Romans 13

Romans 13:1

After discussing the believer’s function in the body of Christ in chapter 12, Paul opens chapter 13 addressing the believer’s function in society. What role do we as believers have in the society in which we live? Chapter 13 is devoted to this question, telling us how we, as believers, are to be engaged in our culture. Scripturally, we see three divinely ordained institutions: the family (Genesis 2), government (Genesis 9), and the church (Acts 2). Those are the only three divinely inspired institutions. There are no others. And here in chapter 13, Paul speaks with specific regard to the second onenamely, government and authority. “Paul can’t mean those guys in Washington D.C. Certainly we’re not to be subject to them. They’re just fiddling around,” we complain. Wait a minute. Who was on the throne when Paul wrote this epistle? The best known “fiddler” of history: Caesar Nero. We are told through church history that, after sentencing the apostle Paul to death, Nero went on a rampage, persecuting Christians, burning them in his garden, feeding them to the lions. Caesar Nero was a diabolic, terrible, brutal, evil individual. Yet here, even while Nero was in power, Paul says believers were to be subject to the higher powers, for there is no person in power but that God has ordained him to be there. You might not respect the person who is in power, but you must realize the Lord has ordained him or her to be thereeven if it’s a person as brutal as Caesar Neroor Adolf Hitler. “Come on,” you protest, “God would never ordain Adolf Hitler to come into power.” Really? What does history tell us? The nation of Israel would never have been born had not world sentiment, for a short period of time, been sympathetic toward the Jew because of Hitler’s atrocities. As World War II came to a close, newsreels showed the bodies of Jews being bulldozed into ditches, the mounds of glasses, false teeth, and shoes producing horror in the heart of humanity. And so it was, that, although it went right down to the wire, the League of Nations voted in favor of the establishment of the nation of Israel. Truly, this verse changes my perspective on everything that happens. “Lord,” I can say, “You know where we are on the prophetic calendar. You know exactly what time it is. And You’re lining up certain events that will fulfill prophecy, usher in Your coming, and establish Your kingdom. I might not like what’s happening, yet I realize ultimately that You are in control and that every power in place has been ordained by You. Therefore, I acknowledge that it’s all part of Your plan.” That’s why I don’t lose sleep over the political situationfor while I pray for those in authority over us, and while I want to see salt and light have an effect in this society, I know God says all power is ordained by Him. As believers, we know that all of society must fall apart. Jesus said it is inevitable (Mat_24:37). People call such thinking a cop-out. No, it isn’t. If I promised you that tomorrow at this time your house would be caught up in a tornado, carried to the Pacific Ocean, and dumped between here and Hawaii, how many of you would say, “If that’s the case, I better go home and start painting” or, “Wow, I better vacuum,” or “I better finish weeding”? I don’t think any of us would do that. No, we would say, “If that’s the case, forget mowing and painting, there’s people to get out of the house.” And you would have an entirely different set of priorities. Why, then, is so much energy expended trying to straighten up this country politically if it’s going to get blown away? I challenge you to at least consider where in the New Testament you hear an exhortation or see an example of political mobilization in the church. If political activism is not the ultimate answer, what should we be about? Getting folks engaged in Jesus and excited about the Lord. We’re to be ministers of reconciliation rather than ministers of confrontation. I’m not asking you to agree with me. I’m saying search the Scriptures. Study the life of Jesus from beginning to end. At a time when there was corruption governmentally, abortions taking place continually, and degradation morally, what was Jesus about? Read the Epistles. What did Paul encourage us to do? Study Acts. What was the focus of the early Christians? It was not the goal of Jesus, Paul, or the early church to change their world temporally. No, their focus was on the kingdom eternally.

Romans 13:2

Does this verse mean we’re never to disobey those who are in authority over us? No. In Acts 5, the Pharisees forbade Peter to speak any more of Jesus. “We ought to obey God rather than man,” Peter replied. But the issue was spiritualnot political. So, yes, there is a time when we are not to be subject to those in authority. Yes, wives, there is a time when you are not to be submitted to your husband. Yes, children, there is a time to disobey your parents. When? When they tell you to do something that is directly contrary to the written Word of God. But make sure that if you follow such a course, you have Scripture in context and rightly dividednot just a feelingto back you up.

