Good morning. It's nice to be with you this morning. Please take your copy of God's word.
I do hope you have a copy of God's word with you because we are a people of the word.
And join me in Romans chapter 13.
Our text for today is Romans chapter 13 verses 8 through 10.
As we continue our study of Paul's letter to the Roman believers this morning, I want you to be reminded
that the first 11 chapters of this book are Paul's doctrinal magnus opus of the Christian faith.
And the last five chapters are his application.
The summary of his teaching in the first 11 chapters and his application transition is found in Romans chapter 12 and verse 1, which says,
I appeal to you, therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God,
to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.
Paul says that in light of God's merciful work toward us, we are to give whole self devotion to him.
And today's text falls under that heading.
We will develop the idea further this morning.
But before we read and consider chapter 13 verses 8 through 10,
hear carefully that we cannot be and are not saved by our works.
You are incapable of adding anything to the equation of your salvation.
But if we have placed genuine saving faith in the personal work of Jesus Christ,
if we have been given new life and quickened by his spirit,
if we have eyes to see and ears to hear,
then our faith is a faith that will be working.
Today's text shows us one of the ways that genuine faith works in the life of a Christian.
So Romans 13, beginning in verse 8, before I read,
Beloved, let me remind you that this is God's word to us,
written for his glory and our good.
So we would all do well to listen to it in order to believe its promises
and to obey its commands.
Oh, no one anything except to love each other.
For the one who loves another has fulfilled the law.
For the commandments, you shall not commit adultery,
you shall not murder, you shall not steal, you shall not covet,
and any other commandment are summed up in this word.
You shall love your neighbor as yourself.
Love does no wrong to a neighbor.
Therefore, love is fulfilling, is the fulfilling of the law.
Did you lose me, Calvin?
Don't panic on the church floor.
I'll keep pressing on.
There is much to consider in these three verses.
A lifetime of thoughtful meditation and fervent application.
Let's set our gaze upon its contents in a three-point outline as follows.
Number one, the requirement of love, which we'll see at the beginning of verse 8.
Number two, the regulation of love, we'll see in verse 9.
And number three, the result of love, we see in the last half of verse 8 and in verse 10.
You're welcome, good Baptists, for the alliteration.
So the requirement, the regulation, and the result of love.
So number one, let's look at the requirement of love.
Paul here says at the beginning of verse 8,
No, owe no one anything except to love each other.
In the preceding verse to today's text, Paul stated, this is Romans 13 and verse 7,
Pay to all what is owed to them, taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed,
respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed.
And then he says, owe no one anything.
So he is continuing this thought in verse 8 by saying that if something is owed,
then that something should be paid.
His point here is not an anti-debt teaching,
and some faithful Christians have seen this text that way.
There is, of course, biblical ethic for both borrowing and lending,
but that is beyond the scope of our time together today,
and frankly, it's beyond the scope of this text.
You see, Paul is turning our attention in the beginning of verse 8
from submission to governing authorities to how we are to relate to one another.
He presses on except to love each other.
The implication found in his sentence structure is,
do not let debts be outstanding, right?
Pay to the person owed what is owed them,
except the continuing debt of love to one another.
A debt that will never be repaid.
We are to love one another.
You owe love to each other.
Who is this each other that Paul is referring to?
Remember, he is writing to a local church.
So I take it to mean Christians,
especially those whom you fellowship with,
those who you've made a commitment to,
those who you ought to be regularly gathering with.
This is not to say that we shouldn't love other Christians.
This is not to say that we ought not love all people.
In the Sermon on the Mount,
Jesus teaches that we are to love our enemies
and pray for those who persecute us.
So we are to love all people,
but I think that Paul has in mind here
particular objects of our love.
Each other.
Those people who have professed faith in Christ
and have been welcomed into the fellowship
of this local assembly of God's people.
This, I believe, is who Paul is saying
should be the object of our love in this text.
Now, to love is the Greek word agapeo,
which is a love that is not conditioned,
which means that Paul is exhorting us
to love each other regardless of the comfort
or ease or lack thereof of that love.
Our love for one another should not be conditioned
on our loveliness or lovableness.
Yes.
Beloved, if you are a member of this church
and another person is a member of this church,
you do not have to like them,
but you are commanded to love them.
Don't people sometimes rub us the wrong way?
We just don't get along the way we might hope we would.
I don't have to like you all,
but I am commanded to love you.
And I do.
Love for each other is an act of the will.
It's a decision that we make.
Our culture has twisted the idea of love
into a feeling, right?
