 that we were to act “so that you will prove yourselves to be blameless and innocent, children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you appear as lights in the world.”  We are to bear the light, shine the light of the gospel to a world in darkness.  That is love.  That is loving your neighbor.

Therefore let us lay aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light.  Now Paul describes the deeds of darkness; “Let us behave properly as in the day, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual promiscuity and sensuality, not in strife and jealousy.”  

Do we even need to expound on those examples of the deeds of darkness? I don’t think we need to explain them.  But what needs to be said is that far too often the saint still hasn’t put off the sin.  Notice the admonition to put off the deeds of darkness is given to us.  He says “let us behave properly, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual promiscuity and sensuality, not in strife and jealousy.”  All those deeds of darkness are  things that the Christian still has to deal with in his own life, has to guard against.  We live in a society today that makes such things seem normal, seem legitimate, and certainly seem desirable.  

But as Peter says concerning those things in 1Peter 4:1-5 “Therefore, since Christ has suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same purpose, because he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin,  so as to live the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for the lusts of men, but for the will of God.  For the time already past is sufficient [for you] to have carried out the desire of the Gentiles, having pursued a course of sensuality, lusts, drunkenness, carousing, drinking parties and abominable idolatries.  In [all] this, they are surprised that you do not run with [them] into the same excesses of dissipation, and they malign [you;]  but they will give account to Him who is ready to judge the living and the dead.”  That judgment will happen on the day which Paul said was at hand.  Morning is coming.  Jesus is coming back.  Put off the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light.

And finally, we see that the armor of light is Jesus Christ Himself. vs14, “But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts.”  Clothe yourselves with Jesus Christ. Put on the attitude of Christ.  Be dressed in the righteousness of Christ.  Put on the gospel of Christ. Put on the love of Christ. Put on the word of Christ. And do not put on any part of that old nature which fulfills the lusts of the flesh.  Don’t put on the attitude of the world.  Don’t put on the clothes of the world.  Don’t put on the deeds of darkness.  As you put on Jesus, the things of this world will fade into the darkness of the past.  Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.  Cleanse yourself of all ungodliness and unrighteousness and let your light shine before men, that they might see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven.

The Church’s attitude towards government, Romans 13:1-7

In the previous chapter, Paul has given us exhortation on the believer’s proper attitude towards God and towards God’s church.  And in that commentary he describes how we are to exercise our spiritual gifts for the benefit of the church, and how we are to act in love towards other members of the church.  Then at the end of chapter 12 he describes how as the church we are to act in love towards outsiders of the church.  

Now in chapter 13, Paul describes how the church is to act in response to the governing authorities. And perhaps this passage is more pertinent today than usual given the effects of the virus and the government’s restrictions that they have enacted as a reaction to it.  However, I want to make sure that you know that I have not composed this message in response to the government’s current restrictions on the church, nor should we limit the scope of this passage only as it relates to the virus and the ensuing government restrictions.  But this message is timeless, in the sense that it was applicable in the day when Paul wrote it, living under the Roman Empire, and it has been applicable throughout the ages, whether in democracies or monarchies, whether under kings or presidents, whether in times of crisis or peace.  

I would also suggest that if we understood the original context to the audience that this passage was written to address, the predominate issue in Paul’s day would have been the subject of taxation.  And I think that becomes evident from the emphasis of the latter part of the text, verses 6 and 7. From history we know the Jews in particular had a lot of difficulty with taxation. And in fact Peter got Jesus and the rest of the disciples mixed up in a bit of controversy about whether or not it was right to pay taxes to Caesar or not.  The Jews saw even the bust of the Emperor on the head of a coin as an offense to the law of God.  Thus they had money changers who would sit at the temple to exchange Roman money for Jewish coins, so that they did not have to have a graven image in the temple, which is how they viewed the Roman coins.

There was also a popular counter revolutionary movement among the Jews of that day which was known as the Zealots.  They recognized no king but God and paid taxes to no one but God.  So the primary concern among Jewish people living under the Roman Empire was whether or not they were obligated to submit to the Roman government's taxation.

But remember the counterpoint which Jesus made in regards to this issue of taxation. He said; “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, but render to God the things that are God’s.”  Now as you might expect, this was a particularly brilliant response on the part of Jesus which is applicable on a much broader scope than just the subject of taxes. And that statement stands today as the governing principle which we can use to properly interpret this passage before us.   Caesar or governments have some legitimate authority.  And furthermore, God has given them this authority.  But all authority on earth is subject to a greater authority, that being the sovereignty of God.  

