CHRISTIAN ETHOS IN ACTION – “For he is God’s minister to you for good. But if you do evil, be afraid; for he does not bear the sword in vain; for he is God’s minister, an avenger to execute wrath on him who practices evil”. Romans 13:4.
The phrase “if you”, as it applies to you (and me) as a disciple of Jesus, appears one hundred twenty-four times in the English Standard Version (ESV) of the New Testament.
First, we will be confronted with various situations and circumstances from the Bible and, we will discover how we are to respond in these examples. Secondly, I have personalized (rephrased) our study verses for you to memorize. By this, we can bring the Gospel to life as we go and defeat sin along our way.
Today we, as Christians, are confronted with questions about how we should deal with matters such as:
“For he is God’s minister to you for good. But if you do evil, be afraid; for he does not bear the sword in vain; for he is God’s minister, an avenger to execute wrath on him who practices evil”. Romans 13:4.
IN CONTEXT
Romans 13:1, Every person is to be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God. Verse 2. Therefore, whoever resists authority has opposed the ordinance of God; and they who have opposed will receive condemnation upon themselves. Verse 3. For rulers are not a cause of fear for good behavior, but for evil. Do you want to have no fear of authority? Do what is good, and you will have praise from the same; verse 4, for he is a servant of God to you for good. But if you do what is evil, be afraid; for it does not bear the sword for nothing; for it is a servant of God, an avenger who brings wrath on the one who practices evil. Verse 5. Therefore, it is necessary to be in subjection, not only because of wrath, but also for the sake of conscience. Verse 6. For because of this you also pay taxes, for rulers are servants of God, devoting themselves to this very thing. Verse 7. Pay to all what is due them: tax to whom tax is due; custom to whom custom; respect to whom respect; honor to whom honor. Verse 8. Owe nothing to anyone except to love one another; for the one who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the Law. Verse 9. For this, “YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT ADULTERY, YOU SHALL NOT MURDER, YOU SHALL NOT STEAL, YOU SHALL NOT COVET,” and if there is any other commandment, it is summed up in this saying, “YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.” Verse 10. Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the Law.
Verse 11. Do this, knowing the time, that it is already the hour for you to awaken from sleep; for now salvation is nearer to us than when we first believed. Verse 12. The night is almost gone, and the day is near. Therefore, let’s rid ourselves of the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. Verse 13. Let’s behave properly as in the day, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual promiscuity and debauchery, not in strife and jealousy. Verse 14. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts.
REPHRASED and personalized to memorize:
“For he (who exercises governing authority) is God’s minister to me for good. But if I do evil, I should be afraid; for he does not bear the sword in vain; for he is God’s minister, an avenger to execute wrath on him who practices evil”. Romans 13:4.
These verses and this command may be some of the most difficult to understand, accept and to obey when a government is found to be oppressive or dictatorial, and especially difficult if a government is hostile toward Christianity.
This teaching gives us the starkest of comparisons of what Jesus means when He says that we, as Christians, are not of this world and that we, as the Church, are believers who are “called out” of this world and its ways. (The word, Church is derived from the Greek word Ekklesia, which comes from the preposition ek, “out of”, and the verb kaleō, “to call”, meaning called out”, or believers who are “called out” of this world and its ways. Also, see John 17:14-16).
It is said that the teachings of Jesus are often counter-intuitive to the natural mind and are counter-cultural to this world’s ways. But ironically, the truth is just the opposite. The world’s teachings and ways are antithetical and counter-cultural to the way that God created us and the world in which we live. It was the sin of humanity’s rebellion toward God that created the great and terrible inversion of God’s created order. And it is Jesus and His teachings that will set things right again. And, it is our obedience, even to Jesus’ most difficult to understand teachings, that will ‘turn the world upside down again – putting things back into the Right Order.
You and I are called out – if you and I will only trust and obey!
Your Brother and Friend,
Mike Young
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