Claiming My New Life: “The Brand of Christ” – Romans 13

It is only a fancy check mark, but the NIKE swoosh is one of the most famous marks in the world. Simplicity and powerful marketing has made a fancy “check mark” into a powerful symbol. Did Jesus give us symbols to identify our “brand” to each other? If you look online, you would conclude that it was either a “cross” or a “dove”. Each of the symbols used has some merit. Yet, if you look carefully, neither does the message of Jesus justice.

Key Principle: The best symbol for the Christian faith is not an emblem, but an ordered life. Christians are the billboard of the truth of Jesus – that He can save sinners, and make something from nothing.

Now, I am not arguing that the Cross doesn’t make sense for a symbol of the church. Certainly it was critical that Jesus came and died for our sins. The Bible is clear that His death was essential for my salvation.

Philip Yancey shared this in Rumours of Another World, pp.154-55: “Living in Colorado, I climb mountains. Colorado has 54 mountains rising above 14,000 ft and every summer I climb some of them. On a summer weekend in the mountains, I see casual hikers who have no idea what they are doing. In sandals, shorts, and T-shirts, carrying a single container of water, they start up a trail at mid-morning. They have no map, no compass, and no rain gear. They also have no apparent knowledge of the lightning storms that roll in many summer afternoons, making it imperative to summit before noon and head for the safety of the timberline (the elevation in a mountainous region above which trees do not grow). My neighbour, who volunteers for Alpine Rescue, has told me hair-raising stories of tourists who must be rescued from certain death after wandering off a trail, falling, or simply being exposed to a sudden hailstorm or 30-degree drop in temperature. Nevertheless, regardless of the circumstances, Alpine Rescue always responds to a call for help. Not once have they lectured a hapless tourist, “Well, since you obviously ignored the most basic rules of the wilderness, you’ll just have to sit here and bear the consequences. We won’t assist you.” Their mission is rescue, and so they pursue every needy hiker in the wilderness, no matter how undeserving. A whistle, a cry, a flashing mirror, a bonfire, an “SOS spelled out in pine branches, a message of distress from a cellphone – any of these signals will cause Alpine Rescue to mobilize teams of medically trained searchers. I have come to see the central message of the Bible, too, as one of rescue. In the book of Romans, Paul takes pains to point out that none of us ’deserve’ God’s mercy and none of us can save ourselves. Like a stranded hiker, all we can do it call for help.

The Bible says that men are born with the brokenness and guilt of their fathers pressed into their spirit. “All have sinned and come short of the Glory of God” Romans 3:23 declared. We needed a dramatic rescue. The Bible shared the formula of our rescue: John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. 17 “For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him..” Paul reflected in Romans 4:23 “Now not for [Abraham’s] sake only was it written that [righteousness] was credited to him, 24 but for [an example to us] also, to whom [righteousness] will be credited, as those who believe in Him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. 25 He who was delivered over because of our transgressions, and was raised because of our justification. 5:1 Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ… 6 For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.”

Because of Jesus’ Resurrection, we can dramatically see that He has true and physical power over life and death. We know what 2 Corinthians 5 says in verse 8: “…we are of good courage, I say, and prefer rather to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord.” We are like a little girl I once heard about…She lived near a cemetery, and often had to walk through it after dark. When someone asked her, “Aren’t you ever afraid?”, she answered, “Oh, no! My home is just on the other side.”

And that is true of all of us that trust Jesus as well. Not only that, but the DOVE makes sense in the context of Christianity. Doves are soft, and a symbol of love and tenderness in Song of Solomon. Out of the picture of Jesus’ baptism, we see the dove can depict the way the Spirit of God fell on Jesus, and then later on the church. Take a quick look: Matthew 3:13 “Then Jesus arrived from Galilee at the Jordan coming to John, to be baptized by him. 14But John tried to prevent Him, saying, “I have need to be baptized by You, and do You come to me?” 15 But Jesus answering said to him, “Permit it at this time; for in this way it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he permitted Him. 16 After being baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove and lighting on Him, 17 and behold, a voice out of the heavens said, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased.” Did not the Spirit of God fill the house long ago at Pentecost as God moved to birth a called out people that He called His church? Acts 2:1 “When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. 2 And suddenly there came from heaven a noise like a violent rushing wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 And there appeared to them tongues as of fire distributing themselves, and they rested on each one of them. 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit was giving them utterance.” A dove, therefore, could be a symbol of the church. Like the cross, it comes from the Scripture and speaks to the core of what is happening. God is saving the lost, and God is indwelling the saved. So why choose any other symbols?

