Romans 13 Commentary
A good servant of the LORD will obey traffic rules even when cameras are off, and pay taxes even when the taxman hasn’t called. The saint does it out of obedience to the instructions in this chapter.
“Lead us not into temptations,” this prayer should include the desire not to willfully flout legitimate government orders. Of course, the saint knows when to apply the higher orders over and above government rules. Interestingly, there are fewer times when God’s orders conflict with government orders!
What happens when you are asked to pay more taxes? And you know the excess taxes go into the officer’s pocket! You will even have the legal documents to back the theft!
At this stage, the transaction has shifted and transitioned into persecution – state persecution. Respond to persecution in the usual saintly way. Know you are receiving the blows for doing right. Let the wisdom of the Spirit prevail, otherwise you may have to take the blows in the name of Jesus. Accept the cost of your righteousness might be losses up to the closure of your business, but honor the LORD at all costs – this is a higher order.
Know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. Chapter 8 verse 28.
Bad leaders may frequently occupy offices. Are they also part of God’s structure? Yes – in the sense we understand that nothing happens without the LORD knowing or allowing it. Nothing sneaks up on the Sovereign Creator God. The fact that men and women oversalt the meal doesn’t mean that the meal wasn’t served by the LORD in the first place!
In His providence, the LORD decides to achieve His purposes through good leaders and bad leaders.
Regardless of the environment, let the life of the Spirit flow within the saint. Let there be love. The word is love and not worry, fear, or bitterness. We can react in love and not in desperation. And why not, you will have escalated your case to the highest office where bribery and corruption never exist. It is all justice, love, righteousness, compassion…
Against the works of darkness, you arm yourself with light – the armor of light. The apostle would expand this armor in his letter to the Ephesians.
Business closure, embarrassment, thoughts of failure, starvation, loss of business, loss of income, loss of a ‘golden’ opportunity, loss of employment, … What loss can be bigger than the loss of the peace of the Spirit that flows from an obedient heart? No one wants to find out!
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