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罗马书［第13章］
Book of Romans 13

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罗马书［第13章|Book of Romans 13

【基督徒在世上的生活】

主讲:谭天恩弟兄

21/06/2023


引言：‘你要时刻保持整洁！’

一、顺服权柄（V1-5）

1.什么是权柄

第一节说‘在上的’，对于下属有权柄。跟着又说‘凡掌权的’，意思说无论是政府、是当官的、作老板的、当父母的都是一种权柄。例如老师是学生的权柄、校长是所有学生和老师们的权柄。士兵有长官作他们的权柄。在政治上、社会上、教会中都是一样。只要你起来作组长，你就有了神所托付的权柄。

应用真理：我们都要弄清楚我们生活中的权柄者是谁？更要留心自己是否处于‘抗拒神命’的惯性中而不察觉。因为经文说到这讲遭遇刑罚。那是多大的损失呢？

2.对权柄顺服

顺服是所有在权柄之下的人的功课，所有人都有机会当权柄者，所有人更是要学会在权柄下顺服的功课。也许你说如果当总统或国王就不需要学顺服了，因为没有人在他之上了。其实不！神在他之上，人的生命何其脆弱难以意料。

真理应用：很显然顺服是基督徒一生都要学习的功课。顺心合意的很容易顺服，但是令人为难就很难顺服。再加上如果上司所给予的指令是罪恶邪淫的难道也要顺服吗？保罗所处的罗马帝国正是这样的一种政治背景，因为当时的基督徒备受打压，甚至很多犹太人反对罗马政府，不接受他们的统治。然而保罗依然领受顺服权柄的真理。那么这样的顺服是在合乎真理的范围呢，例如政府要你否认耶稣基督是主，人就不能说我就顺服权柄否认主。在这样的事上显然就当‘顺从神，不顺从人···。（徒5:29）只要不违反真理的情况下我们是要完全顺服的，这也是保罗所说的“为了良心的缘故”。

所以保罗在写罗马书13章开头就谈到必须顺服权柄，原因就是让我们基督徒顺服政府做榜样来荣耀基督，其次就是顺服在教会中管理我们的牧者，因为神将这样的权柄首先给了他们，顺服他们就是顺服神，顺服神必然蒙福。

二、遵行义务（V6-7）

在当时有两种公民义务。一种保罗称他为纳粮，另一种保罗称他为上税。

使徒保罗特别以向政府纳粮上税为例，解明信徒应当遵守国家法令之理，似乎暗示当时的犹太人，对于向罗马政府交税纳粮这件事，十分不甘心，经常逃避或反抗。保罗以此警告基督徒，他们既然是神所立的仆人，就当顺服，甘心纳粮上税，

真理应用：对于现今的基督徒也是如此，对外顺服国家，需要交的税收，不可欠缺。对内教会里面的十分之一绝不可亏负，一方面是让我们懂得感恩，另一方面让我们的良心没有愧疚。

三、对人对己（V8-14）

1.对人不可亏欠，反该爱人 （8-10）

保罗讲到了爱的功效，只有爱才能完全律法。同时在这里又提到有一种‘债务’，每一天都需要付，但是同时每天又欠上了，那就是相爱的‘债务’。

其实人都是自私的，只知道爱自己，求自己的好处，人人如此。所以都成为心地狭小，心情苦恼的人。因为既不爱人，也就得不到人的爱，即使得到一点物质的东西，内心仍不会满足，只有爱能满足人的心，使人得到真正的快乐和安慰。神就是爱，所以宇宙才充实。

真理应用：世人缺乏爱，信徒却不该如此，要以爱人不够为自己的亏欠。因为蒙神的爱太大太多，也有责任去爱人；这是神的命令，也是人对我们的希望。一个信徒没有爱人的心，就失去基督徒的特点，缺乏基督的生命，他心中必定没有平安，喜乐。因为他一直在那里亏欠人而不想去补还，但爱人的人却充满生命，活力，甘甜。生活就有了新的意义，有所给的人才是真正富足的人。

2.对己警醒端正、披戴基督 （11-14）

“得救”指基督再来，信徒的身体得赎，救恩全部实现。“趁早睡醒”就是警醒谨守，不再对罪不敏感。“总要披戴基督”就像人穿上衣服，虽然是披戴主耶稣基督，却与他们穿上衣服不同。披戴基督，一面说出我们在基督里的客观地位，我们以祂为义袍，以祂为遮护；另一面也说出我们活出基督的实际光景，我们以祂为彰显，以祂为夸耀。

总结：在世上作主见证

世界如同大染缸一样，一不小心就会被染成五颜六色，沾染不洁。所以基督徒要加倍小心，时刻警醒。因为基督徒是神在地上荣耀的彰显，不仅要过好属灵内在的生活，还要有美好生活的见证，等候主的再来。

Romans 13: The Christian life in the world
GK611 Morning Devotion
21/6/2023
Speaker: Bro Tan Tian En

Introduction: You have to be neat and tidy at all times!

