Romans 13:1-7   Click here for Bible Verses

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Romans 13:1-7.  Let’s go!

Romans 13:1-7 (NIV)
1  Everyone must submit himself 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, he who 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 he will commend you.
4  For he is God’s servant to do you good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword for nothing. He is God’s servant, an agent 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 because 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 everyone what you owe him: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor.

On verses 1-7:  Perhaps you read these verses from Paul telling the Christians in Rome to submit to their governing authorities and a part of you thinks, “Isn’t this being a bit idealistic?”  After all, don’t we all know people, perhaps including ourselves, who have had bad experiences dealing with people in authority, especially in government?  If you’ve ever been disappointed or disillusioned by the way a government authority handles a certain issue that you care about, or the way certain government representatives go about their duties and dealings with people, you may find it especially hard to make sense of Paul’s words, “Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities” (v1) and “the authorities are God’s servants” (v6).

Keep in mind that the political climate that Paul lived in was no better – in fact you could argue was far worse – than the political climate we live in today.  In the years just prior to Paul writing Romans, Emperor Claudius had expelled all Jews from Rome (Acts 18:2), such that if you had a Jewish faith or heritage you weren’t even allowed in the city. In the years just after Paul writing Romans, Emperor Nero would launch one of the most brutal persecutions of Christians in history, blaming Christians for the fire that took place in Rome, feeding them to lions in the Coliseum and burning them alive for use as human torches at his parties.  Jesus and Paul had seen their share of tyrannical rulers, and yet they model and teach general obedience to the government.

Here are some truths we should remember from this passage:

1.  Any authority that anyone has, including those in government, would not be given to them unless God had allowed it.  As Paul says in verse 1, “there is no authority except that which God has established”.  As Jesus says to Pilate, “Jesus answered, “You would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above.” (John 19:11)  In other words, both Jesus and Paul recognized that God is the ultimate giver of authority and God knows what He is doing.   So generally speaking, as a way to honour God and the choices God has made to delegate His authority, we ought to submit to and respect the authorities that are established to govern us.  That includes paying the taxes that we owe (v6). That also includes treating with respect the office of a government official (i.e. their position), even if you don’t respect the person holding it.

2.  If you work in government, be humble and remember that the reason you have the authority that you do is because God in His grace allowed you to have that authority.  The reason He allowed you to have authority is so that you would govern justly: commending those who do right (v3b), punishing those who do wrong (v3-4), seeing yourself as God’s servant (v5, 6).

3.  Does this mean that we must always, unconditionally obey what the governing authorities tell us to do?  No.  In the Bible we see various examples of civil disobedience, where the government orders Christians to do something that is in direct conflict with what God commands Christians to do.  For example, in Acts 4:19 when the Sanhedrin, the governing body over the Jews in Jerusalem, orders Peter and John not to preach about Jesus, Peter and John reply, “Judge for yourselves whether it is right in God’s sight to obey you rather than God”.  When the Sanhedrin once again effectively orders the apostles to stop preaching about Jesus, the apostles reply, “We must obey God rather than men” (Acts 5:29). Daniel kept praying even when King Darius forbade it (Daniel 6).  So where there is a direct conflict between what the governing authorities tell you to do and what God tells you to do, choose to obey God over people.

Lord Jesus, thank You for being our greatest example when it comes to how to relate to governing authorities.  I pray that I would give my governing authorities the honour and respect that they are due, and that generally speaking I would submit to them out of obedience to You.  Since all authority in heaven and on earth belongs to You, please give me discernment to know when obeying the government would mean disobeying You and give me courage to do the right thing.  In Jesus’ name, AMEN!