Morning Watch Monday 5/18 Transformation in Subjection, Love, and Warfare Romans 13:1-14

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1 Morning Watch Monday 5/18 Transformation in Subjection, Love, and Warfare Romans 13:1-14 Rom. 13:1-4 (1, 4) 1 Let every person be 2 subject to the authorities over him, for there is no authority except 3 from God, and those which exist are 4 ordained by God. 2 So then he who resists the authority opposes God s ordination, and those who oppose will receive judgment to themselves. 3 For the rulers are not a terror to the good work, but to the evil. Do you want to have no fear of the authority? Do what is good, and you will have praise from him; 4 For he is a servant of God to you for good. But if you do what is evil, fear; he does not bear the sword in vain; for he is a servant of God, an avenger for wrath to him who practices evil. 1 Pet 2: Be subject to every human institution for the Lord s sake, whether to a king as being supreme, 14 Or to governors as being sent by him for vengeance on evildoers and praise of those who do good. 15 For so is the will of God, that by doing good you would muzzle the ignorance of foolish men; 16 As free, and yet not having freedom as a covering for evil, but as slaves of God. 17 Honor all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the king. 18 Household servants, be subject in all fear to your masters, not only to the good and forbearing but also to the crooked. 19 For this is grace, if anyone, because of a consciousness of God, bears sorrows by suffering unjustly. 20 For what glory is it if, while sinning and being buffeted, you endure? But if, while doing good and suffering, you endure, this is grace with God. Dan 4:17 17 This matter is by the decree of the watchers, and the decision is a command of the holy ones, to the intent that the living may know that the Most High is the Ruler over the kingdom of men and gives it to whomever He wills and sets up over it the lowliest of men. Rom. 13:1 2 The transformation mentioned in 12:2 also governs the Christian life taught in this chapter. Man s natural character is rebellious, but a transformed character is submissive. Subjection to authority requires transformation, which results from the growth in life. 1 3 Lit., by. After man s fall, God authorized man to act as His deputy authority in ruling over man (Gen. 9:6). To be subject to the authorities is to recognize God s authority and to respect His government over man. Paul s word here implies that he recognized even those officials appointed by Caesar as rulers ordained by God to be God s deputy authorities. 1 4 God ordains the authorities over man in order to maintain peace and security in human society so that He may have the time and the opportunity to preach the gospel, to save sinners, and to build the church for the spread of His kingdom. Romans 13:1 says, Let every person be subject to the authorities over them. For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are appointed by God. A natural character is a rebellious character, but a transformed character is submissive. Subjecting ourselves to the authorities appointed by God requires a certain amount of transformation. Sisters, if you want to submit to your husbands, you need transformation. If we are submissive to God s appointed authorities, it is an indicator that we have a certain amount of transformation, because our natural character and disposition are rebellious. We were born rebellious, and our natural response to authority is to say, No. Thus, subjection to authority requires transformation from the growth in life. Therefore he who resists the authority opposes what God has appointed, and those who oppose will receive to themselves judgment (v. 2). It is not good to resist authority. Either the judgment will descend upon you from the authority or it will come to you directly from God. In verse 5 Paul says that it is necessary to be subject, not only because of wrath, but also because of conscience. Because of conscience, we need to learn, by being transformed, to be subject to authorities. Furthermore, we need to pay taxes and to render revenue to whom they are due. We also must render fear and honor to whom they are due. To render tax, fear, and honor to whom they are due indicates that we are subject to authority. LS Romans Message 27 Transformation in Practicing the Body Life (3), pg Living Stream Ministry, 1984, used by permission

