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Lesson 16 Romans 2020
Horses | 13:1-14 in Rome
a premature death | 13:12 in Rome

Put on the Armor of Light
"The night was deep and the day was near, so let us take off the dark work and put on the armor of light.”

Since last week, we have been learning how to practice how a believer who was justified by faith in the blood of Jesus should live in real life. Today I pray that our believers will learn about what attitude we should have about our country, what attitude we should have about our neighbors, and what position our believers should have in the time of the coming end of Jesus' reign. We're going through Corona 19, and we're going through a situation that feels like the end has come. We don't know when Jesus will come, but He will definitely come. We have to be awake, loving the coming of Jesus. We have to live with a sense of crisis about the times in order to stay awake. We shouldn't think of it as living in this world for thousands of years. How should we live in this difficult time?

First, believer’s view towards nation. Look at verse 1. "Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God." "Governing authorities" refers to the ruling power of the state. The reason why we must obey those authorities is because God has given them. God set up kings, ministers and officials, and gave them power to govern the world. The nation works to protect the lives and property of its people and to promote happiness. It is protecting the lives of its people by strengthening national defense, creating an economy, and establishing educational systems and medical institutions. We work and study with peace, because of the soldiers who fulfill their military duties. We're in the midst of chaos this time because of Corona 19. The nation is working on taking preventive measures, quarantine and treatment for the safety of its people. They try to mobilize all administrative powers to quarantine and protect the lives of the people from the virus. They are bringing in chartered planes in case people get contaminated or harmed by the virus from abroad. We are also holding a family worship in place of social Sunday services by early April to protect ourselves and our neighbors' lives.

Why should we obey the authorities? Look at the second verse. "Consequently, whoever rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves." It says that those who rebel against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted. Those who do so will bring judgment on themselves. In Seoul, those who do weekly Sunday services without following any measures to prevent viruses should pay the fine of 3 million won and the right of indemnity. We follow the rules not because we're afraid of these punishments, but because we're told to love our neighbors, having family worship, and being careful not to spread the virus.

Look at verse 3. "For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and you will be commended." What the rulers do is to reward those who do good and punish those who do wrong. This is how we achieve social justice. The weak of society can live comfortably because they have authorities. In addition, evil people cannot commit crimes recklessly.

Look at verse 4. "For the one in authority is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for rulers do not bear the sword for no reason. They are God’s servants, agents of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer." It says twice that those who have power are God's servants. The Servant of God refers to priests and prophets. They preached the word of God and protected the lives of the people. But Apostle Paul says that the rulers are servants of God who do good to us. They bear the sword for the wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer.. Therefore, we should be afraid when we do wrong.

In the Old Testaments, the priest originally wrote a certificate to identify the infectious disease and isolate the sick from society, and to return them back to society after treatment. But now doctors, nurses, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are doing this. They are the servants of God. They control infectious diseases through expertise. We must follow their instructions.

Look at verse 5. "Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also as a matter of conscience." To submit as a matter of conscience means to consciously recognize the function of the nation God has given you and to follow Him. When we do good according to our conscience, those in power cannot be reckoned with. We are also free to act within the boundaries of the law. We are free from restrictions in preaching gospels and living as Christians. We may live in peace, in the blessings of God.

This is also why we pay taxes. They become the servants of God, and they are always working for this very task. We should give to everyone what we owe them: If we owe taxes, we should pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor. This means fulfilling all obligations to the country, including taxation.
But what if state power doesn't play this role, does something illegal, and threatens to stop us from living in faith? In times like this, it's difficult, but you have to exercise your disobedience. The apostles spread the news of Jesus' death and resurrection. Then, Jewish religious leaders grabbed the apostles and beat them to stop them from preaching the gospel. The apostles then said that it was more appropriate to obey God than men (Acts 4:19,20, 5:29). And they worked even harder to preach the gospel. We must obey the authorities, but obey in the will of God. When the power and the will of God are confronted, we must act according to God's will. The same goes for bosses and parents. We must respect them and serve them humbly. But if they force us to do wrong or interfere with our way of living, we must be humble and clearly reject.

Nowadays, it is the time of authority losing its power. It is not easy to recognize and obey the authorities God has established. We must pray that in this atmosphere the authorities will rule in God's will.

