26-0906sc - Detailed Summary

Steve opens the class in Romans chapter 12, then quickly notes they will also be in chapter 13, and asks if anyone will lead a prayer. He prays, addressing God as Dear Heavenly Father and expressing gratitude for the day and for the chance to gather as brothers and sisters and students of the Word. He asks God to give them a ready understanding so they can comprehend the text and receive insights, and he prays that God will bless them with that ability as students of Scripture. He thanks God for the measure of health and safety that allowed them to be present and for blessings in every way, then closes the prayer in Jesus Christ’s name.

Steve says he likes the start of this session because chapter 12 begins a different concept or conversation that Paul wants them to pick up. He tries to read the book of Romans through at least once every week. Somewhere in that practice he landed on the word “defy,” which gives him greater confidence in his study even if it does not produce complete understanding. People often run over the word “sin” without grasping everything it stands for. Sin is defying God. The average person defies God whenever they choose not to go completely by God’s Word. In this session a person will argue with Paul as he writes under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, especially in the coming chapters 13, 14, and 15. Those chapters bring out things people argue with. Paul is saying not to argue. The reason they argue is that they are trying to rationalize why they do not want to do what is written. Arguing with themselves and refusing to do it is defying God; they are looking for a way around obedience. The last part of chapter 12 is one of the places where that arguing with God begins, because the flesh is arguing.

The wrestling is whether they will go with the flesh or with the Spirit. Going with the flesh is defying God; going with the Spirit is agreeing with God, lining themselves up with Him, and saying they will obey and will approach problems and trials the way God suggests. Starting at verse 14 of chapter 12 they can begin arguing with God. The flesh says “get even.” Steve cannot quote the exact passage but recalls that in the Psalms David points out that if someone has been wronged and is relying on God to avenge them, and then they see hard times come on the person who wronged them, they have a tendency to say “aha, they’ve got it coming.” God says that if they do that He will bring it back on them as well. They do not have the right to rejoice in somebody else’s problems while thinking God is avenging them or that the other person is getting their just dues. The whole world basically lives by the flesh and will defy God in how He says problems ought to be handled.

Verse 14 says to bless those who persecute you, bless and do not curse. The flesh replies that God has to be kidding, but if the Spirit of God lives within them they will be willing to do what God suggests even though it rubs them the wrong way. It rubs Steve the wrong way to bless those who harm him because he has had that issue. They are also told to rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep, even the individuals who have just abused or maligned them; they are to forget that and still rejoice or weep with them. The flesh would say the opposite. They are asked to let the Spirit guide them. Doing what the flesh says is defying God, who has stated how the problem should be handled. As a Christian and God-fearing person with the Spirit they will do what God asked even when it rubs them the wrong way. They are to be of the same mind toward one another, not haughty in mind but associating with the lowly, and not wise in their own estimation. They are never to repay evil for evil to anyone. The flesh argues with that because they grew up in the flesh and still sometimes yield to it. As Christians they rely on Jesus to absorb them; there is now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus because Jesus is interceding. As long as they walk in the light as He is in the light, His blood continues to cleanse them. When the flesh gets the best of them it will not condemn them if that is not the manner of their life; their manner of life is wanting to be a Christian and do what God asked, so they ask God to forgive them. First John says they will sin but if they ask for forgiveness He will give it. Steve asks for questions or comments, then returns to the point that they are defying God.

One reason Steve likes the word “defy” is that it helps him comprehend why he needs to be reconciled to God: he has been defying and denying Him. If friends defy you, you get angry and upset. Paul says at the start of Romans chapter 1 that God’s wrath is revealed against those who have defiled or defied Him. God’s creation is defying Him; He is angry and upset; they have alienated Him and need to be reconciled because they have defied, insulted, and upset Him. Reconciliation comes by His mercy and grace and by the gospel being extended to them so they can be forgiven for defying Him. Verse 17 continues: never repay evil for evil to anyone; respect what is right in the sight of all people; if possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all people. Never take your own revenge, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written that vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord. If the enemy is hungry, feed him; if thirsty, give him a drink; in so doing you heap burning coals on his head. Do not be overcome by evil but overcome evil with good. They wrestle with the flesh because as Christians they have died to the flesh and to sin and can now say they will ignore the flesh and do what God wants. That is why Paul starts the chapter by urging brothers and sisters by the mercies of God to present their bodies as a living and holy sacrifice acceptable to God, which is their spiritual service of worship, and not to be conformed to this world (the flesh) but to be transformed by the renewing of their mind so they may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect. They have the opportunity to bring themselves in line with God.

