Romans 13
Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. 2 Consequently, whoever rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves. 3 For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and you will be commended. 4 For the one in authority is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for rulers do not bear the sword for no reason. They are God’s servants, agents of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer. 5 Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also as a matter of conscience.
6 This is also why you pay taxes, for the authorities are God’s servants, who give their full time to governing. 7 Give to everyone what you owe them: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor.
8 Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for whoever loves others has fulfilled the law. 9 The commandments, “You shall not commit adultery,” “You shall not murder,” “You shall not steal,” “You shall not covet,”[a] and whatever other command there may be, are summed up in this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”[b] 10 Love does no harm to a neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.
11 And do this, understanding the present time: The hour has already come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. 12 The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. 13 Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy. 14 Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the flesh.[c]
Footnotes
- Romans 13:9 Exodus 20:13-15,17; Deut. 5:17-19,21
- Romans 13:9 Lev. 19:18
- Romans 13:14 In contexts like this, the Greek word for flesh (sarx) refers to the sinful state of human beings, often presented as a power in opposition to the Spirit.
The Guv’Mint’s Not the Boss of Me… But Jesus Is
Romans 13:1-7
Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. Consequently, whoever rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves. For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and you will be commended. For the one in authority is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for rulers do not bear the sword for no reason. They are God’s servants, agents of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer. Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also as a matter of conscience.
This is also why you pay taxes, for the authorities are God’s servants, who give their full time to governing. Give to everyone what you owe them: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor.
I’ll admit I have a hard time with this passage. Yes, I have a rebellious streak, but I think it goes deeper than that. I want the people in authority over me to honor God, and if they don’t, I don’t feel any reason to honor them. It’s like I want to bypass them and get my rules for living straight from God. I don’t need any unbelieving President or Congress or National Health Director or Governor or State Legislature telling me the rules when they can’t even follow God’s rules in their personal lives!
But then I read this passage and feel God telling me to “pump my brakes,” as one of my new friends would say, and change my attitude so that I can change my witness.
The Apostle Paul started chapter 12 by showing different types of Christians how to love one another. Then he gave us instructions on how to love non-Christians. Here, he’s showing us how Christians should relate to the civil government.
Paul was living under the domination of Rome – you know, the Empire that oppressed his people and put his Savior to death. It was a pagan Empire, hostile to Christians because they wouldn’t sacrifice to the Emperor and the gods. Yet he tells Christians living in the capital of this evil Empire that there’s no reason to rebel against Roman rule. It doesn’t matter if the leaders are Christians or not. It doesn’t matter if they’re passing laws that allow things contrary to God’s Law. They may even be persecuting God’s people. We still can’t rebel against them. Doing so sends a contrary message to Christ. Jesus told Pilate His Kingdom was not of this world. He didn’t come to overthrow Rome and begin a new Empire of Christendom. He came to put the Kingdom inside us.
Jesus will return one day, and at that time, He will rule as King of kings and Lord of lords. But until that time, God is calling us to show our governments and fellow citizens that to be Christian is to spread the peace of Christ, not the rebellion of Satan.
Giving People a Preview of Jesus’ Kingdom
Romans 13:8-14
Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for whoever loves others has fulfilled the law. The commandments, “You shall not commit adultery,” “You shall not murder,” “You shall not steal,” “You shall not covet,” and whatever other command there may be, are summed up in this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Love does no harm to a neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.
And do this, understanding the present time: The hour has already come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy. Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the flesh.
Paul just finished telling us to pay everyone what we owe them, from taxes to respect. Now, he brings this entire section back to love. We are to love our Christian brothers and sisters as if they were One Body with us. We are to love non-Christians in an effort to win them over to salvation. We are even to show love to our government officials as good witnesses of Jesus’ message of peace.
But why do we love like this? The Apostle Paul says we love because we’re looking forward to the time when Jesus will complete our salvation. We’re expecting Jesus to return and establish His Kingdom on earth. We don’t know when that will happen, but one thing’s for sure: Jesus’ return is nearer now than it ever has been. If Paul thought the time was near, how much nearer is it now!
When Christ returns and removes our sinful nature, we will all love one another perfectly. When He reigns, we will respect our leaders without hesitation. But as followers of Jesus with His Kingdom inside us, we don’t have to wait for His return to start practicing these things; we can live as Kingdom people now as we try to give others a taste of what we’re looking forward to.
We can’t do this in our own strength, though. We need to put on the armor of light so that we “stand against the devil’s schemes” (Ephesians 6:11). And over that armor, we need to clothe ourselves in Christ. If you’ve put on Christ, what does the world see when they look at you? Jesus!
So, let’s end this section from Paul by asking a couple of questions:
- Are you living like you’re expecting Jesus to return any moment?
- Are you showing others the Kingdom by how you treat them?
If not, take a moment to pray on the armor of light and clothe yourself in Christ. Visualize it happening and then live in that reality.
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