Romans 13.13b-The Christian Must Not Conduct His Or Her Life By Means Of Drunken Parties, Licentious Promiscuity Or Jealous Contention
Wenstrom Bible Ministries
Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom
Sunday February 14, 2010
Romans: Romans 13:13b-The Christian Must Not Conduct His Or Her Life By Means Of Drunken Parties, Licentious Promiscuity Or Jealous Contention
Lesson # 456
Please turn in your Bibles to Romans 13:13.
This morning we will complete our study of Romans 13:13, in which Paul exhorts his readers to unite with him in living their lives in a manner that is consistent with the fact that they belong to the future age and kingdom of Christ, avoiding drunken parties, licentious promiscuity and jealous contention.
Romans 13:13, “Let us behave properly as in the day, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual promiscuity and sensuality, not in strife and jealousy.”
“Not in carousing” is composed of the negative particle me (mhv) (me), “not” and the dative masculine plural form of the noun komos (κῶμος) (koe-moce), “in carousing.”
The noun komos refers to a “drinking party” and was used in classical Greek to refer to the decadent processions and feasts connected to the worship of Bacchus and other pagan deities, which are the result of drunkenness.
The Christians of the early church lived in the Roman Empire and were raised as pagans worshipping the Greek and Roman pantheon of gods.
One of these gods was called Dionysus who was also called Bacchus or in Rome, Liber.
Dionysus was the god of fruitfulness and vegetation, especially known as a god of wine and ecstasy.
The worship of Dionysus flourished long in Asia Minor.
As the god of the vine, Dionysus or Bacchus was thought to communicate his power to his devotees through the intoxicating influence of wine, stimulating them to orgiastic excesses, wild dancing and music, and sexual promiscuity.
The Gentile Roman Christians were very much exposed to this cult and it was a part of their pagan background.
Romans 13:13, “Let us behave properly as in the day, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual promiscuity and sensuality, not in strife and jealousy.”
“Drunkenness” is the dative feminine plural form of the noun methe (μέθη) (meth-ee), which indicates the state of intoxication or drunkenness.
A number of passages warn against the dangers of drunkenness since it causes people to stagger (Ps. 107:27; Prov. 23:34), it makes them sick (Is. 28:8; Jer. 25:27), it makes the eyes red (Prov. 23:29), it puts a person into a stupor (Jer. 51:39, 57), it makes a person poor (Prov. 23:21), it interferes with a leader’s work (Prov. 31:4f).
The foolishness of drunkenness is shown by the examples of Noah (Gen. 9:21), Lot (Gen. 19:31-38), Nabal (1 Sam. 25:36-39), David (2 Sam. 11:13), Absalom (2 Sam. 13:28) and Belshazzar (Dan. 5:2).
The Bible does “not” prohibit drinking alcohol but it “does” prohibit drunkenness.
Ephesians 5:18, “And do not permit yourselves to get into the habit of being drunk with wine because that is non-sensical behavior, but rather permit yourselves on a habitual basis to be influenced by means of the Spirit.” (My Translation)
Believers are not to associate with believers who are alcoholics (1 Cor. 5:9-11).
Drunkenness is a manifestation of the old Adamic sin nature (Gal. 5:19-21).
Romans 13:13, “Let us behave properly as in the day, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual promiscuity and sensuality, not in strife and jealousy.”
“Not in sexual promiscuity” is composed of the negative particle me (mhv) (me), “not” and the dative feminine plural form of the noun koite (κοίτη) (kee-tee), “in sexual promiscuity.”
The noun koite refers to promiscuous sexual behavior.
To be “promiscuous” is to have more than one sexual partner containing the idea of a person engaging in sexual activity indiscriminately or in other words it refers to “sleeping around.”
“Sensuality” is the dative feminine plural form of the noun aselgeia (ἀσέλγεια) (asel-gee-ya), which refers to “licentiousness” or “blatant sexual immorality.”
“Not in strife” is composed of the negative particle me (mhv) (me), “not” and the dative feminine singular form of the noun eris (ἒρις) (er-eese), “in strife.”
The noun eris means “contention” and speaks of the contention that arises within an individual due to jealousy.
It manifests itself in quarreling, disputing, or controversy and is a point advanced or maintained in a debate or argument.
It refers to a perverse and stubborn tendency to quarrel and dispute with people, sometimes deteriorating into bitter violent conflict or dissension.
The noun eris emphasizes a struggle for superiority rather than the incongruity or incompatibility of the persons or things involved.
The word describes arguing about words because of pride and not truth and originates from envy, ambition, competition and the desire for prestige, and status in life.
“Jealousy” is dative neuter singular form of the noun zelos (ζῆλος) (zee-loce), which means “jealousy” which is an intense negative feeling over another’s achievements or success.
Jealousy is a mental attitude sin directed toward another, which is resentful, intolerant and suspicious of another’s success, possessions or relationships and is vigilant in maintaining or guarding something.
So to summarize what we have learned from Romans 13:13, we have found that Paul is exhorting his readers to unite with him in conducting themselves as those who exist in the day.
“The day” refers to the period of time when each and every church age believer is living in his or her resurrection body and is permanently delivered from living in Satan’s cosmic system.
This period begins for the believer with the rapture of the church and will never end and will go on throughout eternity future.
Therefore, when Paul exhorts his readers to unite with him in conducting their lives as those who exist in the day he means that they are to conduct themselves as those who are positionally resurrected with Christ and delivered from the sin nature, Satan and his cosmic system.
They are also to conduct themselves as those who exist in the day ultimately meaning they are to conduct themselves as those who will ultimately be resurrected and will be permanently delivered from the sin nature, Satan and his cosmic system at the rapture.
Then, to complete the verse he lists three pairs of vices that Christians are to avoid.
They are not to conduct their lives by means of drunken parties, licentious promiscuity and jealous contention.
Therefore, Romans 13:13 addresses the Christian’s conduct in a positive sense in the sense of what they should do and in a negative sense what they should not do.