The Book of Romans The Story of Gods
The Book of Romans The Story of God’s Explosive Grace
Part 1 Review of Romans 13. 1 -7
The ABC’s of God’s Plan for the Police and the Criminal Justice System in Romans 13. 1 -7
1 Every person is to be in subjection to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God. 2 Therefore whoever resists authority has opposed the ordinance of God; and they who have opposed will receive condemnation upon themselves. 3 For rulers are not a cause of fear for good behavior, but for evil. Do you want to have no fear of authority? Do what is good and you will have praise from the same;
4 for it is a minister of God to you for good. But if you do what is evil, be afraid; for it does not bear the sword for nothing; for it is a minister of God, an avenger who brings wrath on the one who practices evil. 5 Therefore it is necessary to be in subjection, not only because of wrath, but also for conscience’ sake. 6 For because of this you also pay taxes, for rulers are servants of God, devoting themselves to this very thing. 7 Render to all what is due them: tax to whom tax is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honor to whom honor. Romans 13
So what is the point of connection between Romans 13. 1 -7 and the following verses 8 -10? 8 Owe nothing to anyone except to love one another; for he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law. 9 For this, “You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet, ” and if there is any other commandment, it is summed up in this saying, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself. ” 10 Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law. Romans 13
Always remember to interpret Scripture in its context… Both passages are connected by the words “due them” in verse 7 and “owe nothing” in verse 8. We are to fulfill our financial and spiritual obligations. 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. 8 Owe nothing to anyone except to love one another; for he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law. Romans 13
Part 2 The Eternal Indebtedness of Love Romans 13. 8 -10
A secret postcard… The TV show Sunday Morning had a segment on a group who receives secret postcards. Their website is postsecret. com. This one caught my attention. Just curious, but I wonder if this was written by a Christian.
Story of a homeless man’s penny… My oldest son Ryan was about a year old when his mother and I took him to a Pizza place for dinner. An unkept homeless man came into the restaurant and was fascinated with our son. He keep looking at him and finally came over to our table and gave Ryan a penny. We as parents were a little concerned that it might be dirty or disease ridden, but we ignored our feelings and the man left. A little latter we began hearing sirens and then someone came into the restaurant and announced that the homeless man had just die being killed as he was crossing the road. It was quite surreal. The last act on earth of this man was an act of love in giving a penny to a child. I guess you couldn’t depart much better.
Let’s look at… A mini-overview of love in the Book of Romans
What we have learned about love in Romans so far… 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. At salvation, God’s love was poured into our hearts. (5. 5) The cross is the proof of God’s love for us. (5. 8) God makes everything work for good for God lovers. (8. 28) Nothing can separate us from God’s love, nothing! (8. 35, 39) We are super-conquers in life though God who loved us. (8. 37) God’s love for all believers was in his eternal plan. (9. 13) When we love, it must be pure and without hypocrisy. (12. 9) Believers are to be devoted to one another in brotherly love (phileo not agape like all others in Romans). 12. 10
What we are still to learn in Romans about love… 12. If you hurt a weaker brother by flaunting your freedom in Christ, you are not, repeat not walking in love. (14. 15) 13. Paul appeals to the Roman believers by the love of the Holy Spirit, to strive in prayer for protection from those against the gospel and for a successful ministry. This applies to us today for our missionaries. (15. 29)
But in our current study of Romans 13, agape love is used five times in only three verses… We as Christians are eternally indebted to love one another. This debt will never expire. (13. 8) 10. Loving our neighbor actually summarizes all of God’s commandments for use into one action. (13. 8, 9, 10) 11. Love doesn’t wrong others. (13. 10) 9.
Before we continue, we have a side bar… Here is another of the ten members of the “one another” club in the book of Romans
1. Be devoted to OA – Romans 12. 10 a 2. Give preference to OA – Romans 12. 10 b 3. Be of the same mind toward OA – Romans 12. 16 4. Love one another – Romans 13. 8 5. Do not judge OA – Romans 14. 13 6. Build up OA – Romans 14. 19, 15. 5; I Thess. 5. 11 b 7. Have the same mind with OA – Romans 15. 5 8. Accept OA – Romans 15. 7 9. Admonish OA – Romans 15. 14; Colossians 3. 16 10. Greet OA with a holy kiss - – Romans 16. 16
If you are a Christian there will never be a time when you are not indebted to God and others! Have you ever considered that your love is a debt you owe and not just optional?
There is an expectation for being forgiven by God that you pay it forward by loving others since God loved you in such an extreme manner that He sent Christ to the cross to abolish your debt of sin against you.
