Godbey's Commentary - Acts - Romans - Enter His Rest

ROMANS
CHAPTER XIII.
CIVIL LOYALTY.
1-7. Christianity is not calculated to bring upon the earth civil war and revolution, but on the
contrary, it is the herald of peace, of “peace on earth and good will to men.” Nero, the Roman
Emperor, who sat upon the throne of the world and ruled millions of people in Paul’s day, was the
most wicked, incarnate devil whose atrocious crimes have ever blackened the historic page. He filled
Rome with innocent blood, ruthlessly slaying all the mighty men of state whose rivalry he suspected,
murdering all his consanguinity and not even sparing his own mother. When I was there, my guide
pointed me out the old tower on which Nero sat, played his fiddle and sang the destruction of Troy
while an ocean of flame rolled over mighty Rome six days and seven nights, himself having ordered
the conflagration, as all believed, but evading responsibility by charging it on the Christians, ordering
the execution of the entire body. Pursuant to his cruel and bloody edict, Paul was beheaded, Peter
crucified, and a general effort made to feed them all to the lions in the Coliseum, burning them at
the stake and ruthlessly murdering them in every conceivable way. Even under this kind of
government Paul enjoins non-resistance to authority, rendering faithful obedience to all civil officers,
as the ministers of God, for such they are permissively and providentially if not volitionally and
mandatorily, whenever we can do so conscientiously; on the contrary, patiently and unresistingly
suffering persecution for Christ’s sake in whatsoever may accrue to us by way of retribution
administered on their part, because of our delinquency, and, as they construe it, disobedience and
even rebellion.
KEEP OUT OF DEPT.
8. “Owe no man anything, except to love one another with divine love, for he that loveth another
with divine love hath fulfilled the law.” It is bad enough for worldly people to involve themselves
in indebtedness, as they make this world their finale, and expect to live here and pay their debts.
God’s people having already come out of the world, and when sanctified had the world taken out of
them, therefore they should not complicate themselves with worldly business beyond the necessary
transaction of the fleeting day, as we are looking for our Lord every hour to call us hence. If you are
already in debt, cast your care on the Lord, doing your best in His good providence to pay, but live
happy and free as a bird of paradise, assured that if the Lord calls you away before you are able to
pay all your debts, if in His sight you are really doing your best, He takes the will for the deed and
counts them paid.
DIVINE LOVE IS THE FULFILLING OF THE LAW.
9, 10. “For thou shalt not commit adultery, thou shalt not steal, thou shalt not covet, and if there
be any other commandment it is fulfilled in this word, namely, thou shalt love thy neighbor with
divine love as thyself. Divine love worketh no evil to his neighbor; therefore, divine love is the
fulfilling of the law.” The solution of all this is plain and easy. Christian perfection is not of work,
but grace, i.e., perfect love. God rewarded David for building the temple, though he did not build it.