Is there really no authority, no government, except from God? Some people stumble over this statement from the apostle Paul:
“Let every soul submit to the authorities above it; for there is no authority except from God.”
Rom 13:1
Isn’t that an extreme statement? Every soul, so the conclusion, means probably “every human being”. Everyone should simply submit under all authorities, that is, governments, authorities and other instances of power. Aren’t you then at the mercy of arbitrariness and despotism? Surely this cannot be a healthy attitude?
Inferences are made like this or similar. However, as is the case everywhere in the Bible, the statements mentioned are indeed concerned, but they are also each in their own context. This wants to be included. Paul did not make a blanket statement here, but writes this within a letter, and only in the 13th chapter. Everyone who reads this letter also stumbles over this sentence later. But this sentence does not stand in a vacuum. We must not take Bible passages out of their context.
A provocation
This Bible passage is a provocation when we look at it out of context. For, detached from the context, it is readily concluded here: God is good, and therefore it is impossible that all authorities are from God. There are many unjust, selfish people in important places. We can experience injustice. You don’t want that to be hidden, do you? Should we now approve of abuse?
One first remembers possible derailments, which are then used as a reason to deny the concept. Kind of like devaluing the concept of marriage by having a high divorce rate. The fact that the concept does not have much to do with the implementation is quickly lost. Such justifications belong to the topic of whataboutism.
What about the authorities now? Did God use dictators and mass murderers like Stalin, Hitler or Mao? These kinds of objections first appear in our individualized world. This biblical passage is not popular today and it is gladly toned down in order not to trigger the aforementioned provocation. Gladly one refers to another place, with which one means to cancel out this statement of Paul somewhat:
In Acts 5:29 Peter says to the Sanhedrin:
“Man must submit to God rather than to man!”
However, these words are used to invalidate the Romans passage. A certain arbitrariness of interpretation is the result. We will come back to these posts.
Paul speaks to believers
As with any biblical passage, context is crucial to understanding. First of all, this is a letter to the church in Rome. Believers are addressed. This is the context. So when Paul writes, “Let every soul submit …” he is talking about believers, not mankind in general. Paul is not making policy here, but he is talking about the way of life and behavior based on the gospel.
Twofold change
Just as Paul spoke about the walk of mankind in Romans 1:18-3:20, he speaks about the walk of believers in Romans 12:1-15:7. There are two sections in Romans. We are here in the second part.
Now, where does the change of humankind differ from the change of believers?
- Central to the passage on humanity’s walk is the statement that people “knowing God, do not glorify Him as God or give thanks to Him” (Rom 1:21).
- In contrast to this is the realization of the believers that “God the One is” (Rom 3:30) that “we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand.” (Rom 5:1-2) that “God is for us” (Rom 8:31). “For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor messengers, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creation will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom 8:38-39).
Thus, the knowledge of God, the knowledge of His grace, and the assurance of His love come from the preaching of the gospel of grace. This may serve us as a basis for life. This puts us in a very different situation from the world in general. We are blessed with confidence. Paul here assumes a certain coinage of understanding. His intention is to support the community in such a way that the community is built up. This is not so much a matter of detail as an orientation of thought and action. It is about an attitude of life and an attitude of faith.
The last verse of the preceding chapter ends with the words “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good!” (Rom 12:21). It’s a consistently positive approach to life, even in challenges. It is based on the assumption that God is above everything and has good plans for us. Nothing will be able to separate us from it. Or in other words, the world is in God’s hands, regardless of what is happening, and we are not only included in His actions, but also secure in Christ.
Does that clear everything up? No, but it is the precondition to what Paul writes here. This is the context and shapes the confidence that Paul conveys here to the believers in Rome. Christians in Rome were persecuted, the Roman Empire was merciless towards any threat from within as well as from outside. The “authorities” probably did not have a consistently positive connotation in Rome. Nevertheless, the apostle writes these remarkable words.
Now, before we hastily reject this, I would like to invite you to get a picture of Paul’s statement. We can leave this neutral for now as “Paul’s statement”. Understanding the text in context does not mean we have to agree with it for today. It just means that we have a minimum of respect for the text, because Paul did not know anything about our time. He wrote in his time, according to the wisdom and grace that were given to him. The relevance must first be found for him and in his time.
