Love Others, Fulfill The Law

Romans  •  Sermon  •  Submitted   •  Presented   •  1:09:33
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Romans 13:8–14 ESV
8 Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. 9 For the commandments, “You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,” and any other commandment, are summed up in this word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 10 Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law. 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. 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. 13 Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy. 14 But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.
Last week, we looked closely at submission to governmental authorities who are placed in positions over us. The issue is not whether we should submit, but how easy it is to submit when our governing bodies are NOT following the will of God. Regardless, Paul points out God has appointed these leaders and submitting to them equates to submitting to the will of God. Rulers are God’s servants. By rebelling against authority, we run the risk of punishment by both God AND the authorities.
It should be pointed out that this is only when they are not asking us to do unGodly actions. We are to submit to their authority when they are leading and directing the locality, state, or nation. However, when they step across the boundaries and demand unGodly action of Godly people, then we MUST follow God’s will and commands.
Acts 5:29 ESV
29 But Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than men.
We should not blindly follow unGodly commands and use submission as the excuse. But, in the essence of this scripture, the government as a WHOLE has been ordained by God and we are to respect that position and authority as being given by God. Overall, we are to follow God’s commands by following our leaders in general obedience simply because God has placed them there as His servant.
As a result, we should pay our dues. Taxes, what is owed, revenue, respect, and honor. Now, Paul continues on in his discussion of not owing anyone anything, but then goes further into Christ’s greatest commandment.

One Debt Never Repayable

Romans 13:8–10 ESV
8 Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. 9 For the commandments, “You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,” and any other commandment, are summed up in this word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 10 Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.
What is the one debt we can never repay?
We owe a debt of love to everyone around us, not just governmental officials. We find Christ giving the new commandment to the scribes:
Mark 12:30–31 ESV
30 And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ 31 The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”
and to the disciples.
John 13:34 ESV
34 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.
Why is this command repeated by Paul?
If we love others, we will not sin against them. We will treat them in a manner worthy of the love God shows to us by the sacrifice of His Son. Paul reminds us we are in no way worthy of the love God shows us, in the same way many of the people we are in contact with “may” not be worthy of our love - but should be shown that same love God shows us. We are a witness in our actions and the way we treat others.
Does “Owe no man anything” refer also to the Christian’s financial practices? Some people believe that it does, and that it is a sin to have a debt. The Bible does not forbid borrowing or legal financial transactions that involve interest. What the Bible does forbid is the charging of high interest, robbing others, and failing to pay honest debts. Certainly no one should get into unnecessary debt, or sign contracts he cannot maintain. In this section, Paul has centered on the very heart of the problem—the human heart. Because the heart of man is sinful, God established government. But laws cannot change the heart; man’s heart is still selfish and can be changed only by the grace of God.
Wiersbe, Warren W. The Bible Exposition Commentary. Vol. 1. Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1996. Print.

Showing Others Gods Love

Romans 13:11–14 ESV
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. 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. 13 Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy. 14 But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.
What does Paul mean by “you know the time has come for you to wake from sleep”?
The Greek word used here kairos does not define a specific moment in time, but more of an era or an occasion. So, the time, the era, the occasion for us to wake from our sleep - is now.
In what sense does Paul use “wake from sleep”?
Paul is pointing towards a slumber, a lethargic action, towards all things Godly. In all honesty, especially in the U.S. have we as Christians not grown less responsive to the things of God?
Do we continue to look deeper at the needs of others that our own needs?
Do we dispense Godly grace to ALL we meet?
Do we view corporate worship as a vital part of our life?
Do we give so that others can receive and the Gospel can be spread?
Do we submit to governmental authorities without some rebellion?
Do we submit to the will of God?
We can go on and on about the things God requires of us. But Paul goes on to remind us that there is a true reason behind WHY we should be thinking this way - “salvation is nearer to us now that when we first believed”. This is the final picture of redemption - receiving a glorified body. It is closer than ever before. We can interpret this two ways - 1) we are not getting younger and are closing in our our final day of life with every breath and heart beat. 2) Every day that passes is one day closer to the second coming of Christ. In either scenario, we will receive our glorified body! The return of Christ should motivate us to holy living.
Titus 2:11–13 ESV
11 For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, 12 training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, 13 waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ,
We all know that we will face Christ face to face.
2 Corinthians 5:10 ESV
10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.
In verse 12, we are told the night is gone, day is at hand, and we should cast off darkness and put on the armor of light.
What does this mean to cast of darkness and put on the armor of light?
It’s time to choose sides, team up, pledge allegiance, align ourselves, affiliate with, join forces, man up, whatever you want to call it, Paul says we must make the decision. Notice this isn’t something that we can “think on”, “take time to ponder”, “contemplate”, there is a distinct time in each of our lives that we are convicted by God and we must make a decision. Choose God, or reject God. Paul is trying to shake us, WAKE UP!!! We have grown lethargic - sluggish - in our actions towards God. Whether it be that we have been pampered as Christians living in the United States where we have freedom and liberties and don’t experience persecution and martyrdom, or whether it be that it has been over 2,000 years since Christ’s death that we have grown impatient waiting on His return, or whatever it may be, we are slothfully going about our duties as Christians!
Too many Christians trust God enough to take them to heaven, but not enough to guide their lives daily. We act more like we are of the this world than shining the light. Paul reminds the Roman church to not be associated with worldly things that were taking place in their time (orgies, drunkenness, sexual immorality and sensuality, quarreling, and jealousy). Many of these things could be said about Christians today, we are so involved in the world that we don’t know where the world ends and Godliness begins. Unfortunately, the church has become considerably more tolerant toward sins. But Paul tells us we are to put selfish desires behind us and STAND UP for our life in Jesus. The verb calls for a decisive action. The critical nature of the day in which we live demands that we separate ourselves unmistakably from all that belongs to darkness. Jesus Christ himself is our armor against wickedness. As a final word of advice, Paul counseled the believer against allowing any opportunity whatsoever for gratifying the evil desires of the lower nature. New life in Christ stands in direct opposition to the old life controlled by worldly desires. To clothe ourselves with Christ is to take off and dispose of the old clothing of sin. While the hunger for sin remain until the glorious day of our complete transformation into the likeness of Christ, we are to deny them any opportunity of expression. We are not even to consider the possibility of allowing them to fulfill their evil intentions through us.
1 John 3:2 ESV
2 Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is.
Mounce, Robert H. Romans. Vol. 27. Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1995. Print. The New American Commentary.
Evans, Tony. The Tony Evans Bible Commentary. Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2019. Print.
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