2 Morning Watch Tuesday 5/19 Rom. 13:5-7 (5, 7) 5 Therefore it is necessary to be subject, not only because of wrath but also because of conscience. 6 For because of this you also pay taxes; for they are God s officers, attending constantly to this very thing. 7 Render to all the things due: tax to whom tax is due, custom to whom custom is due, fear to whom fear is due, honor to whom honor is due. Heb 13: Obey the ones leading you and submit to them, for they watch over your souls as those who will render an account, that they may do this with joy and not groaning; for this would be unprofitable to you. 18 Pray for us, for we are persuaded that we have a good conscience, desiring in all things to conduct ourselves honorably. 2 Cor. 1:12 12 For our boasting is this, the testimony of our conscience, that in singleness and sincerity of God, not in fleshly wisdom but in the grace of God, we have conducted ourselves in the world, and more abundantly toward you. Acts 24:16 16 Because of this I also exercise myself to always have a conscience without offense toward God and men. Matt 22:21 21 They said, Caesar s. Then He said to them, Render then the things that are Caesar s to Caesar and the things that are God s to God. 1 Pet 2: For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered on your behalf, leaving you a model so that you may follow in His steps; 22 Who committed no sin, nor was guile found in His mouth; 23 Who being reviled did not revile in return; suffering, He did not threaten but kept committing all to Him who judges righteously; In verse 23 Peter goes on to say concerning the Lord, Who being reviled did not revile in return; suffering, He did not threaten, but kept committing all to Him who judges righteously. According to the usage of the verb kept committing in Greek, all needs to be inserted here as its object. This word refers to all the sufferings of the Lord. He kept committing all the insults He suffered and all His injuries to Him who judges righteously in His government, to the righteous God, to whom He submitted Himself. This indicates that the Lord recognized God s government while He was living a human life on earth. I am somewhat concerned that in your reading of this verse you may not pay attention to the word judges. We are accustomed to saying that we commit things to the Lord who is faithful or merciful or kind. Have you ever said, I commit everything to God who judges righteously? I do not think that many of us have had this practice. The reason we do not pray like this is that our prayer, expression, and utterance are still too traditional. This keeps us from applying many of the thoughts and utterances in the pure Word. Therefore, in reading a verse such as 2:23, we may take it for granted and fail to get into the real meaning. While the Lord Jesus was on earth suffering, He kept committing all to the One who judges righteously. This brief word indicates not only that the Lord lived a life that was a model for us, but also that He lived a life absolutely under God s government. He Himself was always under the government of God, and He committed everything related to Him to God s judgment. Peter has already referred to God s judgment in 1:17: And if you call upon as Father the One who without respect of persons judges according to each one s work, pass the time of your sojourning in fear. Here Peter is not speaking of the final judgment of the soul. In that sense the Father does not judge anyone, but He has given all judgment to the Son (John 5:22). The thing spoken of here is the daily judgment of God s government in this world, exercised with regard to His children. Accordingly it says, The time of your sojourning here (Darby). This is God s judgment on His own household. Since these two Epistles are concerned with the government of God, the judgment of God and of the Lord is referred to repeatedly (2:23; 4:5-6, 17; 2 Pet. 2:3-4, 9; 3:7), as one of the essential items. It began from the angels (2 Pet. 2:3-4), and passed through the generations of man in the Old Testament (2 Pet. 2:5-9). Then in the New Testament age it begins from the house of God (1 Pet. 1:17; 2:23; 4:6, 17) and continues until the coming of the day of the Lord (2 Pet. 3:10), which will be a day of judgment on the Jews, the believers, and the Gentiles before the millennium. After the millennium, all the dead, including men and demons, will be judged and perish (1 Pet. 4:5; 2 Pet. 3:7), and the heavens and the earth will be burned up (2 Pet. 3:10, 12). The results of the varied judgments are not the same. Some judgments result in a disciplinary dealing, some in a dispensational punishment, and some in eternal perdition. However, by all these judgments the Lord God will clear up and purify the entire universe so that He may have a new heaven and a new earth for a new universe filled with His righteousness (2 Pet. 3:13) for His delight. LS 1 Peter Message 21 Christian Life and Its Sufferings (3), pp Living Stream Ministry, 1985, used by permission

3 Morning Watch Wednesday 5/20 Rom. 13: Owe nothing to anyone except to love one another; for he who 1 loves the other has fulfilled the law. 9 For, You shall not commit adultery, you shall not murder, you shall not steal, you shall not covet, and if there is any other commandment, it is summed up in this word, namely, You shall love your neighbor as yourself. 10 Love does not work evil to his neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law. Gal 5: For you were called for freedom, brothers; only do not turn this freedom into an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. 14 For the whole law is fulfilled in one word, in this, You shall love your neighbor as yourself. 1 John 3:11, For this is the message which you heard from the beginning, that we should love one another, 14 We know that we have passed out of death into life because we love the brothers. He who does not love abides in death. 