They have been walking in the flesh and realize they have been defying God; they do not want to be on the wrong side of God and they want His benefits. God is extending the olive branch and the opportunity to be reconciled. He provided the sacrifice of atonement; the word atonement means they are atoned by the blood of Christ and His sacrifice, with God accepting them. They become Christians and disciples of Jesus and are baptized into Christ, so they have the atonement. Steve asks for observations or questions. A student remarks that Steve is getting “Cainism.” Steve recognizes it and says he knows they are getting into some real heavy stuff; chapters 13 and 14 are very heavy. He does not know if they have considered the ramifications in those two chapters, but they are there. The brotherhood wrestles with it very much. Sometimes he wonders if they have given too much thought to the Restoration Movement. He appreciates and honors the Restoration Movement, especially at the Lord’s Supper, baptism, and instrumental music, because it helps them go back to first-century Christians and how they worshipped God. Sometimes he thinks they get a little overboard. That is one of the reasons he is thinking about bringing his whole membership here besides just the open Bible class; that is just between them.

They move into chapter 13 because it starts to get real deep and this is where they start arguing with their flesh. The flesh says one thing and God says do it this way, but they will argue; God says do not argue with Him. He is sharing exactly what He wants them to do. He created them and instilled in them their spirit and mind, and this is the way He wants them to live and deal with the public. If they do it this way they will please and glorify Him and He will have the opportunity to glorify them. Steve recalls Jesus praying before the cross, “Father, glorify thy name,” and God answering that He has glorified His name and is glorifying Jesus too. They want to demonstrate God’s power by recognizing the way He does it. Right at the start of chapter 13 every person is to be subject to the governing authorities. Steve grew up in the church and knows the arguments; his dad used to use them against him all the time. Paul says be subject to the governing authorities. There is no arguing and no escape clause. Every person is to be subject to the governing authorities because of God’s divine intervention, providence, and preservation. There is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God. The flesh will definitely argue with that, but they are supposed to accept it.

The question is why God allows Iran’s government, Muslims, Putin in Russia, and things going on in Africa. When God was dealing with Egypt concerning the Israelites, He raised Pharaoh up for this very reason. They are not to argue with the reason; it is God’s divine intervention, providence, and preservation, which Paul believes in completely. God created and destroyed Egypt and worked out His will. When Israel was sinning, God allowed various nations to come in, carry them away, and destroy them, including Babylon. The Israelites argued why God was doing this; they know why, because they were sinning. They were committing more sin than the Canaanites whom God was condemning when He allowed Israel to chase them out and destroy the nations in Canaan. The exception is that the Israelites had divine communication from God, so they should have known. That is what Paul points out in chapter 9 when he talks about circumcision and how God blessed them with insights. Psalm 147 points out all the various things God did for the Israelites, and the psalmist finishes by saying God did this for Israel and did not do that for any other nation; He was focusing on Israel.

Right from the beginning every person is to be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except from God and those which exist are established by God. They discuss what is happening in Minnesota and Wisconsin and cities that accept people and their sins, identified as sanctuary cities. Those cities are sinning against God and definitely defying God. A student agrees about the government and says that when Biden got voted in some thought it was the end of the world and that they cheated, but by having the absolute worst president ever God shined a light on all the evil people were doing, such as USAID and fraud in Minnesota. They would never have known that if it were not for somebody as low as Biden being in there, so it was God’s will even though they hated it, so they could see how bad things actually were. Steve agrees and thinks that in Romans God was showing His power by putting up with this so that He could demonstrate His power and His love.

