Romans 13:8-14

Senior Pastor Alex Kennedy

Pastor Alex used the illustration of "Get Up, Get Dressed, and Get Going Loving Others" to teach us what Paul was saying to the church in this part of his letter to the church in Rome.

Get Up - Verses 11-12

To "know the time" means that Jesus brought in the kingdom of God and yet we wait for His return. Paul makes 3 statements about time:

#1 - "for you to wake from sleep" is a metaphor for a life of moral carelessness and laxity. In other words, it is the spiritual lethargy that plagues so many people in the church.

#2 - "For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed" is a reminder that we are always getting closer to Jesus' return. This speaks to our past (justification), our present (sanctification), and our future (glorification).

#3 - "The night is far gone; the day is at hand" tells us that we are not "night people" anymore because we are living in the light of Christ.

Get Dressed - Verses 12-14

We need to put on the "light clothes" that we have been given. Ephesians 6:13-18 shows us that we are to put on the armor of God and use the armor for the purposes that they have been given.

Paul goes on to say in verse 13, "Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy." We are to imagine that the day has dawned and that Jesus is standing in front of us as we ask, "how should I behave?", "What is really eternally important?"

He goes on to say, "put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires." (Gal 3:27) Romans 6:3 taught us that we are legally righteous before God. We are "in Him", "covered with Him". This means we have to live as if we are clothed in Him. We are supposed to remember "who we are wearing," what He did for us, what He wanted for us, and what it cost Him."

"Make no provisions" means we must put off specific sins by naming them clearly. These could be envy, lust, anger, impurity, greed, etc... Do not leave the door crached open for sin.

"We don't defeat sin by managing it-

we defeat it by starving it."

Get Going Loving Others-Verses 8-10

"Owe nothing to anyone" links back to verse 7, and that means the command does not prohibit all borrowing but means that one should always "pay what is owed" fulfilling whatever repayment agreements have been made.

The one debt we never cease paying

is the call to love one another.

Paul then goes on in verses 9-10 to explain how "neighbor love" fulfills the law. Paul lists the commandments that instruct our horizontal relationships and sums them up with, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." God's law is God's guideline on how to love others, how to do good for those around us. "Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law" (v10). Paul refuses to pit love and law against each other.

Stott said, "If then we truly love our neighbors, we will seek their good, not their harm, and we will thereby fulfill the law." The law restrains behavior; love reshapes desire.

Questions to Consider:

1. How can we actively “clothe” ourselves with Christ each day?
2. What do you think it looks like spiritually to be “asleep”?
3. If Jesus returned soon, is there anything you would want to change about your life?
4. Are there any habits or attitudes we need to bring “into the light”?
5. How does loving someone actually fulfill God’s commandments in real life?
6. Can you think of a recent situation where you chose love—or didn’t? What happened?

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