For teachers and students of Lifeway’s Explore the Bible lesson of Romans 13. Includes a suggested introduction to the lesson, text outline and highlights, illustrations to share, group discussion questions, and spiritual life application. A video version of this overview is available on YouTube at:

INTRODUCTION:

??? DISCUSSION QUESTION???

“Can you share a time you personally disagreed with a law, policy, or decision by an authority in government, school, or church, but adhered to it anyway?” And why did you do that?

(Most of us can probably share examples of this. The one that stands out in my own experience was when I started at my first church and found I needed to pay 15% of my earnings to self-employment tax. That was a huge hit to my $12,000 salary! I knew some ministers were opting out of Social Security, but when I researched it, I found that you had to say it was for “sincere religious objection against receiving government benefits.” Well, I had a “financial objection” to it — I’d rather have invested that money! — but I couldn’t say with a clear conscience that I really had a religious conviction against it, so I paid those taxes for 40+ years.

Why did I do that? For the same reason you and your group members did in the situations you can share about: because it was the right thing to do as a Christian. We should obey every law, and and submit to every legitimate authority unless they contradict one of God’s laws. That will be the focus of our lesson this week from Romans 13.

CONTEXT:

We’re in the last few lessons of our study in Romans, which will conclude at the end of this month. We’ve seen how Romans gives us the most complete, detailed explanation of the gospel of salvation by grace through faith anywhere in scripture. Last time in Chapter 12, we saw how the “therefore” of :1 marks a turn from the theology of salvation by faith in Christ that was found in the first 11 chapters, to practical ways we are to live out our faith here on earth once we are saved, which mark the last part of the book.

Romans 13, our passage for this week, continues the “practical application” of our faith that Romans 12 began, and it focuses especially on how Christians should respond to the various authorities that God has placed in our lives.

We might include also in our discussion of “context,” the historical context in which Paul wrote this letter. Scholars believe Paul wrote Romans somewhere around A.D. 57. The emperor of Rome from 54 to 68 A.D. was Nero — known for his bloodthirstiness and cruelty. He assassinated his mother, his step-brother, and two of his wives — kicking one of them to death. He recklessly bankrupted Rome and many believe he burned it to the ground to make room for more building projects — and then blamed Christians for it. THIS was the emperor Paul served under when he wrote this letter! This has enormous implications for us as we apply some of what Paul writes in this passage to our lives today! If we think we can excuse ourselves from what he writes here because of some of the faults of our authorities, we are greatly mistaken. As bad as some of them may be, none of them are Nero! There’s no excuse for us not to apply these to commands to the way we treat our authorities today.

OUTLINE:

I.   The Principle of Submission to Authority (:1)

II.  Reasons for Submission to Authority (:1b-5)

III. Applications of Submission to Authority (:6-10)

IV. The Urgency/Importance of Submission to Authority (:11-14)

TEXT:  Romans 13:1-14

I. The Principle of Submission to Authority (:1)

:1 “Every person is to be in subjection to the governing authorities …”

This statement is very clear, isn’t it? Notice 3 main points it makes here:

A. WHO does it say is to be subject to the governing authorities?

“Every person.” The Greek is “pas,” literally “all, every, whole, entire.” In other words: EVERY SINGLE ONE OF US is to do this. None of us here are exceptions to it!  “This means you!”

B. Just WHAT is it that each of us is to do?

“be in subjection” The Greek word here is “hupo-tasso,” literally, “under, to arrange.” It means “to line up under.” It is used of soldiers, who “line up” under their general. It’s the word used for submission in virtually every case in the New Testament:

— of the church to Christ and wives to husbands (Eph. 5:24)

— of slaves to masters (Titus 2:9)

— Significantly, it is used of Jesus Himself submitting to His parents in Luke 2:51! If there was ever anyone who could have said: “I am superior to the authority in this situation; I don’t need to submit to them” it would have been Jesus. He literally knew better and was better than His parents — but He submitted to them as His God-given authority nonetheless. What an example for us!

C. Thirdly, and very importantly, WHO is it that we are to be subject to?

Not just to “anyone and everyone,” but specifically to: “the governing authorities.”  The Greek is literally “the having above/authorities.” So whatever authority you have over you: in government, in your business, at your school, in your church; whatever authorities God has placed above you, these are the authorities that you are to submit to.

