Romans 13:8-14

 

Rom 13:8 (KJV)
Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law.

We are not to be indebted to anyone if possible. If we make a commitment, then we are to fulfill that commitment. If we have a debt to the state, then we are to fulfill that debt. No matter what debt we have to any person, we must fulfill that debt as best as we can. What we are to really owe is love, in other words, we want the highest good for all those we come in contact with. That is, we give them the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ for that is the highest good that we can bestow on anyone, even if they are hostile to it. (James 2:8 KJV) If ye fulfil the royal law according to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself, ye do well: By loving each other, we have fulfilled the royal law.

Rom 13:9 (KJV)
For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

These commandments are those which affect our horizontal relationships with each other. We are not to desire nor enact anything which may cause harm to those around us and that includes those we work with and those we live with and those we come into contact with the rest of the time. By loving our neighbor as ourselves, we are saying that we want the best for them as we want the best for ourselves. We treat them as good as we treat ourselves. When we do that in all honesty, then we are fulfilling the law of God.

Rom 13:10 (KJV)
Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.

ill - Evil

Jesus was asked the question in the following verse: (Luke 10:29 KJV) But he, willing to justify himself, said unto Jesus, And who is my neighbour? This verse is taken from the discourse on the good Samaritan. The Samaritan came across a man who was beaten and robbed, so he took him to an inn so he could heal and paid the bill for his stay there. The Samaritan did not know who that man was but he took care of him as if he was his best friend. The answer to the question of who our neighbor is, is anyone who God brings across our path. To widen the meaning without doing harm to the interpretation, our neighbor is everybody on planet Earth. We must never desire any evil on anyone we know or that we don’t know, because remember what Paul said a few verses back in Chapter 12, vengeance belongs to the Lord and if there is any repayment, He will do it according to perfect knowledge, something we do not possess.

Rom 13:11 (KJV)
And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed.

Here we are given a stern warning here about knowing the time. What time does he speak of? He speaks of the lateness of the hour and the soon return of the Lord Jesus Christ. Instead of people attempting to fight each other, they need to start getting serious concerning the timing of the Lord’s return and know that it is soon. It is about 2,000 years since Paul penned those words under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit and looking at the situation around us, we can be sure that the signs of the Lord’s return are being fulfilled at a rapid rate. The word “knowing” carries with it the meaning of “understanding or recognizing.” (1 Chr 12:32 KJV) And of the children of Issachar, which were men that had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do; the heads of them were two hundred; and all their brethren were at their commandment. As the men of Issachar had understanding of their times, as Christians we must also have an understanding of the perilous times we live in. Every day brings us closer to the return of the Lord and that means the recompensing of judgment on those who have caused us trouble. (2 Th 1:6 KJV) Seeing it is a righteous thing with God to recompense tribulation to them that trouble you;

Rom 13:12 (KJV)
The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light.

We are being told here that the night is far spent and it is almost dawn. That is how close the Lord’s return is according to Scripture. (Jer 8:20 KJV) The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved. Jeremiah made the same allusion by stating that harvest is past and summer is ended and we are not saved. Instead of us fighting among ourselves or trying to exact vengeance on those who have caused us grief, we must get busy being about the Lord’s work in getting the Gospel out. Exacting vengeance in the flesh is the work of darkness plus it diverts us from the task we have at hand of evangelizing the whole world. Notice it also tells us that we need the armor of light to put off the deeds of darkness. We find the armor of God in Ephesians 6. (Eph 6:11 KJV) Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. Wiles means “schemes or methods.” One of the methods that Satan uses to divert the body of Christ is to engender as much infighting as he can. If the soldiers fight among themselves, then they will not pay attention when the enemy gains more ground.

Rom 13:13 (KJV)
Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying.

Honestly - Becomingly
Chambering - Sexual indulgence
Wantonness - Unbridled lust, lasciviousness

Here we are told that because of the lateness of the hour, we must act according to who we are, redeemed not unsaved. (1 John 2:18 KJV) Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time. John tells us that it is the last hour which means the return of Christ is imminent and because of this we are to walk in the day. The Bible portrays believers as walking in light and the unbeliever walking in darkness. (1 John 1:6-7 KJV) If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: {7} But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. Instead of us partaking in the carnal pleasures of the world, we need to start acting like Christians and getting busy in the things of the Lord because of the lateness of the hour.

Rom 13:14 (KJV)
But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof.

Putting on the Lord Jesus Christ is reference to walking in the Spirit. This began at the moment of regeneration and continues day by day through sanctification. (Rom 8:6 KJV) For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. We are not provide things for the flesh which will cause us to resurrect those lusts we had in the old days. There are many who claim that is permissible for a Christian to drink but here we are told not to provide for the flesh which could lead to a sinful life. Alcohol is one of the major doors of providing for the flesh because it ministers to the flesh and not the Spirit. Whatever causes us to sin is to be completely avoided. In verse 13 we are told that we must walk according to our regeneration and not according to the world. If we start providing things for the flesh it can lead to those sins listed in verse 13 which we are to avoid at all costs.