Christ's Directions

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039) Rom 12:21 . . Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

In other words: fighting fire with fire (a.k.a. turnabout is fair play) is not always the wisest course of action for Christians to follow.

Compliance with this particular command requires some self control on our part because human nature's impulses usually steer us into unbecoming conduct when someone does us wrong.

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040) Rom 13:1 . . Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established.

God has given governments the right to play God; therefore Christians ought not to be scofflaws; no, they really ought to be the most law-abiding citizens on Earth; however there is a limit to the extent of our compliance because governance doesn't stop with the law of the land, rather, the chain of command reaches even unto Heaven.

For example the midwives in the book of Exodus defied Pharaoh and saved the Jews' baby boys alive. What they did was illegal, but God rewarded them for doing so.

● Matt 22:21 . . Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's; and unto God the things that are God's.

Caesar and God are both in authority over us but with God of course having the final word as the supreme being.

● Acts 5:29 . .We ought to obey God rather than men.

Here's another example of the divine chain of command overruling an earthly power.

● Matt 2:7-8 . .Then Herod, when he had privily called the wise men, inquired of them diligently what time the star appeared. And he sent them to Bethlehem, and said: Go and search diligently for the young child; and when ye have found him, bring me word again, that I may come and worship him also.

● Matt 2:12 . . And being warned of God in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed into their own country another way.

The wise men risked prison, or worse, but what were they to do when their orders came straight from the top?

NOTE: Christians should expect neither favoritism nor immunity should they break the law. So then, if you can't do the time, then don't do the crime because Christian heads roll the same as any other criminal's head; and that goes for lesser crimes too, e.g. J-walking, illegal U-turns, feeding parking meters, drifting through stop signs without coming to a complete halt, exceeding the speed limit, unsafe lane changes, road rage, disturbing the peace, littering, trespassing, shoplifting, civil disobedience, vandalism, and animal abuse, etc.

● Rom 13:2-3 . .Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves. For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong.

* Difficult days are ahead for Americans, and in fact are now here, as powerful heads of government begin utilizing law enforcing agencies more and more for political purposes.

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041) Rom 13:6a . . Pay your taxes

While it's true that tax dollars often get wasted on fraud, graft, pork, bail outs, ear marks, foreign aid, endowments, grants, subsidies, and involvement in other peoples' civil wars; by and large taxes are necessary if we're to expect essential services like schools, parks, national defense, law enforcement, fire protection, Medicare, Medicaid, Food Stamps, foster care, flood control, forest management, FEMA, TANF, SSI, and the maintenance of infrastructure, etc.

Taxes are also used to pay government salaries, wages, and benefits to bureaucrats and heads of State. Though such folk are not holy people in the religious sense, they should probably be regarded as such-- maybe even as angels. (of a sort)

● Rom 13:6b . . for the authorities are God's servants, who give their full time to governing.

NOTE: Elected officials often regard the position they've won as an achievement; when they really ought to be terrified of the responsibility that comes with it because the higher people ascend the ladder of power, the more severe the consequences for failure to fulfill their duty to God.

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042) Rom 13:7 . . Give everyone what you owe him: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor.

Christians don't have to particularly like the folks in high places, but we do have to allow them the dignity that their positions require in compliance with Rom 13:1-5.

NOTE: The items listed are presented as obligations rather than options.

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043) Rom 13:8 . . Owe no man anything.

Some have construed that verse to mean it's a sin to have a mortgage, a car payment, and/or a credit card balance. However, the Greek word for "owe" is ambiguous with a number of meanings, one of which is to fail in duty; viz: fail to meet your obligations.

In today's world; debt is nigh unto impossible to avoid; but debt is acceptable for Christians just so long as they pay their bills on time. Christ can be neither pleased nor honored when his followers are known as deadbeats.

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044) Rom 13:12 . . Put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light.

In the first chapter of Genesis, God made a distinct difference between light and darkness. I think it is very notable that God labeled the light "good" but He didn't label darkness good.