Notice in that regard what Paul says in vs 1, “For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God.”  It’s interesting to note that when Jesus was at His trial, He said to Pilate in John 19:11 "You would have no authority over Me, unless it had been given you from above.”  Government’s authority then is not due to it’s own sovereignty, as if it is equal to, or independent from God, but governments are ministers to a degree of God’s authority which he has delegated to government.  

Perhaps that relationship can be understood in light of how civil government works.  In our government, there is the President and Vice President of course at the top of the hierarchy of authority, but the President appoints certain ministers of various branches of government to act on his behalf, such as the Department of Defense, of which the head may be called the Minister of Defense.  So the Minister of Defense acts on behalf of the president to carry out the policies and programs of his administration through that department. 

Now I believe that is how this passage indicates civil governments are supposed to function under the sovereignty of God, and how they act as a minister of God to carry out governmental responsibilities.  And as God’s ministers of earthly government, we as the church are to be in subjection to them.  Paul says in vs 1, “Let every person be subject to the governing authorities.” God has granted or extended a certain measure of His authority to civil governments and we must be subject to them as they carry out their duties.

But the question arises, what if the government tells me to do one thing, and God through His word tells me to do the opposite, what must we do then? Is there a point when government might overstep their authority and counter the supreme authority of God?  Well, it should be obvious that government does sometimes act contrary to the law of God.  But what we have already established is that whatever authority government has it has as a minister of God.  So as it carries out the will of God then we are to be subject to them, as they are acting on behalf of God.  But when they act in opposition to the will of God, then that is when we must obey God rather than men.

For instance, in Acts 4 there is the account of Peter and John who were arrested by the high priest and the Council, which was the ruling party of Israel,  and they commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John answered and said to them, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to give heed to you rather than to God, you be the judge;

for we cannot stop speaking about what we have seen and heard.”.  When Peter and John persisted preaching Jesus, they were arrested again and put in prison.  But during the night the angel of the Lord released them from jail, and the next morning when the rulers came to examine them they found that they were no longer there, but in fact were preaching in the temple.  And so they brought them back to the council for questioning and they instructed them not to teach anymore in the name of Jesus.  But Peter said, “We must obey God rather than men.”

So there are obviously times when government can overstep it’s authority and in such cases it is right to obey God rather than men, because God is the ultimate authority, and government’s authority is only extant when it conforms with God’s rule.  If government should demand that we sin, or that we go against God’s law or commands, then we have a higher obligation to obey God rather than to that government.  

Another example of that is found in the life of Daniel. Daniel was a high level official in the king’s administration.  But jealousy on the part of other commissioners towards Daniel caused them to propose to the king that no one should pray to any god or man other than the king for 30 days or he would be thrown into the lion’s den.  Now Daniel had been in the habit of praying three times a day from his open window facing Jerusalem.  And that was well known to the other commissioners who had devised this plan to do away with Daniel.  There were perhaps a lot of ways that Daniel could have secretly continued to pray and they would not have found out about it.  But Daniel deliberately disobeyed the edict, and continued his practice of praying facing the window of his room which was obviously in plain sight of anyone watching. Consequently his enemies reported him to the king and Daniel was thrown into the lion’s den. But the fact that God delivered Daniel from the lions is evidence that Daniel’s disobedience to the government was approved by God.   

Let me give you one other example.  Because believe it or not, I have heard many preachers attempt to debunk both of those examples as not relevant to civil disobedience.  In the days of Moses, Pharaoh decided to kill all the baby boys born in Israel that were under the age of 2 years old.  And as more babies were born it seems that the midwives were tasked with putting the boy babies to death as soon as they were delivered.  But Exodus 1 tells us that the Hebrew midwives feared God, and did not do as the king of Egypt had commanded them, but let the boys live.  And once again, we see that God commended the midwives rebellion as it says in Exodus 1:21 “Because the midwives feared God, He established households for them.”

Now there are other examples of that sort of civil disobedience as well that are to be found in scripture, but I think that should suffice.  So what kind of authority does the government have and to what extent is Paul saying that we should be subject to it?  Well, I think the answer may come from noticing some key phrases of this passage.  

