HelpFinder Bible - Flipbook - Page 1394
RO MA N S 1 3
them; pray that God will bless them. 15 Be happy
with those who are happy, and weep with those
who weep. 16 Live in harmony with each other.
Don’t be too proud to enjoy the company of ordinary people. And don’t think you know it all!
17 Never pay back evil with more evil. Do
things in such a way that everyone can see you
are honorable. 18 Do all that you can to live in
peace with everyone.
19 Dear friends, never take revenge. Leave that
to the righteous anger of God. For the Scriptures
say,
“I will take revenge;
I will pay them back,”*
says the Lord.
20 Instead,
“If your enemies are hungry, feed them.
If they are thirsty, give them something
to drink.
In doing this, you will heap
burning coals of shame on their heads.”*
21 Don’t let evil conquer you, but conquer evil by
doing good.
Respect for Authority
Everyone must submit to governing authorities. For all authority comes from
God, and those in positions of authority have
been placed there by God. 2 So anyone who rebels against authority is rebelling against what
God has instituted, and they will be punished.
3 For the authorities do not strike fear in people
who are doing right, but in those who are doing
wrong. Would you like to live without fear of
the authorities? Do what is right, and they will
honor you. 4 The authorities are God’s servants,
sent for your good. But if you are doing wrong,
of course you should be afraid, for they have the
power to punish you. They are God’s servants,
sent for the very purpose of punishing those
who do what is wrong. 5 So you must submit to
them, not only to avoid punishment, but also to
keep a clear conscience.
6 Pay your taxes, too, for these same reasons.
For government workers need to be paid. They
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• Abuse
R O MA NS 1 3 :1 0
Love and abuse cannot dwell together.
To knowingly hurt someone—physically,
mentally, emotionally, sexually—is to
declare a lack of love for that person.
Acts of abuse drown out all words of
love, no matter how sincere they may
sound.
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are serving God in what they do. 7 Give to everyone what you owe them: Pay your taxes and
government fees to those who collect them,
and give respect and honor to those who are in
authority.
Love Fulfills God’s Requirements
8 Owe nothing to anyone—except for your obligation to love one another. If you love your
neighbor, you will fulfill the requirements of
God’s law. 9 For the commandments say, “You
must not commit adultery. You must not murder. You must not steal. You must not covet.”*
These—and other such commandments—are
summed up in this one commandment: “Love
your neighbor as yourself.”* 10 Love does no
wrong to others, so love fulfills the requirements of God’s law.
11 This is all the more urgent, for you know
how late it is; time is running out. Wake up,
for our salvation is nearer now than when we
first believed. 12 The night is almost gone; the
day of salvation will soon be here. So remove
your dark deeds like dirty clothes, and put on
the shining armor of right living. 13 Because we
belong to the day, we must live decent lives for
all to see. Don’t participate in the darkness of
wild parties and drunkenness, or in sexual promiscuity and immoral living, or in quarreling
and jealousy. 14 Instead, clothe yourself with the
presence of the Lord Jesus Christ. And don’t let
yourself think about ways to indulge your evil
desires.
The Danger of Criticism
Accept other believers who are weak in
faith, and don’t argue with them about
what they think is right or wrong. 2 For instance,
one person believes it’s all right to eat anything.
But another believer with a sensitive conscience
will eat only vegetables. 3 Those who feel free to
eat anything must not look down on those who
don’t. And those who don’t eat certain foods
must not condemn those who do, for God has
accepted them. 4 Who are you to condemn someone else’s servants? Their own master will judge
whether they stand or fall. And with the Lord’s
help, they will stand and receive his approval.
5 In the same way, some think one day is more
holy than another day, while others think every
day is alike. You should each be fully convinced
that whichever day you choose is acceptable.
6 Those who worship the Lord on a special day
do it to honor him. Those who eat any kind of
food do so to honor the Lord, since they give
thanks to God before eating. And those who refuse to eat certain foods also want to please the
Lord and give thanks to God. 7 For we don’t live
for ourselves or die for ourselves. 8 If we live, it’s
to honor the Lord. And if we die, it’s to honor
14
12:19 Deut 32:35. 12:20 Prov 25:21-22. 13:9a Exod 20:13-15, 17.
13:9b Lev 19:18.