04.39. LESSON 39

LESSON 39

Romans 13:1-14, "The Christian Citizen’s Chapter," teaches three practical lessons, namely: Christians must be loyal to their government (Romans 13:1-7), just in their dealings with men (Romans 13:8-10), and clean in their personal lives (Romans 13:11-14).

Christianity should appeal to men because of its simplicity and certainty. It is built upon the same natural, simple, yet profound, principle that moves a child to love its mother. "God is love... We love, because he first loved us." Christianity therefore, distills into reciprocative love between God and man. And unless it can fortify man against doubt, dread, and death, it is not adapted to his deepest needs. Sinning, suffering, dying men, the sons of dead fathers, can but wonder whether life means anything or leads anywhere. Their "Reach exceeds their grasp." They feel that they were made for eternity and long for satisfying fulfillment of their nature. Christ’s, "In this world ye have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world" (John 16:33), gives certainly and finality. Verily, Christ is the invincible "Cheer-leader" of his people.

Love not only fulfills and takes the place of the countless laws and rules for human behavior, but it also goes on into something codified law does not attempt to do, the vast, living world of courtesy and good manners. With law obeyed, the debt of duty is paid in full; but love is an eternal debt, forever being paid, but never liquidated. "Owe no man anything, save to love one another." Christianity requires neither economic, academic, and character entrance tests, nor asks its adherents to define love and to explain the philosophy of its subtle workings. It is enough if they feel and exhibit the power and goodness of love.

Yes, Christianity, like all great things, is sublime in its divine simplicity and certainty. And its first human requirement is that the natural man become as simple and honest as a child, acknowledge his complete religious ruin, and be willing to follow God in Christ through the Spirit to the end. Not until he does this can he know the Christian love that, without sense of law, fulfills law plus.

Christ’s Return to Earth

"Already it is time for you to awake out of sleep: for now is salvation nearer to us than when we first believed. 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 armor Of light. Let us walk becomingly, as in the day." As at the beginning of the hortatory section of Romans Paul exhorted Christians not to be conformed to the world by urging them to remember the mercies of God (Romans 12:1-2), so here he continues to exhort them to be unworldly by urging them to be looking always for coming salvation. Thus, he appeals to their memory and to their hope (push and pull), both unsurpassed motives to persuade them to live clean lives.

Christians in Paul’s day were such earnest, honest believers in Christ’s coming back to earth that he knew, when he wrote this, his readers, without his expressly saying he did, would understand that he did have this doctrine in mind. Hence, the "salvation" of the text is the salvation, including the resurrection of the bodies of saints, that Christ is to bring with him when he comes (1 Thessalonians 4:16). As Christ had exhorted that, inasmuch as no one knew the time of his return, all should, lest they be found unready, live in wakeful expectancy of his. coming, so is Paul here using the immanency of Christ’s coming back as a motive for clean living. "Everyone that bath this hope set on him (Christ) purifieth himself, even he (Christ) is pure" (1 Jonah 3:3). Even with this hope, there was much impurity in the church during the life of Paul and John. But who can say that, without it, conditions would not have been worse? Does not God in wisdom and kindness leave the date of Christ’s coming unrevealed in order to give every generation of Christians in their grim struggle between flesh and Spirit the advantage of this potent help? Does not our generation need it?

Paul did not know when Christ would come to dispel the long night of sin, which began when Adam turned his back on God and walked away into the darkness of his own shadow mortally wounded, and to usher in the immeasurably longer day of his presence, but he did believe that he would come before another 4,000 years rolled by; furthermore, he knew he might come any hour. And we know that "salvation" is now 1,900 years nearer than when Paul wrote. If any difference therefore, the certainty of the event, linked with the uncertain time element, should be better cause for spiritual living now than it was in the days of Paul and Christ. In our teaching and exhorting, why do we use it so little? His second coming should be given its scriptural place in Christ’s history. Other cardinal doctrines in his life, such as his pre-existence, incarnation, death, resurrection, and indwelling life through the Spirit, without his climactic return, are but an unfinished story. The New Testament gives much attention to "Looking for the blessed hope and appearing of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ" (Titus 2:13), the impending act in the ever unfolding drama of redemption, as the means, par excellence, of keeping the church, which is espoused "as a pure virgin to Christ" (2 Corinthians 11:2), ready to meet her Bridegroom when he comes. The loss, practically, of this hope, which came all too soon, may be called "The light that failed in the church." How the loss works is seen vividly in the servant of the parable, who, saying, "My lord tarrieth," began "to eat and drink with the drunken" and "to beat his fellow-servants." Our Lord knew that his people’s ceasing to look for him would result in their sinfully indulging their bodily appetites and mistreating their brethren. The Bible closes with Christ’s promise, "Behold, I come quickly," and John’s echo, "Amen: come, Lord Jesus."

Putting on Christ In Galatians, Paul says that those who had been "Baptized into Christ did put on Christ." That is, having put on Christ’s righteousness in baptism, they were properly dressed to appear before God. Here, "Putting on Christ" has another meaning. Christians live Christ over again by letting him dwell in them and express himself through their personalities. "It is no longer I that live, but Christ liveth in me" (Paul). Both of the meanings may be illustrated by children in play who, after putting on the garments of adults, impersonate them. Romans 13:11-14 tells Christians why and when to arise, how to dress, and how to walk and live. What a contrast between Christians who make "No provision... to fulfill the lusts" of the flesh and worldlings whose every thought centers on ways to multiply and prolong gratification of the flesh!

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