Hearing a statement like “do not be conformed to this world” can send our minds in a hundred different directions. On the one extreme, we might think that the way Christians obey this command in Romans 12:2 is by removing ourselves from the world. This is the attempt of the monastery. The idea is something like, if we can remove ourselves from contact with the world then there is not a chance that we’ll be conformed to its thoughts, ways, and actions. Yet one obvious problem with this is that if we did this we would never fulfill the great commission. No one would ever be evangelized. On the other extreme, we could assume Paul means very little in the exhortation “do not be conformed to this world” and could live exactly like the world, even committing the same sins the world is committing. However, that would obviously ignore Paul’s command altogether and would dismiss the requirement of holiness in our lives.
Clearly, then, there is another option. What was Paul envisioning when he told us not to be conformed to this world but to be transformed by the renewal of our minds? The answer is clearly to remain in the world, rubbing shoulders with unbelievers in our daily lives (i.e., not removing ourselves from them to some monastic setting) and yet living differently from the world (i.e., living as the world lives, committing the sins they are committing). But what exactly does that look like for us? This is the question that we started answering last week as Chad preached the rest of Romans 12, and it’s what we’ll continue to answer as we look at chapter 13 this morning.
All the commands that Chad laid out for us last week were examples of what it means to live in the world and yet differently from those who will not bow the knee to Christ. And the commands in 13 do the same. So, in a sense we’ve simply divided in half the section in Romans that is laying out a practical picture of what it means not to be conformed to this world. However, there is a difference in what we looked at last week and what we’ll look at this week. And it’s a difference for which I’m thankful. Whereas, Romans 12:3-21 is filled with many exhortations that seem to have little obvious connection, the text this week falls into three obvious sections. It’s as if Paul is endorsing the reality that a sermon should have three points, and yet he surprisingly does not end the text with a poem or gripping illustration to conclude.
So, in this section of Romans what is it that Paul chooses to hold out as to how Christians live their lives as living sacrifices to God without being conformed to the world. Well, first, he tells us that we are to submit to governing authorities.
Perhaps surprisingly, half the chapter is spent with Paul telling us that one way that we as Christians are to live in this world is by submitting to our governing authorities. Now, you can imagine why Paul would do this. His hearers could have been thinking, “We’re not to be conformed to this world. Our governing officials are not seeking to please God. So, we will just not obey them. Then it will be obvious that we are not conformed to this world that is in rebellion against God.” But Paul quickly corrects any kind of thought like that. He begins this section writing, “Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God” (v. 1)
The reason that we submit to our governing authorities is because no one has authority except that God has granted him that authority, and those governing authorities have been instituted by God. Just as the reason we have the institution of marriage is because God instituted it, so the reason we have government is because God instituted it. Government is not man’s idea; it is God’s. He is the one who instituted it and those who lead.
Thus, Paul makes the logical step as he continues, writing, “Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment” (v. 2). That is, if governing authorities exist because God put them in place, then if you resist them, you resist one that God has appointed and will be judged for it. What this means for us as Christians is that whatever the government tells us to do we must do. The only exception is if the government commands us to do something that would involve us sinning against God. So, for example, if a law comes out tomorrow and says that anyone sharing the gospel will be punished by being sentenced to jail, then I would expect us to wind up in jail (and it shouldn’t take us too long to get there). When the apostles were commanded by governing authorities in Jerusalem not to teach anymore about Jesus, they responded, “We must obey God rather than men” (Acts 5:29). So, Paul is not saying here that we obey our governing officials instead of obeying God. But he is saying nothing less than that we must do what governing officials tell us to do in every instance except that which would be sin.
Spelling this out for us, this means that we obey laws that are imposed upon us. This means that we do not illegally download songs, pirate software, or violate any other copyright laws. It means that we obey the speed limit, buckle our seat belts, and stop at stop signs. It means that we submit to our governing officials.
And one of the results is that you’ll know that you’ll not incur judgment at the hand of governing authorities. Otherwise, you will. Paul continues, “For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, for he is God's servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God's wrath on the wrongdoer” (vv. 3-4).
