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Romans: Part 7 - Ch. 13-14



Not What You Thought


As we approach the end of Paul’s letter to the Romans, we see Paul address a different aspect here in chapters 13 and 14 that should describe a believer’s life. This is a pretty small section of scripture with both chapters totaling just 39 verses, however, the points that Paul makes here are anything but subtle. Paul discusses the level of obedience we are to have regarding our government in chapter 13 and what judgment should look like in a Christian’s life now that they are saved. Again, these are small chapters, but very interesting topics are being addressed here. These topics grab our attention because, first off, they are widely debated, but second, they are topics that we typically already have an answer to in our heads. This is why I love what Ken Ham has to say on the topic of judgment: “Yes, Christians can and need to judge, but don’t judge hypocritically. Judge using righteous judgment! And judge with both gentleness and meekness, with boldness and courage.” Most of us, when we read the Bible, can only remember parts of verses and just conclude that judging in general is bad and that we should never do it. We also look to books like 1 & 2 Kings and think to ourselves that rulers, in general, are evil, so we shouldn’t follow what they have to say. However, when we see what Paul says about both of these issues, we may be caught off guard by what he has to say. Now, Paul, of course, is not going against scripture by any means with his takes here, but rather, he is putting them in context. With this in mind, let’s see what God has to reveal to us through these two chapters. 


Relation To Government


To start, Paul opens up chapter 13 by discussing the role that government should play in our lives as Christ-followers, and he does so with very strong language. Romans 13:1-2 says, “Every person is to be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God. Therefore whoever resists authority has opposed the ordinance of God; and they who have opposed will receive condemnation upon themselves.” Again, this passage seems pretty straightforward and very well might surprise you. Everyone that is in charge is established by God? Yup. But what about the bad leaders? Even the bad ones. If we look back at the Old Testament, we see multiple examples of God using wicked leaders in order to bring discipline and punishment to a nation that has forgotten Him. So when we see wicked leaders rise up in the world today, God certainly doesn’t approve of their lifestyle, but just like Pharaoh, He will use even the sinful leaders of this world to accomplish His purposes. Now, the aspect of this passage that catches everyone off guard is the subjection aspect. To be subject and obedient to an evil ruler seems wrong, and to a point, you’d be correct. Remember what God revealed to us just one chapter prior to this. Chapter 12 of Romans tells us how we are to be a living sacrifice for God by being holy. Therefore, we can correctly state that our obedience to authorities should go all the way up until we are commanded to sin. Once sin enters the picture, our role of being holy sacrifices for God must take precedence, otherwise, we would be treating the authorities that God put in place as God Himself. 


Biblical Judging 


Furthermore, we see a similar concept being brought up in chapter 14 about judgment as well. If you open your Bible to Romans chapter 14, chances are you will see a title above this chapter along the lines of ‘Do not judge one another. ’ This would lead many to think that this is a black-and-white issue and that Christians should never judge anything at any time. Look, however, at what exactly Paul says here in the first few verses. Romans 14:1-3 states, “Now accept the one who is weak in faith, but not to have quarrels over opinions. One person has faith that he may eat all things, but the one who is weak eats only vegetables. The one who eats is not to regard with contempt the one who does not eat, and the one who does not eat is not to judge the one who eats, for God has accepted him.” Again, we must understand the context here. Paul is addressing one brother in Christ observing another brother in Christ come to a different conclusion on what they are permitted to eat. The one who is stronger in his faith comes to the right answer, and the one who is weaker in his faith comes to the wrong answer. So what Paul is saying here is not to judge those who are weaker in faith than us and don’t apply the Bible accurately. Rather, lead your fellow brothers and sisters to grow in their faith as you reveal to them the truth of God’s Word. Seems like a pretty decent point to live by, doesn’t it? Now imagine reading this passage and thinking that you are never allowed to call out your brother in Christ for cheating on his wife because the Bible tells you not to judge. How absurd! This is the danger of taking God’s Word out of context. 

Yes, we aren’t supposed to judge other believers for having a different take on biblical matters since their walk with the Lord isn’t like ours, but this certainly doesn’t mean we shouldn’t call our fellow believers when they are actively living in sin. This also doesn’t mean to never use discernment or judgment in day-to-day matters either. We must read God’s Word in the context of what He is saying; otherwise, we look like the Pharisees did in Jesus’ day by making up all of our own rules that God never told us to follow. I know these are two of the shorter chapters in Romans, but their content packs a punch. If you have viewed the government incorrectly or have applied judgment unbiblically (which we all have), then I hope and pray that God uses His Word that we studied today to transform your life to be more like Christ. May God lead us all by His Spirit to submit to our governing authorities as He has commanded and to judge in a biblical manner that He has commanded as well. 

 





Sources

[1] Blue Letter Bible. (n.d.). Blue Letter Bible. https://www.blueletterbible.org/


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