Living out the Gospel in a way that benefits others

God ‘s people are to live in such a way that it is for the common good of all people. In this passage we find the first way that they are to do this is by keeping away from sin and sinful desires. This involves serving and loving those among whom we live in the various relationships of life.

The second way is to be a good citizen. This means submitting to a range of authorities on both ends of the civil spectrum. There are exceptions to this. For example, in the case where God’s people are told to sin. This is something that they must not do and therefore respectfully decline.

The final way is to live as free people but this freedom should never be used as a cover up for evil. It involves showing proper respect for everyone … nothing is more helpful to hurting people than love. Sometimes God’s people‘ drop the ball’ and unnecessarily cause offence. In the case of Jesus, however, he never dropped the ball but went to the cross, as a substitute, even though completely innocent, in order to pay the penalty for sin.