Jesus wasn’t from Madison Avenue and He didn’t need a marketing firm. His publicist is a little old lady saved by grace, a prisoner to drugs set free, a broken marriage healed by surrendering to His Word and His authority. In short, the brand symbol for Jesus is US. Instead of a secret handshake, or brand mark – character traits were the prescribed symbols of the Christian faith to mark a true follower of Jesus. What character traits? Good question. Turn to Romans 13 and let’s look at some that were important enough for the Apostle Paul under the influence of the Spirit to share:

1: Submission

Romans 13:1 Every person is to be in subjection to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God. 2 Therefore whoever resists authority has opposed the ordinance of God; and they who have opposed will receive condemnation upon themselves.

Submission is really about how you look at life – who you believe is most important. Rebellious people are essentially sophisticated SELFISH PEOPLE. They rebel because they think what THEY believe is more important. What THEY WANT is more significant. Look at 13:1-2 closely. The attitude of the heart must precede the actions. I must seek to place myself deliberately in rank below other (1a), recognize that God has control of all situations (1b), and see the unchangeable commands of those in authority over me as directed by Him.

Does this mean there are NO cases where I may be forced to CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE? Of course not. Daniel was arrested for praying to God. Shadrach, Meshach and Abdnego would not bow down to an idol. Note: all were arrested and faced punishment – being delivered by God without the assurance that is what would happen. In the end, if we come to the place where we believe God’s Word will be violated and we cannot participate in the commanded actions – we should plan of facing the consequences in this life. Because we speak of the exception, don’t forget the rule: GOD HONORS OBEDIENCE AND SUBMISSION TO AUTHORITY. Paul said this under the tyrannical rule of Claudius and then Nero – a life filled with uncertainty in legislation. The issue was that one of the marks of a believer is RESPECT for those placed in authority, and not only those we agree with. I wonder if part of the reason the brand has suffered these days is that our activism has become more important than our submission. Thank God we have a vote – but more battles are won on our knees than at rallies. If God’s people would be as serious about prayer as we are about public demonstration – we would see God’s powerful hand move in the secret places of government.

2: Servanthood

13:3 For rulers are not a cause of fear for good behavior, but for evil. Do you want to have no fear of authority? Do what is good and you will have praise from the same..”

At 3:30 PM on the 14th of August, 1935, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt signed the legislation we know today as “Social Security”. He brought in this package of his “new deal” for America. He wanted to do good and help those who were brutalized by the Great Depression. Since 1907 the slumped American economy had befuddled theorists and in 1929 the market crash called for heavy handed reform. In reaction, Roosevelt ousted Hoover at the polls and drove in the New Deal – a government program to rescue the nation. In the end, it became the largest program of our government today – more than 20% of the federal budget. Why do I mention it? Because the government has increasingly done through public taxation what the church was commanded to do voluntarily.

Sadly, the programs of aid and care that were once the champion of the church have been overhauled by bureaucrats and forced upon us – without the essential underlying core values of hard work, savings and self sufficiency. The generation that made the legislation didn’t recognize that the world view of people, when secularized sufficiently, would change. Bureaucracy would grow, and the values of the American public would change. Jesus called his church to a position of servanthood in the community as a way of showing WHO HE IS.

We must not only do things that will “get people in to our church”. We are called to do what will show HIM to the world. When we go out of our way to DO GOOD for our community, we are often praised by our community. If churches refused to succumb to the notion they are to PROTECT God’s things more than USE God’s things to demonstrate to those outside the faith – we will become a powerful tool in God’s hands to reach out. I want to say it aloud – we need to reach out for THEIR SAKE – not ours. Evangelism proceeds from a broken heart for lost men and women, not as a “Church Growth” strategy. Real churches act as servants of God – and God grows them.