Romans 13:3

Just as God established the power, God established the officers who enforce the power. They are ministers of God. Therefore, if you’re doing good, you don’t need to be afraid. Driving a tad faster than I should have been, I saw red lights in my rearview mirror. After pulling me over, the officer asked for my license, and said, “Aren’t you a minister?” “Yeah,” I said. “And, according to Romans 13, you are too.” So next time you get pulled over, thank that ministereven if, like me, you get a ticketfor, according to Paul, he is truly there for our good. While law enforcement officers are ministers of God for good for the protection of good men, they are also ministers of God for vengeance against those who do evil. Understand this, folks: The foundation of the institution of government in Genesis 9 is singularly based upon capital punishment. “That’s the law,” you might protest. “We’re under grace.” Wait a minute. The establishment of government took place before the law was given. In Gen_9:6, God gave one word concerning the way government is to function. That is, it is to function as a deterrent to evil through the implementation of capital punishment. Although that might sound harsh to you, the fact remains that, after watching mankind live through the evil, debauchery, violence, promiscuity, and wickedness of the days before Noah, God said, “From this time on, I’m going to let mankind share the responsibility to police and govern himself.” But man has failed in this because we have not taken seriously the mandate of the Father when He said, “If a man kills, his life is to be taken.” This is the singular governmental injunction He gave. He didn’t talk about capitalism vs. socialism, about the Parliamentary system vs. Republicanism. He simply said the one thing He wanted us to know was that there must be the taking of life from those who snuff out the life of another. When this is embraced, understood, and carried out, it has an effect on the entire legal and judicial system of a nation. When it breaks down, frustration and anarchy are imminent. True government exists for the deterrent of evil through the reality of capital punishment. Once a nation or a society begins to chuck capital punishment, the whole system begins to unravel. Case in point? The U.S.A. If you are following geopolitical trends, you know Islam is sweeping the world. Look at a country like England, and you will see Islam is growing at a phenomenal rate. Analysts say there is one fundamental reason for this: Tired of crime and lawlessness, people know Islam deals with crime swiftly and with finality. Under Islamic justice, if a man is caught raping a woman, he is castrated immediately. If a person is found shoplifting, he loses his hand. Whoever kills a man dies without appeal. Whether you agree with this is not the issue. The fact is, people around the world are turning to a religion that promises order, structure, and protection because government seems increasingly unable to do so.

Romans 13:5

We are to submit to those in power not only for safety’s sake but also for the sake of conscience. It’s true: A clean conscience makes a soft pillow.

Romans 13:6

It might come as a big surprise to hear that IRS agents are actually ministers of God. “We’re not paying our taxes,” some say. “We’re part of the God, Gun, and Gold movement.” Their reason? “Tax money goes to all kinds of ungodly stuff.” And money sent to Caesar Nero was going to establish Christian schools and hospitals? Listen, gang, tax money in Paul’s day was used for every kind of evil beyond our imagination. Yet Paul said, “Pay your taxes,“just as Jesus did before him (Mat_22:21). And how they do attend continually! The IRS has a conscience fund wherein it receives fifty to one hundred million dollars annually from people who feel bad about cheating on their taxes in years past. One note said, “Dear Sirs, enclosed are one hundred seventy-five dollars that I owed from taxes ten years ago. P.S. If my conscience is still bothering me, I’ll send the rest later.”

Romans 13:7

“Tribute” speaks of that which was paid annually, comparable to our income tax. “Custom” speaks of that which was paid upon purchases, comparable to a sales tax. Thus, those to whom Paul wrote were perhaps financially stretched in the same way many of us are.

Romans 13:8

What does it mean to “owe no man anything”? Look at the context. I have a question for those who use this verse to say Christians shouldn’t have bank loans. Although I wouldn’t argue the point, I do question it because in Matthew 25 and Luke 19, when Jesus was talking about the talents, He said the man who buried them should have put them in the bank to draw interest. Thus, rather than condemning the banking system, Jesus was condoning it. And, because the entire banking system is built upon loans, I personally disagree with those who propound you should never have a mortgage, car payment, or loan of any sort. I don’t think that’s what’s being said. I think Paul is specifically talking about paying what you owe the government. Love must be the key because without it, if I’m saying, “Okay, I gotta obey these laws, pay these taxes, and submit to those in authority,” I will find myself becoming small and bitter, cynical and cantankerous, confrontational and argumentative. As interesting and entertaining as commentators like Rush Limbaugh are, if you listen to very much of them, you will find your love diminishing. Be careful.

Romans 13:9

All of the laws God has givensix hundred thirteen according to the Rabbisare summed up in a singular word: love. “Vengeance is mine,” saith the Lord (Rom_12:19). “I know what I’m doing. Therefore, let Me be the Lord while you minister reconciliation, telling people what I’ve done for them and the glory awaiting them. You love people and leave the judging to Me.” In the midst of this dissertation on government, Paul’s reminder to love puts everything in perspective.

Romans 13:10

“If we allow the people in power presently to remain in their positions, if we don’t overthrow the government and take matters into our own hands, society is sure to crumble,” some might insist. Paul answers by saying, “Wake up.” Wake up to what? To political mobilization? No. Read on. Wake up to the fact that your salvation is nearer than when you first believed. You who are inclined toward theology, make a note of this verse because through it we understand that salvation unfolds progressively. You see, while it is true that the moment we open our hearts to Jesus Christ, our salvation is complete internally, when Jesus comes back, there will be salvation externally. Equity and justice will reign. Complete salvationindividually and corporately, internally and externallyis drawing near.

Romans 13:12

Indeed, the night is far spent. We live in dark days. But we’re headed for sunrisethe coming of the risen Son! In light of the fact that the kingdom is coming, what should we do? First, wake up (verse Rom_13:11). Second, dress up (verse Rom_13:12). That is, put on the armor not of condemnation, not of judgment, but of light. Third, clean up (verse Rom_13:13). That is, put away drunkenness, envy, and everything else that pollutes and defiles.

Romans 13:14

Fourth, in light of the coming kingdom, we should grow up. That is, we are not to make any provision to fulfill the lusts of the flesh. If you struggle with alcohol and say, “I’m not going to drink, I’m just going to take the table closest to the bar"you’re making provision for the flesh. You’ll get sucked back in. You’ll go down. You’re only kidding yourself. Make no provision for the fleshand take hope. The day of His coming is nearer than when you first believed. Soon we’ll be out of here!