1 John 4: In this the love of God was manifested among us, that God sent His only begotten Son into the world that we might have life and live through Him. 10 Herein is love, not that we have loved God but that He loved us and sent His Son as a propitiation for our sins. 11 Beloved, if God has loved us in this way, we also ought to love one another. Rom 12:10 10 Love one another warmly in brotherly love; take the lead in showing honor one to another. 1 Pet 1:22 22 Since you have purified your souls by your obedience to the truth unto unfeigned brotherly love, love one another from a pure heart fervently, 2 Thes. 1:3 3 We ought to thank God always concerning you, brothers, even as it is fitting, because your faith grows exceedingly and the love of each one of you all to one another is increasing, Rom. 13:8 1 Love is not merely an outward behavior but is the expression of the inward life. In order to love people and thus spontaneously fulfill the law, we need the transformation in life and the life supply. We need God's life and God s nature of love to transform us and supply us in life, so that in love we may live out this God, who is love, and express His love. Owe nothing to anyone except to love one another; for he who loves another has fulfilled the law. For, You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet, and if there is any other commandment, it is summed up in this word, You shall love your neighbor as yourself. Love does not work evil to his neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law. The commandment to love sums up all the other commandments. We need the Holy Spirit to work in us and to give us an amount of transformation in life that we may practice love toward all men. Love is the expression of life. It is not just an outward behavior, but an expression of the inward life. Simply trying to love without the supply of life does not work. In order to love people and spontaneously fulfill the commandments, we need the life supply and the transformation in life. Our natural life is not a life of God s love. We need to be transformed in life that we may have God s nature of love to love people. If we are careless in loving others, we do not need transformation in life. But if we are going to practice love toward all men, we need to be transformed in life. LS Romans Message 27 Transformation in Practicing the Body Life (3), pg Living Stream Ministry, 1984, used by permission

4 Morning Watch Thursday 5/21 Rom. 13:11-14 (11-13) 11 And this, knowing the time, that it is already the hour for you to be raised from sleep; for now is our 1 salvation nearer than when we believed. 12 The 1 night is far advanced, and the day has drawn near. Let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the weapons of light. 13 Let us walk becomingly as in the day; not in reveling and drunkenness, not in fornication and licentiousness, not in strife and jealousy. 14 But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh to fulfill its lusts. 1 Thes 5:4-8 4 But you, brothers, are not in darkness that the day should overtake you like a thief; 5 For you are all sons of light and sons of the day. We are not of the night nor of darkness. 6 So then let us not sleep, as the rest do, but let us watch and be sober. 7 For those who sleep, sleep during the night, and those who get drunk are drunk during the night; 8 But since we are of the day, let us be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love and a helmet, the hope of salvation. Eph 5:8 8 For you were once darkness but are now light in the Lord; walk as children of light Luke 21: But take heed to yourselves lest perhaps your hearts be weighed down with debauchery and drunkenness and the anxieties of life, and that day come upon you suddenly as a snare. 35 For it will come in upon all those dwelling on the face of all the earth. 36 But be watchful at every time, beseeching that you would prevail to escape all these things which are about to happen and stand before the Son of Man. Rom. 13:11 1 Referring to the final step of salvation, the redemption of our body, the full sonship revealed in 8:19, 21, and The present age is the nighttime. When the Lord Jesus returns, day will dawn. The next age, the kingdom age, will be the daytime. Now we come to transformation in waging the warfare, meaning spiritual warfare. Verse 11 says, And this, knowing the time, that now is the hour for you to be raised out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we believed. Salvation here means salvation in the last stage, which is the redemption of our body. Salvation encompasses our spirit, soul, and body. In the first stage of salvation, the Lord regenerates our spirit; in the second stage, He trans-forms our soul; and in the third stage, which is the last, at the time of His return He will transfigure our vile body into a glorious one (Phil. 3:21). When verse 11 says that our salvation is nearer than when we believed, it is referring to the third stage of salvation, the transfiguration of our body. In other words, this refers to the redemption of our body, or, to use another