I believe that chapter set the stage; in other words: from that point on in the Bible, darkness typically represents something harmful, distasteful, and/or unbecoming; while light always represents something tasteful, becoming, and/or beneficial. So then we could label the deeds of darkness as deeds inappropriate for Christ's followers, and we could label the armor of light as deeds befitting his followers. In other words: deeds befitting Christ's followers are their first line of defense in a world gone mad with evil.

● 1Pet 3:10-12 . .Whoever would love life and see good days must keep his tongue from evil and his lips from deceitful speech. He must turn from evil and do good; he must seek peace and pursue it. For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their prayer, but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.

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045) Rom 13:13 . . Let us behave properly as in the day, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual promiscuity and sensuality, not in strife and envy.

"in the day" could be construed to mean "in that day" which would indicate life and society as it will be in the kingdom God. Well; needless to say, people then probably won't be acting like they do now, so maybe we should start preparing for that day by putting these instructions into enough practice to make them become a habit.

The Greek word translated "carousing" speaks of the naughty things that unmarried folk do with each other in private behind closed doors.

The Greek word for "envy" is somewhat ambiguous. It includes-- along with envy --jealousy, indignation, and outrage.

The Greek word for "strife" is somewhat ambiguous too. It includes-- along with strife --quarreling, wrangling, contention, debate, and a whole other bunch of ugly stuff associated with variance, e.g. recriminations, toxic rejoinders, and caustic sarcasm.

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Edited June 21, 2024 by EveningBird

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046) Rom 13:14 . . .Clothe yourselves with The Lord Jesus Christ

Clothing one's self with a personage was a figure of speech many years ago which would correspond in our day to "emulation" which Webster's defines as trying to be like someone or something you admire.

They say that imitation is the highest flattery. Well; if you'd like to flatter Christ; then adopt his integrity, his principles, and his core values. But don't guess at them; learn them, by instruction, from someone that The Lord has empowered for teaching his ways. (Eph 4:11-15)

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047) Rom 14:1 . . Accept him whose faith is weak, without passing judgment on disputable matters.

A strong faith consists of the elements of knowledge, confidence, assurance, and conviction. A weak faith can be defined as vacillating; viz: one that's not all that sure whether something is wrong for a Christian; or even that something is right. In other words: a weak faith lacks the elements of knowledge, confidence, assurance, and conviction.

Disputable matters are matters of opinion rather than matters of fact. Opinions are often subjective, biased, and arbitrary, rather than objective, unbiased, and by-the book. Opinions inevitably invite perpetual debating that never really gets to the bottom of anything; which, in matters of spiritual significance is strictly forbidden within the context of the 14th chapter of Romans; because debatable matters are not matters of doctrine; but rather; matters of conscience.

We're not talking about black and white doctrines and principles here. Those are not open to debate. We're talking about gray areas.

"Thou shalt not commit adultery" is black and white; while issues like video games, music, fashions, foods, cosmetics, movies, self defense, gambling, swim suits, politics, alcohol, tobacco, firearms, fasting, religious art, crucifixes, couture, and holy days of obligation are debatable. In regards to those areas; let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind rather than somebody else's mind.

Those are things about which each has to decide for themselves according to the dictates of their own conscience; and God forbid they should impose their personal dictates upon others and thus become dictatorial because that's playing God and usurping Christ's sovereign prerogative to make the rules for his own church.

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048) Rom 14:2-4 . . One man's faith allows him to eat everything, but another man, whose faith is weak, eats only vegetables. The man who eats everything must not look down on him who does not, and the man who does not eat everything must not condemn the man who does, for God has accepted him.

If there's a Christian out there sincerely believing in their own mind that fast food, GMO, high fructose corn syrup, non organic produce, processed foods, grain-fed beef, raw oysters, sushi, and/or anything fried in lard is sinful; well, more power to them: but God forbid they should criticize a fellow believer who disagrees.

NOTE: Christians are exempt from Jewish dietary laws because their association with God is by means of a different covenant than the covenant that Moses' people entered into with God per Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy, a.k.a. The Law.

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