Romans 13: What it doesn’t say

9 Replies

Some passages in the Bible take on a life of their own, living independently of their own context. As such, they can be made to say any number of things, some not even remotely related to the original meaning. Frankly, Romans 13:1-7 is one of those passages.

Discussions on politics, on military service, on voting, on citizenship… this short passage can appear in any and all of those discussions. Before rounding out what the passage is saying, let’s take a moment to talk about what it isn’t saying:

  • “Government was created by God.” You might can make that argument from somewhere else… though I’m not sure where. It’s my own personal belief that government naturally arose as man rejected God’s protection and chose to depend on other men. It’s the story that played out at Babel.
  • “Christians are called to be an active part of their government” or “Christians are called to be good citizens” or “Christians have a civic responsibility to vote” or… Yeah, there are a whole bunch of related ideas that people try to support with this passage. Huh nuh. Think about the situation in the first century. Would any of those things have been remotely conceivable to Paul or the Roman Christians? We can’t take our situation and superimpose it on theirs. Again, you might be able to make those arguments somehow, but not based on Romans 13.
  • “Christians must support just governments, but should oppose unjust governments.” Sorry… you can’t make this passage play both ways. If it applies to every government throughout history (which I don’t believe), then it applies to the good and the bad. If it was of limited application (which I believe), the direct application was to one of the cruelest, most unjust governments that has ever existed. If we submit to all governments, we submit to all governments: good and bad.

I could go on, I guess, but those are some of the main ideas. Care to mention any others? Or dispute what I’ve written here? As always, I’d love to hear your thoughts.

9 thoughts on “Romans 13: What it doesn’t say”

  1. K. Rex Butts

    Nor does this passage teach us that Christians are to patronize the nation they legally are citizens of with songs of praise like “God bless ______” or pledges of allegiance since they have already offered their allegiance to Jesus as Lord.

    Now, there is the ethical position that Christians can be faithful to Jesus and still sing patriotic hymns and offer the support to the nation through a pledge of allegiance BUT that position is not being taught by Romans 13.

    Grace and peace,

    Rex

  2. Jack

    Hi again Brother Archer,

    What is your belief concerning Cornelius (Acts 10) following his conversion? Did he remain a centurion in the Italian Regiment? Or what if Felix or Agrippa would have converted? I hold the belief that such positions are contrary to the teachings of Christ. I don’t know much about Roman military procedure for someone abandoning his position, but I imagine it was a pretty serious violation. I have always wondered about that. But, I’ve also thought that perhaps our goal as christians is to continually grow closer to Christ beginning with our initial immersion. That no matter what our position or situation is in life, from that point we begin going in the right direction, towards Christ. And whatever position or situation we are found in at that point, Christ can begin to work in us there and use us there.

    Thanks,
    Jack

  5. K. Rex Butts

    While I am willing to acknowledge some patriotism around certain holidays like the 4th of July, that photo is just blantent idolatry.

    Grace and peace,

    Rex

  7. Tim Archer Post author

    Darin, do you mean his words to the soldiers? I do find it significant that he did not tell them to resign from the army.

    Or were you thinking of something else?

    Grace and peace,
    Tim Archer

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