Notice the first part of vs 2.  “Therefore whoever resists authority has opposed the ordinance of God.”  Now what should be recognized in that statement is that the ordinance of God is carried out by the governing authorities.  What is the ordinance of God?  Ordinance means legislation enacted by a governing authority.  So then the law of God, the rules of God, the commands of God are carried out by the governing authorities.  

Perhaps the best way to understand that is to recognize that all law, in every nation, has as it’s foundation a moral code which is based on the moral code of God.  I would dare to say that I doubt you could find any government on earth, regardless of it’s prevailing religion, that does not view murder as a crime, that does not view lying as a wrong, or stealing as wrong. Back in Romans 1:32 Paul spoke of this universal realization of right and wrong, saying, that even thought they did not acknowledge God,  they knew the ordinance of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of death.

And so God’s ordinances for how men should conduct themselves in this world are universally accepted principles that governments have adapted into their own legislation.  Government’s primary responsibility is to enforce the law,  to keep the peace, to make laws regarding conduct and trade and so forth in order to regulate society for it’s good.  

And notice how Paul references that aspect of government in vs 3. “For rulers are not a fear for good behavior but to evil.”  Notice that phrase - good behavior, or good conduct.  That is what government is to promote as an minister of God.  In other words, they enforce God’s laws, God’s ordinances regarding human conduct.  

So Paul continues, “Do you want to have no fear of authority? Do what is good and you will have praise from the same; 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 on the one who practices evil.”

Paul says if you do what is good you will have praise from the government, for it is a minister of God to you for good.  Another way of saying that is government is God’s minister to do you good.  If the government enforces and regulates conduct which is good, by laws and ordinances which are good, then it is acting as a minister of God.  And by and large,  most legislation which  government enacts is good.  It promotes lawful, peaceful life in community and that is good for us, especially as the church. 

To that end, Paul told us in 1Tim. 2:1-2 “First of all, then, I urge that entreaties [and] prayers, petitions [and] thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men,  for kings and all who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity.” That is God’s purpose for government, to produce a peaceable and quiet life in all godliness and dignity,  and it’s one that the church should support and submit to.

But on the other hand,  if the government should encourage the practice of evil, then it no longer is acting on behalf of the authority given it by God, and if we do good in opposition to the evil which it promotes, then we cannot expect to receive praise from the government. But the fault then is on the part of government when it does not promote good in coordination with the ordinances of God.

What government should be doing, according to this verse, is promoting good and punishing evil doers. “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 on the one who practices evil.”  Punishment is a necessary part of the administration of government.  In fact, when government punishes evil, Paul says it acts as an avenger for God to bring wrath on the evildoer.

So simply speaking, when government is working as God intends it to work, then it is punishing evil and promoting good. And when it does that by regulation of conduct by the law of God that is written in our hearts and codified in our legislation, then such government is a minister of God.

Now to bear the sword is a phrase that in that day and throughout most of history has meant to put to death. That verse then makes it clear that capital punishment is something that governments are tasked to do in their administration of God’s authority. Such governments, Paul says, are acting as God’s servant, an avenger to bring God’s wrath upon the one who practices evil. 

“That is why," vs 5 continues, “it is necessary to be in subjection, not only to avoid God’s wrath, but also for the sake of conscience.”  He is speaking of the fact that government is acting on behalf of God when it executes punishment, and so he says because of that, it’s necessary to be in subjection not only to avoid wrath, but also for the sake of your conscience.  A Christian obeys God rather than man.  And we obey God for the sake of our conscience.  Whether man sees us or not, we obey God because we have an enlightened conscience.  If we love God we must obey God.  The punishment aspect of government should not concern us because we operate on the basis of a higher principle, out of a love for God and our conscience convicts us when we deviate from that.  We should not need the penal aspects of government to keep us from sin.  Love keeps us from sin.

Now this enlightened conscience convicts us and helps us to not only obey God, but by application to obey government. The principle is that we submit to government, and now the application is we submit to the arm of government that collects taxes.  And Paul states that by saying in vs 6, “This is why (for the sake of conscience) you pay taxes, for rulers are servants of God, devoting themselves to this very thing.”   I don’t know if Paul wrote that a little tongue in cheek or not.  But what he is saying is that rulers devote themselves to collecting taxes. 

Now none of us like taxes. And the Jews in particular hated tax collectors.  But what Paul is saying is that we should not consider taxes as some sort of tyrannical oppression.  But taxes are necessary for the maintenance of government. Therefore those who collect taxes are doing so in their capacity as God’s ministers of government.

