13 as in day-time, let us walk becomingly; not in revellings and drunkennesses, not in chamberings and lasciviousnesses, not in strife and emulation;
envyings, murders, drunkennesses, revellings, and such like, of which I tell you before, as I also said before, that those doing such things the reign of God shall not inherit.
that ye may walk becomingly unto those without, and may have lack of nothing.
`And take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts may be weighed down with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and anxieties of life, and suddenly that day may come on you,
and be not drunk with wine, in which is dissoluteness, but be filled in the Spirit,
for overswellings of vanity speaking, they do entice in desires of the flesh -- lasciviousnesses, those who had truly escaped from those conducting themselves in error, liberty to them promising, themselves being servants of the corruption, for by whom any one hath been overcome, to this one also he hath been brought to servitude, for, if having escaped from the pollutions of the world, in the acknowledging of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, and by these again being entangled, they have been overcome, become to them hath the last things worse than the first,
for sufficient to us `is' the past time of life the will of the nations to have wrought, having walked in lasciviousnesses, desires, excesses of wines, revelings, drinking-bouts, and unlawful idolatries, in which they think it strange -- your not running with them to the same excess of dissoluteness, speaking evil, who shall give an account to Him who is ready to judge living and dead,
As to the rest, brethren, as many things as are true, as many as `are' grave, as many as `are' righteous, as many as `are' pure, as many as `are' lovely, as many as `are' of good report, if any worthiness, and if any praise, these things think upon; the things that also ye did learn, and receive, and hear, and saw in me, those do, and the God of the peace shall be with you.
but to what we have come -- by the same rule walk, the same thing think; become followers together of me, brethren, and observe those thus walking, according as ye have us -- a pattern; for many walk of whom many times I told you -- and now also weeping tell -- the enemies of the cross of the Christ! whose end `is' destruction, whose god `is' the belly, and whose glory `is' in their shame, who the things on earth are minding. For our citizenship is in the heavens, whence also a Saviour we await -- the Lord Jesus Christ --
Put to death, then, your members that `are' upon the earth -- whoredom, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and the covetousness, which is idolatry --
for your walking worthily of God, who is calling you to His own reign and glory.
and if bitter zeal ye have, and rivalry in your heart, glory not, nor lie against the truth; this wisdom is not descending from above, but earthly, physical, demon-like, for where zeal and rivalry `are', there is insurrection and every evil matter;
Having put aside, then, all evil, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envyings, and all evil speakings, as new-born babes the word's pure milk desire ye, that in it ye may grow,
Beloved, I call upon `you', as strangers and sojourners, to keep from the fleshly desires, that war against the soul, having your behaviour among the nations right, that in that which they speak against you as evil-doers, of the good works having beheld, they may glorify God in a day of inspection.
about to receive a reward of unrighteousness, pleasures counting the luxury in the day, spots and blemishes, luxuriating in their deceits, feasting with you, having eyes full of adultery, and unable to cease from sin, enticing unstable souls, having an heart exercised in covetousnesses, children of a curse,
I rejoiced exceedingly that I have found of thy children walking in truth, even as a command we did receive from the Father;
and if one another ye do bite and devour, see -- that ye may not by one another be consumed. And I say: In the Spirit walk ye, and the desire of the flesh ye may not complete;
And call doth the Lord, Jehovah of Hosts, In that day, to weeping and to lamentation, And to baldness and to girding on of sackcloth, And lo, joy and gladness, slaying of oxen, And slaughtering of sheep, Eating of flesh, and drinking of wine, Eat and drink, for to-morrow we die.
And even these through wine have erred, And through strong drink have wandered, Priest and prophet erred through strong drink, They have been swallowed up of the wine, They wandered because of the strong drink, They have erred in seeing, They have stumbled judicially. For all tables have been full of vomit, Filth -- without place!
