Romans 13:1-14
Key Verse: 13:12…. "The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light."

 How can I have a victorious Christian life? That’s a good question. Apostle Paul gives us three secrets to having a victorious life. He encourages us to submit ourselves to the governing authorities and to love our neighbors as ourselves and to clothe ourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ while we are waiting for the Second Coming of Jesus patiently. The focal point of history is the coming of Jesus as the ultimate authority of mankind. In the meantime, he instructs us to keep our civic duty and to practice our Christian ethics of love and high moral principle in our society. We believe that the good will win over the evil. Though our permanent citizenship is in heaven, we must keep the law and pay taxes so that our government can function. Nobody wins in a chaotic world. God wants “law and order” while we continue our pilgrim’s journey to the city of God. May God bless us to put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. I pray that God may bless us to wake up from our slumber and preach the message of love to the lost souls around our campus.
 
PART I. SUBMIT TO AUTHORITY (1-7)

 Look at verse 1. "Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God." Here, Paul lays down the principle that we must submit to the authorities. What a ridiculous principle it is for modern people! This seems to be strange. Some young believers say, “I submit to God only.” Why should we submit to the authorities? Under the democratic system anyone can challenge the authorities by going to court.  However, this is Paul’s view of the government under the Roman Empire. Emperor worship was common under Roman rule. Why did Paul say, “Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities.” Was he compromising with the authorities? I don’t think so. Fallen men want to exercise authority over others. Some people want to exercise their authority over their dogs. But they don't want to submit to others' authority. To submit oneself to someone else, especially to the authorities, may be the most difficult thing to do. Especially the people of Israel regarded submission to the Roman authorities as a suicidal act or as surrendering to the evil of the world. They would rather use terrorism against the Roman government. They would rather resist until none of them were left. They would rather wreck the houses and assassinate the families of their own fellow Jews who paid taxes to the Roman government. But Paul wanted to lay down the principle of how to deal with the authorities, we also need a Biblical principle of how to deal with the authorities of the world.

 In verse 1, Paul counsels Christians to submit to the authorities absolutely. His teaching surprises us. But when we study the Bible, this principle is not unique to Paul. The flow of all the epistles repeats the same principle. 1 Timothy 2:1,2 urges us to pray for kings and all those in authority.  1 Timothy 2:3 says, “This is good, and pleases God our Savior.” And Titus 3:1 tells us to be subject to rulers and authorities. 1 Peter 2:13, 14a tells us to submit ourselves "for the Lord's sake to every authority instituted among men: whether to the king, as the supreme authority, or to the governors." Submission to the authorities pleases God. Let’s think about why God's people should submit to the authorities.

Firstly, we must submit to the authorities because they are under God's sovereign rule. The last part of verse one says, "The authorities that exist have been established by God." Paul's view of the state was that the authorities were established by God. That’s the reason why we have to submit to them. This idea goes back to the Old Testament. When the people of Israel refused to be ruled by God directly and demanded a king for them, God anointed King Saul to rule them for him. God used King Saul as his instrument to rule his own people. He was a good king in the beginning but later he did not follow God’s way and became a dictator king later. Whether he was a good king or a bad king, the people had to submit to his authority. As we know, King Saul hunted David’s life like a mad dog out of his inferiority complex. Though David had many opportunities to kill King Saul, he spared his life. Why? He said in 1 Samuel 26:9, “But David said to Abishai, ‘Don’t destroy him! Who can lay a hand on the Lord’s anointed and be guiltless?” David regarded King Saul as God’s anointed acknowledging that his kingship was established by God.  In the same way Paul believed that Roman Empire was a divinely ordained instrument to save the world from chaos. Paul saw that the Roman Empire was in the hand of God.

 When we look around the world, many things are happening. The main issues of the 2000 presidential election were the tax cut and the role of the government. Each candidate promised to cut the taxes and reduce the size of the government if elected. They argued vigorously saying, “Less government is better. No, more government is better.” But the problem is that we don’t know which one is elected. In spite of no decision after 11 days of election, there is no chaos in America because there are authorities to maintain the order. One of our great presidents, Abraham Lincoln, defined the role of the government eloquently by saying, “Government by the people and of the people and for the people.” That’s right. The government is established by God for the people. The government is good to protect its people. In Sudan there were so military coups and the government is unstable. The government changed the official language. I heard it is very difficult for missionaries to go campus fishing in this situation. When the Roman Empire conquered the world of the time, people only thought about the cruelty of the Roman authorities. But behind the scenes, God was planning to send the messengers of the gospel to the whole world through Roman roads, which extended from Rome to all other countries and from all other countries to Rome. Therefore God's people must firmly believe in the sovereignty of God.