term, the full sonship revealed in 8:19, 21, and 23. We need to realize that now is the time to wake up from sleep. Although night is the time for sleep, the night is far advanced (13:12). So, we should wake up, be watchful, and sleep no more. The present age is the nighttime. When the Lord Jesus returns, day will dawn. The next age will be the daytime. Since the night is advanced and the day is near, we need not only to wake up from sleep, but also to cast off the works of darkness and put on the weapons of light (v. 12). This indicates a warfare. Let us walk becomingly as in the day; not in reveling and drunkenness, not in immorality and debauchery, not in strife and jealousy (v. 13). All of these works must be cast aside. They are the works of darkness, and we are the children of the day. LS Romans Message 27 Transformation in Practicing the Body Life (3), pg Living Stream Ministry, 1984, used by permission

5 Morning Watch Friday 5/22 Rom. 13:11-14 (14) 11 See Thursday 12 See Thursday 13 See Thursday 14 But 1 put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no 2 provision for the flesh to fulfill its lusts. Gal 2:20 20 I am crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live in faith, the faith of the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me. Phil 1: According to my earnest expectation and hope that in nothing I will be put to shame, but with all boldness, as always, even now Christ will be magnified in my body, whether through life or through death. 21 For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. Gal 5: But I say, Walk by the Spirit and you shall by no means fulfill the lust of the flesh. 17 For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these oppose each other that you would not do the things that you desire. Gal 6:7-8 7 Do not be deceived: God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap. 8 For he who sows unto his own flesh will reap corruption of the flesh, but he who sows unto the Spirit will of the Spirit reap eternal life. Matt 26:41 41 Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak. Rom. 13:14 1 Although we have been baptized into Christ and are already in Christ (6:3; Gal. 3:27), we must still put Him on. To put on Christ is to live by Christ (Gal. 2:20) and to live out Christ (Phil. 1:21), thus magnifying Christ (Phil. 1:20). Putting on Christ is the same as putting on the weapons of light (v. 12), indicating that Christ is the weapons of light for the warfare between the Spirit and the lusts. The warfare here is the same as the conflict between the Spirit and the lusts of the flesh (Gal. 5:17). However, it is different from our wrestling against the devil and his evil forces (Eph. 6:12) and from the warfare between the law of sin and the law of good in us (7:23) Or, arrangement. This word has the same root as the Greek word for take forethought in 12:17. To take forethought includes the meaning to provide. To make no provision for the flesh is to not take any forethought for the flesh or provide the flesh with anything that will support it and make it convenient for it to fulfill its lusts. Verse 14 is very important. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh to fulfill it lusts. In verse 12 we are told to put on the weapons of light and in verse 14 to put on the Lord Jesus Christ. By placing these two phrases together, we can see that the Lord Jesus Christ is Himself the weapons of light. Furthermore the phrase make no provision for the flesh corresponds to 8:12, where Paul says that we are debtors not to the flesh to live according to flesh. The warfare in 13:14 is between the lusts and the Spirit as in Galatians 5:17. Christ is a Spirit (2 Cor. 3:17). Thus, we must put on Christ in order to fight the battle against our lusts. Here the warfare does not concern the devil or the principalities in the air as in Ephesians 6:12; it concerns the lusts against which we must fight by putting on the Lord Jesus Christ as our weapons of light This kind of warfare is different from that in 7:23. There is the evil law in our flesh warring against the good law in our mind; it has nothing to do with the Spirit. But here it is that we, by putting on Christ, fight against the fleshy works of darkness. What does it mean to put on Christ? We have been baptized into Christ and are already in Christ (Rom. 6:4; Gal. 3:27). Why then must we still put on Christ? To put on Christ actually means to live by Christ and to live out Christ practically. Although we are in Christ, we need to live by Christ and live out Christ practically. We need to have a daily living that is by Christ and that expresses Christ. The expression of Christ in our daily life is our weapon for fighting against the flesh. Since the battle in verse 14 is not against the devil and spiritual wickedness, but against the flesh with all of its lusts, we need to live by Christ. The more we live by Christ, the more He becomes our weapons against the lusts of the flesh. Paul says that we should make no provision for the flesh. We should not supply the flesh with anything. This indicates that the flesh continues to exist. Regardless of how spiritual we become, the flesh can still be revived. The flesh is hungry and desires food, but we must starve it to death, making no

