Owe no one in the
anything except to love one another,
for he who loves
another has fulfilled the law.
For the Commandments,
"You shall not
commit adultery," "You shall not murder,"
"You shall not
steal," "You shall not covet," and if there
is any other commandment,
are all summed up in this saying,
namely, "You
shall love your neighbor as yourself."
Love does no harm to
a neighbor; therefore in love
is the fulfillment of
the law.
Romans 13: 8 -- 10
I took a
week vacation to visit family and friends that have come back with the new
Outlook and very invigorated to continue the study of the Bible and especially
this very doctrinal book by Paul, the book of Romans. This chapter, chapter 13, began by speaking of our responsibility
towards those who govern us and what we have found is that the governments are
ordained by God, and are in their position because God not only allowed it but
requires of them to rule in his justice.
We, as ambassadors for Jesus Christ, are the people who must ensure
God's justice is being applied in our world, then, we have the responsibility
to ensure that our governments are providing safety, protection, and are doing
all they can to ensure the freedom that people have the right to not only have
but to pass on to their posterity. As
good citizens we are to pay our taxes, obey the laws of the land, and if for
any reason we object to any law then we have the right and responsibility to do
all we can to right the law. Not
according to what we feel it should be, but what it actually should be bringing
freedom and justice and protection. If
we are being good citizens then we are showing love, agape love, that is, a
principled God love towards our neighbors.
The divine fruits of righteousness should abound among you. This free gift of righteousness given to you
by God, that which has been not only received but engrafted which is the
spiritual gift promised by God, and that spiritual gift is the Holy Spirit
indwelling and you. This indwelling of
the Holy Spirit that God poured out and into you is the richness of God's
love. We've been as one be coming in
the image of His Son Jesus Christ then we are to pour out that love towards our
neighbors. The Greek word used by Paul
for neighbor is an interesting word and has more meaning than just our simple
English word. The Greek word "πλησίον"
with the accompanying article is denoting that he is the one near that is
neighbor. Within the Palestine country
people were scattered throughout the land even though they would come together
in villages to do shopping or other things necessary this word being very
comprehensive in scope than speaks of the responsibility, and the privileges,
and the duties of a neighbor, or a neighborhood. We have the strictest obligation to love above our own souls. Why?
Because of faith and love dwelling in you is so great and has the hope
for eternal life that God has promised.
As I write these blogs the purpose is never far from my mind and that is
to change ourselves from our inside to be demonstrated on the outside. The goal is that we might come to perfect
knowledge of the doctrines of the Lord.
These doctrines are the hope of life, in about the beginning and the
completion of life. God is not
indifferent to us for he has made known to us by the prophets those things that
are passed and those things that are present in about those things in the
future. We can see that what God has
promised has been accomplished, one by one, therefore, with the greatest riches
of faith that has been given to us we come to an elevation of spirit to draw
near to Him with a reference. We must
never forget that this world and its evil days are due to the malicious acts by
Satan and his demonic hordes.
Therefore, we need to give very diligent heed to ourselves and
diligently inquire into the ordinances of the Lord. Fear, not just being afraid, rather a fear of reference, and
patience, are our helpers towards our faith, and our long-suffering and are
that which will give us confidence to fight the things that are opposed to the
will of God.
God has given us that which we can rejoice along with Him,
that is wisdom, understanding and even within science. Our responsibility as fathers, or as mothers
who do not have a husband, to carefully inquire concerning our salvation, lest
that wicked one, Satan, would have an opening or an entrance by deceit to
attempt to hurl us from our true life.
God has said to us that we should humble our soul, and that we should
loose every band of iniquity, that we should untie the fastenings of harsh and
bad agreements, to restore to liberty those that are bruised, to clothed the
naked, and if necessary to bring the homeless even into our own homes. We are not to despise the humble, and we are
not to turn away from the members of our own family. Righteousness should go forth before us, and the glory of God
should encompass us, and we should call upon the God who shall hear us while we
are even speaking, and if you should do this then we will be taking away the
chains that are binding others and will be stretching forth our hands, giving
carefully the bread to the hungry, showing compassion to the souls that are
humble. It is to this end, therefore
brothers and sisters, that God is long-suffering, for seeing how the people
whom He has prepared shall with guilelessness believe in his beloved, God has
revealed all things to us before hand that we should not rush forward as rash
scepters of their laws.
And do this, knowing that time, but now it is high time to
awake out of sleep:
for now our
salvation is nearer then when we first believed.
The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast of the works of
darkness,
and lead us
put on the armor of light. Let us walk
properly, as in the day,
and not in revelry and drunkenness, not in lewdness, not in
strife and envy period
but put on the
Lord Jesus Christ, and make no prevention for the flash,
to fulfill its lusts.
Romans
13: 11 -- 14
Live Today: For Jesus Christ
Richard L. Crumb
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