12:1-2
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True worship and service to God is giving your body in obedience to Him. Serve God by obeying Him.
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Becoming obedient in your actions begins with changing how you think.
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Read the Bible daily. This will renew your thinking so that you can live obediently.
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12:3-21
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Serve God by showing love to others.
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Verse 3-8. Love others by serving them and working together.
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Don't be prideful or think that you can do well on your own.
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All believers have grace and faith from God that we use to help each other. We need each other in order to grow.
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Use your gifts and abilities to serve others.
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Verses 9-21. Focus on being loving. Love others by doing all of the good things listed here (1 Corinthians 13:4-7).
13:1-7
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Submission to authority is important. Serve and submit to God by obeying your government.
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This includes paying your taxes (verse 7) (Matthew 22:21).
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Verse 2. If you disobey your governing authorities you are disobeying God, and there will be consequences for this.
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Obey in every area that does not contradict the Word. If the government asks you to do something that would force you to disobey the Word, then in this case disobey your government.
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Verses 4-6. God uses the government for His purpose too, so by submitting to government we are submitting to God.
- While many submit to government out of fear of punishment, Christians submit primarily out of reverence for God.
- Human authorities exist by God’s design to restrain evil and promote good.
- Therefore, Christians are not victims of government authority.
- Obeying the laws of the land is not weakness or timidity, but a strong expression of loyalty to God’s order.
- We fear God first, and that fear properly orders our relationship to human authority.
13:8-10
- To governing authorities, we owe taxes, revenue, respect, and honor. But to one another, we should extend love.
- This transition shows Paul is not changing topics, but moving from public order to personal relationships, governed by the same love for and submission to God.
Love Is the Motive Behind All Christian Obedience
- Just as we obey government because we love and fear God, we obey God’s commands toward others for the same reason.
- Verse 8. First, it's strange that Paul says "give what you owe", only to then say, "owe no one anything." He makes no contradiction. His point is: Even though we do owe it to God to both pay our taxes (civic duty) and respect others (relational duty), our motive should be love for God in everything we give, not obligation or compulsion. Even though we are commanded to obey God in how we treat others, our obedience should flow from genuine love, not a feeling of owing, being owed, or holding others in debt. Why?
- Love cannot be demanded; it is given from a willing heart. Therefore, in how you treat others, focus on acting out of love, not the compulsion of forcing others or feeling forced yourself. Be genuine, otherwise it's not truly love. Do not try to demand love from others. Give the love you can from your heart, and appreciate others for doing the same, as they are willing.
- If we treat God's Word as an obligation we hold over others, as though they owe us something, we are not operating in love, but selfishness. God's commands therefore are instructions for how love for God expresses itself -- and how we should love others.
- And to connect this to the previous section: in the same way love motivates obedience to God, love should also motivate obedience to human authority.
- If you focus on love you'll obey all of God's commandments. Love for others will be the greatest motivator to obey God.
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1 John 2:10 says, “He who loves his brother abides in the light, and there is no cause for stumbling in him.”
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13:11-14
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Time is short, so use it well (1 Peter 4:3, Ephesians 5:15-18). You will need to repent of your sins in order to live well.
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Verse 14. Live like Jesus lived, and don't make it easy for yourself to sin.
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Don't willingly put yourself in situations where you'll be tempted to sin.
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