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RomansThe Letter from Yeshua's Emissary Sha’ul(Paul) to the Messianic Community in Rome Chapter 13 - (CJB)* A Study to Help New and Young Christians - Previous Study |
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1. Everyone is to obey the governing authorities. For there is no authority that is not from God, and the existing authorities have been placed where they are by God. 2. Therefore, whoever resists the authorities is resisting what God has instituted; and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves. 3. For rulers are no terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you like to be unafraid of the person in authority? Then simply do what is good, and you will win his approval; 4. for he is God’s servant, there for your benefit. But if you do what is wrong, be afraid! Because it is not for nothing that he holds the power of the sword; for he is God’s servant, there as an avenger to punish wrongdoers. 5. Another reason to obey, besides fear of punishment, is for the sake of conscience.
6. This is also why you pay taxes; for the authorities are God’s public officials, constantly attending to these duties. 7. Pay everyone what he is owed: if you owe the tax-collector, pay your taxes; if you owe the revenue- collector, pay revenue; if you owe someone respect, pay him respect; if you owe someone honor, pay him honor. 8. Don’t owe anyone anything—except to love one another; for whoever loves his fellow human being has fulfilled Torah.
9. For the commandments, “Don’t commit adultery,” “Don’t murder,” “Don’t steal,” “Don’t covet,” and any others are summed up in this one rule: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” 10. Love does not do harm to a neighbor; therefore love is the fullness of Torah.
11. Besides all this, you know at what point of history we stand; so it is high time for you to rouse yourselves from sleep; for the final deliverance is nearer than when we first came to trust. 12. The night is almost over, the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and arm ourselves with the weapons of light.
13. Let us live properly, as people do in the daytime— not partying and getting drunk, not engaging in sexual immorality and other excesses, not quarrelling and being jealous. 14. Instead, clothe yourselves with the Lord Yeshua the Messiah; and don’t waste your time thinking about how to provide for the sinful desires of your old nature.
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Study - Chapter 13 Ch 13: verses, 1-5, This next section of Romans Paul is stating some guidelines that we should follow as followers of Christ. Some of this teaching has been used by some that does not represent the complete meaning that Paul wants to set out. When you take the stance that "All Authority" eminates from God and that God has set up authority to be the stablising of society then it makes sense that this is the best way to live. Of course this only stands up when you accept that God has our best interest in mind and regardless of what we see the situation is, that His View is the best for us. Paul goes on to state that the only time we should fear authority is when we are doing something that is contrary to the common good of our society. There is an understood condition here though. Those in authority need to be under the Authority of God. When those that have this Authority from God step outside of the guidelines that He sets out in Man's Inherent Rights, then you need to question the outcome. Does this go against the principles that are spelled out in the Ten Commandments? When we follow the guidelines of "Good Govenment" we don't need to acting out of fear but because of having a clear, or good conscience as we are displaying a Chirst-like attitude. ........ Ch 13: verses, 6-8, When the authorities a acting as "God’s public officials,"Verse 6: then we should be paying what is due in taxes. In paying our taxes we are contributing to our fellow citizens well being. Helping to support those that might not be as well off as we are. In paying what we owe to whoever they may be we are showing by example how everyone needs to act in these circumstances. Showing respect, giving honour to whom these are due brings about a civil society. The only time we need to owe anything is in our loving to others. When we are acting in this way we are acting in accordance to what God's Law states for us to do. ........ Ch 13: verses, 9-10, In the Ten Commandments we see a number of "Do Not's", and although these are negatives the positive is to Love. When we "Love our neighbor as ourself", Verse 9: we are fulfilling all the Law about how we are to behave with other people. "Love does not do harm to a neighbor; therefore love is the fullness of Torah", The Law, Verse 10: ........ Ch 13: verses, 11-14, Paul now turns his discussion to the times 'they' are living in, Paul's day. The Roaman Empire which was in control at the time of Paul's lifetime was not very conducive to living a happy Christian life. The time were very hostile to the christians of that day. Even Jesus had stated that He would come 'quickly', so the people of that day were very aware that Jusus' Return could happen any day. So Paul's manner of speaking not to become complacent was appropriate. We now know that a lot of time has past since that day but we must also not be complacent either. In fact it is more so now given that the time we are in now could be called more turblent. Although things might seem 'dark' now we are not to be moved by this. We are 'children of the Light' so let's be an example of that Light. The presures of 'the world', can easily over take us if we are not diliglent to keep ourself free of such things. Verse 13: "Instead, clothe yourselves with the Lord Yeshua the Messiah;" Verse 14: Lord Jesus our Messiah. Our outward apperance should reflect the inward reality of the Life of Christ that has set us free. We are not to consider any of our past 'sins', they have all been cancelled, and live out as a shining example of that Life of Christ that is within us. ........ |
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(CJB)* The Complete Jewish Bible" used with permission. |
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