The authorities
The word for “authority” in Greek is exousia. It is a power of attorney, a power delegated by someone in a higher position. Thus Paul explained the authority God has: “Has not the potter authority over the clay, to make of the same clay the one vessel for glory and the other for dishonor?” (Rom 9:21). Power of attorney allows for design. Power of attorney allows to make decisions, i.e. to direct here or there. There are many authorities in this sense. All of them, however, Paul says here, were appointed by God:
“Let every soul subordinate itself to the authorities above it; for there is no authority except from God. The existing ones, therefore, are ordained by God.”
Rom 13:1
God has everything in His hands. This is witnessed many times in the Bible. It is the picture that the Bible sketches. For example, Daniel says:
“Blessed be the name of God from everlasting to everlasting! For wisdom and power, they are his. He changes times and periods, he removes kings and installs kings.”
Dan 2:20-21
God has everything in hand and is working through Christ toward a goal, which Paul paraphrases in Ephesians:
“He makes known to us the mystery of His will,
according to His good pleasure, that He set before Himself in Him [Christus]
for a management of the completion of the deadlines,
to raise up (bring under one head) the universe in Christ:
both that in the heavens and that on earth.
In Him, the lot has also fallen upon us,
which we are predestined, according to the purpose of it,
Who works all things according to the counsel of His will.”
Eph 1:9-11
What Paul says here, he first describes as a mystery. Accordingly, it was previously unknown. It describes something new, so to speak. It is a new context. It’s an expanded context.
For Paul it is certain that God holds everything in his hands. This is not fatalism, but a confident outlook, firmly linked to God’s ultimate goal in Christ. Therein lies his confidence. This is also our outlook, if we can accept it. That all authorities are now ordained by God is a confirmation of this concept. It is a general understanding that says nothing about the quality and nature of the respective authority. This is not about abuse by the authorities.
The believer looks to God, who is above all, and to the final goal that lies ahead. This, together with the experience of grace, is the basis for the attitude toward the secular authorities.
“Therefore, whoever resists the authorities has thereby resisted God’s order;
But those who have resisted will receive judgment upon themselves.
For the superiors are not a cause of fear for the good work,
but for the evil.
But if you do not want to fear the authorities, do what is good,
and you will have applause from her.
For she is God’s servant, for your good.
But if you do evil, be afraid;
because she does not carry the sword just for show;
After all, she is God’s servant,
an avenger to wrath the one who commits the evil.
Hence the need to submit, not for the sake of wrath alone, but also for the sake of conscience.”
Rom 13:2-5
Note: The starting position is a good concept. The authorities should stand up for something good. This is what the apostle assumes here. It may be an idealized concept, but that is what he is describing here. “Do what is good” is the injunction, in accordance with the previous passage in chapter 12. This concerns the attitude of believers toward the authorities. In doing so, Paul does not take into account all conceivable situations. Ideally, it should look like the apostle describes here.
Do the good
Doing good is the privilege of believers. It is the free decision of each individual. This is for the sake of conscience. By the good is not meant the “good as understood by the authorities,” but rather the good that comes from God. So it is by no means a matter of cadaver obedience. However, Paul presupposes that the “authorities” actually do good. But he is talking about a concept, not exceptions to the rule. That is the starting position. The apostle wrote a few verses earlier to this effect:
“In the face of all men, be mindful of noble things, if possible, by what comes from you.”
Rom 12:17
The authorities are seen twice in this passage as God’s servant, once to us for good, once as an avenger for wrathful judgment, for those who do evil. To subordinate oneself, according to Paul’s understanding, is to live a peaceful life. This is his real theme in all his remarks:
“I now pronounce unto thee above all things, that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all men, for kings, and for all that are in a superior position, that we may perform a quiet and tranquil manner of life, in all godliness and respectability; for this is beautiful and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who wills that all men be saved, and come to the knowledge of the truth.”
