Romans 13:1-14.
Romans 13.1-14
Obey Rulers
"Obey the rulers who have authority over you. Only God can give
authority to anyone, and he puts these rulers in their places of
power. People who oppose the authorities are opposing what God has
done, and they will be punished. Rulers are a threat to evil people,
not to good people. There is no need to be afraid of the authorities.
Just do right, and they will praise you for it. After all, they are
God's servants, and it is their duty to help you. If you do something
wrong, you ought to be afraid, because these rulers have the right to
punish you. They are God's servants who punish criminals to show how
angry God is. But you should obey the rulers because you know it is
the right thing to do, and not just because of God's anger. You must
also pay your taxes. The authorities are God's servants, and it is
their duty to take care of these matters. Pay all that you owe,
whether it is taxes and fees or respect and honor.
Love
Let love be your only debt! If you love others, you have done all that
the Law demands. In the Law there are many commands, such as, "Be
faithful in marriage. Do not murder. Do not steal. Do not want what
belongs to others." But all of these are summed up in the command that
says, "Love others as much as you love yourself." No one who loves
others will harm them. So love is all that the Law demands.
The Day When Christ Returns
You know what sort of times we live in, and so you should live
properly. It is time to wake up. You know that the day when we will be
saved is nearer now than when we first put our faith in the Lord.
Night is almost over, and day will soon appear. We must stop behaving
as people do in the dark and be ready to live in the light. So behave
properly, as people do in the day. Don't go to wild parties or get
drunk or be vulgar or indecent. Don't quarrel or be jealous. Let the
Lord Jesus Christ be as near to you as the clothes you wear. Then you
won't try to satisfy your selfish desires."
God bless you.
Obey Rulers
"Obey the rulers who have authority over you. Only God can give
authority to anyone, and he puts these rulers in their places of
power. People who oppose the authorities are opposing what God has
done, and they will be punished. Rulers are a threat to evil people,
not to good people. There is no need to be afraid of the authorities.
Just do right, and they will praise you for it. After all, they are
God's servants, and it is their duty to help you. If you do something
wrong, you ought to be afraid, because these rulers have the right to
punish you. They are God's servants who punish criminals to show how
angry God is. But you should obey the rulers because you know it is
the right thing to do, and not just because of God's anger. You must
also pay your taxes. The authorities are God's servants, and it is
their duty to take care of these matters. Pay all that you owe,
whether it is taxes and fees or respect and honor.
Love
Let love be your only debt! If you love others, you have done all that
the Law demands. In the Law there are many commands, such as, "Be
faithful in marriage. Do not murder. Do not steal. Do not want what
belongs to others." But all of these are summed up in the command that
says, "Love others as much as you love yourself." No one who loves
others will harm them. So love is all that the Law demands.
The Day When Christ Returns
You know what sort of times we live in, and so you should live
properly. It is time to wake up. You know that the day when we will be
saved is nearer now than when we first put our faith in the Lord.
Night is almost over, and day will soon appear. We must stop behaving
as people do in the dark and be ready to live in the light. So behave
properly, as people do in the day. Don't go to wild parties or get
drunk or be vulgar or indecent. Don't quarrel or be jealous. Let the
Lord Jesus Christ be as near to you as the clothes you wear. Then you
won't try to satisfy your selfish desires."
God bless you.
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