I was using my PC laptop today and had not used it in over a year with
teranews, and forgot I had my name configured wrong. So my apologies!!!


John

Look below for the reply

"Bible Bob" <biblebobnospam@biblebob.net> wrote in message
news:f79bb1p00ie5n4e06uvdhua25o7cnvsrog@4ax.com...

On Sat, 18 Jun 2005 21:23:27 -0700, Bible John
<john.doggett@x-files.gov> wrote:

Dear friends,

This will be the study for this week. I said I would do a study on the
Emerging Church for this week, well sorry but that will be next weeks
study. I found I have not had the time to write the study yet, but look
forward to revealing the ministry philosophy and real motives behind the
modern emerging church movement.

The study today will be from a sample exegetical paper I wrote in
college. The original paper had more verses and content.

There is much debate within the church regarding debt, and if christians
should get themselves into debt, or avoid debt at all costs. Well I
have answered all these questions below. So I hope that the
study/message is beneficial for you.

John Wolf

BA Church Education Ministries, Simpson University 2005
AS Business Computer technology specialist, Canada College 2000

--
Exegetical Analysis of Romans 13:8-10

Passage
[Ro 13:8] Owe nothing to anyone except to love one another; for he who
loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law. [9] For this, "YOU SHALL NOT
COMMIT ADULTERY, YOU SHALL NOT MURDER, YOU SHALL NOT STEAL, YOU SHALL
NOT COVET," and if there is any other commandment, it is summed up in
this saying, "YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF." [10] Love does
no wrong to a neighbor; therefore, love is the fulfillment of the law.


V [8]
NASB: [Owe nothing to anyone except to love one another; for he who
loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law.]
KJV: [Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth
another hath fulfilled the law.]
NKJV [Owe no one anything except to love one another, for he who loves
another has fulfilled the law.]
NIV [Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love
one another, for he who loves his fellowman has fulfilled the law.]
HCSB [Do not owe anyone anything, except to love one another, for the
one who loves another has fulfilled the law.]

Romans 13:8 is a very controversial passage. I think that when one
reads it they must take the entire chapter into context. The first part
of the chapter Paul is referring to paying taxes to the authorities.
But itıs interesting how some articulate this verse as being strictly
about debt. Some KJV only Christians infer that this verse is saying
that itıs a sin to use a credit card, take on a loan or borrow money in
anyway. Some of them use Mt 6:24 as backing to their argument that its
sinful to use a credit card, take on a loan, or borrow in anyway. In Mt
6:24 Jesus says that one cannot have two masters, and its impossible to
serve both God and money (the KJV uses the original Greek word in this
passage). So in their argument Rom 13:8 is indeed suggesting that one
cannot be a slave of debt. There are many problems with their argument,
since it usually bypasses the culture context, demographic, grammatical
and theological hermeneutical factors to interpreting a translation. One
must always consider such issues when interpreting the scriptures, even
more useful with controversial verses and passages such as Romans 13:8.
The more liberal side of the argument does not interpret Paul as saying
that debt is prohibited, so they very easily abuse their credit cards,
and take on many loans so very quickly they have a massive debt that
they cannot hope to repay in their lifetime. Obviously there are
different extremes of interpretation of this verse.
I think that its interesting that the KJV seems to communicate that its
perfectly okay to be in debt to a woman, while the NIV says to let no
debt remain outstanding, indicating that one can have debts. The NKJV
eliminates the singular noun voice in this verse and changes it to the
plural "no one" instead of "no man." While the NIV limits the passage to
debt, its also again interesting how the NASB translates the verse in a
similar fashion as the NKJV and does not bind debt to financial
obligations, because what most people will conjure when the word debt is
used will always be financial debt. So many that read this passage have
concluded that Paul is prohibiting Christians from using credit cards,
taking on loans, or borrowing money.

However, the electronic version of the Bible Knowledge Commentary says:
This is not a prohibition against a proper use of credit;
it is an underscoring of a Christianıs obligation to express divine
love in all interpersonal relationships. A Christian should never fall
short,
and so be "in debt," in loving others (Jn 13:34-35; 1 Co 15:14;
Eph 5:2; Col 3:14; 1 Jn 3:14;23; 4:7, 11,21).

The Life Application New Testament Commentary electronic version says a
similar thing about this verse:
But we may ask; is Paul against home mortgages and school loans? Paul
is not teaching against borrowing, except as it applies to borrowing
things or money that we cannot hope to repay. Careless or deceitful
debt is not acceptable behavior among believers.

