Romans 13:8-14 - Grace and the Neighbor
Romans 13:8) Owe no one anything, except to love one another, for the one who loves another fulfills the law. 9) The commandments, “You shall not commit adultery; You shall not murder; You shall not covet”; and any other commandment, are summed up in this word, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” 10) Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore, love is the fulfilling of the law. 11) Besides this, you know what time it is, how it is now the moment for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we became believers; 12) the night is far gone, the day is near. Let us then lay aside the works of darkness and put on the armor of light; 13) let us live honorably as in the day, not in reveling and drunkenness, not in debauchery and licentiousness, not in quarreling and jealousy. 14) Instead, put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.
Background to Romans: Paul’s letters are the oldest Christian documents that we have. The earliest were written within 25 years of Jesus’ death. Romans was the last of these letters. After working for at least 10 years spreading the gospel throughout the Mediterranean basin, Paul saw that the Christian church was well established there and turned his sights farther afield. He wanted to go to Spain, the farthermost outpost of the Roman Empire, and spread the gospel there. First, though, he needed to go to Jerusalem to take the proceeds of an offering made by the new churches to the parent church in the holy city. After that, he hoped to fulfill a lifelong dream to go to Rome on his way to Spain. His letter to the Romans was his way of introducing himself to the Christians there and countering many false rumors that were circulating about him. He wrote the letter during a three-month period while staying in Corinth with his friend Gauis. He had some well-founded misgivings about going to Jerusalem. Once there he was arrested and eventually sent to Rome for trial. He was kept under house arrest near Rome for at least 2 years. Ultimately, according to reliable tradition, he was executed outside Rome. He never made it to Spain.
Romans is a complex and brilliant work in which Paul seeks to deal with the question of how God will judge each person on the final day. He brilliantly makes his argument in a way that synthesizes Greek and Hebrew thought. In this book, we have our clearest picture of salvation as a free gift from God. No one can earn it. It is only to be received by faith (for Paul, faith is simply trusting God to receive us as we are). Gratitude for this gift changes ones whole life. Today’s text concludes a section about how believers are to live in community. Earlier he discusses Christians’ responsibility to civil authority. Here he gives general principles for living with a Christian character and what that means in personal relationships.
What does Paul mean by Love? The Greeks had a number of different words that translate into English as “love”. Eros referred to passionate love, the kind that can consume a person. This word is used for sexual love but is more than that as well. Storge means affection like that which exists between a mother and a child. Philia refers to the kind of love experienced in friendship, a kind of warm bond. Agape is not an emotion. It is an activity, an ethic. Agape means to act in another’s best interest regardless of how you feel about him or her. Because it is an action and not an emotion, agape can even be extended to enemies.
Why the Urgency? The motivation for entering into the hard life of love was the belief that Jesus would soon return. Over the years, Christians have wrestled with just what that second coming means. Some still await that coming in a literal way. Some see the second coming as Christ’s meeting of a person at the moment of death and ushering that one into eternal life. Some believe that the second coming was what happened with the gift of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. Some believe that Christ’s presence in the Lord’s Supper is the second coming. Some believe that the church, Christ’s body, is the second coming. What all of these beliefs hold in common is the belief that God will one day fully redeem creation and in the meantime there is work for the believer to do.
Word Study
Vs. 8 – owe – refers to personal debts, as opposed to public debts like taxes.
Except to love – (agape) the language here implies a never-ending debt. Believers are to constantly repay this debt and never cease to owe it.
Vs. 9 – In this verse Paul summarizes the Mosaic Law given in the Ten Commandments. He specifically mentions commandments that refer to relationships in community and not those about relationship with God. It is obvious to Paul that if love reigns these behaviors will cease.
Neighbor – in Lev. 19:18 ‘neighbor’ is understood as a fellow Jew. However, Jesus in the parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37) makes it clear that ones neighbor is any person in need.
Vs. 10 – wrong – literally evil. The point is that love will never harm another. St. Augustine put it this way, “Love God, and do what you like.”
Vs. 11- time – Paul understood that the time we live in is not all that there is. God is always up to something, drawing us into a new and more perfected future. Given the times we live in, certain conduct is appropriate.
Sleep – implies immobility and a lack of awareness of what is going on
Salvation – for Paul salvation exists in all three tenses. Jesus accomplished it. We live in it now and it will be completed in us in some future time. Salvation does not merely refer to eternal life. Rather, it refers to completion and wholeness, to becoming all we were meant to be.
Vs. 12 – night – the time of confusion and the lack of insight
Day – the time of insight and the fullness of the coming age.
Lay aside the works – stop doing the things that increase our confusion
Put on the armor of light – refers to Jesus himself. This is not just putting on the character of Christ. That would be the works of light. The armor of light is the protection of Christ from the confusion of the night.
Vs. 13 – honorably – becomingly, in a way that both is good and looks good
Reveling – originally meant a group of supporters who accompanied home a victor at the games, singing praises of that person. It came to mean noisy carousing.
Drunkenness – everybody drank alcohol in the ancient world, even children. Wine was served at every meal including breakfast as a dip for bread. Drunkenness referred to an excess of drink that left one unable to function with clarity. It referred to a condition of uselessness.
Debauchery – public displays of horrible behavior without shame. This word referred to ones who had lost all capacity to feel shame and did not care what they did to whom or who knew it.
Licentiousness – literally ‘bed’, referred to forbidden sexual relationships.
Quarreling – this is a very specific word that refers to uncontrolled competition, the desire for status, prestige and power; the hatred of being bettered
Jealousy – the kind of envy that begrudges another his or her place or gifts. It is a settled attitude that cannot be content.
Vs. 14 – put on – to clothe oneself, implies embracing Christ intimately and continually
Make no provision – do not plan for sin, do not entertain it in your mind, give it no welcome. This phrase recognizes how easy it is to move from thoughts to actions.
Flesh – in Paul this word means sin, both the small things one does wrong and the settled attitude of self-centeredness as opposed to God centeredness.
Questions for Personal Reflection
1. How literally do you think Christians should take Paul’s advice to stay out of debt?
2. Paul says that the main thing in life is to love one another. Do you think there are limits to loving in this way? In what situations do you find love difficult? Do you think that makes you exempt from the command to love?
3. How would you define ‘neighbors’? Who specifically do you think Paul has in mind?
Spiritual Tool Box
Try this week to go on a mental spiritual diet. Whenever you find your mind wandering to things that worry you, to behaviors that hurt you or others, to despair or mean spiritedness, actively stop the thought. You might say, to yourself or aloud, the word “No” and then turn your thoughts to Jesus. Think about his love for you. Think about the joy of being in his presence. Ask for inner transformation, forgiveness and courage.