In the Old Testament, under a theocratic rule of government, we read about tithing, which was a form of taxation.  And since the priests were ministers of God both in religion as well as civil matters there were several different tithes that took care of all their governmental functions.  Someone has said that all the taxes or tithes that were paid by the Hebrews in those days totaled around 33 percent.  But a large portion of that went for the upkeep of the temple and the administration of government.  So the Jews were not strangers to paying taxes. They just didn’t like paying taxes to Caesar.  Nevertheless, God says that it is right to pay taxes to government because they must use that money for the maintenance of civil government, which is by extension, God’s government.

The government after all is working for your good, if it is operating as God intended it, and as the scripture says a worker is worthy of his wages.  Therefore, Paul concludes this commentary on the church’s responsibility to government with a summary application in vs 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.”

Peter has a passage in his first epistle in which he says virtually the same thing, but he also gives us more exposition as to why we must do so.  So I will let Peter be the final commentary on Paul in this case.  In 1Peter 2:13-17 Peter says, “Submit yourselves for the Lord's sake to every human institution, whether to a king as the one in authority,  or to governors as sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and the praise of those who do right.  For such is the will of God that by doing right you may silence the ignorance of foolish men.  [Act] as free men, and do not use your freedom as a covering for evil, but [use it] as bondslaves of God.  Honor all people, love the brotherhood, fear God, honor the king.”

Notice once again the emphasis is on doing right, doing good.  By doing right you silence the ignorance of foolish men.  We have a freedom as God’s people and we might say that because of that we need not honor government, but that is not what the scriptures say.  It says we are to submit to such as ministers of God as they punish evil and praise good.  We are to pray for them that they might do the job which God has given them to do, so that we might lead peaceful lives and live in godliness and dignity. And when it’s necessary, due to the fact that they are not acting on behalf of God but in opposition to His ordinances, then we must obey God rather than men.  

But as much as it is possible, Paul says in the previous chapter, If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men.  Do not be overcome with evil, but overcome evil with good.  We cannot do evil, no matter if the government should call for it, but we must do good for sake of conscience towards God.  Let us pray our government acts as ministers of God for our good that we may silence the critics of the church.  Let it not be said that we should ever suffer for doing evil, but let our good behavior be a testimony to a watching world.

The Church’s attitude towards the world, Romans 12:14-21

If you were here for the last few weeks in our study of Romans 12, then you will remember that chapter 12 deals with the practical application of the doctrine espoused in the first eleven chapters.  And practically speaking, chapter 12 is focused on the life of the church.  Paul says how we are live out the doctrines of justification and sanctification and glorification is by presenting our bodies physically to the church body, as a living sacrifice which is our worship to the Lord.  

And the dominate focus of the chapter deals with how we live out our Christianity in the church in community with one another.  Paul delineates how we are to exercise our spiritual gifts in the church not for our own benefit, but for the benefit of one another.  How we are to exercise humility in our relationship with one another, and most importantly, how we are to love one another.  And in that context he talks about contributing to one another’s needs as the church.  

So it’s all about the church.  The church is Christ’s body, a corporate, communal, and local assembly of believers who are connected as a family, born of the same Father, filled with the same spirit.  So that as Jesus said; they will know that you are my disciples by your love for one another.  Who will know?  The watching world will know.

It’s interesting to notice that in the first NT church, they were all living together in Solomon’s portico which was in the temple compound in Jerusalem, and they had adapted that spot as the site of their church.  They had about 5000 people assembled there and they had all things in common. And though I don’t think the point of that is to teach that communal living is God’s plan for the church, I do think there were a lot of things that we can take away from that.  One is they were studying the word of God at the apostle’s feet daily. 

It says of this church in Acts 2:46-47 that they were “Day by day continuing with one mind in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they were taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart,  praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved.”  And the point I want emphasize this morning is that it says they had favor with all the people.  I think that is speaking of the people outside of the church - all the Jews that visited the temple, that were witnesses to this great revival that was going on in their midst.  As they saw this church living together, they saw the love that Jesus spoke of, they saw the way they conducted themselves in the community, they saw a new type of person that was no longer conformed to the world, but transformed, and this church was viewed favorably by the world. And as a result, it says that there were added to their number day by day those that were being saved.  In other words, the church’s daily testimony of life caused the world to want to be saved, caused the world to want what they had.