Butterflies in the stomach,
giddiness,
a swollen tongue that can't get words out, etc.
But this is not the picture of love
we see in the Bible.
Love in the Bible is not easy.
It is not comfortable.
It is not aimed at the lovely and lovable.
Love in the Bible is most clearly
and most importantly expressed to us
in the suffering life and suffering death
of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
Was He affectionate towards those He lived and died for?
Of course.
He was heartfelt for all those that belong to Him.
But did He experience butterflies in the stomach,
giddiness as He suffered the wrath of God on their behalf?
Of course not.
It didn't feel good for Jesus to hang on that cross for us.
Nevertheless, He loved us.
An act of the will for our highest good.
He sought our highest good at His expense.
It cost Him His very life.
The Apostle John tells us in John 13 and verse 1,
Now before the feast of the Passover,
when Jesus knew that His hour had come
to depart out of this world to the Father,
having loved His own who were in the world,
He loved them to the end.
He gave Himself for their sake and ours.
Jesus sets for us the preeminent example of love
and we are meant to imitate Him.
He teaches us in John chapter 13 and verse 35.
There He says,
By this all people will know that you are My disciples.
And I hope all of you can fill in the last half of that verse.
Do you know how it concludes?
By your demographic affinity?
You're all young marrieds with kids.
All, most of you, young marrieds with kids?
It doesn't say that.
By your agreed crunchiness?
It doesn't say that.
Your political opinions?
It doesn't say that.
Your theological minutiae?
I'm not saying we shouldn't agree on things theologically,
but the minutiae?
It doesn't say that.
Jesus says,
By this all people will know that you are My disciples
if you have love for one another.
Jesus places a central priority on love for one another
as a marker of His followers.
Show me a mature Christian man or woman
and I will show you a person who has love for the church,
who is humble enough to bear with other people's imperfections
because they are aware of their imperfections,
who forgives because they understand the gravity of the forgiveness
that God has granted them.
The mature Christian serves others,
prefers their preferences,
does not seek their own advantage,
readily speaks words of encouragement,
promotes truth and holy living,
thinks of their failings as worse than others' failings,
seeks forgiveness and reconciliation,
and is patient with God's sanctifying work
in the life of the church.
Show me an immature Christian man or woman
and I will show you a person
who is self-seeking,
self-important,
obnoxiously opinionated,
grumbling,
petty,
and holds grudges.
And it saddens me to say
that we have a mixture of both
mature and immature Christians
in our fellowship.
The professing Christian
who does not love
is either
A.
immature
or B.
not a Christian at all.
You see,
the person who does not love
does not have a clear enough,
a big enough understanding
of God's love
for them.
In 1 John 4,
verse 19 and 20,
John writes,
we love
because
He
first
loved
us.
God has expressed to us
His love
and the personal work
of Jesus Christ
and the salvation
of our souls.
He has shown us
the unconditional love
that can be found
in Jesus.
Not loving us
because we
deserve it,
but because
He Himself
is love.
It emanates from
His very
being.
And this is an
attribute of God
that we are meant
to display
in the world.
John goes on
in verse 20,
if anyone says,
I love God
and hates His brother,
he is a liar.
For he who does not
love his brother
whom he has seen
cannot love God
whom he has not seen.
And then verse 21,
and this commandment
we have
from Him.
Whoever loves God
must also
love his brother.
There is no
wiggling around this
in the text.
Paul is clear here,
it is clear elsewhere,
that the people
of God
will be a people
of love.
Central characteristic
of who
we
are.
In Romans
chapter 13,
verse 8,
this verb
love
is in the Greek
present form.
So Paul does not
have in mind
a single
action of love,
but an ongoing
affection and care
for each other
with no intent
for its end.
It's a disposition
that carries itself
out
continually.
It's expressed
as a disposition
toward
one another.
Christians,
those whose lives
are united
and devoted
to Christ's person
and His ways
are to love
and love
each other.
Now,
before we move on
to our next point,
let's consider
in brief
what ought to
characterize
our love
by looking
at a passage
meant for more
than a reading
at a wedding.
Join me,
if you will,
in 1 Corinthians
chapter 13.
I'm going to read
just verse 4
through the first
part of
verse 8.
And I just want
you to think,
note as we read
both the positive
and negative
commands
implied in each
characteristic
of love.
So for example,
the beginning,
love is
patient.
Well,
it's the opposite
of patience.
It's impatience.
So if you're
impatient with others,
that's not loving.
You could
take the inverse
of anything
that's being
said here.
