WHAT DO I OWE?

 

 

Romans 13 

Just a couple of observations comparing Romans 13:1-7 to 13:8-10.  Paul is finishing up a section in which he teaches believers how we are supposed to live our lives.  We are to present our bodies as living sacrifices to God (12:1).  We are to avoid conformity to the world (12:2).  We are to humbly see ourselves as fitting into the body of Christ as people with certain gifts along with other believers with other gifts (12:3-8).  The rest of chapter 12 lists a number of proper attitudes and behaviors for Christian people.

Then we come to chapter 13 where we ought to regret that someone decided it would be a good idea to insert chapter and verse divisions in the Bible!  Paul continues with the big picture of Christian living.  This time he is talking about Christians in relationship with secular government.  It is a well-known passage.  We are supposed to live as faithful subjects to the government over us.  We are not to be rebellious or resisters.  He gives us a short list of what we owe to the government.  “Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed” (13:7). 

At this point we are not only frustrated with the people who inserted chapters and verses, we are frustrated with the modern Bible editors who think they are doing us a favor by putting a new heading between verses 7 and 8!  The ESV editors put in “Fulfilling the Law Through Love.”  The NIV editors bring us “Love, for the Day Is Near.”  It seems rather obvious to me that Paul puts no break in thought here.  He has just finished talking about what Christians owe to the government.  Now he is talking about what we owe to individual human beings! 

The thought has been, “Pay what you owe!”  That thought continues, “Do not neglect to pay the people around you what you owe them!  You have an ongoing debt of love that you must not fail to pay!”  He simply states that half of the law of Moses addresses interpersonal relationships and that law is fulfilled by loving our neighbors!  “You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (13:9).

Unfortunately, too many Christian financial advisors have put the sole emphasis of this passage on the opening phrase of 31:8, “Owe no one anything…”  They say, “There you have it!  You are not supposed to go into debt.”  Then we miss the mark entirely!  What Paul is actually saying is, “You have a debt that can never be paid off.  This debt is the debt of loving your neighbor.  Do not neglect your payments on this debt!”

So we should come away from this passage with one simple question, “Am I keeping up with my payments on the debt of love I owe them?  How am I loving them?  How am I showing them the love of God?  How am I living out my Christian witness through love?”