Who are lying down on beds of ivory, And are spread out on their couches, And are eating lambs from the flock, And calves from the midst of the stall, Who are taking part according to the psaltery, Like David they invented for themselves instruments of music; Who are drinking with bowls of wine, And `with' chief perfumes anoint `themselves', And have not been pained for the breach of Joseph.
`And, if that evil servant may say in his heart, My Lord doth delay to come, and may begin to beat the fellow-servants, and to eat and to drink with the drunken, the lord of that servant will arrive in a day when he doth not expect, and in an hour of which he doth not know, and will cut him off, and his portion with the hypocrites will appoint; there shall be the weeping and the gnashing of the teeth.
`And -- a certain man was rich, and was clothed in purple and fine linen, making merry sumptuously every day,
they were eating, they were drinking, they were marrying, they were given in marriage, till the day that Noah entered into the ark, and the deluge came, and destroyed all; in like manner also, as it came to pass in the days of Lot; they were eating, they were drinking, they were buying, they were selling, they were planting, they were building;
have ye not known that the unrighteous the reign of God shall not inherit? be not led astray; neither whoremongers, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, the reign of God shall inherit.
Be not thou among quaffers of wine, Among gluttonous ones of flesh,
if we may live in the Spirit, in the Spirit also we may walk; let us not become vain-glorious -- one another provoking, one another envying!
Call upon you, then, do I -- the prisoner of the Lord -- to walk worthily of the calling with which ye were called,
and walk in love, as also the Christ did love us, and did give himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for an odour of a sweet smell, and whoredom, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not even be named among you, as becometh saints; also filthiness, and foolish talking, or jesting, -- the things not fit -- but rather thanksgiving; for this ye know, that every whoremonger, or unclean, or covetous person, who is an idolater, hath no inheritance in the reign of the Christ and God.
for ye were once darkness, and now light in the Lord; as children of light walk ye,
Only worthily of the good news of the Christ conduct ye yourselves, that, whether having come and seen you, whether being absent I may hear of the things concerning you, that ye stand fast in one spirit, with one soul, striving together for the faith of the good news,
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible » Commentary on Romans 13
Commentary on Romans 13 Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
CHAPTER 13
Ro 13:1-14. Same Subject Continued—Political and Social Relations—Motives.
1, 2. Let every soul—every man of you
be subject unto the higher powers—or, "submit himself to the authorities that are above him."
For there is no power—"no authority"
but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God—"have been ordained of God."
2. Whosoever therefore resisteth the power—"So that he that setteth himself against the authority."
resisteth the ordinance of God; and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation—or, "condemnation," according to the old sense of that word; that is, not from the magistrate, but from God, whose authority in the magistrate's is resisted.
3, 4. For rulers are not a terror to good works—"to the good work," as the true reading appears to be
but to the evil.
4. he beareth not the sword in vain—that is, the symbol of the magistrate's authority to punish.
5. Wherefore ye must needs be subject, not only for wrath—for fear of the magistrate's vengeance.
but also for conscience' sake—from reverence for God's authority. It is of Magistracy in general, considered as a divine ordinance, that this is spoken: and the statement applies equally to all forms of government, from an unchecked despotism—such as flourished when this was written, under the Emperor Nero—to a pure democracy. The inalienable right of all subjects to endeavor to alter or improve the form of government under which they live is left untouched here. But since Christians were constantly charged with turning the world upside down, and since there certainly were elements enough in Christianity of moral and social revolution to give plausibility to the charge, and tempt noble spirits, crushed under misgovernment, to take redress into their own hands, it was of special importance that the pacific, submissive, loyal spirit of those Christians who resided at the great seat of political power, should furnish a visible refutation of this charge.
6, 7. For, for this cause pay ye—rather, "ye pay"
tribute also—that is, "This is the reason why ye pay the contributions requisite for maintaining the civil government."
for they are God's ministers, attending continually upon this very thing—"to this very thing."