Paul says, “You don’t have to drive down the road fearing that you’ll pass a policeman sitting in the median if you’re obeying traffic laws. They’re not there to punish you for doing good. They praise good conduct. Rather, they punish you when you do not obey them. So, do you want to be free from fear? Submit to them. Otherwise, be afraid, for they have been appointed by God to hand out punishment on those who do wrong. What this also means, then, is that when you are pulled over for speeding and the officer gives you a ticket, he is dealing out a rebuke from God. He is a servant of God, carrying out God’s wrath on the wrongdoer.
So, is Paul saying that the motivation to keep us from breaking the law and not submitting to governing authorities is fear that we might get caught and get punished? No, that’s not the only motivation. A few years ago Lili and I went to visit my uncle when he invited me to get on the back of his motorcycle and go for a ride. I did, and off we went through the little town of Tekonsha, Michigan. However, about two minutes into our nice ride through town, things changed. My uncle stopped at a stop sign, we watched a police officer drive by us heading to our left, and my uncle pulled out to his right saying, “Now things are really going to get fun; that’s the only policeman in town.” And my uncle proceeded to hit some pretty amazing speeds.
But my uncle is a pagan. He doesn’t know Christ. He doesn’t care about obeying God. Of course the threat of getting caught and punished by the law cannot be the only motivation for Christians obeying our governing authorities. Rather, Paul writes in verse 5, “Therefore one must be in subjection, not only to avoid God's wrath but also for the sake of conscience.” We submit to the government not only to avoid God’s wrath through their hands but also because our conscience reminds us that to fail to submit to them is to fail to submit to God.
So, Paul concludes with a summary, writing, “For the same reason you also pay taxes, for the authorities are ministers of God, attending to this very thing. 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” (vv. 6-7). As a sign of our submission to the government, we pay our taxes, doing it exactly as the government would have us do it. And we give them what they are owed, whether it is taxes, revenue, respect, or honor; and we do it because we know that God has appointed them servants in this world.
Now, before I move on to the next point, let me say that I know this is challenging. It’s easy to say, “Yeah, as Christians we are not conformed to this world,” but this command is challenging precisely because it appears that we will be in the extreme minority if we obey the government. It’s hard not to speed precisely because it seems like everyone else does. It’s not hard for me to drive 30 down McClellan because I think if I just drove 40 I would save enough time to complete a novel I’m just dying to read. It’s hard to drive 30 because nobody else wants to, and when I do it looks like I’m leading a funeral procession. I find this to be one of the most challenging arenas in which to obey Christ and have failed here much. And I’ve failed precisely because it is hard for me not to respond exactly as the world does. Perhaps this is the very reason Paul stops at this point in his argument and spends a lengthy section about what not conforming to this world looks like in regard to our governing officials. And we can thank God that he has used this text this morning to renew our minds as to what his will is.
But Paul moves on. Not only are we to submit to governing authorities, living a life that is not conformed to this world also means that we’re to love our neighbors as ourselves.
Having just mentioned owing individuals honor and respect, Paul uses this theme to transition into his command that we love others as ourselves. He writes, “Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. 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 the fulfilling of the law” (vv. 8-10).
Paul says that we should owe no one anything. That is, we should not leave any debt unpaid (not that we should never borrow anything). But there is one debt that we will never fully pay, namely, our debt to love others. We will never love so much that we say, “Well, that’s enough. I’ve loved you as much as I need to.” Paul is commanding us to love others.
But what does he mean when he says that if we love one another then we’ve fulfilled the law? I think what he’s saying is this: the law was always pointing us to the need to produce a heart that loves others. However, it was powerless to change your heart to a heart that loves. The law simply gave commands and highlighted how we came short. But the law always pointed to the goal of a transformed heart. The law always pointed to a person whose heart truly loved others. The commandments not to commit adultery, not to murder, not to steal, and not to covet were all commands that illustrated how one would live who truly loved others.
After all, if I truly love you, then I’m not going to try to take your wife, kill you, steal from you, or long to have what is yours. All of those actions stem from a selfish heart that does not love another as I love myself. Ask yourself, do you think there’ll be laws in heaven telling us what we shouldn’t do? Do you think we’ll need reminders everywhere not to steal from one another? Of course not. But why? It’s because we’ll finally be made to be holy. We’ll finally be conformed into the image of Christ. And our hearts will love one another enough that such laws will be unnecessary. This is why Paul says that the laws regarding our actions toward others are summed up in the command to love our neighbors as ourselves. Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore, love is fulfilling the law.