1. Submission to Authority (V1-5)

(1) What is authority?

The first verse says that 'he who is above' has authority over his subordinates. Then it says 'the authorities', which means that whether it is the government, an official, a boss, or a parent, it is an authority. For example, the teacher is the authority of the students, and the principal is the authority of all the students and teachers. Soldiers have a chief as their authority. It is the same in politics, in society, and in the church. As soon as you rise up as a cell leader, you have the authority that God has entrusted to you.

Apply the truth: We all need to find out who the authority is in our lives. And even more, we need to be aware if we are in the habit of 'resisting God's commands' without realising it. For the Scripture speaks of this speaking of encountering punishment. How great a loss is that?

(2) Obedience to authority

Obedience is a lesson for all who are under authority. All people have the opportunity to be in authority, and all people must learn the lesson of obedience under authority. Perhaps you say that if you were president or king, you would not need to learn obedience because there would be no one above him. Actually, no! God is above him, and how fragile and unpredictable is the life of man.

Application of truth: Obedience is obviously a lesson that Christians need to learn throughout their lives. Obedience is easy when it is to your liking, but it is difficult when it is embarrassing. In addition, if the instructions given by a superior are sinful and evil, should they be obeyed as well? This was the political context of Paul's Roman Empire, as Christians were being suppressed and many Jews were even opposed to the Roman government and did not accept their rule. Yet Paul still received the truth of the authority of obedience. For example, if the government wants you to deny that Jesus Christ is Lord, one cannot say, "I submit to the authority and deny the Lord. In such a matter it is obvious that one should 'obey God rather than men'. (Acts 5:29) We are to be fully obedient as long as we do not violate the truth, which is what Paul calls "for conscience’ sake."

This is why Paul begins Romans 13 with the necessity of obedience to authority, so that we Christians may obey the government as an example to glorify Christ, and secondly, to obey the shepherds who govern us in the church, for God has given them such authority in the first place, and obedience to them is obedience to God, and obedience to God will certainly be blessed.

2. The obligation to obey (V6-7)

There were two kinds of civic duties at that time. One Paul called them the payment of food, and the other Paul called him the payment of taxes.

The apostle Paul specifically used the example of paying taxes to the government, to explain the reason why believers should obey the laws of the state, as if to imply that the Jews of that time were very reluctant to pay taxes and taxes to the Roman government, and often avoided or resisted them. In this way Paul warned the Christians that since they were servants ordained by God, they should be obedient and willing to pay their taxes.

Application of the truth: This is also true for Christians today, who should not be deficient in the taxes they need to pay in order to obey the state externally. Internally, we must not lose a tenth of what we have in the church, so that we can be thankful on the one hand, and have a guilt-free conscience.

3. To others and to oneself (V8-14)

(1) Do not be indebted to others, but love people (8-10)

Paul speaks about the efficacy of love, which is the only way to complete the law. At the same time, he mentions that there is a 'debt' that needs to be paid every day, but at the same time is owed every day, and that is the 'debt' of loving one another.

In fact, all people are selfish, knowing only to love themselves and to seek their own good, as everyone does. So they all become small-minded and bitter people. Because they do not love people, they are not loved by them. Even if they receive a little material thing, they are still not satisfied in their hearts, but only love can satisfy their hearts and bring them true happiness and comfort. God is love, and that is why the universe is full.

Application of the truth: The world lacks love, but the believer should not do so, and should consider it a debt to himself that he does not love people enough. For it is too much to be loved by God, and it is also the duty to love people; this is the command of God, and the hope of man for us. A believer who does not have a loving heart loses his Christian character and lacks the life of Christ, and he must not have peace and joy in his heart. For he keeps on owing people there and does not want to pay them back, but the one who loves people is full of life, vitality, and sweetness. Life takes on a new meaning, and the one who gives is truly rich.

(2) Be alert and righteous to yourself and put on Christ (11-14)

"Salvation" means the return of Christ, the redemption of the believer's body, and the full realisation of salvation. To "awake before it is too late" means to be alert and watchful, no longer insensitive to sin. To "always put on Christ" is like a man putting on clothes, though he is putting on the Lord Jesus Christ, but not the same as they put on clothes. Putting on Christ, on the one hand, speaks of our objective position in Christ, in which we take Him as a robe of righteousness and a covering; on the other hand, it also speaks of our practical light in which we live out Christ, in which we manifest and boast.

Conclusion: Witnessing to the Lord in the world

The world is like a big melting pot, and if you are not careful, you will be dyed in all colours and become unclean. Therefore, Christians should Therefore, Christians should be extra careful and alert at all times. Because Christians are the manifestation of God's glory on earth, they must not only live a good spiritual inner life, but also have a good life. We must not only live a good spiritual life, but also have the testimony of a good life and wait for the Lord's return.