One of the
exercises we go
through in
marriage counseling
is a list
of these.
And I ask
those people
who are in
counseling
to characterize
their life.
Are you loving
toward your
spouse?
And we do well
to do this
with anybody
that's in our
fellowship.
So just think
carefully with me
as I read this
slowly.
Love is
patient
and kind.
Love does not
envy or boast.
It is not
arrogant
or rude.
It does not
insist
on its own
way.
It is not
irritable
or resentful.
It does not
rejoice at
wrongdoing,
but rejoices
with the truth.
Love
bears all
things,
believes all
things.
I think he
means by that
gives the
benefit of the
doubt.
Hopes all
things,
endures all
things.
Love
never
ends.
So we
are
required.
It is laid
upon us
as followers
of Jesus
Christ to be
those who
love each
other.
love.
Secondly,
we see in
our text
the regulation
of love.
We see this
in verse 9.
Paul says,
for the
commandments,
you shall not
commit adultery,
you shall not
murder,
you shall not
steal,
you shall not
covet,
and any
other
commandment
are summed
up in this
word.
You shall
love your
neighbor as
yourself.
In this
verse,
Paul shares
four of
the six
commandments
that were
given to
Moses on
Mount Sinai
that pertain
to our
obligations to
one another.
He omits
the fifth
commandment,
honor your
father and
mother,
and the
ninth
commandment,
you shall
not bear
false witness
against your
neighbor,
but this is
not some
mystery for
us to
unravel and
understand,
because he
also says,
and any
other
commandment.
I would
suggest to
you that
Paul at
times rambles
things off
under
inspiration as
examples to
us.
So he
says,
these four
things,
you shall
not commit
adultery,
you shall
not murder,
you shall
not steal,
you shall
not covet,
and any
other
commandment
are summed
up in the
word,
you shall
love your
neighbor as
yourself.
I think
this idea of
any other
commandment,
I take it to
mean that it
includes the
fifth,
the ninth,
and all
the other
commandments
that are
summed up
in those
last six
of the
ten
commandments.
That it's
structured in
that way
in the
Old Testament.
Paul is
saying that
God has
given us
instruction
as to how
we are to
live in
relation to
one another
in the
Old Testament
law,
in the
Mosaic
law.
He goes
on to
cite
Leviticus
19,
18,
and the
Lord Jesus
to make
his very
point.
So in
Mark
chapter 12
verse 28
through 31
we read,
And one
of the
scribes
came up
and heard
them
disputing
with one
another.
There's a
debate going
on amongst
the Pharisees
and Sadducees
about the
resurrection.
And seeing
that he,
Jesus,
answered them
well,
asked him,
Which commandment
is the most
important of
all?
You're likely
familiar with
Jesus'
response.
He answers,
citing Deuteronomy
6,
4,
and 5.
The most
important is,
Hear, O
Israel,
the Lord
our God,
the Lord
is one.
You shall
love the
Lord your
God with
all your
heart,
with all
your soul,
and with all
your mind,
and with all
your strength.
And this
is understood
to be the
summary of
the first
four of
the Ten
Commandments.
And then he
says,
The second
is this,
referencing
Leviticus
19,
verse 18.
You shall
love your
neighbor as
yourself.
And this
summarizes,
as Paul
here states,
the last
six of
the Ten
Commandments.
And then Jesus
says,
There is no
other commandment
greater than
these.
So,
we are given
the clear
example of
Jesus'
life and
death,
and the
clear instruction
of both the
Old and New
Testaments.
We do well
to note the
regulations of
the Bible,
and to
recognize that
the natural
compulsion of
the one made
new in
Christ will
be to love
in a biblical
manner.
Beloved,
we ought to
be very
thoughtful as
we approach
the Bible
and we see
these commands.
We ought to
give the
application in
our own
living.
Is what's
being taught
here being
lived in
my life,
in the place
that God
has put
me?
I can say
to you with
great surety,
this will not
always be easy.
It is
difficult at
times to
love people,
but God,
by His
Spirit,
empowers us
to live
according to
His Word.
So know
what those
regulations are,
how it is we
are meant to
live with one
another,
and get to
work doing
that very
thing.
This is the
activity of
God's people,
devotion to
Him, love
for one
another.
love.
And then we
see,
lastly,
in our
outline,
the result
of love.
We pick up
the last
half of
verse 8
and then
verse 10.
Paul writes
in verse 8,
for the one
who loves
another has
fulfilled
the law.
And then,
love does
no wrong
to a neighbor,
therefore love
is the
fulfilling
of the law.
