In Romans 13:8-14, the Second Reading appointed for the 14th Sunday after Pentecost in the Year of Matthew, the Apostle Paul continues his exhortation to believers. Using a variety of metaphors he reminds the Christian community that his appeal is urgent in that "salvation is nearer to us now than when we became believers." Seeing that modern day Christians no longer have an expectation of the imminent return of Christ, it will be the preacher's challenge to convince listeners of the urgency of this appeal.
(The following questions are not meant to be exhaustive, but they simply attempt to answer some of the fundamental concerns of Law and Gospel preachers around the function of the Word. This is a central concern since Law and Gospel preachers understand that the way the Word functions in the text is, at least in some fashion, the way the sermon must function. For more on Law and Gospel preaching, see my brief guide, Afflicting the Comfortable, Comforting the Afflicted, available from wipfandstock.com and amazon.)
1. How does the Word function in the text? The grammar tells us clearly how the Word functions in the text. The verbs are all either imperatives (i.e. do this!) or hortative subjunctives (let us do this!). Given this, we know that the Word is functioning as a call to obedience. Faith is assumed in the hearers of this text. What is needed from them now is a life lived in response to God's gift in Christ.
2. How is the Word not functioning in the text? There is little hint of Law, and Gospel is entirely absent. The Law is hinted at in the verse describing "the works of darkness," but even there we do not have a sense that Paul is describing our need of a Savior. We will need to go to other texts to find explicit words of Law and Gospel.
3. With whom are you identifying in the text? We identify with the original listeners since we too are believers, and we too need to be reminded of the urgency of "putting on Christ."
4. What Law/Gospel couplet is suggested by this text? Couplets must be created afresh from the vocabulary in the text when a text is solely a call to obedience. Some suggestions: darkness/light; night/day; living in the flesh/living in Christ.
5. Exegetical work: Anders Nygren, in a classic commentary, makes much of the metaphor regarding the proper 'attire' for Christians: "According to Paul, the entire Christian life can be described as a constant putting off and putting on. That begins with baptism. 'As many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.' (Gal. 3:27)." (Commentary on Romans, p. 437). Nygren also speaks of attire befitting "the new aeon." (Ibid., p. 431). Ernst Kasemann would seem to agree with Nygren in his commentary: "Every Christian represents his Lord on earth as a member of his body, and his whole life is a constant return to baptism. As Luther rightly says, standing on God's way is moving back and forth; it is always beginning afresh." (Commentary on Romans, p. 363). It is instructive to recall that this metaphor of 'being clothed' is a favorite of Paul and the Pauline school. In addition to this text and the Galatians text noted above, we see this metaphor in Ephesians 4:24 and Colossians 3:10, "...clothe yourselves with the new self," and in I Thessalonians 5:8, "put on the breastplate of faith and love." It is clear that putting on Christ and living in love are equivalent. Paul Achtemeier reminds us what love entails: "Jesus, the incarnation of God's love, thus acts out that love in all he says and does. He is a love that warns as well as comforts, that promises as well as fulfills. But above all he is a love that gives itself freely for the good of others, even if that means death on a cross." (Interpretation series, Romans, p. 210.)
6. How does the Crossings Community model work with this text? Steve Albertin, in his 2014 analysis, does a fine job of highlighting the light and darkness theme that is present in the second half of this text. He shows how the darkness of the Law results in our estrangement from God, while the light of the Gospel brings all things to light for our salvation. See Albertin's complete analysis archived under its reference at crossings.org/text-study.
Blessing on your proclamation!
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