Loving Others

With Graham in Tennessee this week, I had the honor of leading the Bible Study today and WnW study tonight. The Book of Romans is dense theological material that really drives at the heart of what's important in our Christian walk. Which doesn't always make it easy to look at.

This is the third time I've gotten to share during the noon Bible Study and the third time I've gotten a chapter in Romans. The first chapter I looked at was all about circumcision, the second chapter was about sin and the depravity of man and the chapter I got today was about submitting to government leaders and why, as Christians, we should pay our taxes. Obviously I only get the best stuff...

But as I reflected on the passage I was really convicted about some of the ideas. Romans 13 is one of the shorter chapters, it's only 14 verses, and it's neatly broken into two sections. The first section focuses on our duty to submit to and respect authorities. The second section deals with our command to let Christ's love shine through us to the end of this present age.

I think there are a couple big ideas I found in both sections. During the first half, I think the idea is that we are to show respect to the government of Earth because those leaders were put in place by God, they continue to lead by his will, and God has the power to remove them. We can't understand God's greater plan for the world, but we can understand that He is calling on us to respect our leaders.

One example of the ways Christians have correctly and incorrectly interpreted this is in the example of the way two believers sought to abolish slavery. In England in the 1800s, William Wilberforce believed God was calling on him, a member of the British government, to work to end the practice of slavery in his country. He passionate plead his case and sought support to change the system from within. He worked for 26 grueling years and was finally able to accomplish this goal.

John Brown was a militant abolitionist in the United States in the 1850s. He used brutal force and brutal tactics to convince people to abandon slavery. Finally, he attack Harper's Ferry and killed five proslavery men and incited a riot. He was tried, convicted and executed for his crimes. What he sought to accomplish was just, his means were anything but. Brown further inflamed tensions and possibly hastened the nation's decent into the Civil War, which was one of the most destructive periods in United States history.

Both Wilberforce and Brown sought to end the practice of slavery, but only one did it the way God would have believers act for social change.

A second aspect of this is that, consistently, the New Testament challenges believers to go beyond the letter of the law and to also model the spirit of the law. I was convicted by the idea that we are to show honor and respect for our leaders in our hearts and with our words as well. Though I have never actively sought to incite an insurrection, I have broken God's law in that I spoke ill of those given authority over our country.

In the second half of the chapter Paul talks about our need to "love our neighbor as ourself." This is a hard concept, but it is key to modeling Christ's love through our words and deeds. One of my favorite verses is Romans 5:8, "But God demonstrates his love for us in this: while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." When I consider the demonstration of love that is described in that verse, I am humbled. I hope all believers are humbled, as we ought to be. Christ sacrificed for us and when we consider that, how can we not share that love with others.

And the reason that is so key is because this long period of night that describes the present age is nearing an end. We are to be a light in the darkness and we are commanded to gather as many as we can to that light before the dawn of the new day.

I hope you find a way to let your light shine this week!