This is important. Christians are NOT to be a bunch of “rebels” who vilify every civic and religious authority. Some throughout history have tried to put this “slant” on Christianity, but it is not part of Biblical faith.

The zealots around Jesus wanted Him to rebel against Rome, but He would have no part of that. He said “My kingdom is not of this world” (John 18:36) And He told His disciples, “put the sword back into the sheath.” (John 18:11).

Jesus’ people are NOT to be characterized by rebellion against every governmental, religious, and institutional authority. RATHER, Paul says here, we should be marked by SUBMISSION to legitimate authorities of all kinds!

???DISCUSSION/APPLICATION QUESTION???
“What are some of the authorities in different areas of life that we might need to be subject to?”

(Schoolteachers and administrators; local police; federal laws (including taxes!); pastors, elders, and other local church authorities.)

You/your group can think of many. The principle applies widely: if there is a legitimate “authority above you,” in any area of you, you should submit to that authority as a Christian. WHY should we do this? He gives us three reasons in the next section:

II. Reasons for Submission to Authority (:1b-5)

A. Because God Established Authority

:1b “For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God. 2 Therefore whoever resists authority has opposed the ordinance of God.”

Christians do not submit to various authorities for the authorities’ own sake. We do it because we believe that God, in His sovereignty, has placed the authorities in their positions. This can be very difficult for us to understand at various times and situations: why would God have THEM there?! But it is true nonetheless. We have to exercise faith and believe what God’s word says: He has given authorities their place, so we are to believe He has placed them there, and submit to their authority.

ILLUSTRATION:

John Newton, the former slave ship captain who got saved, and wrote Amazing Grace, wrote one day to a British Army captain Scott, who was being brought before his general for an important decision:

“I am in no pain about the event. Man is a proud creature, and prone to please himself with the imagination of influence and power; but in reality he has none any further than as it is given him from above. The General, or whoever else are displeased with you, have their commission, and limits assigned them by One whom they little think of; and when they seem to think they can do most, they shall in effect do nothing but as instruments of His will. I trust the Lord will stand by you, put his love into your heart, and suitable words into your mouth, and overrule the minds of them with whom you have to do. And if He has further service for you in that situation, you will find that His hook and bridle will hold them in, so that they shall not be able to hurt you. As you know whom you have believed, and where to apply for strength suited to your day, according to his promise, I am so far from trembling for the event, that I congratulate you on the honourable opportunity that is before you of witnessing a good confession in such a presence, which I trust the Lord will win, and bless you in. Fear them not.” (Letters of John Newton, Josiah Bull, ed., pp. 142-143)

Newton encouraged Captain Scott to remember that the ultimate authority was GOD, not that general, and that God would render His decision through that authority. Trust God, Newton told him; He’ll work through the authority He has placed over you. This needs to be our attitude as well, Paul commands us here. God has placed the authorities who are over us, in their positions. Our responsibility is to trust Him, and submit to their authority. (“Trust in the Lord and do good,” as Psalm 37:3 says!)

B. Because You Will Be Punished if you do not!

:2b “and they who have opposed will receive condemnation upon themselves. 3 For rulers are not a cause of fear for good behavior, but for evil. Do you want to have no fear of authority? Do what is good and you will have praise from the same; 4 for it is a minister of God to you for good. But if you do what is evil, be afraid; for it does not bear the sword for nothing; for it is a minister of God, an avenger who brings wrath on the one who practices evil.”

This second reason is an important one, because by sharing this, God in effect gives His approval to authorities to punish wrongs.

Now, he does establish the principle of authority as a good gift from God: :4 says “It is a minister of God to you for good.”

??? What are some ways authorities can be a blessing to us???

(They keep the peace; they enforce law and order; they keep society from being chaotic, authorities give direction to our jobs, our institutions, our churches. Can you imagine a lawless society, with no one in charge; no law and order? It’s not the “dream” of John Lennon’s “Imagine;” it’s a nightmare!

Scripture says authority “is a minister of God to you for good”!

This passage also confers upon authority to right to enforce punishment when wrongs are done:

— :2 says “those who have opposed will receive condemnation” (WORD?)