Now that is appropriate to what Paul is saying in this chapter.  He has urged the church to be transformed, to no longer be conformed to the standard of the world.  He has told them how to live together and love one another. And now Paul tells the church how they are to deal with outsiders.  Those that are outside the church.  How we are to live in the world as transformed Christians. And the point is that we might be like Christ to the world.  We might win the world to Christ by the way we communicate, by the way we respond, by our compassion and by our condescension to the world.  Paul uses that word condescension, but not in the way we think of, which is to look down upon someone, but in the sense of coming down off your high horse and having compassion for the people who are outside of the church. And the goal is that the way we respond to the world is the means by which the world may come to know the gospel and be saved.

Paul then gives a series of exhortations or encouragements in how we are to act towards outsiders, people in the world.  Now the key in this series of exhortations is the same as it was in the Sermon on the Mount.  Paul is talking to, as Jesus also was referencing, a people who have a new nature, who have been born again and are operating in the power of the Spirit.  An indication of that is found back in the first part of the chapter when Paul talks about spiritual gifts.  In order for the church to be able to fulfill this kind of behavior, there must have first been a change of heart, a new nature, having received the power of the Holy Spirit.  Otherwise, the admonitions Paul gives are no better or more effective than the teachings of Socrates or Confucius or any number of other secular and religious leaders throughout history that have taught on the subject of ethical behavior.  And men and women through the ages have attempted to follow such teachings, but for the most part have found it unattainable, and perhaps really only see it as an ideal that cannot be maintained.

It’s possible to have that sort of attitude as a Christian as well. We hear Paul in this passage or Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount, and we say that such behavior is impossible to maintain and so we claim God’s grace and mercy and don’t even really try to do it.  But these attitudes and behaviors are not given as an unattainable ideology, but they are intended to be a reality in the life of the believer.  And they can be a reality when we do what Paul says in the first verse; to present our bodies as a living sacrifice to God.  When we die to self and walk in the Spirit. 

But that doesn’t mean that such behavior comes naturally, that it will happen instinctively, that we don’t have to work on these things.  That’s why in regards to the spiritual gifts listed earlier in the passage the indication is that we are to exercise them.  It takes a deliberate, conscious effort to make what we know to be true, a reality in our life.  To do what Jesus commands us to do takes commitment, resolve, dedication, perseverance, even a sense of duty.  And so we listen to this list, but we also must receive it, we must apply it, we must practice it, so that it eventually becomes a part of our nature.  But don’t be deceived into thinking that it’s just going to happen naturally.  This behavior that Paul is talking about is completely alien to human nature.  But it must be learned behavior of our spirit.

Now the first principle in this list of seven sets the standard for all which follow: vs 14, “Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.”  What Paul says here is an echo of what Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount; Matt. 5:44  "But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, "But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.”

Anyone that thinks this is easily done simply isn’t living in the real world or they are living in an ivory tower.  Paul is not simply saying to not take revenge.  He will say that later in vs 19.  But this is even more difficult than that.  This is talking about praying a blessing on those who persecute you.  This is praying for God to bless someone that has just stolen from you, or beat you, or persecuted you, or in the example of Christ, someone who just drove nails into your hands. Jesus prayed on that occasion; “Father forgive them for they don’t know what they are doing.”

Paul adds, “Bless and do not curse.” We should have not even the slightest desire for vengeance to those who do us harm, not on my part or even desiring God to exact revenge for us.  This is so contrary to our nature that such behavior can only come as a result of a transformed, renewed mind, that has been made new by the power of the Spirit working in us.

He’s not just saying don’t call the offending person a bad name, though using foul language should certainly not be a characteristic of us, but not even wishing ill upon them.  And then even taking it a step beyond that; bless them, pray for them.  

The next principle of how we are to deal with outsiders is in vs 15, “Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep.”  This is not only to be true with other believers, but with our neighbors, with unbelievers, with those of the world with whom we come in contact with.  I think this is speaking of compassion.  Compassion for the unbeliever not only includes concern about their soul, but concern for their person.  To identify with them, to feel sympathy for them, and then also to be happy for them when things go well for them.  Perhaps that aspect is easier to understand by saying don’t be envious of them when things go well for them.  

I know that it’s easier to be sympathetic with an unbeliever when they are going through hard times than it is to be happy for them when things are going well for them.  When your neighbor who lives a life without a care for God or the things of God, gets a windfall and buys a brand new Mercedes, it’s hard to be really happy for him, isn’t it?  It’s easier to be a little envious of the fact that he was able to live the way he wanted and yet gets to have this great new toy.  Now maybe that illustration is a little too crass for most of you to identify with.  I hope so.  But I believe that if it’s hard to have sincere sympathy and compassion for the unbeliever in hard times, it’s just as hard to be able to rejoice with them when they rejoice.  But real Christian love for the world must have a compassion that is not hypocritical or insincere. 