Secondly, submit to the authorities because rules hold no terror for those who do right. Look at verses 3-5. “For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and he will commend you. For he is God’s servant to do you good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword for nothing. He is God’s servant, an agent of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer.” This is a practical reason for us to submit ourselves to the authorities. It is true that a possible punishment deters crimes. Let me ask you one thing, “Were you peaceful when you violated the traffic law? How did you feel when the police car approached behind you blinking? You would be terrified of the prospect of getting the dreadful traffic ticket.” It is absolutely necessary for us to submit to the authorities if we want to be free from fear of the one in authority and to have peaceful sleep. Only thieves are afraid of the police and only tax cheaters are afraid of the IRS.  As an U.S. citizen, it is necessary for us to submit to the authorities.

Thirdly, we must submit to the authorities out of conscience. Look at verse 5. “Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also because of conscience. Our conscience will suffer greatly when we do wrong. The guilty conscience will torment our soul when we do wrong. One man who committed a murder a long time ago came to the police and confessed his crime due to his unbearable guilty conscience. It is easy for us to fear the authorities for no obvious reason. But we should not fear them. Instead we must pray for them and work hard doing what is right. Then we are free from the fear of authorities. What is the best way to submit to the authorities? This is from a material aspect. Look at verse 6. “This is also why you pay taxes, for the authorities are God’s servants, who give their full time to governing.” Here we learn that paying taxes is our way to say thank you for the authorities. What is another way to show our appreciation to the authorities? This is from a moral aspect. This is Look at verse 7. “Give everyone what you owe him: if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor.” These days many talk show hosts are enjoying to making fun of the authorities. It is easy for us to criticize and disrespect our leaders. But we must give our respect to them and show our moral support so that they can govern the nation with good leadership.

 But what are the limits in our submission to the secular authorities? Acts 4:19 reads, “But Peter and John replied, ‘Judge for yourselves whether it is right in God’s sight to obey you rather than God.’” When we are forced to give up our faith in God, we must stand up and obey God rather than the worldly authorities. In Daniel 3, three young men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, refused to worship the idols set up by the King Nebuchadnezzar though they submitted themselves to his authority.  They said in Daniel 3:17-18, “If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king. But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the images of gold you have set up.” They submitted to the king’s authority but they obeyed God. Then God overruled the king’s order by saving them from the blazing furnace. This shows God is above the king. What a courageous faith they had. This is a clear-cut guideline when we are challenged to worship the idols by the authorities. Other than that, we must submit ourselves to the governing authorities. Remember that submission does not mean you belong to the authorities. We confront many forms of authorities while we live in this world. Each family can have peace when children respect parental authorities. Whether we like it or not, parents are parents. We should respect the authority of our boss in our working place. We like to have gossips about our boss all the time. Students should respect the authority of their teachers in the classroom. We also should respect the spiritual authority in our church. When we do so, we please God.

PART II. THE OBLIGATION TO LOVE (8-10)

  Look at verse 8. "Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for he who loves his fellowman has fulfilled the law." There are two kinds of debts here. First one is debt like the credit card payment. Paul said, “Let no debt remain outstanding.” This means that we need a zero balance in our credit card debt. But the credit card companies do not want us to pay off the balance to charge the high interests. We must pay off the debt because it will burden us later. If we borrow money from sheep and cannot pay back, we will lose sheep. Second one is debt to love one another. There is one debt that we should never pay off. In this verse "debt to love" means an obligation to love others. Living in this world, we have many things to do. Some must study hard. Some must prepare for their wedding. But we must first fulfill our obligation to love others. We must love our fellow brothers, our nation and God's people as our obligation. Love is the emblem that we are God’s people. Jesus said in John 13:35, “By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” Jesus loved his disciples to the end though they were not lovely. Jesus loved all kinds of people. Later, his disciples loved one another and Jesus’ flocks like themselves. Love begins from our closest neighbor, our roommate. If we cannot love our roommate, we cannot love anyone. Truly love makes the difference. But sinful men cannot fulfill this obligation of love. One young man bought some cookies to give his wife. But on the way home he ate them all. So those who are in Christ should learn how to overcome their selfishness and how to fulfill their obligation to love others. This is the reason Paul quoted only the second part of the Ten commandments which are related to our neighbors. Let's read verses 9 and 10. If we hate others, we become losers. But if we love our neighbors as ourselves, we are winners. To fulfill our obligation to love others is spiritual battle. To love others is not an option but an obligation from God. When we fulfill our obligation to love others we feel really good, sensing that we won a spiritual victory and we pleased God. In the past Shep. Paul Sambuco felt unloved and lonely. But M. Grace Park loved him like her own son through 1:1 Bible study and then God melted his cold and selfish heart. Now he loves his wife and his children like himself and he tries to love TU students more than his children as a debtor of God’s love.