— :3 says rulers are a cause of fear for evil behavior

— :4 says it does not “bear the sword” for nothing. The “sword,” by the way, is the instrument of the death penalty! This verse teaches the Biblical view of the death penalty for capital crimes. Someone may say, but I thought we were not to kill? YES, we as individuals are not to murder — but scripture assigns to government the legitimate responsibility of enforcing “a life for a life” for capital crimes. “It does not bear the sword for nothing.”

— the last part of :4 says it “brings wrath on the one who practices evil.”

So repeatedly here in Romans 13 the Bible says we should submit to authority so that we will avoid the punishment that authority can legitimately hand out. Authority is there to keep law and order. So obey it, and you will avoid any punishment it might give. It’s simple!

I love what he says in :3, “Do you want to have no fear of authority? DO WHAT IS GOOD”! Why do we sometimes cringe in fear when we see a police car on the side of the street or highway? Because we know we’ve too often been going over the speed limit, right? You know how to fix that? STOP GOING OVER THE SPEED LIMIT. Do you want to have no fear of authority? Then do good, this passage says!

— Keep the law

— Stay within the speed limit

— Pay your taxes

— Obey the policy

DO what the authority tells you to do, and you will avoid whatever punishment there might be for disobedience.

C. Because You Want to Keep a Good Conscience (:5)

“5 “Therefore it is necessary to be in subjection, not only because of wrath, but also for conscience’ sake.”

But it’s not only the practical reason of avoiding punishment that should keep us in line. He says do it “for conscience’ sake.”

Do it to keep a clear conscience before God and man:

— Since, as this passage teaches, God has placed/allowed these people in these positions, then if we are going to keep a good conscience before Him, we need to be subject to those authorities.

— And since authorities are established over us with penalties subject to disobedience, if we are going to have a good conscience towards man, we also need to be subject to those authorities.

So to keep a good conscience both before God and man, we need to be “line up” under authority. What does this look? Verses 8-10 give us some examples:

III. Applications of Submission to Authority (:6-10)

:6 “For because of this you also pay taxes, for rulers are servants of God, devoting themselves to this very thing. 7 Render to all what is due them: tax to whom tax is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honor to whom honor. 8 Owe nothing to anyone except to love one another; for he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law. 9 For this, “You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,” and if there is any other commandment, it is summed up in this saying, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 10 Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.”

In this section Paul gives some applications, of specific, practial ways we should submit to authority in our lives:

— First he says this is why we “pay taxes.” We don’t like taxes, but paying them is part of Christian submission to government. (“render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s” Mark 12:17)

(I think it’s interesting that he says rulers are “devoting themselves to this very thing.” They sure do! They seem very devoted to it!

Then he says in :7, “Render to all what is due them” and he lists several specific examples: All of these things are traditional marks of respect/submission to governmental authority:

— We know all about taxes; pay them! Don’t cheat.

— He also says give “custom.” This is not the word we think of like a “custom” that people have. It’s the Greek word “telos,” which usually means “end” (like “teloscope.”) But it also carries the meaning of a “tax, or custom, or toll” for certain things: like when you’ve bought certain things overseas and you bring them back to the States, you have to go through “customs” and you may have to pay a fee for it. That’s the kind of “custom” this word is talking about. If there is a “customs fee” for something, he says, pay it!

— Then “Fear to whom fear.” This doesn’t mean “be afraid of them,” but rather, show the proper respect you should for those who are in authority.

— “Honor to whom honor” is similar. If it’s customary to give a certain greeting, or salute, or title to an official, you give that. Duly elected and appointed officials are due a certain “level of honor” that comes with their positions:

— Your mayor is generally addressed as “Mr. Mayor”

— Senators and representatives are called “The Honorable …”

— Every U.S. President has the title, “Mr. President.”

— Your local school administrator may be called “Dr. ____.”

Romans 13 says show every authority the proper respect that is due to them in their positions of authority.

Now, we may strong feelings politically or practically against someone in one or more of these positions. But as Christians, we must not let our feelings get the best of us. Scripture very clearly commands here that we are to give due honor to those in these positions. Someone may say, “But they are not an honorable person.” We are not honoring the PERSON; we are honoring the POSITION. The person themself may be reprehensible to us. But we will still honor the position.