Second, love is the completion of the law. Look at verse 8. "Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for whoever loves others has fulfilled the law." A Christian must not owe any debt, except the debt of love. This command is that we should not leave our debts unpaid. It is not against borrowing money at all. In Matthew 5:42, Jesus said, “Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.” Sometimes you can get a mortgage or a school loan. Since in emergencies, you can borrow some money. The problem is borrowing money when you can't pay it back. Borrowing money and not paying it back is stealing. The wicked borrow and do not repay (Psalm 37:21).
But there is a debt which if you can't pay it back, you can still owe it, and the more you owe it, the better it is. It's a debt of love. Love is essentially an obligation that cannot be paid off even if the debt is paid. The more you love, the more powerful you become. The more you love someone, the more you want to love them. The more you receive love, the healthier you are and the more you gain self-esteem. On the other hand, if you're not loved, your inner self is crooked and you lose self-esteem. We also have to accept that love when others want to give it to us. If we think it's a burden, love doesn't flow. Therefore, we should try to love each other.
Above all, we must fill with full love through Jesus Christ. We can be loved by our parents, friends, or people around us, but there is a limit. It's hard to expect unconditional and absolute love. We must accept love of Jesus that is given generously. Jesus' love is a noble love that died of blood on a cross. We should know Jesus' wide and deep love and grow up in it. Apostle Paul wore the love of the Lord and lived in the heart of the debtor throughout his life. He served with devotion to repay the love he received from the Lord to the dying souls.
See verses 9 and 10. “The commandments, “You shall not commit adultery,” “You shall not murder,” “You shall not steal,” “You shall not covet,” and whatever other command there may be, are summed up in this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Love does no harm to a neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.” Those who love others have completed the law. The spirit of the law is love. In the Ten Commandments there are some commandments such as, you shall not commit adultery, murder, steal, nor covet. All these commandments are contained in the words to love your neighbor as yourself. If you love your neighbor as yourself, you will not commit adultery, murder, steal, or covet. It is also our practice of love for our neighbors that we do 'social distancing'. In order not to harm the neighbors, we do not offer formal worship service but family worship service. It is a believer's duty to value and preserve the lives of not only himself but also his neighbors. Believers sacrifices themselves for their neighbors as Jesus did when they see their brothers in difficult situations. So love is the fulfillment of the law. No law can be fulfilled apart from love. For believers, the law of love is superior to all other laws. Civil law does not condemn people who are in need of help. When we work hard alone and eat well, it doesn't matter to others. If we do not help because we have no obligation to help, we will not be caught by the civil law, but we will be caught by the law of love. Knowing what we should do, but not doing it is a sin. We need to help people who are struggling. Those who have a lot should share to those who do not. This is the law of love.

Third, put on the armor of light. See verses 11 and 12. “And do this, understanding the present time: The hour has already come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light.” This verse tells us another reason to love our neighbors. The reason is because we know 'the hour'. Here, “the hour” refers to the time of Jesus' Second Coming. Jesus said that after the ascension of the resurrection, He will surely come again. For the past 2,000 years, devout believers have been awakened with anticipation of Jesus' return. We do not know when Jesus will return, but it is clear that Jesus' return is near. Jesus will come like a thief in an instant. What we're going through now reminds us of Armageddon. We feel anxiety as we watch domestic and international situations that change so abruptly. The number of people killed by the corona has exceeded 10,000. International air routes are closing, economic activity is paralyzed, and the number of people suffering is increasing. We are worried because we do not know what will happen in the future. We should not sleep spiritually at these times. There are many people who are sleeping in spiritual coma even when the Lord's return is near. The darkness is getting deeper. This tells us that the dawn is near. Look at verse 12 again. “The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light.” How corrupted is the world? The world currently is like Sodom and Gomorrah. Like in Noah's time, people are becoming flesh rather than spiritual. The sins committed by subscribers of “Nth Room” who have been operating chatting rooms through Telegram, a messenger app, about atrocious digital sex is giving shock to everyone.

We need to know that the darker the world gets the closer the hour of Lord's return. Therefore, in order to be prepared for the day, we must take off the evil or dark stuffs and put on the armor of light. Armor protects our body from attacks of enemies. ‘Light Armor’ prevents darkness coming into our body. Good deeds of light protect us from darkness. The armor of light also tells us that life of faith is also fight of faith. God's children are children of light. They are the light of the world.  As we are God's holy people, we must be children of light that can light up in the dark world. To do this, we must remove all the dark things in our hearts. And we have to live a life of light after putting on the armor of light.

See verses 13, 14. “Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy. Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the flesh.” The debauchery originally means the procession of the festival. The end of the festival was the intoxication of drunkenness and sex between men and women. Pornography and sensuality indicate sexual depravity. At that time, Roman society was sexually disturbing and corrupt. The fall of Rome was caused by sexual corruption. When we look at people, they act neatly during the day and when it comes to night they turn into a beast. Even when they play, they don't just play, but they get drunk and behave on their true character. If a person get drunk, even if he or she was usually a quiet person, may also scream or sing loudly and fall into lustful thoughts.
Clothing ourselves with Jesus Christ, living in the armor of light, and acting neatly as in the daytime means the same. Those who are clothed with Jesus Christ are those who are in Jesus and who are united with Jesus. We were forgiven from our sins by the blood of Jesus Christ and became the people of Jesus. Those who are clothed with Jesus Christ depend only on Jesus. Living in this sinful world, we should thoroughly think in the center of the God’s Words, make decisions based on His Words, and act on the Words. We should always seek the aid of the Holy Spirit and live in obedience to the guidance of the Holy Spirit who helps us delicately in our lives.

We are living in a very dark hour. This tells us that the time of Jesus' return is not far. Each of us must take away the unchangeable sinful habits and put on the cloth of Jesus and the armor of light. So I pray that we can live a life lightening up this Dark Age.