Romans 13:8-12 Ready For Battle
Well it’s finally happened. I got the covid.
Just now starting to feel halfway decent. Still not 100%. I seem to get tired real easy lately. But it could have been worse and I believe it would have been if I hadn’t had my shots. But God’s got this and I give him all the praise for seeing me through it. That being said, I apologize for falling behind once again on this podcast. I hope you’ll continue to listen despite the irregularity with which it is published. So let’s pick up with Romans chapter 13 verse 8.
Romans 13:8 Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law.
Owe no one anything.
This is not to be interpreted literally. We will always have debts that need to be paid whether it be the electric bill or the mortgage on our house. But rather this refers more towards fiscal responsibility and paying our debts in a timely fashion. We shouldn’t acquire debt for things that are frivolous and not necessities. We need to curb our American appetite for toys that just get cast aside when the new toy comes around. But I digress a little bit. Paul’s real message here is that there is one debt that can never fully be paid and that is to love others. If we look at love as an unpaid debt, that can never be fully paid then we will love others unconditionally without reservation. We will set aside our prejudice or bias because of their appearance, financial status, political leanings, gender or perceived gender or any of a multitude of other criteria that would be a stumbling block to those who don’t know Christ and His unconditional love.
So in loving others we have fulfilled the law.
Matthew 22:37-40 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 first commandment. 39 And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. 40 On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.
It’s kind of hard to break the ten commandments when all you have is Love in your heart.
Romans 13:9 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.
Someone may say, well I really don’t love myself.
Red flag! You haven’t surrendered everything to Christ’s care. There is still guilt and shame in your life. So before we can go on with this Bible study you need to get right with God. You need to give up whatever it is and give it to Him. Accept God’s forgiveness and repent if you need to repent. But don’t hang on to your past. If someone has harmed you or wronged you, forgive them no matter what it is. Get your heart right and let go of all the baggage. It’s weighed you down long enough.
Let the love of Christ dictate all that you do in this life. Love your neighbor as yourself.
Romans 13:10 Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.
Love does no harm.
There is no cruelty or malice in the pure and unconditional love extended to our neighbors. Again, through love we have fulfilled the law. Pure love rises above all the injustice of this world.
The rest of this chapter is devoted to spiritual alertness.
It is especially worthy of our attention during this season of uncertainty. Especially with Russia and the Ukraine and all that it that entails.
Romans 13:11 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.
It’s time for us to wake up.
Our Savior is coming soon. We need to be about our Father’s business and have a sense of urgency. Get out of your spiritual slumber. Read the gospel, share the gospel, live the gospel. Be ambassadors for Christ that you may wake others to the glory yet to come.
Mark 13:33-37 Be on guard, keep awake. For you do not know when the time will come. 34 It is like a man going on a journey, when he leaves home and puts his servants in charge, each with his work, and commands the doorkeeper to stay awake. 35 Therefore stay awake—for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or when the cock crows, or in the morning— 36 lest he come suddenly and find you asleep. 37 And what I say to you I say to all: Stay awake.
Romans 13:12 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.
The night is far gone. The old man is behind us.
As Christians we walk in the light as He is in the light. If we cast off the works of darkness we have set aside those things which have hindered our walk. Instead we put on the armor of light. Ephesians tells us what our armor consists of.
Ephesians 6:14-18 Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; 17 and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, 18 praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints,
This is how we should live each and every day.
When you put on that belt of Truth you are saying to yourself no matter what, I will live in the truth of God’s word. I won’t compromise it, I won’t twist it to meet my own needs, I won’t add to it and I won’t take away from it. I won’t change the truth of that word to make someone else feel good about themselves. I won’t sugarcoat it. Truth is truth.
2 Timothy 2:15 Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.
We don’t live in our own righteousness.
When we put on the breastplate of righteousness we are putting on the righteousness of Christ. In our own human strength our righteousness will falter. But the righteousness of Christ can sustain us through it all.
Matthew 6:1 Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven.
Matthew 6:33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
Next we need to put on our shoes and be ready to share the gospel of peace.
No one should have to live in fear and anxiety. Lasting peace can only come through the gospel of Jesus Christ. With our shoes on we have traction and the ability to take this gospel everywhere we go. A Roman soldier would never think of going into battle without his sandals. Lasting peace comes at a price. Peace is a spiritual battle and if we succumb to the things of this world that peace which passes all understanding will fade away. So we need to constantly guard ourselves against The temptations of this world.
Philippians 4:7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Next we need to take up the shield of faith.
Faith is our unwavering confidence in our Lord and His word. Satan has no power over us as long as we stay steadfast in our faith. Those fiery darts that Satan throws at us every day will be deflected and fall harmlessly at our feet.
The helmet of salvation that God provides ensures our ultimate victory and eventual deliverance.
With this blessed assurance we can continue to move forward without the fear of surrender or retreat. If God is for us who can be against us. Romans 8:31.
With the sword of the Spirit we have God’s word at our disposal. No matter what comes our way His word is ready to cut right through to the heart of the matter.
Hebrews 4:12 For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
It is through the Holy Spirit that God’s word can be called to remembrance.
We should meditate on that word daily. It is the spiritual food that sustains us.
Finally, praying at all times in the Spirit.
Praying in the Spirit is praying according to the Spirit’s leading. It is praying for things the Spirit leads us to pray for. Even though we don’t always know what we should pray, the spirit leads us and guides us.
Romans 8:26 Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.
Just remember if you fight your battles on your knees you’re going to win every time.
This is a good place for us to stop. I apologize that my voice isn’t quite up to par today. Please pray for me as I have been dealing with the long-term effects of covid. There is power in prayer.
I’d like to thank you for listening and as always may you have a week full of opportunities to share this good news with someone that needs to hear it.