Romans Chapter 13

There is no doubt that the church throughout history has had a significant impact on society at large. There is a long history of individuals, who, in the name of Christianity, fought for decency in the public circle. One such individual that comes to mind is William Wilberforce. Wilberforce lived from 1759 to 1833. He was a parliamentarian in the government of England and was instrumental in abolishing the slave trade. He grew up in the wealthy Clapham Sect, an elite group in England in his day out of which young men were groomed for influential positions in their country. Wilberforce introduced a bill in parliament in 1791 that would significantly reduce the activity of the slave trade in England but the bill was unsucessful. He fought for the rights of slaves for the majority of his political career and passed away one month before the Act of the Abolition of Slavery was passed in 1833.

In 2004, CBC ran a program to determine who is the greatest Canadian. The winner, elected by the Canadian people, was Tommy Douglas. Douglas served as Priemier of Saskatchewan for a series of 5 election terms [close to 20 years]. In those years, Douglas led his government to pass into legislation several laws that influence how Canada treats its citizens. One of the most famous is the medicare bill that ensured medical care to every Canadian. Douglas also passed a bill preventing discrimination of Canadians due to race, religion or creed. Douglas held strong Christian roots and was a Baptist Minister prior to entering politics. He was the first federal leader of the New Democratic Party. All in all, the founding roots of a Douglas led socialism are Christian to the core.

These two examples from different times in recent history show the influence of Christians as they saw their place in society as that of promoting the well-being of people and the good of society. In our passage this week, Paul the apostle expands on his explanation of what "loving others" looks like [chapter 12:9ff] by pointing out what the behaviour of the Roman Christian community should be to society. Living in harmony with civil leaders and encouraging a continual debt of love owed to their fellowman, Paul points out that such behaviour fulfills God's law. Paul warns that self examination is crucial so that the follower of Christ can ensure that they are living in the "day" and not the "night." [imagery for good and evil]

Being "decent and true in everything we do, so that everyone can approve of our behaviour" was not an appeal to tolerance of evil but an appeal to embrace fellow men and women and share the love that Christ has placed in our hearts by His Spirit so that we can join God in His mission to redeem the world. In Paul's day, it was far too easy to point the finger at government, civil leaders and non-believers as the source of evil in the world. Paul refreshes the minds and hearts of the Roman believers to the behaviour that Christ has called them. This behaviour is not accusatory [shades of Chapter 2:1ff] but embracing and accepting. In order to continue in such behaviour, Paul encourages his readers to "clothe themselves with the armour of God's light" and let Christ take control. This again is a confirmation of what Paul encourages the Roman believers to do in light of a God who has done so much for us: give our lives as living sacrificies. The explanation of what a life given to God looks like has come full circle at the end of chapter 13.

As followers of Christ, our behaviour can directly affect our society in ways that bring about what God desires for the human race. As a community of believers, we can make a difference in people's lives and be "Christ" to them. May we be the compelling community that the early church was so that our neighbours can know the love Christ and God's plan for their lives as well.

Questions:

What other characters from history have lived out their faith and affected the society they lived in? [check out Wikipedia.com]

How can our church community continue making a difference in our neighbourhoods?

How can we keep ourselves from the trap of living in the "night" rather than the "day"?