PART III. PUT ON THE ARMOR OF GOD (11-14)

 Look at verse 11. "And do this, understanding the present time. The hour has come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed." Everything has a beginning and ending. We must be very sensitive towards the signs of the present time. Those who understood the coming of the Internet age became millionaires. In the same way we must understand the present time as God’s people who are waiting for the Lord’s coming. We know that the culmination of the human history is the second coming of Jesus Christ. The most controversial topic among the Christians is the date of our Lord’s coming. Of course, this is very sensitive topic. Several people predicated the date and they were embarrassed when it did not occur. There have always been some strange Christians who try to fix the date of Jesus’ coming. But the Bible does not tell us when he will come. If we knew when he was coming, many would indulge in sin and repent a few hours before his coming. So God did not tell us when he would come. Nobody knows when he will come, not even Jesus himself. Nobody knows when he is coming. It is because God has set the time and date by his own authority. (Ac. 1:7; 1 Th 5:1)

 The phrase, "understanding the present time," in verse 11 means that we must have a prophetic vision. We should not be fearful because the world is evil. We must not despair because we are under unfavorable human situations. Rather we must have spiritual eyes to see what God is doing at the present time. Paul urged the Ephesians, who had lived in chaotic world, to see the world with God's eyes. Ephesians 1:18 says, "I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints..."

 The early Christians believed three things: first, Jesus' crucifixion, second, Jesus' resurrection, and third, Jesus' second coming. They lived with the faith that Jesus was coming soon. But their faith in Jesus' coming again was very pure. They believed that Jesus would come again and restore the whole world and complete the work of salvation. But their faith in the Second Coming of Jesus was not overemphasized. They believed Jesus' crucifixion, resurrection and Second Coming as one body and one event. They were not shaken by worldly events. They were faithful in prayer, joyful in hope and patient in affliction, serving others in the name of the Lord. Their lives of faith based on the gospel were very sincere. They were like the five virgins waiting for the bridegroom to come at any minute. (Mt 25:1-13)  If we know Jesus is coming tomorrow, we will not sleep and wait for him. Right after the election, many people did not go to bed until 5 A.M. to find out who won the election. They were alert. Now nobody is alert and people say they don’t care. Spiritual alert is the key to having a victorious life. It is easy for us to become complacent and drowsy when Jesus delays his coming. But remember to Jesus a day is like a thousand years.(2 Peter 3:8) Only two days passed. It is important to be alert. Jesus said in mark 13:33, “Be on guard! Be alert! You do not know when that time will come.” How can we be alert spiritually? It is to pray in the early morning and read the Scripture. I am very optimistic about the future. I see many people praying earnestly and reading the Bible sincerely.

  Look at verse 12. "The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light." The word "night" is the symbol of darkness. In darkness, many people do many evil and shameful things. But we are sons of the light and sons of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness. So we must put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. Here, the words "armor of light" describe the act of a soldier who resists his enemy. Here we learn that our real enemies are within us. To put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light is the most intense spiritual battle and we should not give up.

 What are the deeds of darkness? Look at verse 13. "Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy. These acts did not come from God. These are the work of the devil, the angel of darkness. These days many young people have deep love of darkness. They indulge in wild parties in outspoken despair, and in drunkenness, and in indomitable desire for sexual immorality and rock-parties (debauchery), and in a spirit of division. They also become slaves of jealousy; they really don't like other's success or promising future. By doing so, they become the children of darkness.

 Look at verse 14. "Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature." As we know, we really want to live a life of faith. Also, we want to live a decent life in Christ. But this is beyond our ability. So Paul said, "Clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ." How can we do that? We must imitate Jesus’ life. We must follow his teaching and put them into practice daily and then God will mold us into the image of Jesus. God will transform us to become the light of the world. As ancient warriors wore helmets to protect themselves, so we must clothe with light to protect us ourselves from the deeds of darkness. As we know well, we cannot change ourselves. But when we are in Jesus, Jesus can transform us. One day St. Augustine was walking around his house and heard children singing, “Open and read the book.” He opened the book of the Romans and happened to read Romans 13:13-14. As we know, he was the playboy of the century and an intellectual hedonist. He lived in orgies and drunkenness. He enjoyed a carefree lifestyle indulging in his pleasures of sexual immorality. But he was always sad and uneasy. So he read and studied many subjects deeply. But he was still sad and unhappy. His mother Monica prayed for him for a long time. But he remained the same. But when he read these verses, he woke up from his spiritual slumber and suddenly he began to understand the present time. He realized the salvation was nearer and nearer. Then heavenly sunlight came into his heart. He could not change himself. But the word of God changed him completely from a man of sinful pleasure into a man of God.

 In this passage we learn that God is the Sovereign Ruler of history and the authorities of the world are his servants. We also learn that we must practice the love of God in our society as our obligation. Most of all we learn that we must wake up spiritually and live as children of light following Jesus’ example. Let's read the key verse 12.