+x In Acts 23 the Apostle Paul, who is on trial before the Jews, gives us a great example of this:

:1 “Paul, looking intently at the Council, said, “Brethren, I have lived my life with a perfectly good conscience before God up to this day.” 2 The high priest Ananias commanded those standing beside him to strike him on the mouth. 3 Then Paul said to him, “God is going to strike you, you whitewashed wall! Do you sit to try me according to the Law, and in violation of the Law order me to be struck?” 4 But the bystanders said, “Do you revile God’s high priest?” 5 And Paul said, “I was not aware, brethren, that he was high priest; for it is written, ‘You shall not speak evil of a ruler of your people.’”

See what happened there? The high priest ordered Paul struck, and he told him: “God will strike you, you whitewashed wall.” (That was a good one, right? Great comeback!) But when someone pointed out that he had said that to the high priest, Paul backed off: he said, “I was not aware, brethren, that he was high priest; for it is written, ‘You shall not speak evil of a ruler of your people.’”

So here Paul was illegally struck, but he still determined to treat the office of high priest with respect. Not too many of us have been met with this level of violence by authority — perhaps some of us have?! — but even so, Paul models how we as Christians are to respond: always with respect to authority. Not the person; but the position.

ILLUSTRATION:

E.W. Starling was a Secret Service agent who served under 5 U.S. Presidents, from Woodrow Wilson to FDR. In his book, Starling of the White House, he made note of the attitude those who worked in the White House always had for the President:

“They were remarkable in their loyalty to the office of President of the United States, a feeling that I was to share with them. For thirty years I took off my hat whenever I met the President — and I had occasion to do so thousands of times — in honor of the office which he held. Whether the man himself deserved it I did not question; it was what he represented that was important.”

(E.W. Starling and Thomas Sugrue, Starling of the White House, p. 38)

Starling is a good example for all of us this. Respect the office, even if you don’t respect the man. Respect the law, even if you disagree with it. I’m not saying this is easy. I’m not saying this comes naturally. I’m saying this is what God very clearly commands us to do in His word. It’s our duty as Christ’s followers, to treat authority with the respect that is due their office.

This means we don’t succumb to some of the petty name-calling some use towards various officials. I’m not going use some of the nicknames I’ve heard for various presidents and others — you’ve likely heard them; I hope you haven’t used them — or will at least determine from this day forward not to use them, as part of your God-given responsibility to honor authority. You may not like or respect the person in office, but like Agent Starling, determine to respect the position of authority.

NOW: verses 8-10 here are often quoted in various contexts: “owe nothing to any man” is often quoted about not going into debt of any kind, and “love does no wrong to a neighbor,” about how we should treat others, and so on. But we really need to read these verses IN THE CONTEXT in which they are found here: Paul has just said: pay taxes, pay the custom fees, give the proper fear and respect due to authorities — and it’s in THAT immediate context that he says “owe nothing to anyone except to love one another.” Some Bible translations start a new paragraph here, as if Paul had just totally changed subjects and is all of the sudden talking about financial planning. HE HASN’T! He’s not talking primarily about money here. He’s continuing the train of thought about how we treat authorities. He’s saying don’t “owe” any of these authorities any tax, or respect, or anything that is rightfully due them. Pay the tax, the respect, whatever is due them. And show love to all men: authorities and all others as well. And of course his point is well-taken: if we LOVE people, then we will treat them the way we should — whoever they are, authority or otherwise. But the main point here is the same as it has been throughout the first part of Romans 13: be submissive to God-given authority, as part of your discipleship and obedience to the Lord. Don’t fail to give them any mark of respect or payment that is due them as an authority.

(To BALANCE this out, there is also a line that we don’t cross as God’s people. We should show proper respect to government officials. But we do not cross the line to worship them, or to break God’s commandments.

The classic example of this in Roman times was when Christians were ordered to demonstrate their allegiance to the Empire by burning a pinch of incense and saying, “Caesar is Lord.” That’s all they required of you, to show your loyalty. But Christians would not do it. They said: “We cannot say ‘Caesar is Lord,’ because we believe that ‘Jesus is Lord.’” And thousands of Christians went to their deaths, defying that government edict.

Whenever government demands of Christians something God’s word forbids, then we stand with the apostles in Acts 5:29, and declare: “We must obey God rather than men.” There is a limit to our submission.

