4 Feb 2010

Romans 13-14

There is 3 portions to these passages.
The first is our vertical relationship with God and our subjects.
The second is our horizontal relationship with our peers.
The third is how we lived out these relationship in love and be subjected to God's love.

Follow and obey if you want to lead
13:1 Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God.

If you want to excerise authority on someone else, like your children or your students, then first and foremost, subject yourself to the headship of God.

Under the authority of God you are to do what is righteous. 13:4 for he is God's servant.

How can you pass authority on someone if you yourself has not obey God. For example, you want to punish your children for lying. But how can you do so, if you yourself lied to God. Therefore, subject yourself in order to subject others.


Follow on rather than passing judgement
In our relationship with peers and to people we are not subject to authority, we tends to pass judgement, because we feel that we stand on certain moral high ground. 14:4 Who are you to pass judgment on the servant of another?

Our obedience in God and our righteousness in God is about our relationship with God. By this standards of obedience does not warrant us to consider others less rightous because they do not do the same thins as us.

Follow love
13:13 Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy. 14 But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.

Our walk with God demands us to be in "moral high ground". Not for the sake that makes me better than others or makes me a better subject of God and therefore warrant a right to subject others.

It is our love for God that we wants to do so. The world satisfy the flesh by eating, drinking and sexual immorality. How can then we different from the world? In fact by not indulging in eating, drinking and sexual immorality, you have put yourself in a rightoues ground for an authority to teach and to rebuke others against them.

The next element is love. We did so because of God and not because of the need to teach, to rebuke.

Likewise, 14:18 Whoever thus serves Christ is acceptable to God and approved by men. 19 So then let us pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding.


My prayers:
Make me a righteous man in your sight. Forgive me of all my past wrong doing and cleasnse me of my acts in gratifying the flesh.

You have position me in authority, to teach and to rebuke. Therefore set me correct and rightoueus in your sight. Allow me to teach and rebuke in love, not for anything to gratify my flesh, but to point others back to you.