Romans - Chapter 13
13:1-7 The Christian and Authority
In our last chapter Paul outlined the relations between the believer and the church. Now he deals with the believer and civil authority. It is a serious matter because although we are taught to not be “of” the world, we do surely live “in” it for the remainder of life after salvation. Paul brings a teaching that is not always comfortable to accomplish. He says we must be submissive to civil authority as a matter of conscience.
He begins by reminding us that God is the ultimate authority. It was His word of authority that created all things and that His creation in nature was created by His divine spoken word. It is through the obedience of nature to His laws of creation that the visible things portray some view of the invisible Lord. We saw this factor immediately in chapter one and we must not forget that simply observing nature in creation points us toward the existence of God, who created all we see.
We must note that authority rests with God without question. Proper study does help us to grasp that He exercises that authority through delegation. Paul surprises us by teaching us that God delegates His authority to man and appoints “governing authorities” to whom mankind must submit just like they submit to Him. It is clear that mankind generally cannot exist apart from others, therefore there has always seemed to be a community in which we live. Christians do not cease to be a member of their community when they become citizens of the kingdom of the Lord through faith. God ordained authority is God ordained order.
Authorities appointed by God are required to punish the evildoer and to reward those who live properly. This is simply an extension of His authority as defined in His word. Paul clearly teaches we are to give due respect and required payments to maintain civil order. Whether we approve of a leader or not, we are not exempt from this command by the Lord as he has raised up leaders to guide lives in community and in nations.
Paul had many reasons to be grateful to authorities in his own life. Several times in scripture we have seen Paul rescued by Roman authority and he has been given the opportunity to speak freely by that same authority. There was however, in later years, most difficult persecution against Christians as Roman emperors harmed and killed the faithful. In these times, when civil authority exceeds its proper place, we are taught to recognize this as a violation of divine delegation. Peter gave us the best rule of thumb in these times by saying “... we ought to obey God rather than men...” and except in those times we are commanded to yield our lives to proper civil government.
13:8-14 Reality of obligation.
In verse 11, Paul advises that we are to awake from sleep, meaning we are to be conscience and know the urgency of these teachings. He has bound us to be properly mindful of government and now helps us to understand we are also to be mindful of our obligations in personal financial concerns. He insists that Christians meet their obligations but he also adds an important obligation to our consideration, the obligation to love.
He teaches by use of parts of the law of Moses that believers have a divine requirement to fulfill our personal obligations by the original command of loving our neighbor. Obviously, the two concerns here are defining what is love, and defining who is our neighbor. The first concern is already given us in the OT when we are reminded that we are to love others as we love ourselves. This is our clear definition.
The second was answered by the Lord Jesus in His sweet parable of the Good Samaritan. My neighbor is any person whose needs I am in a position to meet or whose suffering I am in a position to lessen.
Here Paul leads us toward an orientation toward life that is guided by a mind that has been renewed by the arrival of the Holy Spirit to indwell us. But he also provides a most interesting thought here in verse 11 when he teaches that our salvation is nearer than when we first believed. The moment of justification for the one who repents is the INITIAL time of salvation, but there remains a process that follows which we know as sanctification. It is that process that brings fuller understanding and devotion. It is this process that is our orientation so that we do not lose sight of the fact that our eternal reality is not here but is upward as a citizen of heaven. Here we are only a resident alien.
We are to be concerned with two constant needs. One is the need to “put off” and the other is the need to “put on”. We are to throw off those things in our lives that will have no place in eternity. We should be determined to do so. We are to be equally determined to clothe ourselves with those graces that do belong to the spiritual world we later will come to know and will be suitable to life there.
Verse 14 tells us we are to have no need for things of the flesh. We are not to slip back into old ways but be sure that our lives reflect our newness, mindful of the fact that we have become a new creature in Christ.