6 Morning Watch Friday 5/22 Continued... provision that will allow it to fulfill its lusts. What does it mean to make provision for the flesh? Since the young people especially may find it difficult to understand this, I would like to give some illustrations. The present human society is dark and evil, containing numerous provisions for the flesh. Consider, for instance, the newspapers with their pictures and advertisements. I do not believe that anyone is so spiritual that when he sees an evil picture in the newspaper that he will not be influenced. Your experiences will testify to you that when you looked at some of the advertisements and pictures in the newspapers your flesh was aroused. Those movie advertisements were a provision for the flesh. Furthermore, television has also been much used by the enemy to provide food for the hungry flesh. I am not legal to say that Christians should not watch television, but I do say that it is better to keep away from it. Do not think that you are so strong. Suppose there is a deep well nearby. If I do not wish to fall into the well, I should stay away from it and not walk around it. However, if I continue to walk near the well, although I may not fall in it today, I probably will in the future. It is better to be protected and stay away from the well. Likewise, it is dangerous to watch television. If you intend to watch television, you should pray, Lord, look at the television with me. Be one with me in my spirit to watch television. If you pray in this way, it may be all right for you to do it. Otherwise, perhaps you should consider giving it up. At any rate, television has been a powerful means for the enemy to make provision for the flesh, and many evil things have occurred as a result of its influence. As I have said previously, it is difficult to determine which subsection of the book of Romans to place chapter thirteen. It may be a continuation of chapter twelve. If it does not actually belong to the portion on the living of a normal life, it is at least closely associated with it. So, 12:9 through 13:14 may be considered as a whole portion concerning the living of a normal life. Undoubtedly 12:1-8 concerns the practice of the Body life. Along with this practice of the Body life, we need the living of a normal life which is portrayed in 12:9-21 and possibly in chapter thirteen as well. We should not neglect this part of Romans. All of the verses in this section are very clear, and we need not say much about them. It would be a great help to the young people to memorize some of these verses such as, Let love be without hypocrisy and Abhor what is evil; cleave to what is good and Love one another warmly in brotherly love. These sayings are almost proverbs. If the young people memorize these verses, it will help them to experience the transformation which will give them the living of a normal life to practice the proper church life. Without the living of such a normal life, we are lacking the necessary base for the church life. I believe that this was the reason that, immediately after describing the practice of the church life, Paul presents the requirements of the living of a normal human life. The best presentation of the normal living in the entire Bible is found in these verses. Therefore, we need to pray over them and fellowship with one another concerning them. LS Romans Message 27 Transformation in Practicing the Body Life (3), pg. 323 to end Living Stream Ministry, 1984, used by permission

7 Saturday 5/23 Rom. 13:1-14 (1, 4-5, 7-14); 1 Pet 2:13-14, 17; 1 John 3:14; 1 Thes 5:4-5, 8; Gal 2:20 Lord s Day 5/24 1 Pet 4: Since Christ therefore has suffered in the flesh, you also arm yourselves with the same mind (because he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin), 2 No longer to live the rest of the time in the flesh in the lusts of men, but in the will of God. 3 For the time which has passed is sufficient for you to have carried out the desire of the Gentiles, having gone on in licentiousness, lusts, debaucheries, carousings, drinking bouts, and lawless idolatries. 4 In this they think it strange that you are not running together with them into the same flood of dissoluteness, slandering you; 5 Who will render an account to Him who is ready to judge the living and the dead. 6 For unto this end the gospel was announced also to those who are now dead, that they might be judged in the flesh according to men but live in the spirit according to God. 7 But the end of all things has drawn near. Therefore be sober-minded and be sober unto prayers. 8 Above all, have fervent love among yourselves, because love covers a multitude of sins. 9 Be hospitable to one another without murmuring, 10 Each one, as he has received a gift, ministering it among yourselves as good stewards of the varied grace of God. 11 If anyone speaks, as speaking oracles of God; if anyone ministers, as ministering out of the strength which God supplies; that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom is the glory and the might forever and ever. Amen.