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4000 E.
Collins Rd. “Preaching
the Living Word through the Written Word (2Tim 4:2)” |
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FULFILLING
THE LAW (Romans
13:8-14) 11/9/08 Grace Bible Church, Gillette, Wyoming Pastor I.
FULFILLING THE
LAW THROUGH LOVE (8-10) A.
The Believer
Has An Obligation To Love (8a) 1. Though freedom from debt is a biblical principle,
Paul’s intent for this passage was to promote love. (Paul uses an exception, eí mế
– if not, except, phrase) 2. Believers have an obligation (Present active imperative fr. opheílō – owe, bound, or obligated. Lit. “You
must not owe anything to anyone except love; note a continuous action) to
love one another. A true believer must have a sense of indebtedness to God,
who is love (1Jo 4:16), and to love one another. 3. The believer owes an infinite debt of love to God
because of God’s forgiveness (Lk 7:47) and God’s incomparable love lavished (1Jo
3:1; 4:19). This obligation of love is not only to God, but is applied to
humankind (“neighbor”). 4. Having started his practical section, Paul mentions
love some five times in three chapters (Ro 12:9, 10; 13:8, 9, 10; 14:15).
Paul wrote to Timothy saying the “goal of our instruction is love” (1Ti 1:5).
This is not a love at the expense of truth, but neither is truth at the
expense of love (Ep 4:15). B.
The Believer
Fulfills The Law When He Loves (8b-10) 1. Paul reiterates teaching that has been spoken by
Jesus and other apostles. It is the teaching that love is a fulfillment of
the Law. 2. In Mt 22:35-40, Jesus was challenged by a lawyer on
the question of which was the great commandment of the Law. a) Because the rabbis debated which of the 613
commandments were the most binding on man, they thought they could get Jesus
to stumble. b) However, Jesus wisely answered that Deu 6:5 was the
greatest commandment. This was the command to love the Lord your God with the
totality of one’s being and life (“heart” – affections, “soul” – priorities,
“mind” – worldview, “strength” – service). c) Then Jesus identifies the second greatest
commandment which was from Le 19:18, to “love your neighbor as yourself” (cp.
Ro 13:10; Ga 5:14; Ja 2:8). d) Loving others as yourself
fulfills the intent of the Law and the prophets (Mt 7:12; 22:40). 3. Paul quotes four of the Ten Commandments in the
context that love fulfills the Law and the Prophets. a) The Ten Commandments can be broken into two
categories: love for God and love for others as yourself. The first 4
commandments cover love for God (Ex 20:3-11) and the last 6 cover loving
others as yourself (Ex 20:12-17). b) For instance, true love does not break any of God’s
commandments nor does it lead others to break His commandments. Love would
never lead someone into disobedience because disobedience brings
consequences. c) Therefore, if someone says, “I love you,” yet commits
or causes someone to commit adultery, it is not true love. They would be
bringing spiritual consequences upon themselves and the other party. Lust
can’t wait to get, but love can wait to give. Spiritual d) Furthermore, how could anyone ever murder in the
name of love? Or does someone love the very person he steals from? Coveting
is opposed to love because it secretly seeks to remove possessions from
another. e) It is possible to say that when an individual sins,
he is violating an act of love to either God, man, or both. f)
Doing wrong (kakós – injury, harm, or ill) to another
would be violating God’s character and God’s Law. Therefore, love does not
work any wrong to another. That is the intent of God’s Law. II.
FULFILLING THE
LAW BY PUTTING ON CHRIST (11-14) A.
The Believer
Must Realize His Salvation is Near (11) 1. When Paul refers to salvation, he is not referring
to the believer’s justification, but the finality of redemption. 2. In Rom 8, Paul taught that creation and believers
groan and eagerly wait for the redemption of the “sons of God” (Ro 8:19-25). The
return of Christ is the believer’s “blessed hope” (Ti 2:11-13) and the
beginning of the end of all things. 3. Furthermore, Paul uses this theme to awaken (egeírō – to raise up
from sleep or death) and motivate vibrant and holy living. He describes
it as “nearer to us than [when] we [first] believed.” It is time for
believers to make sure their testimonies are blameless so that the gospel is
unhindered by hypocrisy. B.
The Believer
Must Put Off the Deeds of Darkness (12-13) 1. Paul uses the metaphor of night fully advanced to describe
the urgency to live for the Lord. In fact, it is almost the point of morning
twilight. Therefore, believers must now lay aside (apotíthemi – Lit. place away from, or
take off as in clothing) the deeds
of darkness. Believers are no longer in the darkness but are children of the
light (Ep 5:8). Therefore, they are to put off the deeds of darkness and put
on the armor of light. The “armor of light” is the protection the Lord gives
to those who walk in practical righteousness (cp. Ro 8:4). 2. Verse 13, explains proper behavior (peripatéō – walk, lit. or fig.) for the children
of light by what they are not to do. 3. Believers are not to behave with: a) carousing (kōmos – festive procession in honor of the wine god, reveling, excessive
partying) b) drunkenness (méthê – strong drink, intoxication, and drunkenness) c) sexual promiscuity (koítê – sexual impurity, promiscuity) d) sensuality (asélgeia – living without moral restraint, uninhibited
sexual behaior) e) strife (éris – selfish rivalry, fighting) f)
jealousy (zếlos – envious, intense jealousy toward
another) C.
The Believer
Must Put On the Lord Jesus Christ (14) 1. We must take off the deeds of the flesh but must put
on the Lord Jesus Christ. To put on the Lord Jesus Christ is to put on the deeds
that emulate the Lord Jesus Christ. 2. For the believer, this is the process of
sanctification. It is a combination of yielding to the Holy Spirit and
obeying the principles of Scripture. The goal of sanctification is to conform
the believer to the image of Christ (Ro 8:28-29; 2Co 3:18; Ga 4:19; Phil 3:13,
14; Col 2:7; 1Jn 3:2, 3) 3. There is some level of cooperation on the believer’s
part because the Scripture commands (imperative mood) the believer to put on
Christ for himself (middle voice) (cp. Phil 2:13). 4. Furthermore, the believer is to constantly be on
guard in regard to the flesh. He must continually attempt to make no
provision for the flesh. This means that the believer has victory over sin,
but he must not expose himself to things that lure the flesh. III.
APPLICATION A.
Explanation of
the Believer and the Law B.
Obligation of
love and the Gospel C.
Put on Christ |
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