In our study of the imperative moods addressed to church age believers we are now discussing the mandates that are found in Rom 13:1-8 that address the believer's responsibility to legitimate government.
Since there are no chapter breaks in the original they are also in the context of Rom 12:1-2; that show that the believer’s adherence to these mandates is enabled by the Mercies of God (Grace) and is part of their "reasonable or logical spiritual service" that is enabled by the transformation that occurs in the believer's thinking that comes from their continuous persistent PMA of Bible Doctrine that results in their performing the will of God.
These verses discuss the relationship between church and state and the relations between the individual believer and the various functions of government.
The passages are written with the general assumption that the government is functioning properly under the laws of divine establishment.
We must always remember that it is God who establishes civil government. Dan 2:21; Psa 75:6-7 Dan 2:37. At the very least his permissive will is involved because there is no authority apart from him.
God raises up one nation to take out another nation in order that his plans will be fulfilled. Isa 46:11; in this case Persia took out Babylon so that Israel would ultimately be restored to the land after their captivity.
We seen that the only time the believer has a legitimate case for disobedience is when the civil government specifically directs the believer to disobey a mandate from God that is revealed in scripture for their specific dispensation.
Last time we left off at Rom 13:6-7; The word translated "Render" in verse 7 in the NASB is the second person plural aorist active imperative of the Greek word "apodote” that means to "pay"
The abuse by government through the levy of unfair and burdensome taxes does not negate the requirement to comply with this mandate. Matt 5:41 NET note 49
When under this type of tyranny the believer must recognize that God is their source, that grace logistics are automatically supplied to all believers and prosperity always pursues doctrine. Deut 28:12-13; regardless of the situation. Psa 23:5-6; NET note 6
The primary reason believers don't realize true prosperity is that they lack consistency
in their intake of Bible doctrine. Prosperity follows and literally chases down those who have the discipline to continually study God's Word.
Day after day, week after week, month after month and year after year, they don't quit, they keep moving forward. Their reward is a life of freedom filled with all that they need to be happy.
God's divine blessings are irrevocably imputed to any individual who advances in His plan and man's evil does not limit the power of God to convey his blessings. 2Cor 9:8;
God is able to make all grace abound to you, that always having all sufficiency in everything (logistical grace provisions), you may have abundance for every good deed (production of divine good).
Leaders of government and those who provide services of government must be paid by a structure of taxation, just as in an ancient Israel the priests and Levites were maintained by the system of taxation in Israel called tithes. Num 18:24;
"Tax to whom tax” the Greek word "phoros" refers to the tax on levied on individuals. This was the tax that Joseph had to travel to Bethlehem to register for when Jesus was born.
Taxation is used to establish the principle of the believer's responsibility to their nation. In whatever form it may be military service, voting, jury duty, and civil service.
"custom to whom custom", the Greek word"telos" that is also translated as "toll" is a reference to taxation on commerce such as customs fees or duties that are levied on international commerce.
"Fear to whom fear” the Greek word "phobos" is a reference to the believer's respect for the law and those in law enforcement who enforce it.
Honor to whom honor" the Greek word "timen” refers to respect for those hold office and authority in civil government. 1Pet 2:17d;
When fulfilling this obligation under the principle "render unto Caesar" a believer ought to be the best because of their confidence in God for everything they need that enables them to fulfill whatever is demanded with a carefree objective attitude.
Believers cannot fulfill the first part of the command to "Render unto Caesar" without first fulfilling the last part of the command " to render to God the things that are God's" because it is God who provides the capacity.
Believers have a responsibility to God as members of the Royal Family to witness, to pray, to study, to learn, to absorb Bible Doctrine and the techniques and promises of the Word in order to fulfill the command to build an "edification structure" of the soul and then live in God's reality Eph 4:12-15;
Truth builds up or edifies producing grace orientation, mastery of the details of life, a relaxed mental attitude that is free from mental attitude sins, the capacity to love God as well as people, and inner happiness.
Rom 13:8; the word translated "owe" is the second person plural present active imperative of the Greek word "opheilo" that means to be indebted or obligated.
This passage states that the believer is to pay their taxes and their other obligations and not allow themselves to get into a position where they are overextended financially.
There is nothing wrong with debt or borrowing as long as the interest or the rent on the borrowed money that is owed is being paid.
Renting (or Borrowing) money is no different than renting a car an apartment or a house. It is simply renting capital and as long as the rent (interest) on the capital can be paid when it is due there is no problem.
