Romans 13:6-7 (English Standard Version)

For because of this you also pay taxes, for the authorities are ministers of God, attending to this very thing. Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed.

Jesus did not dodge the issues of His day, so why should we?

The simple answer is loving our enemies. The hard answer is our enemies don’t want us to love them. That should never stop us from looking at what Jesus did and understand why He said what He said to those standing in front of Him at that time in history.

Rome conquered their world by force. They installed tetrarchs over regions that answered to Rome. They had governors that passed judgment over those authorities. Everyone was answerable to Rome.

Jesus was bringing a new Kingdom that had nothing to do with politics but addressed how to live a life pleasing to God. The object of this exercise is living in the world but not of the world.

Romans 13:8

Fulfilling the Law Through Love

Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law.

In the very next verse Jesus puts it as plainly as He could that the law isn’t worldly because in worldly terms we owe everyone something. The Kingdom of God is not of this world and has its own standards.

Isaiah 43:19

Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.

It is a mistake to think that God changed His mind, changed His plans. He did not. His Old Covenant Laws are still in effect. They just don’t apply to those of us that have died with Christ.

Romans 6:8

Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him.

That is a Kingdom concept not a worldly concept. Perhaps it would be easier to understand if we thought of ourselves as having dual citizenship. We are subject to the authority of both. We may not like worldly authority, but what we do in response to our intellect and emotions should take into account what our King on the Throne tells us.

Ephesians 3:17

so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love,

Intellect and emotions are operations of the mind but faith is the operation of the pondering heart.

Note the comma at the end of the opening verse. That is not all that is to be said about operating faith.

 18 may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, 19 and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

20 Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

That is a lot to take in and to comprehend is likened to the translation center of the brain we spoke of yesterday. Faith is the operation center of comprehension of this life in Christ. 

We are rooted and grounded in the love of Christ. Two important aspects of faith operations are found here. Roots transfer life forces in this spiritual life and grounded indicates a firm foundation where we are never separated from the source of His love.

Let’s focus on verse 20 for a moment. He is able to do above and beyond our capacity to perform. The subject matter has not changed, we are still talking about love. His love changes us just because of His abiding presence. Relationships have influences in our lives and this relationship is compelling. 

Read the love chapter again, 1 Corinthians 13 which is titled the Way of Love. It is how God loves us. One aspect of love is giving over self to another. Christ gave Himself for us, how we respond to that immense love is an operation of faith.

This is after all a cooperative relationship, meaning we have a role to play. He does not force Himself on us, He just wants us to know His will and allows us to choose obedience of faith to do our part.

To know Him is to love Him.