I think that both these commentaries present a very accurate explanation
of the complex controversial verse. Paul is not arguing against the use
of credit cards and the borrowing of money, what Paul is against is
those that are in so much debt that their debt has become a hindrance to
their Christian life because it hinders them from carrying out the great
commission.

V [9]
KJV
For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou
shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not
covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended
in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.

Paul is referring back to the law (torah, Pentateuch) in this verse.
The passages are from ex 20:13-17 and Deut 5:17-21. According to Stott
Paul is know referring to how loving our neighbors as ourselves fulfills
the law. Its odd that only in the KJV version does it mention anything
about not bearing false witness. Stott says that new translations leave
it out because the phrase may not be in the most reliable manuscripts.
The KJV uses the Textus Receptus manuscript, while newer translations
use the Alexandrian manuscripts. Paul concludes by saying that all the
commandments sum up to this simple commandment. Love thy neighbor as
thyself! This is something that Jesus also said in Mt 22:39, and he
concludes by saying that all the law and prophets hang on this
commandment. So its very important that we as Christians get it
straight that we cannot emphasize secondary non essentials to the same
degree as the simple commandment of love! Often Christians get really
into it about the nonessentials, often we seem to lack love, and this is
not what Paul taught in this verse.

V [10]
Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore, love is the fulfillment of
the law.

The Greek word agap_ used for love in this verse is the same with both
occurrences of the word in this verse. But in the three verses that the
word love appears in 13:8-14 the other two times the Greek word agapa_
is used instead of agap_. In Greek the word agap_ and agapa_ very much
mean the same thing. In the entire book of Romans, these Greek words
seem to be dominant.
John Stott says comments.
Agape is a selfless love, which cannot be turned in on the self; and
partly because according to Scripture self-love is the essence of sin.
Instead, we are to affirm all of ourselves which stems from the
creation, while denying all of ourselves which stem from the fall (350).

Itıs nearly impossible with our totally depraved human nature to put to
death all of our fleshly nature and practice this form of love that Paul
speaks about to the full. Stott says that the 2nd commandment requires
that we love our neighbors as much as we do ourselves. Also Jesus said
the same in Mt 19:19. Stott says that we need to seek the good of our
neighbors and not their harm. This is indeed difficult to do,
especially in a society as indiviliastic as ours. Most people today are
not after their neighbors interests, but the interests of only
themselves. Even the contemporary evangelical church is following this
trend. But true disciples will strive to love their neighbors as
themselves. In loving their neighbor as themselves, they are fulfilling
the law, and as Stott points out we are still and never will escape this
debt, because only Christ can take away our debts.


Conclusions
Overall the NASB does a good job at translating this passage into a
language most English readers will understand. The KJV is good as well,
but itıs not in a language that most will understand. The NASB follows
the Greek text more so, than the dynamic free NIV or even worse the
Message. But no doubt, the Message is a quality translation for the
bible illiterate. It catches the thrust and purity of the text when
read by the ignorant, and this is something that the NASB and KJV may
have a hard time accomplishing.
Overall, I believe the main points Paul is trying to make in this
passage are as follows. Point A-Gods law of love is a potent force for
a law-abiding life 8-10.
Point B- The urgency of the times is a call to good citizenship 11-13.
Point C- Salvation is nearer know than when we first believer 13
Point D- We need to put on Christ's garment, and put off the garment of
the flesh 14.

REFERENCES

Barton Bruce, Linda K. Taylor 2001. Life Application New Testament
Commentary. Ed Grant Osborne. Wheaton: Tyndale publishing.

Godet Frederic Louis. 1977. Commentary on Romans Michigan: Kregel
Publications

Schreiner Thomas R. 1998. Romans. Michigan: Baker Books.

Stott John R.W. 1994. The Message of Romans. Downers Grove.
Inter-Varsity Press.

Walvoord John F., Zuck Roy B. 2000. The Bible Knowledge Commentary.
Colorado Springs: Cook Communications Ministries

Ziesler John. 1989. Paul's Letter to the Romans Philadelphia: Trinity
Press International

John,

Now that's more like it. Sure beats those anti-church anti-people
posts.

Did not Jesus say that we need to watch out for those that will come into
the flock and be diserning of teachers because some of them are wolves?

Matt 7:15

Also did not Paul continue to warn everyone with tears daily about false
teachers that would come in and destroy the flock?

Acts 20:31

One minor question, the noun "agape" and the verb "agapao" are ended
with underscores (_), above. I was wondering why the words weren't
just spelled out.

Hmm. Not sure. Maybe this was a direct quote from one of my books. Not
sure what I was thinking at this time, since this paper was written in 2004.


John

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BB