Forgiveness of others is one form of love and comes with an obligation to do likewise… The Parable of the Unforgiving Servant 27 “And the lord of that slave felt compassion and released him and forgave him the debt. 28 “But that slave went out and found one of his fellow slaves who owed him a hundred denarii; and he seized him and began to choke him, saying, ‘Pay back what you owe. ’ 32 “Then summoning him, his lord said to him, ‘You wicked slave, I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. 33 ‘Should you not also have had mercy on your fellow slave, in the same way that I had mercy on you? ’ Matthew 18
In the Lord’s prayer there is indebtedness… 12 ‘And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. Matthew 6
19 We love, because He first loved us. I John 4 Your free gift comes with an obligation.
In the story of Victor Hugo’s Les Miserables John Valjean repays Bishop Myriel’s kindness of giving him a place to stay and food to eat by stealing silver and running away at night only to be caught and returned to the Bishop. The Bishop tells the police that he had given Valjean the sliver and says to Valjean you have forgotten the expensive candlesticks. After the police leave, the Bishop says to Valjean. The silver is to start a new life and says this, “but remember this my brother, seeing some higher plan, you must use this precious silver to become an honest man. By the witness of the martyrs, by the passion and the blood, God has raised you out of darkness, I have saved your soul for God. ” The story reveals the work of God’s miraculous grace in transforming an unloving rascal into loving God and loving his neighbor as the story unfolds.
https: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=yhpw. V 4 cw. B 4 o&t=138 s
Verse 8 A look at how the loving of others fulfills God’s law
On both ends of our passage Paul makes the point that love fulfills the law 8 Owe nothing to anyone except to love one another; for he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law. 9 For this, “You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet, ” and if there is any other commandment, it is summed up in this saying, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself. ” 10 Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law. Romans 13
On both ends of our passage Paul makes the point that love fulfills the law 8 Owe nothing to anyone except to love one another; for he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law. 10 Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law. Romans 13
The Ten Commandments in Exodus 20 FOUR VERTICAL COMMANDMENTS You shall have no other gods before me. (1 -3) 2. You shall not make idols. (4 -6) 3. You shall not take the Lord your God’s name in vain. (7) 4. Keep the Sabbath. (8 -11) 1. SIX HORIZONTAL COMMANDMENTS 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. Honor your father and your mother. (12) You shall not murder. (13) You shall not commit adultery. (14) You shall not steal. (15) You shall not falsely testify against your neighbor. (16) You shall not covet, crave, and lust for what belongs to others (17)
Paul highlights four of them FOUR VERTICAL COMMANDMENTS You shall have no other gods before me. (1 -3) 2. You shall not make idols. (4 -6) 3. You shall not take the Lord your God’s name in vain. (7) 4. Keep the Sabbath. (8 -11) 1. SIX HORIZONTAL COMMANDMENTS 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. Honor your father and your mother. (12) You shall not murder. (13) You shall not commit adultery. (14) You shall not steal. (15) You shall not falsely testify against your neighbor. (16) You shall not covet, crave, and lust for what belongs to others (17)
Let’s begin deciphering the fulfillment idea with Jesus’ teaching… 36 “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law? ” 37 And He said to him, “ ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. ’ 38 “This is the great and foremost commandment. 39 “The second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself. ’ 40 “On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets. ” Matthew 22
Then in two other passages besides Romans 13 is this important point highlighted… 14 For the whole Law is fulfilled in one word, in the statement, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself. ” Galatians 5 8 If, however, you are fulfilling the royal law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself, ” you are doing well. James 2
So in what sense does love “fulfill” God’s rules and regulations known in Scripture as the law? �In essence, what the law was meant to accomplish (or, the end result), love accomplishes the same. �Does it mean that if I love others I can therefore skip God’s moral laws? Answer: No �If one loved perfectly, then one would be never commit murder, adultery, steal, or covet as the four commandments Paul cites to illustrate his point. Hence, love fulfills the law. �For believers who are grace driven, doing what is right flows from gratitude for what God has done for them, in other words loving others. To attempt to do right by just merely willing it will never accomplish the goal as seen in Romans 7.
Question… Well then, an obvious question might be, who is this neighbor that is suppose to get my love? Luke 10 tells us who God identifies as our neighbor.
1. The Jewish victim (vic) 30 a Jesus replied and said, A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho.
2. Two or more lawless perpetrators (perps) 30 b and fell among robbers, and they stripped him and beat him, and went away leaving him half dead.
3. Two heartless clergymen 31 “And by chance a priest was going down on that road, and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. 32 “Likewise a Levite also, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side.
4. One Compassionate Samaritan 33 “But a Samaritan, who was on a journey, came upon him; and when he saw him, he felt compassion, 34 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.
5. One observing innkeeper 34 b and brought him to an inn and took care of him. 35 “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. ’
The concluding words of Jesus on the subject… 36 “Which of these three do you think proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell into the robbers’ hands? ” 37 And he said, “The one who showed mercy toward him. ” Then Jesus said to him, “Go and do the same. ”
So who is your neighbor? �The man, woman, or child that crosses our life’s path who is in desperate need of something you could help them with is your neighbor. �Today hit and run incidents are at a all time high. fathom that. I can’t even �We do have a clue however, from Jesus on the last days who says, 12 “Because lawlessness is increased, most people’s love will grow cold. Matthew 24
- Slides: 40