"Love One Another" Sermon: Romans 13:8-10

“Love One Another”
[Romans 13:8-10]
February 22, 2009 Second Reformed Church

This morning we are concluding our look at what being in Christ means for our love of each other and especially those within the Church. This morning’s Scripture is a wider scope – it is not just referring to the Body of Christ – to those within the Church, but to all people. This text concerns the command to “love our neighbor as ourself” – the second command of two that sum up the Law and the Prophets, as Jesus said.

Chapter thirteen of Romans begins with Paul explaining that all people, even Christians, must submit to the governing authorities, to the laws of the state, including paying taxes, and showing honor to officials for the sake of their office, because all authority is from God.

Then, in this morning’s Scripture, Paul says that Christians are not to owe anything – we are to pay to everyone what is due. Paul draws the distinction between owing, which breaks the Law, and love, which fulfills the Law. If we owe, we have not fulfilled our duty. If we love – fully – as Jesus explains, then we fulfill the Law.

Now, let us understand that Paul is not saying that it is a sin for Christians to take a loan. Paul is saying that if we take a loan and don’t pay it, that is sin. If we owe someone respect for the position they hold and don’t give it, that is sin. And so forth. There are times when a Christian may take a loan and repay it and not sin. Don’t be confused by the word “owe.”

Paul explains what he means by turning our attention to what is called “the Second Table of the Law.” If we look at the Ten Commandments that God gave to Moses, the first four – “the First Table of the Law” – all concern God; the final six – “the Second Table of the Law” – concern our neighbor. Paul says that if we keep “the Second Table of the Law,” we love our neighbor and fulfill the Law of God with respect to our neighbor.

Let us hear and remember what God said in “the Second Table of the Law” and keep in mind that we owe these things to our neighbors, and especially our brothers and sisters in the Church, in response to what Christ has done for us in loving us first and saving us for Himself before we were able to do any good.

“Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you. You shall not murder. You shall not commit adultery. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male servant, or his female servant, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything else that is your neighbor’s” (Exodus 20:12-17, ESV).

Let’s consider what these mean, first negatively and then positively. How do we break the Law and end up “owing”? And how do we fulfill the Law in love?

“Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.”

We are not to dishonor our parents. We are not to disobey our parents – unless they command us to sin. We are not to speak ill of our parents – in life or in death. We are not to do anything that would reflect badly on them being our parents.

“You shall not murder.”

We are not to actually murder anyone, but this commandment involves more than actual murder – we are not to hate one another. John wrote, “Beloved, I am writing you no new commandment, but an old commandment that you had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word that you have heard. At the same time, it is a new commandment that I am writing to you, which is true in him and in you, because the darkness is passing away and the true light is already shining. Whoever says he is in the light and hates his brother is still in darkness. Whoever loves his brother abides in the light, and in him there is no cause for stumbling. But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness, and does not know where he is going, because darkness has blinded his eyes” (I John 2:7-11, ESV).

Jesus explained that this also means that we may not be unjustly angry: “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to the judgment.’ But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool ’ will be liable to the hell of fire. So if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift. Come to terms quickly with your accuser while you are going with him to court, lest your accuser hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the guard, and you be put in prison. Truly, I say to you, you will never get out until you have paid the last penny” (Matthew 5:21-26, ESV).

“You shall not commit adultery.” We are not to commit adultery – physically, spiritually, or mentally. We are not to have sexual relations with anyone who is not our legal spouse. That means we are not to have sexual relations outside of marriage, and only between a married man and woman. It also means that we are not to lust after anyone – as Jesus explained: “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body go into hell. It was also said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.’ But I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of sexual immorality, makes her commit adultery. And whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery” (Matthew 5:27-32, ESV).

The atheist philosopher, Friedrich Nietzsche, said that it was a good thing that Christians don’t believe this is the Word of God and act on it, otherwise the Church would be full of blind and crippled parishioners. Of course, Jesus is not commanding us to mutilate our bodies. What He is doing in this Scripture is making us understand the seriousness of the sin of lust – that it is adultery – as is any thought of sexual relations with anyone who is not our legally married spouse.

“You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.” We are not to lie. We are not to shade to truth. We are not to be gossips and busybodies. We are not to give faint praise. We are not to give a false testimony. We are not to make a story “more juicy.” This is one where we tend to think “a little bit won’t hurt,” but God takes this very seriously: “A single witness shall not suffice against a person for any crime or for any wrong in connection with any offense he has committed. Only on the evidence of two witnesses or three witnesses shall a charge be established. If a malicious witness arises to accuse a person of wrongdoing, then both parties to the dispute shall appear before the Lord, before the priests and the judges who are in office in those days. The judges shall inquire diligently, and if the witness is a false witness and has accused his brother falsely, then you shall do to him as he had meant to do to his brother. So you shall purge the evil from your midst. And the rest shall hear and fear, and shall never again commit any such evil among you. Your eye shall not pity. It shall be life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot” (Deuteronomy 19:15-21, ESV). In other words, a false witnesses – a liar – is to receive whatever the punishment is for the crime he was lying about.