Now, we
must be very
careful at
this point.
As I just
noted previously
to you,
in Jesus'
summary of the
greatest commandments,
we're missing
half of what
He had to
say there
in that text.
This says
nothing of
devotion to
God.
So, what is
Paul doing
here?
We must be
very careful.
I state in
the introduction
to our text
that we
cannot be
and are not
saved by
our works.
you are
incapable of
adding anything
to the equation
of your
salvation.
But if we
have placed
genuine saving
faith in the
person and
work of
Jesus Christ,
if we have
been given
new life
and quickened
by His
Spirit,
if we have
eyes to see
and ears to
hear,
then our
faith is a
faith that
will be
working.
You see,
if we were
able to
perfectly keep
the law
on our
own,
we would
have no
need.
of Christ.
But no
one is
capable of
this work.
Every single
one of us
have broken
God's
law.
We needed
the perfect
righteousness
of Christ.
That's why
God had to
become a
man and
come to
earth to
fulfill the
righteousness
required.
It's one
half of the
equation of
our justification
and to
die the
death that
our sin
purchased
for us.
Both
things,
life and
death of
Christ.
What's
called the
active and
passive
obedience of
Christ by
the theologians
of old.
Both
things matter.
So we
can't
fulfill the
law.
We're not
going to
fulfill the
law in
that sense.
That is not
what Paul is
saying.
He's not
suggesting in
our text that
if you can
only love
well enough,
then you
will have
kept the
law.
That you're
to be
thinking about,
well,
have I?
Have I done
enough?
I think I'm
a loving
person.
Perhaps God
will accept
me based
on this.
Not at
all.
Remember,
the entire
thesis for
his letter
is found
in the
opening
chapter.
Chapter
1,
verse 16
and 17.
He says,
I'm not
ashamed of
the gospel,
the good
news,
for it,
the gospel,
is the
power of
God for
salvation
to everyone
who believes,
to the Jew
first and
also to the
Greek.
For in
it,
in the
gospel,
this good
news,
the
righteousness
of God
is revealed
from faith
for faith.
As it is
written,
the righteous
shall live
by faith.
And he
then spends
the next
11 chapters
expounding
on this,
opening up
what that
means,
what does
it mean
for the
righteous
to live
by
faith.
And we
see Paul
explain that
the law
serves
two
purposes.
Firstly,
the law
exposes
our
sinfulness
and therefore
our need
of a
savior.
The law
is what
brings to
us the
bad news
that
necessitates
good
news,
shows us
whether in
writing or
written on
our hearts
that we
need to
be
redeemed.
Paul writes
in Romans 3
in verse 20,
for by
works of
the law
no human
being
will be
justified
in his
sight.
The word
justified
means to
be made
right,
to be
declared
righteous.
By
works of
the law
no human
being
will be
justified
in his
sight
since
through
the law
comes
knowledge
of sin.
The sin
exists,
we know
about it
because
of the
law,
it exposes
it
to
us.
Then he
goes on,
verse 24
of chapter
3,
we are
justified
or made
righteous
by grace
as a
gift
through
the
redemption
that is
in Christ
Jesus
whom God
put forward
as a
propitiation
by his
blood
to be
received
by faith.
So we
can be
declared
righteous
because
Christ
dies
in our
place,
taking on
the debt
that needs
to be
paid by
us,
the infinite
debt
that sin
has purchased
for us.
Christ
dies
in our
place,
propitiation,
a replacement
sacrifice
for us.
I've said
to you
the core
of the
gospel
of Jesus
Christ
is penal
substitutionary
atonement.
We needed
Jesus to
die in
our
stead
at the
penalty
for our
sins.
would be
paid.
Romans
6
and
verse
23,
Paul
there
says,
for the
wages
of
sin
is
death,
but the
free
gift
of
God
is
eternal
life
in
Christ
Jesus
our
Lord.
So the
law
exposes
our
sinfulness
and
therefore
our
need
of a
savior.
So he
can't
possibly
be
saying
we
can
fulfill
the
law
on
our
own
for the
salvation
of our
souls.
Secondly,
the law
teaches us
the
ethic
of a
life
devoted
to
God.
What
should
the
person
who
has
been
made
new,
who
is
empowered
by the
spirit,
whose
old
self
has
died,
has
a
new
self,
who
is
able
to
now
live
in
a
way
that
is
pleasing
to
God,
how
should
their
life
look?
And
the
law
teaches
us
this
ethic.