7. Render therefore to all their dues—From magistrates the apostle now comes to other officials, and from them to men related to us by whatever tie.
tribute—land tax.
custom—mercantile tax.
fear—reverence for superiors.
honour—the respect due to persons of distinction.
8. Owe no man anything, but to love one another—"Acquit yourselves of all obligations except love, which is a debt that must remain ever due" [Hodge].
for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law—for the law itself is but love in manifold action, regarded as matter of duty.
9. For this, &c.—better thus: "For the [commandments], Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not covet, and whatever other commandment [there may be], it is summed up," &c. (The clause, "Thou shalt not bear false witness," is wanting in all the most ancient manuscripts). The apostle refers here only to the second table of the law, as love to our neighbor is what he is treating of.
10. Love worketh no ill to his—or, "one's"
neighbour; therefore, &c.—As love, from its very nature, studies and delights to please its objects, its very existence is an effectual security against our wilfully injuring him. Next follow some general motives to the faithful discharge of all these duties.
11. And that—rather, "And this [do]"
knowing the time, that now it is high time—literally, "the hour has already come."
to awake out of sleep—of stupid, fatal indifference to eternal things.
for now is our salvation—rather, "the salvation," or simply "salvation."
nearer than when we—first
believed—This is in the line of all our Lord's teaching, which represents the decisive day of Christ's second appearing as at hand, to keep believers ever in the attitude of wakeful expectancy, but without reference to the chronological nearness or distance of that event.
12. The night—of evil
is far spent, the day—of consummated triumph over it
is at hand: let us therefore cast off—as a dress
the works of darkness—all works holding of the kingdom and period of darkness, with which, as followers of the risen Saviour, our connection has been dissolved.
and let us put on the armour of light—described at length in Eph 6:11-18.
13. Let us walk honestly—"becomingly," "seemingly"
as in the day—"Men choose the night for their revels, but our night is past, for we are all the children of the light and of the day (1Th 5:5): let us therefore only do what is fit to be exposed to the light of such a day."
not in rioting and drunkenness—varied forms of intemperance; denoting revels in general, usually ending in intoxication.
not in chambering and wantonness—varied forms of impurity; the one pointing to definite acts, the other more general.
not in strife and envying—varied forms of that venomous feeling between man and man which reverses the law of love.
14. But—to sum up all in one word.
put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ—in such wise that Christ only may be seen in you (see 2Co 3:3; Ga 3:27; Eph 4:24).
and make no provision—"take no forethought."
for the flesh, to fulfil the lust thereof—"Direct none of your attention to the cravings of your corrupt nature, how you may provide for their gratification."
Note, (1) How gloriously adapted is Christianity for human society in all conditions! As it makes war directly against no specific forms of government, so it directly recommends none. While its holy and benign principles secure the ultimate abolition of all iniquitous government, the reverence which it teaches for magistracy, under whatever form, as a divine institution, secures the loyalty and peaceableness of its disciples, amid all the turbulence and distractions of civil society, and makes it the highest interest of all states to welcome it within their pale, as in this as well as every other sense—"the salt of the earth, the light of the world" (Ro 13:1-5). (2) Christianity is the grand specific for the purification and elevation of all the social relations; inspiring a readiness to discharge all obligations, and most of all, implanting in its disciples that love which secures all men against injury from them, inasmuch as it is the fulfilling of the law (Ro 13:6-10). (3) The rapid march of the kingdom of God, the advanced stage of it at which we have arrived, and the ever-nearing approach of the perfect day—nearer to every believer the longer he lives—should quicken all the children of light to redeem the time, and, seeing that they look for such things, to be diligent, that they may be found of Him in peace, without spot and blameless (2Pe 3:14). (4) In virtue of "the expulsive power of a new and more powerful affection," the great secret of persevering holiness in all manner of conversation will be found to be "Christ IN US, the hope of glory" (Col 1:27), and Christ ON US, as the character in which alone we shall be able to shine before men (2Co 3:8) (Ro 13:14).