“You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male servant, or his female servant, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything else that is your neighbor’s.” We are not to covet anything. We are not to desire that which we do not have with a feeling that we deserve to have it. We are not to desire that which someone else has with a feeling that we deserve it more. It would be coveting for me to think, “Boy, Carlos has a really nice car. I’m the minister of the church. I should be the one with a nice car like that, not Carlos.” Paul tells us that when we think like that, we are committing idolatry: “But sexual immorality and all impurity or covetousness must not even be named among you, as is proper among the saints. Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead, let there be thanksgiving. For you may be sure of this, that everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous (that is, an idolater), has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God” (Ephesians 5:3-5, ESV). When we covet, we become idolaters, putting some thing in the center of our affections and desire, rather than Christ.

And the positive:

“Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.”

We are to obey our parents – unless they command us to sin. We are to speak well of them – in life and in death, because they gave us life and raised us the best that they knew how. Understand, that does not mean we should put them on a pedestal, but we should remember them and speak of them for all they did right in Christ. We are to learn all that we can from them – for life and faith. We are to live in such a way that reflects well on them and all that they taught us to do and be. Paul wrote, “Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. ‘Honor your father and mother’ (this is the first commandment with a promise), ‘that it may go well with you and that you may live long in the land’” (Ephesians 6:1-3, ESV).

“You shall not murder.” We are to live in a way that increases life. We are to encourage others to do good and to follow God. We are to do whatever we can to help our neighbors live better, more life-affirming lives. We ought ask ourselves what we can do to make each person’s life better.

“You shall not commit adultery.” We are to pursue physical purity. Paul wrote, “The body is not meant for sexual immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. And God raised the Lord and will also raise us up by his power. Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ and make them members of a prostitute? Never Or do you not know that he who is joined to a prostitute becomes one body with her? For, as it is written, ‘The two shall become one flesh.’ But he who is joined to the Lord becomes one spirit with him. Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral persons sins against his own body. Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, that you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body” (I Corinthians 6:13b-20, ESV). We are to do everything we can to protect the purity of our bodies, because they do not belong to us. So we, and especially Christians, out to be married or celibate.

“You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.” We are to be known as a people of truth. We have heard and believed the Gospel of Truth in Jesus Christ, and now we are to live that truth out by speaking the truth. That doesn’t mean that we always have to say everything that comes to mind, but, when we speak, we ought to speak the truth, and others ought to know that when we speak, they will hear the truth. There should be not doubt that the people of God will speak the truth, because the truth is that valuable – that important. We are to treat others well, support them, and lead them, also in the truth – in what is real and true and also to Jesus Who is the Truth.

“You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male servant, or his female servant, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything else that is your neighbor’s.” We are to be satisfied and thankful for what we have and for what God has given others. That is not to say that we are not to try to better ourselves – that is fine, but we ought not to be despondent over the things that God has been pleased to give us. God has promised to give us everything we need and more, so we can give and help others.

How are we to love one another? “Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. .... Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.” Love seeks to do everything possible to help our neighbor – by sharing the Gospel with them and by helping them in any way we can with the blessings and gifts that God has given to us.

Can we owe nothing and love in this way?

Some of us have had a tendency to bemoan this church: we’re too small; our finances are insignificant. We need to get beyond that – it keeps us from loving. Yes, we must be wise with what God has given us, but we need to recognize that God has promised to give us all that we need. He has given us each other to love – this community to love. We need to look at how greatly God has blessed us – no matter how we compare with the world – or even the nearest church. We must become satisfied and thankful for what God has done. And that’s not easy to do if we are just looking at the bills and the peeling paint. We need to have Jesus and His Salvation as our center – then we can love, then we can go forward, then we can find satisfaction and thanksgiving and peace in Him.

Paul confesses to the Philippians, while he was in prison, “I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now at length you have revived your concern for me. You were indeed concerned for me, but you had no opportunity. Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and all circumstances, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:10-13, ESV).

Can we love as God has called us to love? Can we keep “the Second Table of the Law”? Through Jesus Christ Who strengthens us. Through Jesus, Who has taken all of our sin upon Himself. Through Jesus, Who has imputed His Righteousness to us, so we now have the ability to do the good things God calls us to do – to truely love one another.

It’s time to put our excuses away. Let us love one another. Let us live, satisfied and thankful for all that comes from God’s Hand, because, in Jesus, we have been declared righteous, and He is now making us holy, to His Glory.

Let us pray:
Almighty God, we have tended to look at the Ten Commandments and either say we have kept them all, or that it is not possible for us to keep them. We thank You that You sent Your Son to save us from our sin and to make us a people who love others, because You first loved us and enable us to love as You have called us to love. Lord, we ask that You would so inflame our love of You, that we would, in turn, love one another. For Yours is the Kingdom and the Power and the Glory forever and ever, Amen.