Dressed for the Occasion

Romans 13 calls believers to live rightly in relation to governing authorities, our neighbor, and our own flesh. Authority is described as instituted by God and serving His purposes, leading to a posture of submission, honor, and good conduct. What is owed in civic life is to be given fully, yet one debt remains: to love one another. Every command is summed up in this, that love does no wrong to a neighbor. Paul then turns inward, urging believers to cast off the works of darkness and put on the Lord Jesus Christ, making no provision for the flesh. The Christian life is shaped by what has been received in Christ, expressed outwardly in honor and love, and inwardly through a continual putting on of Him.