The third exhortation to love the outsiders of the church is found in vs 16; “Be of the same mind toward one another; do not be haughty in mind, but associate with the lowly. Do not be wise in your own estimation.”  Now at first glance this seems contrary to the earlier exhortation we were given in vs 2 to not be conformed to the world, but be transformed by the renewing of the mind.  We were told there not to think like the world, and now Paul says have the same mind as those outside the church.  So what are we make of this?

Well, the answer might be in translation. Some of the words in the original might be better understood in one of the other translations.  For instance, in the RSV it reads; “Live in harmony with one another; do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly; never be conceited.”  Living in harmony with your neighbor is more in keeping with the general context of Paul’s list here, especially in light of vs 18 which says be at peace with all men.  

How can you be a witness to your neighbor if you are in a war with him?  I have been in a turf war with a neighbor before.  It was long ago, right after my wife and I were married.  We bought our first house and found out later that our neighbor was a stark raving mad lunatic.  I really think that they were the ones who were wrong and the offender.  But I will tell you that regardless of who was right, it was a terrible thing.  After a week or so, it became impossible to even speak to them. 

But had I truly applied this principle right at the very beginning, I think things might have gone differently.  My neighbor would still have been a crazy person, but things might not have progressed to the point that they did.  And it hurt me when I tried to sell my house a couple of years later.  She had put signs and fences up all around my property that rivaled a federal maximum security prison.  No one would buy my house. 

Now the key to living in harmony is found in the remainder of the text; don’t be haughty.  Don’t act out of pride.  Humble yourself in your relationship with others.  Associate with the lowly.  The lowly can mean those that are depressed, or humble, but also those who are of low estate.  That may include those that don’t have very high standards of conduct. They may not be the nicest people, the most refined people.  They may even be a stark raving mad lunatic.  But as one translation says, condescend to such people.  It doesn’t mean look down on them, but yield to them.  Get along with them.  Don’t act like you’re better than them.  If you have a humble attitude towards them, it is much more likely that you can live in harmony with them.

The fourth principle for loving your neighbor is in vs 17, “Do not return evil for evil to anyone.”  What Paul is speaking of here is a desire to get even - vindictiveness.  This is a principle that is often spoken of in scripture.  For instance, in 1Thess. 5:15 it says, “See that no one repays another with evil for evil, but always seek after that which is good for one another and for all people.” Notice it says for all people.  Not just fellow believers but all people. 

Peter says something similar in 1 Peter 3:9, “not returning evil for evil or insult for insult, but giving a blessing instead; for you were called for the very purpose that you might inherit a blessing.”  Peter says that when you bless the one who insulted you, you receive a blessing as well. 

Some might say well the OT says there is to be retribution, an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.  But that was in reference to the public administration of criminal law and it was issued as such in order to discourage the practice of personal revenge. 

Going back to the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus explained this principle saying,  "You have heard that it was said, 'AN EYE FOR AN EYE, AND A TOOTH FOR A TOOTH.'  "But I say to you, do not resist an evil person; but whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also.” 

There is no place for vindictiveness in Christian behavior, whether in the church or to outsiders, not even to your enemies.  So tagged on to that principle of never returning evil for evil is the thought that  we must “Respect, or take thought for what is right in the sight of all men.” Here is the principle behind what I said was the characterization of the church in Acts 2, that they were having favor with all the people.  Our attitudes, or conduct and behavior should be right before men, that by living right before men, they might be drawn to  Christ.

It’s telling that the common complaint of most unbelievers about church is that it is full of hypocrites.  People that pretend to be righteous on Sunday morning, but live unrighteously in sight of the community the rest of the week.  Our business dealings should be right, our interactions with the community should be right.  They should see us dealing fairly and right with all that we come in contact with.  Never should it be said that we were vindictive, that we took advantage, nor even that we took revenge.  Never could that be said about Christ, and we are ambassadors for Him and so we should model His behavior.

