Romans Made Easy

By Joyce Webb 2009

Chapter 13

Verse 1

Everyone should obey the government that rules over you.

God is the one who has allowed them to be in control.

Verse 2

If you go against the government, —-you are going against the rulers that God has allowed to be.

People who will not obey the government will be punished.

Verse 3

If you are doing good and right and obey the law,—-you should not be afraid of the government.

If you are doing wrong and not obeying the law—-you have reason to be afraid.

Verse 4

Governments are meant to be a good thing for people. It keeps order in the land.

If you are doing wrong, you have reason to be afraid.

Governments do not “bear the sword in vain”—-in other words, governments have the power to kill someone. This is for a reason. To keep order for everyone.

They have a sword to kill for those who do wrong.

(In most countries today, the government does not use a sword to kill. They put people in jail.)

Verse 5

You need to obey the government for 2 reasons:

——Because you do not want to be punished

——So you will have a clear mind and conscience

Verse 6

This is the reason we pay taxes. The government needs money to pay workers to do their jobs.

You should pay the taxes you owe.

Verse 7

Pay your taxes. Give honor and respect to those over you.

Do what is right.

Verse 8

Pay your debts.

The only debt you should have is of showing Christian love to others—–and that debt is never paid in full—-we must keep doing that.

A person who loves another fills all that the law of God requires.

If you always show “love” to another you will do what is right to him.

Jesus said to “Love your neighbor as you love yourself.

We should do to our neighbor as we want people to do to us:

—–we shoukd not do adultery (having loving or sexually relations with someone we are not married to)

—–we should not kill

—–we should not steal

—-we should not tell lies about someone or make up stories about them

—-we should not be jealous and do things to get what they have—- or not be nice to them because they have more than we have.

Verse 10

Love does not do anything that is evil or hurtful to a neighbor

If we show love—-we are doing what God requires of us.

Verse 11

Time is soon coming to an end.

It is time to “wake up”. Do the things a Christian should do.

The time of our salvation and Jesus’ return to earth——is closer now than when we first became Christians.

Verse 12

Let us not do works of evil, and darkness—-or wrong doing.

Let us be people of the “light”.

Verse 13

Let us walk honestly as people of the “light”.

Let us not be like people of the “night”, who are drunk, and get into fights,—-having sex with partners they are not married to,—–wild parties—-jealousy—-doing all kinds of wrong things.

Verse 14

Live and talk and think in the ways of Christ.

Do not allow your fleshly desires to control you, or make you do things that do not please Christ.