1Tim 2:1-4
Paul has a concern. That is the real goal of these remarks. He wants to give the faithful in Rome a good, quiet and fruitful life. Therefore, you should have good in mind, do good. This attitude is in line with God’s intentions and purposes. There we can consciously give our lives a similar direction.
No revolution
Submission to the authorities is logical, because neither Jesus nor any of the apostles sought a revolution in this world. Jesus made it clear that His Kingdom is not of this world (John 18:36). Jesus preached a kingdom, but it was different from the kingdoms that existed and exist in the world. He spoke of messianic promises, in which there was talk of a completely different kingdom. Although the kingdom should be established once, this establishment is also not dependent on our efforts. Rather, the expectation was that God Himself, through His Messiah, would establish this kingdom. Another kingdom, another source, and not within reach in Jesus’ day (Acts 1:6-8).
Jesus preached the kingdom of heaven, which will one day be established on the whole earth. It is a kingdom with a heavenly origin, as foreseen by Daniel (Dan 2:44, 7:27, cf. Mt 4:17). This is the background for Jesus’ statement to Pilate: “My kingdom is not of this world; if my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have fought so that I would not be handed over to the Jews, but now my kingdom is not from here.” (John 18:36).
Exactly when this Messianic Kingdom will be established on earth is entirely at God’s discretion (Acts 1:6-7). Now as for Paul, he did not speak of a kingdom on earth, but of a citizenship in the heavens (Ph 3:20). Today’s church lives in the world, but sees the future with Christ. Even with Paul, there was no reason to pursue a political goal. Thus, to submit to the authorities, on the one hand, sees God as above all, and in addition, recognizes that our vocation is not a political vocation, nor does it see a Kingdom of God on earth as the goal.
Honor to whom honor is due
“For this cause ye also pay taxes: for God’s ministers are they, for this purpose persevering. Pay to all the debts: Tax to whom tax is due, duty to whom duty is due; fear to whom fear is due, and honor to whom honor is due.”
Rom 13:6-7
Paul does not say anything different here than Jesus did:
“Then the Pharisees went and took counsel as to how they might [Jesus] could catch at a saying. And they send their disciples with the Herodians unto him, saying, Teacher, we know that thou art true, and teachest the way of God in truth, and careest for no man, for thou regardest not the person of men. Tell us now, what do you think: Is it lawful to give tax to Caesar, or not? But when Jesus perceived their wickedness, he said, Why tempt ye me, hypocrites? Show me the tax coin! But they presented him with a denarius. And he saith unto them: Whose image and inscription is this? They say to him, The emperor. Then he said to them: Give then to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s. And when they heard it, they marveled, and left him, and departed.”
Mt 22,15-22
So it’s the attitude that matters. Now there remains the Bible passage that was mentioned at the beginning. Why could Peter say, “Man must submit to God rather than to men!” (Acts 5:29)? Peter stood there before the Sanhedrin, the Jewish religious authorities. Paul, on the other hand, spoke of the secular authorities. Peter was able to resist because this was about religious issues that had nothing to do with the secular authorities. When it came to the secular authorities, Peter has the same attitude as Paul:
“Submit yourselves to every human order for the sake of the Lord, whether to the king as the one above all or to the rulers as those sent by him: Evildoers to vengeance, but to praise the doers of good; for such is the will of God, that by doing good ye may silence the ignorance of rash men; as free, and not as having liberty to cover evil, but as slaves of God. Honor all men, love the brotherhood, fear God, and honor the King.”
1Pet 2:13-16
Not all issues are resolved
In his letter to the church in Rome, Paul does not solve all the questions. Why should he? His concern was to build up the community. It is in this sense that he speaks. This biblical passage only appears to be a provocation if we misinterpret it without context as we see fit. I suspect that the church in Rome also sensed this. I imagine that the letter from Paul arrived and they read and interpreted this letter together.
Paul is wise. He does not want to solve everything, but first and foremost to help. He wants to enable growth. Surely there were still many questions and maybe someone asked about the role of the emperor and the attitude towards the emperor. Perhaps some reported concrete persecution. How should you deal with it? I assume that such questions were tried to be solved in common conversation, considering how to imitate the mind of Christ.