When Steve was on Facebook he kept hearing that if the government is not right it should be overthrown, and people were trying to convince others that the government here is wrong in some things. He would agree the government is wrong in some things, but he asks what kind of government they are wanting. Do they want a government that is going to take away their freedom? They say the government is taking their freedom away, yet they still have freedom. In Texas several counties are starting to be governed by Islam and they want Sharia law. People ask how anyone can stand by and allow this to happen. One of these days they may be faced with Sharia law in an Islamic government, and the question is what they will do about that. They are arguing against God and defying God; God is in control. This country is unique in that in the Constitution they can rebuke.

The villagers had a difficult time with this passage as well. One of the big problems brought up with the founding fathers and dad was this very question: how do they have any right to usurp the ruling authority? That is what they were writing about. Individually they do not have the right to usurp government. As an individual Steve will be subject to the governing authority, whether it be Rome at the time this was written or any other authority. Their responsibility is that if there is a higher authority, and that is where the founding fathers were going, if that authority tells them to do something that is wrong, as the apostles told the Jewish hierarchy, they need to follow God, not man. Individually they are to be subject as far as they can to the ruling authority. The authorities are God’s agents for wrath, so God moves around with authority. From an individual standpoint the American Revolution has all kinds of problems, but as God creating and destroying nations that is what He does, and whomever He uses.

Iran’s government is being challenged by its own citizens; they have revolts and demonstrations, and Iran has no compunction about killing them and murders them by tens of thousands. If you are a Christian you are among those who are being slaughtered; you are not going to be demonstrating and you will not be among those in Minnesota or Wisconsin. The demonstrators there are not vile and do not have weapons because the law says they cannot have them. The question is, if there are Christians among those being slaughtered, why are they defying God? They do not know, but they are still arguing with God. God is telling them to do it this way because He is the avenger and He will take care of it. They have got to believe in God. That is the whole problem: if you do not believe in God you are defying Him.

What pleases God is found in Hebrews chapter 11. Enoch pleased God. What pleases God is to believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. They struggle with walking in the light from God’s perspective through the Word. Their actions based on that, whether they end up being right actions or not, they are being cleansed from that. They are striving to understand what God wants them to do. Paul writes in Philippians chapter 4 that he has experienced all of these things and has been able to do what God wants him to do because he can do all things through Him who strengthens him. They should wait and wrestle with it when they experience it and allow God to strengthen them. There are things they can do, and they do not have to be like the Amish. The Amish changed last election and that is why Trump got in a lot of places; they were persuaded to vote. They are conscientious objectors, and that is really why they do not vote, because they believe God is the one who puts people in and out. This is a difficult situation: are they going to argue with God or go along with Him? They defy Him because He is putting out the assurance that He is in control. Steve does not lose any sleep over this at all.

Steve does concern himself with the Islamic movement and with Ramaswamy; he does not like that last name because that last name tells him Islam. Others say he is Indian and maybe Hindu, but the last name does not help Steve any. A student wonders what the founders’ reaction would have been today to accepting Islamic people who support Islam into the government. America was founded on freedom of religion. Some of the colonies were intolerant; you were either Catholic or pilgrim or Lutheran. They were intolerant and would excommunicate you and kick you out of the colony. A lot of people who were kicked out became the individuals who roamed the countryside establishing their own establishments. It was not a perfect setup at all, but they were very intolerant. Every person is to be subject to the governing authorities; they are defying God if they refuse.

There is no authority except from God and those which exist are established by God. They should accept that. Therefore whoever resists authority has opposed the ordinance of God; they are opposing God and defying Him, and they who have opposed will receive condemnation upon themselves. He then talks about the role of the rulers: rulers are not a cause of fear for good behavior but for evil. What is good behavior according to the Thessalonian writer? Mind your own business, get a job, be at peace with one another, and be subject to one another. If they are doing that, the government cannot be against them. Someone mentions a federal rule and logic, and Steve says they are putting that in there and arguing with God and with the Scriptures already. They are arguing about something that may never happen, and why lose sleep over it? That is exactly right; that is what Hinduism is all about, “What, me worry?” from Mad magazine. Their time is up. Steve appreciates their tolerance of him and thanks them.