3: Shunning

13:4 for it is a minister of God to you for good. But if you do what is evil, be afraid; for it does not bear the sword for nothing; for it is a minister of God, an avenger who brings wrath on the one who practices evil.

Wikipedia defines the term: “Shunning is the act of deliberately avoiding association with, and habitually keeping away from, an individual or group.” I want to borrow the term, but modify it slightly. The Bible doesn’t allow the classification of PEOPLE – only ACTS. We shun certain ACTIVITIES while loving even the people that are part of them. It is hard to remember that Jesus knew the difference between an adjective and noun. The disciples saw a woman and called her “adulteress”. Jesus saw a woman and called her a woman that needed to cease from sin. We need to shun practices that are both illegal and immoral in our lives. We need to seek, at the same time, ways to serve our country and our community that will help both – not try to find a way to GET AS MUCH AS WE CAN. This notion that God is honored by trying to get every benefit – whether or not it is a real need – is a killer for the country. God’s people have resources others don’t have. We need to change our inner desires to delighting our Master.

4: Sharing 

13:5 Therefore it is necessary to be in subjection, not only because of wrath, but also for conscience’ sake. 6 For because of this you also pay taxes, for rulers are servants of God, devoting themselves to this very thing. 7 Render to all what is due them: tax to whom tax is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honor to whom honor. 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.

We are to walk before men with a clean conscience. There is great power in doing so. We pay what is required and do not seek to subvert our responsibility as though the treasures of life are ours to keep. I have what God gives, and He has said for me to pay my taxes. I am not to seek to OWE, in some mad effort to go beyond what I can truly afford. My shows of riches are false shows. I must work at CONTENTMENT. Stirring up discontent brings on murder, adultery, theft and coveting. When I love my neighbor, I celebrate HIS success. I understand the boundaries of what is HIS. I respect what is HIS. I don’t try to GET IT for myself. I learn that what God has provided by His good hand for me is what I truly should have. If I gain from anything – it is because He is good and has chosen to do so. Contentment is an attitude fueled by real worship and real surrender. More often than not, discontentment is an attitude that stirs a selfish spirit.

5: Sober

13:11 Do this, knowing the time, that it is already the hour for you to awaken from sleep; for now salvation is nearer to us than when we believed. 12 The night is almost gone, and the day is near. Therefore let us lay aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. 13 Let us behave properly (a word for in harmony with the dignity of our position) as in the day, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual promiscuity and sensuality, not in strife and jealousy. 14 But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts.

Sober people live to be engaged (awake) and not to withdraw from life (13:11). Sober people see this life as the darkness and the next life as the one worthy of priority (13:12). Sober people act in harmony with their new identity in Messiah (13:13):

• controlled and not seeking escape (carousing is komois – letting loose; drunkenness is methay – the use of outside influences to stimulate or mute responses).

• understanding God’s real boundaries for pleasures (sexual promiscuity is koitay – from which the word “coitus” comes from – sexual connection beyond the boundary of God’s holy place for such activity.)

•not allowing the stirring in relationship to be in ungodly ways (strife is eridi – contention; jealousy is dzayos – a word for heating up).

• Peeling away the old self and stepping into the skin of Jesus (13:14) by placing the physical world on notice its desires no longer control your actions.

How do we live a life that is submissive to authority as from the hand of the Lord? We recognize that God is in control of what we are not. He can see injustice. We can pray and seek to be obedient models of submission. The question should not be “When can I righteously rebel?” but rather, “How far can I possibly go to show Jesus in submission without disobeying His other commands?”

How do we live as servants in our modern world? We choose to do GOOD things more than speak out about all the bad ones. By doing, we earn a place in the discussion.

How do we live as those who SHUN the evil practices? We make personal choices in life to honor God each day in what we do, and we resist quickly classifying people but look at them with compassion.

How do we live as those who SHARE appropriately? We seek to be content in our lives to serve God with all that we are and have, and let Him provide for us as He sees fit. We use all that we have as stewarded things belonging to our Master.