But don’t get distracted by endless “exceptions” to the principle of submission. THE PROBLEM FOR MOST CHRISTIANS IS NOT the 2% of times when an authority over-reaches; the biggest problem most of us have in America today is submitting to legitimate authority the 98% of the time when what they ask is not immoral, illegal, or unethical, and we should submit to their authority with our actions AND our attitude. That’s the challenge for most of us.)

???DISCUSSION/APPLICATION QUESTION???
“What might be some other practical applications for us today, of this principle of submitting to authority?”

(Obeying traffic laws; submitting to the authority of our pastor/elders; giving proper respect to teachers and other school officials. THIS IS IMPORTANT: too many parents — even Christians — are too quick to side with their children against their teachers, and in many cases we do not give our kids a good role model of what it means to submit to authority. Now, if there’s a clear case of right/wrong/unethical behavior, that is of course different. But generally we should respect the authority of our teachers and administrators, as part of our Christian witness in the community, and our Christian conscience under God.)

You/your group can think of many other examples. This principle of submission to authority has many, far-reaching applications: as Christian citizens we are to submit to authority in every case that does not compromise our commitment to God and His word. And even when we are forced to disobey an ungodly command, we should do it with the respect and honor that’s fitting for a Christian citizen who represents Christ on earth.

IV.  The Urgency/Importance of Submission to Authority (:11-14)

:11 “Do this, knowing the time, that it is already the hour for you to awaken from sleep; for now salvation is nearer to us than when we believed. 12 The night is almost gone, and the day is near. Therefore let us lay aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. 13 Let us behave properly as in the day, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual promiscuity and sensuality, not in strife and jealousy. 14 But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts.”

“Do this” — he’s talking about all the things he’s just said about submission to authority. Why? Because “salvation is nearer” than it’s ever been. To me this has two meanings:

1) The return of Christ is closer than it’s ever been. Don’t be like the unbelievers of II Peter 3 who mock and say, “Where is the promise of His coming?” It’s closer now than ever. So be ready.

2) Your own day of passing, which will lead to your ultimate salvation, will soon come. It has never been closer than it is now. So be ready.

ILLUSTRATION:

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes was declining in strength, and everyone knew he was in his last days. One of his friends found him reading Aristotle’s Grammar, and asked him why he was reading that “dry stuff”? He said “Partly because Justice Cardozo gave it to me. But mainly because I’m preparing for my last examination.”

I don’t think Aristotle’s Grammar was going to help him face his “last examination.” But we do need to be ready. The most important way we need to be ready, is by making sure that Jesus is our Lord & Savior — as we’ve seen taught all through Romans. But Paul also encourages us here in Romans 13, to be ready to face death, or the return of the Lord, by being found in submission to the authorities God has placed over our life.

So Paul says whether it’s Christ’s return, or your personal going to him, your salvation is closer than it’s ever been. So be diligent to obey every command God has given you. You could preach a whole sermon/teach a whole lesson just on :12-14 and Christian behavior. And all of us as Christians would surely agree with what Paul writes here in :13 about how we should live: we shouldn’t carouse and get drunk, or be sexually immorality, or have strife or jealousy. All of us would say “amen!” to all those things! BUT IN THAT “AMEN” DON’T FORGET WHAT PAUL HAS BEEN SAYING FOR THE FIRST 13 VERSES OF THIS PASSAGE: the way we respond to God-given authority should be high among the things we have in order, to be ready for eternity. To be honest, for some of us, drunkenness or immorality isn’t really that great a temptation — but disregarding or disrespecting authority IS! THAT is the thing that some of us actually need to really work on! And it is just as much of a command from God as any of those other things!

So Paul closes this section with an urgent reminder: in light of the late hour — and it’s a much later hour now than when he wrote this book — in light of the late hour in which we live, let’s make sure we aren’t involved in ANY “deeds of darkness” — not any of those blatant sins he mentioned here, or anything else. And as we’ve seen in Romans 13:1-14, that includes respecting authority. Let’s keep a good conscience in this, so that when the Lord appears, or He calls us home, we will stand before Him with a good testimony before God and man, that — as trying as it may have been for us sometimes — we did our best to honor all the authorities that He placed over our lives.

CLOSING PRAYER:

I’d close with a time of prayer for our authorities, both local and national — and especially those newly elected to office, that God would guide and use them. And let’s pray for ourselves, that we’d honor God by the way we respond to all the authorities He’s placed over us in every area of our lives.

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