1 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.
Let’s take it in sections:
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.
God appoints the authority; We are subject to that authority. Romans is a letter written by Paul. Paul is responsible for the lion’s share of bringing Christianity to the known world. In his frantic ability to share God’s word and build churches throughout Turkey, Greece and Israel, Paul was repeatedly hunted, thrown out of towns, stoned and maligned in various ways. His government did not support him. In fact, the Roman government imprisoned him and would martyr him in about 67 AD. But notice what Paul writes. We are still subject to the governing authorities. What if we don’t agree? It doesn’t matter. What if the government isn’t doing what we’d like them to do? It doesn’t matter. We are to submit to the government because God has established that government. Remember, God allows kingdoms to rise and fall (Daniel 2). He judges accordingly. It isn’t our job to protest and picket and oppose the government. Why?
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.
When we rebel against those in authority, we are rebelling against God. This is a wakeup call for many, because opposing authority is viewed as a God-given right in the United States. But God is counter-culture. What may seem like an infringement of freedom to some is actually a call toward judgment to God. When we rebel against authority, we are rebelling against what God has put in place. We are saying, “what God has put there isn’t right”This is our subjective opinion! We aren’t looking at the truth of scripture, the exact source of objective truth to help us understand God and the world. We’ve traded it for a subjective view.
Paul also states there is a commendation for doing right. A blessing. If we follow God’s plan for authority, even if we don’t like it, there is a blessing in it. Why? Because God had appointed rulers Himself; they are his servants.
Now this is where it gets complicated, because you can look at your leadership and draw some parallels as to who is a good leader and who is not. Isaiah 45:1 will help us here:
“This is what the Lord says to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I take hold of to subdue nations before him and to strip kings of their armor, to open doors before him so that gates will not be shut:
A hundred years before Cyrus would come to power and allow the Jews to return to Jerusalem to rebuild the temple, Isaiah calls out Cyrus, by name, as one anointed by God to carry this out. Cyrus is the king of the Persians. He is a pagan leader. He isn’t a man of God, yet God has anointed him for His own purpose, to carry out a mission that will allow God’s work to be done.
Even those viewed as bad or ineffective leaders have a role in God’s plan. In that, we must always return to the mission that we have here: to submit to the ruling authorities and put away the grievances we have with them. If we truly believe that “God’s Will” will be done, then we can take heart that everything has a season, good and bad rulers, but all have a place in God’s ultimate plan. The submission we show is an act of respect and 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.
Paul capitalizes on this concept by bringing it to a realistic place. If you owe something, pay it. Be respectful of the governing authorities. We are to submit to the regulations of our country, and when in another country, submit to the laws of that country as well.
Love Fulfills the Law 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,” and whatever other command there may be, are summed up in this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” 10 Love does no harm to a neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.
Paul is talking about personal accountability here. First, the personal accountability of debt. If we borrow, we have an obligation to pay back our debts. There is danger in not repaying our debts (Proverbs 22:7), because when we borrow we become a slave to the lender. If we are slave to the lender, then we have traded our freedom for bondage.
In Paul’s assessment, the only debt we should ever carry is to love one another. The law is fulfilled din love. This is exactly what Christ talked about in Matthew 22:36-40. The foundation of the way we operate should always be in the love we have for one another. That love is first understood through our relationship with God. That is love’s foundation. Our love must be real for others in our daily life.
The Day Is Near 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.
If we understand authority, then we understand that God is in sovereign. Authority is his arm to keep a peaceful society. If authority acts with responsibility and protects its people, then it is easy to follow. If it does not, it is more difficult, yet God desires us to follow it anyway, because it is by his appointment. If government acts in love, and not self-gratification, then it works lovely for the people. If it doesn’t, things are tough for the people. This same concept is taught throughout the book of Kings, whereas, if the king follows God and the people follow the king, there will be a blessing. If the king does not follow God, then he leads the people into judgment. The king was still appointed by God, but what he did with his reign is his own choice.
The point is this: love must be the basis for the way we operate in life. Do we love others? Do we try to see the person who God has created? Or do we allow judgment to dominate our thoughts. Love is fulfillment of the law, Paul says, and that sentiment is echoed throughout scripture.
We must wake up and understand that this is important. When we fight against authority we fight against what God has appointed. When we selfishly move through life without trying to love others we forsake the very day God has given us. The days are short. Whether Christ returns or you die, the time you have to affect others and share the gospel are finite. Therefore, Paul says, cast off the works of darkness and let us put on the armor of light.
In our life we have moments when we can choose sin, anger, discontent and mercilessness. Those moments can have long-lasting effects. It is time for us to turn away from those thing and embrace a different and better way. One that sheds light on the darkness, that affects people in positive ways, that grows others in your presence.
When we are tied to the flesh and its desires, it will take us on a road that veers away from light. It always takes us on a road to darkness. If we understand that God is sovereign over all, if he is interwoven in our life, our thoughts and actions, then we’d better wake up to that before we head on a road of self-gratification.