How do we live as SOBER men and women? We seek to act in ways that show Jesus. Our center is NOT entertainment, but godliness. Our delight and joy comes from when our Master is smiling! In the end, we GIVE OURSELVES to Him to see His joy!

Here is a true story about a nine-year-old boy who lived in a rural town in Tennessee. His house was in a poor area of the community. A church had a bus ministry that came knocking on his door one Saturday afternoon. The kid came to answer the door and greeted the bus pastor. The bus pastor asked if his parents were home and the small boy told him that his parents take off every weekend and leave him at home to take care of his little brother. The bus pastor couldn’t believe what the kid said and asked him to repeat it. The youngster gave the same answer and the bus pastor asked to come in and talk with him. They went into the living room and sat down on an old couch with the foam and springs exposed. The bus pastor asked the kid, “Where do you go to church?” The young boy surprised the visitor by replying, “I’ve never been to church in my whole life.” The bus pastor thought to himself about the fact that his church was less than three miles from the child’s house. “Are you sure you have never been to church?” He asked again. “I sure haven’t”, came his answer. Then the bus pastor said, “Well, son, more important than going to church, have you ever heard the greatest love story ever told?” and then he proceeded to share the Gospel with this little nine year old boy. The young lad’s heart began to be tenderized and at the end of the bus pastor’s story the bus pastor asked if the boy wanted to receive this free gift from God. The youngster exclaimed, “You bet! The kid and the bus pastor got on their knees and the lad invited Jesus into his little heart and received the free gift of salvation. They both stood up and the bus pastor asked if he could pick the kid up for church the next morning. “Sure,” the nine old replied. The bus pastor got to the house early the next morning and found the lights off. He let himself in and snaked his way through the house and found the little boy asleep in his bed. He woke up the little boy and his brother and helped get them dressed. They got on the bus and ate a donut for breakfast on their way to church. Keep in mind that this boy had never been to church before. The church was a real big one. The little kid just sat there, clueless of what was going on. A few minutes into the service these tall unhappy guys walked down to the front and picked up some wooden plates. One of the men prayed and the kid with utter fascination watched them walk up and down the aisles. He still didn’t know what was going on. All of a sudden like a bolt of lightning it hit the kid what was taking place. These people must be giving money to Jesus. He then reflected on the free gift of life that he had received just twenty-four hours earlier. He immediately searched his pockets, front and back, and couldn’t find a thing to give Jesus. By this time the offering plate was being passed down his aisle and with a broken heart he just grabbed the plate and held on to it. He finally let go and watched it pass on down the aisle. He turned around to see it passed down the aisle behind him. And then his eyes remained glued on the plate as it was passed back and forth, back and forth all the way to the rear of the sanctuary. Then he had an idea. This little nine-year-old boy, in front of God and everybody, got up out of his seat. He walked about eight rows back, grabbed the usher by the coat and asked to hold the plate one more time. Then he did the most astounding thing I have ever heard of. He took the plate, sat it on the carpeted church floor and stepped into the center of it. As he stood there, he lifted his little head up and said, “Jesus, I don’t have anything to give you today, but just me. I give you me!” (Michael Hensley, Extravagant Love, sermon central).

The best symbol for the Christian faith is not an emblem, but an ordered life. Christians are the billboard of the truth of Jesus – that He can save sinners, and make something from nothing. The woman who poured out a fragrance of expensive spikenard on Jesus learned that we never give something to God that will be forgotten, when He receives something from us that is precious to us it is pleasing to Him. In Mark’s account of this event he adds that Christ also said, “She did what she could” (Mark 14:8). The fragrance of that perfume has long evaporated but the memory of that woman will survive as long as the gospel is preached. She made a difference. Phillip Keller described it: “The delicious fragrance ran down over his shining hair. It enfolded His body with its delightful aroma. Even his tunic and flowing undergarment were drenched with its enduring pungency. Wherever he moved during the ensuing days, the perfume would go with Him. Into the Passover; into the Garden of Gethsemane; into Herod’s hall; into Pilate’s patio; even into the cruel hands of those who cast lots for his clothing.” So will the life be of those who model the attitudes of a surrendered believer.