That means that we make it our goal to love one another. Our goal as a church is not simply that we would not steal from each other, kill each other, or covet what others have. Our goal is that we would truly love. That is, our goal is that we would have deep affection for our brothers and sisters here and that it would manifest itself in spending time together, serving one another, caring for one another, praying for one another, encouraging one another, crying with one another, and rejoicing with one another. When the world sees us doing that, they’ll know we’re followers of Christ. And as we love our brothers and sisters in Christ in this way we can begin to love others as well.
This is one of the reasons our Sunday evening service is as it is. It’s not simply to hear needs but our hope is that God would use that time to move us to love one another, for this is what is demanded of us if we are not to be conformed to this world. One man has proclaimed, “Men may not drown the cries of the oppressed with the noise of hymns,”1 which I think is a way of saying, “If we get our Sunday morning service to the point that everyone thinks we’re doing everything perfectly and yet we fail to love our neighbor as ourselves, we’re failing in one of the most central commands given to us by our Lord. Living in this world without being conformed to it means we love our neighbors as ourselves.
But there is one other area Paul notes. He tells us that we must constantly remember and lives in light of the fact that our salvation is coming.
Paul concludes this chapter writing, “Besides this you know the time, that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed. The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires” (vv. 11-14).
In the biblical world without the blessing of artificial lighting one would wake up at the latest with the rising of the sun. After all, you only had daylight hours to work and the sun would be at its hottest in the afternoon. So you got up and got to work while the getting was good. You struck while the iron was hot (or the day wasn’t).
So, in verses 11-14 Paul takes this imagery and applies it to this age and the age to come. That is, just as one day Christ will return, sin and death will be destroyed, and all will be well, Paul pictures this as light. While this world in its rebellion to God is pictures as night and darkness. So, Paul says, just as you know that this world is passing away and Christ’s kingdom is coming, so wake up and live like it. After all, the day when Christ will return and our salvation will be complete is closer now than it has ever been in history. We don’t know when Christ is coming, but we do know that it’s closer today than it has ever been in history.
So, Paul says, quit living as if this world is going to last forever. Quit living as if those in rebellion to Christ will be victorious. Rather, cast off works that show our love for this world and start being characterized by works that show our allegiance to Christ and his kingdom. In essence, Paul might say, “Live each day as if you thought Christ was returning tomorrow.”
By that I don’t mean take out big loans that you think you won’t get to repay. After all, that would violate the command of verse 8. I mean, live in such a way today that you are ready to stand before Christ tomorrow and give an account for how you are living.
Specifically, Paul tells us not to be involved in orgies, drunkenness, sexual immorality and sensuality, and quarrelling and jealousy. These are the kinds of things the world is involved in. These are the works of darkness. Rather, put off these things and put on Christ. Set aside these actions and live each day seeking to battle in this world to live in holiness and to be pleasing to Christ. In fact, don’t leave options for your flesh to gratify its desires.
Be intentional about fighting sin and honoring Christ. When you get up you can pray as you get out of bed or on your way to work or however you start your day, “Father, I pray that your kingdom will come. I pray that you will send your Son. I realize it may be soon. So today help me to live in such a way that I can be a picture to the world of what it looks like to live with Christ as my Lord. Help me to recognize temptation and to avoid it. I want to live today in a way that honors you.”
That is, make war on sin and pursue living a holy life. Don’t think you’ll grow spiritually mature just with the passing of time. You won’t. Rather, make the decision to put off works of darkness and to put on Christ. This is what it means to live in such a way that we are not conformed to this world.
Submit to governing authorities, love our neighbors as ourselves, and constantly remind yourself that Christ is returning and live as if it will happen tomorrow.
Yet do not do these things so that you might be righteous before God. It won’t work. You’ll fail. And God demands absolute perfection. Rather, live this way because you’ve placed your faith in Christ who has died and has been raised for you. Live this way because God has declared you righteous in Christ and freed you to be pleasing to him. Live this way because he’s given you a heart that delights in submitting to authorities, loving your neighbor, and living to honor Christ. In fact, let us remind ourselves of these blessings as we come to the table. Amen.