God has promised to provide for believers Matt 6:33; Rom 8:32; Phil 4:19;
This passage also shows that believers are not to put themselves into a situation where they are obligated to people in such a way that it takes away their objectivity or puts a burden on them that takes them away from making the PMA of Bible Doctrine their highest priority in life.
Abraham avoided this in Gen 14:21-24; when he refused to take anything that belonged to the King of Sodom because he did not want him to have any claim regarding Abraham's blessings from God.
When believers are meeting their obligations and as a result owe nothing but integrity love they are in a position of strength regarding their responsibility to others. Rom 13:8b; Matt 7:12; Gal 5:14;
This enables believers to function in grace orientation where they are able to freely give as God leads them to from their PMA of Bible Doctrine under the mentorship of God the Holy Spirit 2Cor 9:7; and not be entangled with the demands of the kosmos.
Impersonal Love (agape) for the Human Race is an objective and relaxed mental attitude that provides capacity for unconditional love in friendship, romance, marriage and all other human interaction.
The application of impersonal love enables the believer to relax mentally toward any person instead of reacting with a mental attitude sin such as worry, envy, greed, anger, arrogance, implacability, vindictiveness, self-pity, guilt feelings, hatred, bitterness, or jealousy.
When believers comply with these mandates they are free to serve God because they are not overburdened by demands of life in the kosmos.
Heb 12:1; the words translated “Lay aside” is the Greek word "apotithemi". It means “to put off, to set aside,” as in taking off a garment. “Encumbrance” is the Greek word "ogkos” that refers to “excess weight, bulk.” "Ogkos" could refer to body fat or to something external.
Greek athletes would often run, in training, with weights. In either case the idea is that if we want to win, we have to run unencumbered.
In Luke 21:34;TLJC illustrated this when He told the disciples to be on their guard so that their hearts would not be “weighted down with dissipation and drunkenness and the worries of life.” He was warning them of the very real dangers of being distracted from their mission by the things of time.
The author of Hebrews exhorts believers to lay aside the sin that entangles us - literally, the sin that so easily ensnares us, the one that we so easily get tangled up in.
He recognizes a very basic principle of the sin nature. Everyone’s is different. No two people are exactly alike physically; no two people have exactly the same personality traits. Similarly, no two sin natures are alike so everyone has a tendency to become entangled in a different way or with different things.
The next mandate we have in this passage is in Rom 13:14; The words translated "put on" is the second person plural aorist middle imperative of the Greek word "enduo" that means to "be dressed" or to "be clothed" or "to enter into". Since it is in the middle voice the believer participates in the action with the aid of another.
In this case, the believer's volition participates with positive volition and God the Holy Spirit does the work. This same word is found in Eph 6:11; and Col 3:12;
This passage is set in opposition to the previous verses that discuss the believer functioning under OSN control of the soul. Rom 13:11-13;
The conjunction that connects verses 11-13 is the adversative conjunction "alla" that is used to emphasize contrast or the replacement of one activity with another.
In this case the contrast that is being emphasized is the believer's function under the OSN versus or instead of their function inside God's PPOG for their lives.
The believer inside the PPOG is described as "filled with the Spirit" Eph 5:18; they "walk by means of the Spirit" Gal 5:16;are "cleansed" 1John 1:9; and have "put on Christ" Rom 13:14; because Christ designed and lived in the original system during the DUHC.
Rom 13:14; But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no (" me poieo” poieo plus the negative particle me: do not make, bring about, or cause) provision ("pronoia" foresight what you can foresee) for the flesh (“sarx" the old sin nature) because of its lusts (“epithumia" lust patterns or desires)
This verse is solves the problem of the production of the OSN that is listed in verse 13, which emphasizes the sins of drunkenness, sexual promiscuity, and sexual perversion whose combination usually leads to strife and jealousy.
To "put on the Lord Jesus Christ" is an idiom that refers to the spiritual growth that dresses the believer's soul with the thinking of Christ that is acquired by learning the Word of God.
In order for this process to be effective the believer must refrain from these sins as well as others. All sins are preceded by thought that is facilitated by repeated submission to the lust patterns of the OSN.
The power of the Word of God under the filling of the Holy Spirit is the only means whereby the believer can restrain the desires of these lust patterns.
The sinful nature is encoded into the DNA of every cell of the human body and each person's soul is inseparably united with the body until death or the resurrection. Because of this we are all incapable of withstanding the constant assaults from the of the sin nature without the function of PPOG