Along that same line of reasoning is the fifth principle in vs 18 which we have already alluded to; “If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men.”  I am grateful for the practicality of this exhortation.  “If possible, so far as it depends on you.”  There are times when you have done all you can to treat your neighbor or your enemy as God has told you to.  You have tried to be compassionate, you have tried to conciliate, to humble yourself, to do the right thing.  And yet they insist on hating you.  They insist on persecuting you or even making war with you.  

But Paul says as far as it is possible with you,  be at peace with all men.  Do all you can to be at peace, to not give offense, to not be the cause of trouble.  If they insist in attacking you, then so be it, but don’t let it be because of you. The goal is to live in peace with the world. Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount, “Blessed are the peace makers, for they shall be called the sons of God.  Once again we see the world’s witness to our peace as a means by which they will  know we are Christians.

 

The sixth principle for how we should love others is found in vs19 and 20: “Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath [of God,] for it is written, "VENGEANCE IS MINE, I WILL REPAY," says the Lord.  "BUT IF YOUR ENEMY IS HUNGRY, FEED HIM, AND IF HE IS THIRSTY, GIVE HIM A DRINK; FOR IN SO DOING YOU WILL HEAP BURNING COALS ON HIS HEAD."

This principle has already been alluded to in vs 14, 17, and now 19 and then again in vs 21. Different applications, but the same underlying principle.  It must be considered then to be of utmost importance.  It is fundamental to Christian living.  

So we should be familiar with this principle, to never take our own revenge, and to that Paul adds, but leave room for the wrath of God.  In other words, we must not play God or take the place of God by usurping what should be HIs prerogative alone.  Paul quotes from the OT here as evidence that in exacting our own revenge we are usurping God’s place.  He quotes from Deut. 32:35, 41, saying, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay,” says the Lord.  God sees all, and He will bring every act, every thought to judgment.  That is the prerogative of the Lord, and we must not take from Him what is His alone to render to every man according to his deeds.

Once again we see Jesus as our example, who according to 1 Peter 2:23  “while being reviled, He did not revile in return; while suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting [Himself] to Him who judges righteously.”  God is the only One able to judge righteously.  That why we are told to judge not, lest we be judged.  God is the judge. 

For our part, we must remember James 2:3 which says that mercy triumphs over judgment. Our part is mercy, by which we hope to save some. Failing that, every man will stand before the judgement seat of God and receive the penalty due for his actions.  And also we, if it were not for the mercy of God, would be condemned with the rest.  But Christ suffered in our place, in our place He stood condemned and suffered and died, so that we might be shown mercy.  So must we show mercy.

And so rather than taking revenge, Paul says, “on the contrary, ‘if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink.”  Show mercy rather than judgment.  Show kindness.  Go with him the extra mile even though he asks too much of you.

“For by so doing you will heap coals of fire upon his head.”  I always thought that this meant that if you treated someone nice who was treating you badly, you were in a backhanded sort of way making hell a whole lot hotter for him.  Now maybe there is a little bit of truth in that, but that probably isn’t the way this should be interpreted. 

The interpretation that I recently came across I must confess I did not care for initially.  But what that interpretation said was it was a reference to a neighbor coming to ask for fire.  In that day they carried live coals with them as a means of starting a fire later. They did not have matches or lighters and so it was a troublesome thing to make a fire.  So the response should be to that person who asks for fire coals, to heap them upon their head.  To fill up a jar full of hot coals which they would then carry on their head back to their home.  

Now I liked my interpretation better.  I liked getting revenge, even if it meant that it had to wait for  hell to do it for me.  But that goes against the admonition to never take revenge.  So I am warming up to the interpretation that it is actually speaking of an act of benevolence, giving live coals to someone in need that is being spoken of here.

Let’s conclude then with the the seventh exhortation, “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil by good.” Don’t let the enemy get you down, don’t let persecution or trials get you to sin, to return evil for evil, But overcome evil with good. 

To over evil by good mean to continue living a life of faith in God and have love for everyone, so that when you do good to that person who meant it as evil, they end up becoming your brother.  God did good for us when we did evil towards Him, didn’t He?  How then can we do any less? We can win over our neighbors, and win over even our enemies, by our love for them, doing good to them, even when they meant it for evil. That should be our goal, and the ultimate expression of sacrificial love, that we do good for their benefit, that they might be drawn to Christ, that they might be saved.   Oh, to lead a lost person to Christ so that they might be saved is the ultimate act of love that we can show the world.  Let’s live in such a way with the world that they will want what we have; a new nature, a new way of living by the strength of the Spirit of Christ working in us.