Romans 13:1-7 Unpacked, Part 1

Let every person be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except from God, and those authorities that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore, whoever resists authority resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. For rulers are not a terror to good conduct but to bad. Do you wish to have no fear of the authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive its approval, for it is God’s agent for your good. But if you do what is wrong, you should be afraid, for the authority does not bear the sword in vain! It is the agent of God to execute wrath on the wrongdoer. Therefore, one must be subject, not only because of wrath but also because of conscience. For the same reason you also pay taxes, for the authorities are God’s agents, busy with this very thing. Pay to all what is due them: taxes to whom taxes are due, revenue to whom revenue is due, respect to whom respect is due, honor to whom honor is due. Romans 13:1-7

This is the passage that is trotted out to defend the actions of a government (especially the US government). At first glance, it would appear that, yes, you are to obey your government and pay taxes, be good citizens. However, context is key and one cannot interpret a passage without looking at the verses immediately before and after it, the overarching message of the book it is in, and the overarching message of the Bible. In addition, the passage raises the question, must one obey civil authorities when their actions and laws are in conflict with God’s law?

Let’s dig in!

Context is Key

First, Paul is writing to the mid first century Romans church. He is writing to a church he did not start and has never visited. While the primary purpose of the letter is to introduce himself before visiting, a large part of this letter serves to teach the faith to the church in Rome. The theme of this letter is laid out in Romans 1:16-17: For I am not ashamed of the gospel; it is God’s saving power for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed through faith for faith, as it is written, “The one who is righteous will live by faith. This letter explains God’s saving power, faith, and the kind of life a believer is to live.

In chapter 12, Paul begins by imploring the Roman church to “Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of the mind, so that you may discern what is the will of God—what is good and acceptable and perfect” (Romans 12:2). He then lays out the actions expected of true followers of Christ, which includes caring for the needy, welcoming the stranger, praying for the enemy, ending with “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good (verse 21).”

Then comes the passage about being subject to governing authorities. What does Paul have to say after Romans 13:1-7? Love the neighbor, walk in the light, put on Christ. Once we place Romans 13:1-7 in context with the passages around it, it becomes apparent that Paul is advising believers to live lives of love and mercy, integrity, and goodness. That does include being a good citizen, but nowhere does Paul instruct believers to blindly obey all the edicts of their government, good or bad. In fact, verse 12:21 instructing believer to overcome evil with good, and verse 13:8 instructing believers to love one another because love fulfils the law would indicate that goodness and love are the lenses by which 13:1-7 should be interpreted.

Next, let’s look at the letter to the Romans as a whole. I said Paul is hoping to visit the Roman church. He never does – at least not as a free person. Paul is arrested, hauled before magistrates, judges, and governors. He serves house arrest in Rome, (writing letters to the churches he founded and living the gospel in word and deed resulting in the conversion of many of his jailers) until Rome executes him. Rather than the obedience a Roman citizen was expected to show Cesear, when there was a conflict between God’s rule and Roman rule, Paul always chose obedience to God’s rule.

It’s obvious that the Roman government was dangerous when defied – after all, it was the Romans who crucified Christ! Paul’s advice to the church in Rome to obey the government served to protect them from the excesses of Roman brutality. However, by imbedding Romans 13:1-7 in a treatise on living lives of love, following the example of Jesus indicates that God’s law of love overrules evil and corrupt practices of governments.

In the biblical account, kings and rulers were routinely called to account for their oppressive and unjust actions. Moses spoke out against Egyptian slavery instead of meekly obeying Pharoah. Samuel urged King Saul to return to God and become the kind of king God desired. When Saul did not, Samuel proclaimed God’s judgement, ending Saul’s rule and anointing David as king. Nathan chastised David for his sin against Bathsheba and Uriah. From Isaiah to Malachi, prophets have rebuked both the kings of Isreal and of Judah for oppressing the people and denying justice, as well as speaking out against the excesses of foreign kings – and they were imprisoned, exiles, beaten and killed as a result. The Bible is full of courageous people, speaking truth to power, not meekly obeying unjust authority.

Jesus famously said “Give to Cesear what is Cesear and to God what is God’s (Matthew 22:21), but that didn’t’ mean he advocated blindly acquiescing to civil authorities. He spoke out against unjust practices and advocated for the poor, the widow, and orphan. For Pete’s sake, he flipped tables in the temple – not very “obedient to authority,” but very much in solidarity with justice and righteousness. Jesus’ outspokenness and actions led him to a Roman cross.

When Paul writes “be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except from God, and those authorities that exist have been instituted by God,” there is an assumption that the authorities are using their power in keeping with God’s kingdom values, not exploiting the people, and doing evil. Paul urges believers to resist evil, and that includes the evils a government perpetrates.

Tomorrow, we'll continue the conversation with an exploration of how governments use and misuse power