Romans · chapter 13 of 16
Updated on
Romans 13 teaches that civil authorities exist by God's will to reward good and punish evil, and that believers are to submit to them, pay taxes and give honor where it is due. Paul then states that the only lasting debt is love, which fulfills the law, and calls believers to live as in full daylight, awake and clothed with the Lord Jesus Christ, because salvation is nearer than when they first believed.
After teaching how to live in the church and deal with enemies in chapter 12, Paul addresses the believer's relation to government, to neighbor and to time. The chapter was written for Christians living in the capital of the empire, under great human power and with a faith that made them citizens of another kingdom.
Paul begins by saying that every person is to be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. Whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. Rulers are not a terror to good conduct but to bad. The authority is God's servant for your good, and does not bear the sword in vain: he is an avenger who carries out God's wrath on the wrongdoer.
Therefore it is necessary to be in subjection, not only to avoid punishment but also for the sake of conscience. For the same reason believers pay taxes, for the authorities are ministers of God, attending to this very thing. Paul sums up: pay to all what is owed to them, taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed.
In verses 8 to 10 he turns to love: owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law. The commandments about adultery, murder, theft and coveting are summed up in loving your neighbor as yourself. Love does no wrong to a neighbor, and so love is the fulfilling of the law.
Finally, Paul speaks of the hour in which they live: it is already time to wake from sleep, for salvation is nearer now than when they first believed. The night is far gone and the day is at hand. They must cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light, walking properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy. Instead, put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh to gratify its desires.
References follow ESV book names and verse numbers. Read each verse in your Bible before the explanation.
Every person must be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except from God. Paul teaches that civil order has a role given by God to restrain evil, and so Christians are responsible citizens.
The only debt that should never end is mutual love, because the one who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law. Everything else can be paid off and settled, but love is always still owed.
Love does no wrong to a neighbor, so love is the fulfilling of the law. The specific commandments are summed up in a principle that helps us judge every new situation.
Paul asks believers to put on the Lord Jesus Christ and make no provision for the desires of the flesh. It is a call to live with Christ as our identity and strength, not as one more rulebook.
6 questions with answers and references, ready for Sunday school, small group or a Bible quiz night.
Answer: That there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by him. — Romans 13:1
Answer: It is God's servant for the good of the citizen and to punish the wrongdoer. — Romans 13:3-4
Answer: For the sake of conscience. — Romans 13:5
Answer: The debt to love one another. — Romans 13:8
Answer: In loving your neighbor as yourself. — Romans 13:9-10
Answer: To put on the Lord Jesus Christ and make no provision for the desires of the flesh. — Romans 13:14
Romans 13 invites us to be good citizens: pay what is due, respect just laws and pray for those who govern. In a small group you can talk about how our witness is affected when we criticize authorities with contempt or when we dodge our civic responsibilities.
On the other hand, the text does not claim that rulers are always right. Scripture shows believers who obeyed God rather than unjust orders. And as for love, we can ask whom we owe a kind word, forgiveness or help today, and how we put on Christ each morning.
Romans 13 teaches us to live as responsible citizens and as people who love their neighbor, with our eyes on the approaching day. Romans 14 applies love to a concrete issue in the church in Rome: how to live together when there are differences over food and special days.
Paul teaches the general principle of submitting to civil order, but the rest of the Bible shows that obedience to God stands above any human command that contradicts his will. Christians apply this with nuance, but agree that the text neither justifies injustice nor requires taking part in evil.
The sword was a symbol of the power to punish, including capital punishment, which the state exercises. Paul says that this power is service to God when used to punish evil and protect good, and not a license to abuse.
It refers to salvation in its fullness, that is, the final redemption and the return of Christ, which draws nearer as time passes. Paul uses it to motivate living awake and in holiness, not to set dates.