The righteous shall live by faith is a major theme of Romans. The book has been described as the Fort Knox of Christian faith and as we systematically have studied this book, we have discovered that our Christian life is by grace through faith alone. There is nothing we can do to earn our salvation, nor is there anything we can do to live this life in Christ without His grace poured into our lives.
Romans 12 laid out what it looks like to be a living sacrifice, a life of grace and service to God and to others. Paul shows us what that looks like in Romans 12 and in Micah 6:8, we are told: “The Lord has told you what is good. He has told you what he wants from you: Do what is right to other people. Love being kind to others. And live humbly, trusting your God,” (International Children’s Bible).
As we delve into Romans 13, we must approach the truth of submitting to authority with the foundation laid in the previous chapters, specifically, our lives are to be poured out as a living sacrifice to God. Paul says this action of presenting ourselves to God as a living sacrifice is the rational, logical, and intelligent “service rendered to God, perhaps simply: worship”. We, as the body of Christ, give our service to God in response to what He has done for us. It is an act of love, a way in which we bring glory to God as well as how we present evidence to the world of His profound sacrifice and love for humanity.
We show our love and submission to God when we obey those He has placed over us, but we do all things for the glory of God. As Peter famously said, “We must obey God rather than any human authority”, because of the great price Christ paid to redeem us, our love and allegiance is to God first.
Fulfilling the Law Through Love
Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one 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 any other commandment, are summed up in this word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.
Besides this you know the time, that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed. The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires (Romans 13:8-14).
Love God. Love Others. These are our marching orders from the One who showed us how to do it in the first place. Jesus who us His love for His Father by obediently leaving heaven and coming to earth as a sacrifice for humanity. He demonstrated perfect love for us in that “while we were still sinners” He died for us.
By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him? Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth (1 John 3:16-18).
This is what the Christian life looks like when lived out in grace and faith. Certainly we fail, but it is God who has forgiven and redeemed us, has clothed us in His righteousness and is making us into the image of His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, moment by moment. We are being transformed and as we seek to do all things to God’s glory, a life of sacrificial worship to the One who gave everything for us, the world will see an authentic faith that will cut through the darkness of this age.