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Romans 1:18-3:20

The best summary of this long section is supplied by Paul himself as he moves into a new phase of his argument: "For there is no distinction; since all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (3:22b-23). When Paul says, "all," he means that Jews no less than Gentiles stand in need of God's gracious gift of justification. How, then, justification comes about -- namely, "by faith" -- and what justification means are important themes from Rom 3:21 through 8:39; and 1:18-3:20 provides an introduction to this whole discussion.

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In sum: the specific admonitions of Romans 12-13 illustrate how those whose lives have been transformed in Christ are to become instruments of righteousness (Rom 6:13), wherever and however long it is given them to exist in the present age.

Romans 13:1-7unmigrated-wiki-markup

What links these verses with their context in chs. 12 and 13 is Paul's concern to show how, even in the "secular" sphere, the Christian must seek to do what is "good" according to God's will (12:2: "to discern the will of God, and to know what is good"; 12:9b: "hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good"; 12:17, 21: "Repay no one evil for evil, ... but overcome evil with good"; and, finally, in the midst of 13:1-7 itself: "do what is good" \ [vs. 3b\]).

The topic of 13:1-7 is not "the state," nor is its appeal to ''be subject" to the state its specific appeal. Although the admonition to be subject opens the passage and is repeated in vs. 5, this admonition is still general as compared with the specific appeal, to pay whatever kinds of taxes one owes (vss. 6 f.), for which the preceding verses are preliminary. Once Paul makes this specific appeal, he is ready to summarize all of the preceding instructions, which he does by generalizing the appeal of 13:6 f. in such a way as to return to the fundamental importance of love: "Owe no one anything, except to love one another" (13:8).

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Paul reminds the Philippians that the "state" (or "commonwealth") to which Christians belong "is in heaven," whence they "await a Savior," their one true "Lord Jesus Christ." They are thus distinguished from those who have their "minds set on earthly things."

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