Again,
Romans 12
and verse
1,
Paul there
says,
I appeal
to you
therefore,
brothers,
by the
mercies
of God
to present
your
bodies
as a
living
sacrifice,
holy
and
acceptable
to
God,
which
is
your
spiritual
worship.
So he
says,
because
God
has been
merciful
to
you,
right?
First
11
chapters
of
Romans,
because
this
is
true
of
you,
devote
your
entirety
to
him.
What
is that
to look
like?
Well,
he goes
on to
expound
on that
in the
rest
of his
letter.
And of
course,
we find
much other
instruction
in the
text as
well.
So the
law
teaches
us
the
ethic
of
a
life
devoted
to
God.
And it
is
to
this
second
purpose
that
Paul
is
referring
to
in
the
last
part
of
verse
8
and
in
verse
10.
John
says
the
same
in
1
John
chapter
5
verse
1
through
5,
a
book
written
for
the
examination
of the
of
our
faith.
And
central
to
that
examination,
John
places
love
for
the
brothers.
He
writes
this,
everyone
who
believes
that
Jesus
is
the
Christ
has
been
born
of
God.
And
everyone
who
loves
the
Father
loves
whoever
has
been
born
of
him.
If
you
place
your
faith
in
Christ,
you've
been
born
of
God.
And
if
you've
been
born
of
God,
you
will
love
everyone
else
who's
been
born
and we obey his commandments.
These ways that love has been regulated in the Bible.
For this is the love of God that we keep his commandments,
and his commandments are not burdensome.
For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world,
and this is the victory that has overcome the world, our faith.
Who is it that overcomes the world?
Except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.
So we have an empowered faith.
God does not leave us to our own to prove that he has saved us,
but he has given to us the helper, the paraclete,
who comes along and helps us to live the way that he asks us to live.
He characterizes us in this way.
So we see in these three verses the requirement of love,
the regulation of it, and the result.
Love it.
Now I want to issue in some closing statements
two encouragements of application.
First, if you find in yourself any conviction this morning
for your lack of love,
ask yourself,
am I a Christian?
I never want to give any reason to doubt
for those who are truly saved.
But if you are not saved,
I want to fill you with doubt.
I want you to really reckon with the state of your soul.
Turn from your wickedness.
Place your faith in Jesus Christ,
and he will save your soul.
If you have settled that you are a Christian
and still find yourself less loving than you ought to be,
do three things.
First, pray that God would work love for his people
in your heart by the power of his spirit.
I have no doubt he will answer this prayer in the affirmative.
Secondly,
read the Bible with a mind towards God's love for you
and the commands to love.
Allow the spirit,
by the word,
to warm your heart.
because when our reckoning,
the magnitude of God's love for us
is present in us,
in our minds,
it outflows into love
for others.
John Durant,
this is the quotation on the back of your bulletin this morning,
said,
As nothing in believers was so good
as to cause him to love them,
so nothing is so bad
as can cause him to withdraw his love
from them.
A reality that needs to be meditated on.
constantly.
And then thirdly,
connect with someone in the church
for prayer,
study,
and accountability on the matter.
These are the normal means of grace
that God uses to grow us
in our devotion to him.
It should be done by those who profess faith in Christ.
Second,
second encouragement,
I want you to know, church,
that I am generally
so encouraged
by the manifold ways
that you love
one another.
Outside of our fellowship,
we'll have people visit,
we'll have pastors
that hear things about our church,
and they will express,
we hear that your church
loves each other well.
That's so encouraging to me.
And I will tell you,
the primary reason
that it's encouraging to me
is often people will ask,
how was that accomplished?
And they want me to give them
three steps
to how
I taught you all
to love each other.
And I simply say,
for my part in it,
I open up the word
and I preach.
It's God who works
in the lives of his people.
It's such a picture
of the spirit
working in you.
It gives me such
gospel hope
to see the way
that you all love
one another.
I think many people
have reason
to look at our congregation
and say,
those people
are disciples
of Jesus Christ.
Look how they love
each other.
So keep it up.
Be encouraged.
Don't stop.
Press on.
This life is short,
and the reward
that awaits you
is great.
I know that you all
are tired
pouring out
an immense amount
of care
within your homes
and outside of your homes.
Just keep
pressing
on.
At the end of your life,
you will never regret
loving
too much.
Galatians chapter 6,
verse 9 and 10,
Paul says,
and let us not grow weary
of doing good.
For in due season
we will reap
if we do not give up.
So then as we have
opportunity,
let us do good
to everyone
and especially
to those
who are of the household
of faith.
Let's pray together.