A Debt That We Owe

Romans 13:8-14

Many people have debts that they owe - a mortgage on a house, a car loan, a balance on a credit card, student loan debt, or high medical bills.  Sometimes, with careful budgeting and financial planning, people can get these paid off, and then they are debt free.  Or are they?  In our Scripture for today, from St. Paul’s letter to the Romans, we read about one debt that we always owe.  Let’s look into our Scripture and see what that is.

As we open our Bible passage, Paul urges his readers to not owe anything to anyone (vs. 8).  I don’t believe that Paul is saying one shouldn’t buy a house and have a mortgage, or anything like that, and for some people, medical bills can be a big debt.  However, we shouldn’t live our life with the habit of continually buying, and accumulating an unnecessary, substantial debt.  Believers should not be burdened by unpaid debts or obligations.  There is one debt, though, that the Bible said we all will have, and that is the ongoing debt of loving one another. That is a debt that is always owed.  We never come to a day when we can say that we’ve paid off our debt to love this or that person, and we don’t need to love them anymore!

Love is the fulfillment of the moral law (vs. 9).  As we read through the Ten Commandments, we see that by obeying these laws we show love, not only to God, but to our neighbor, as well.  If we love others, we are restrained from doing them any harm, as love seeks the good of other people.  If we genuinely love our family and our neighbor, we won’t lie to them, steal from them, and certainly not commit adultery, or murder them.  We seek their good, their welfare.

Love is not just some warm, fuzzy feeling that makes you giddy like a schoolgirl infatuation.  Love is active.  It does no harm, but actively does good for others (vs. 10).  This is not sentimental love, but Biblical, Spirit-enabled love.  It is rooted in obedience to God’s Word.  Our daily conduct should be measured by whether we bless or harm others.  To love as Jesus did means that we incorporate God’s self-sacrificing love into our hearts.  In Jesus, God showed us not only perfect obedience to the Law, but perfect love, as well.

As we continue in our passage, we are urged to live a life showing love because as each day passes, we are closer to the day when Jesus will return (vs. 11).  Knowing this, we need to live with vigilance, not in a spiritual slumber. We are exhorted to spiritual alertness.  The word “salvation” here in the context of this verse refers not to one’s initial justification when one turns to Jesus as is saved.  Rather, it refers to our final deliverance when Jesus returns.

Frequently throughout the Bible the words “light” and “darkness”, along with “day” and “night” have a spiritual context with either righteousness or sin and evil.  As believers, we must reject sinful practices, the “works of darkness”, and instead arm ourselves with Christ’s righteousness, His light (vs. 12).  This is a call to separate ourselves from the world’s philosophies and sinfulness, and to actively live holy lives.

Paul continues by listing some sins which were common in pagan society then, and which are still very common in today’s society, some two thousand years later, and that is immorality, drunkenness, and strife (vs. 13).  Such behavior is incompatible with living a life as a child of God, of one who seeks to pattern their life after Jesus.  Our life should be lived in uprightness and pureness.  Our testimony must be clean, avoiding both outward sins, such as immorality and drunkenness, and inward sins, such as envy and strife.

As Christians, our life is to be clothed with Jesus Himself (vs. 14).  To “put on the Lord Jesus Christ” means to live in conscious submission to Him, reflecting His character in our own life.  We must make an effort to not feed our sinful desires, but instead walk in a way that Jesus would.  When we choose to follow Jesus as our Lord, He begins the process of making us more like Himself each day.  It is not a matter of pretending to be what we are not, but rather of becoming more and more of what we are in Christ.

As we close, let us remember that every day brings us one day closer to that great day when we shall reach the end of our journey, and we shall see our Savior's face.  That’s the thought that can keep us going.  Now, at this time, we see Jesus in the Bible, but someday we shall see Him face to face!

Let Us Go to the House of the Lord

Psalm 122

How do you feel about getting up on a Sunday morning to attend church?  Would you rather roll back over in bed to sleep some more, as perhaps that is the only day that you might be able to sleep a little later?  Some denominations also frequently offer an additional church service later on a Saturday afternoon.  But would that also elicit complaints of inconvenience, as it messes up Saturday plans?  Are you glad to be able to attend church, or is it something that you do out of habit, something instilled in you from childhood?  In our psalm today, King David speaks of his feelings about going to worship.  Let’s see what he has to say.

It is probably safe to assume that as king, David led a rather busy life.  There are all sorts of things that need to be done by a king in order to keep the country running smoothly.  Kings, even if they are not the absolute ruler, have rather tight schedules.  King David, though, as busy as he might have been on any given day, was glad when any one of his friends invited him to go along together to God’s house to worship (vs. 1).

At this time the Temple in Jerusalem had not yet been built.  That would be built later by David’s son, Solomon.  Worship, particularly on holy days, along with all animal sacrifices, were done at the Tabernacle, which was an enclosure made by heavy curtains on poles.  The Tabernacle contained the altar for sacrifices, along with the Ark of the Covenant.  David rejoiced at the invitation to worship in God’s house.  Even if it meant having to delay reviewing important papers, sending out dispatches, keeping track of military strategies, or postponing an important state meeting, David was always willing to attend worship services.  David was a man after God’s heart, and as a true believer, he delighted in gathering to worship with God’s people.  This wasn’t entertainment for him, but was obedience to God’s command.

David loved the city of Jerusalem.  One of the city’s titles is “The City of David”.  He had made it his capital city.   The previous king, King Saul, had ruled out of Gibeah, which is about five or so miles north of Jerusalem.  During his reign, David tried to keep Jerusalem stable and unified (vs. 3-5).  He described it as “compact together”, a city unified and orderly.  It is the place of God’s throne, where judgment and authority are exercised.

The Church today should also reflect unity in truth, built firmly on the Lord Jesus Christ (Ephesians 2:20-22).  The unity that we have as believers must be grounded in sound doctrine, not in giving in to compromising Biblical truths just to keep the peace.  Though we should always strive for unity in our churches, that should never be at the expense of doctrinal purity.  Always stand firm on God’s Word, the Bible.

As our psalm continues, we are told to pray for the peace of Jerusalem (vs. 6-9).  The name “Jerusalem” in Hebrew means city of peace, or foundation of peace.  The Hebrew root word yru means both foundation and city.  And the Hebrew word shalem, or more commonly shalom, means peace and wholeness.  Shalom is more than just an absence of conflict.  It means that things are as they should be.  Our relationship with God, one another, and the world is as it was designed to be.  David knew that peace in the city meant stability for worship and national life.

As we have seen in previous studies, Jerusalem is not merely historical, it is central to God’s future kingdom plan, pointing to Jesus’ future reign in the Millennial Kingdom.  Praying for peace in Jerusalem and Israel isn’t just something that was for back in David’s day.  It is still a command from God’s Word.  Today Christians should still be praying for Israel and anticipating Christ’s return when true peace will reign.

Looking back over Psalm 122, though it is a relatively short psalm, it still has practical lessons for us today.  As Christians, we should have a love for gathering with other believers.  Jesus promised that whenever two or more are gathered in His Name, He is there in the midst of them (Matthew 18:20).  We should have joy at that privilege.  The joy of worship here foreshadows the eternal gladness we will experience in the New Jerusalem.  We also need to remember to strive for unity, but never compromise what we know is taught in God’s Word.  And finally, we should always be interceding for God’s people and God’s City.