Romans Part 37

As we continue in Romans 13:9–10, Paul summarizes several commandments with the principle of loving one's neighbor. He mentions adultery, murder, stealing, coveting, and then says that any other commandment is summed up in the statement, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” The phrase “if there is any other” is important. Paul is not claiming that the commandments he lists are the only commandments that matter. Sabbath observance, for example, is not mentioned here, but neither is idolatry. Clearly, this is not intended to be an exhaustive list of every commandment. Jesus Himself identified loving one's neighbor as the second greatest commandment, quoting Leviticus 19:18, which appears in the middle of a chapter containing many other instructions about how God's people are to live. Love does not replace God's commandments; rather, genuine love fulfills their intended purpose because we will not want to harm people we truly love. We should show love to all people as the law implicitly commands.  

Verses 11–13 shift our attention to the urgency of the Christian life, 

“knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep.” 

We are continually moving closer to the return of Jesus Christ. Therefore, we should live like it. Jesus repeatedly warned His disciples that they did not know the hour when the Master would return. We cannot afford to drift through life, assuming that we will always have more time. Paul describes this way of life as putting on “the armor of light,” language that anticipates the more developed discussion of the “armor of God” in Ephesians, written a few years later. Even here, Paul's thoughts are already moving toward the imagery that he will later develop more fully, drawing ultimately from Old Testament descriptions of God Himself wearing armor.  

Verse 13 gives the negative side of this instruction. Just as we are commanded to walk in God's way and do good, we must also deliberately avoid evil. The two cannot be separated. It is not enough to say that we are doing good if we are simultaneously making room for sinful behavior in our lives. Christian living requires both the pursuit of righteousness and the rejection of sin. Paul warns against “revelry and drunkenness,” “lewdness and lust,” and “strife and envy.” The Christian life requires us to recognize these things for what they are and deliberately turn away from them.  

Finally, verse 14 says, 

“put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts.” 

The NIV captures the second part by saying, 

“do not think about how to gratify the desires of the flesh.” 

That is an important distinction. Sin often begins long before the outward action. We can begin by entertaining the thought, imagining the possibility, planning how we might get away with something, or rehearsing the desire in our minds. James 1:14–15 explains that a person is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desire, and that desire eventually gives birth to sin. Therefore, we should not make provision for sin by deliberately creating opportunities for it in our minds or our circumstances.  

The answer is not merely to resist temptation at the final moment. We should put on Jesus Christ and change the way we think before temptation gets that far. This connects directly with everything Paul has said throughout Romans: God's people are being transformed from the inside out. We are called to live under God's authority, love our neighbors, pursue what is good, reject what is evil, and keep our minds focused on the coming Kingdom of God. The Christian life is not simply about avoiding punishment; it is about becoming the kind of people who genuinely desire God's way and are prepared to live forever under His righteous government.

Epistles of Paul is a course taught at ABC by Mr. Steve Myers. Recordings from the 2023–2024 class year are available on the ABC website.

UYA Team | uya@ucg.org  

United Young Adults (UYA) primarily serves the 18–32-year age group for the United Church of God. There are three main areas of contribution to the lives of young adults: Promoting Spiritual Growth, Developing Meaningful Relationships and Making the Most of Your Talents. The Know Your Sword series is a daily expository message introducing God’s Word from a trusted perspective.