Romans 13.4c-God Exercises His Righteous Indignation Through Governmental Authority
Wenstrom Bible Ministries
Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom
Sunday January 10, 2010
Romans: Romans 13:4c-God Exercises His Righteous Indignation Through Governmental Authority
Lesson # 439
Please turn in your Bibles to Romans 13:1.
This morning we will complete our study of Romans 13:4.
We have noted that in this passage Paul present the positive function of governmental authority, namely that it encourages good conduct meaning conduct that is in obedience to the Father’s will.
Last Tuesday evening we noted that the negative function of governmental authority is that it discourages evil conduct or conduct that is in disobedience to the will of the Father.
This morning we will note that this passage also teaches that God exercises His righteous indignation towards those who practice such evil as murder through governmental authority.
Romans 13:1, “Every person is to be in subjection to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God.”
Romans 13:2, “Therefore whoever resists authority has opposed the ordinance of God; and they who have opposed will receive condemnation upon themselves.”
Romans 13:3, “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.”
Romans 13:4, “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.”
The statement regarding governmental authority “an avenger who brings wrath on the one who practices evil” clarifies for the reader exactly the responsibility of the governmental authorities in relation to God the Father’s purpose for them.
“An avenger” is the nominative masculine singular form of the adjective ekdikos (e&kdiko$) (ek-dik-os), which is a compound word composed of the preposition ek, “out from” and the noun dike, “justice,” thus the word literally describes one outside of that which is lawful.
Thus, it refers to one who administers justice by exacting a penalty from a person.
It is one who executes justice as restitution for a crime committed.
In Romans 13:4, the word means “an avenger” and refers to the fact that the governmental authorities are “agents of punishment” or “agents who administer justice as restitution and retribution for a crime committed.”
Therefore, Paul is teaching that governmental authorities are God’s servants in the sense that they are “agents of punishment” or “agents who administer justice as restitution and retribution for a crime committed.”
To “avenge” refers to inflicting punishment as an act of retributive justice.
The Old Testament speaks of this individual’s responsibility in Israel (Numbers 35:19-34).
“Who brings wrath on the one who practices evil” is composed of the preposition eis (ei)$) (ace) (not translated) and the accusative feminine singular form of the noun orge (o)rghv) (or-gay), “wrath” and the articular accusative neuter singular form of the adjective kakos (kakov$) (ka-koce), “evil” and the articular dative masculine singular present active participle form of the verb prasso (pravssw) (pras-so), “the one who practices.”
In Romans 13:4, the noun orge refers to God’s attitude of “righteous indignation” in response to any thought, word, or action of mankind and angels, that is opposed to His holiness and manifests itself in actions that judge and punish the guilty.
Specifically, it refers to the expression of God’s righteous indignation by the governmental authorities in administering justice against those who commit evil such as murder as restitution and retribution for the crime committed.
Paul is teaching that God expresses His righteous indignation towards sin and evil when the governmental authority executes justice and punishes those who commit evil such as murder as restitution and retribution for the evil committed.
The word contains the figure of metonymy meaning that righteous indignation is put for the exercise of God’s righteous indignation.
The word functions as the object of the preposition eis, which functions as a marker of purpose indicating that governmental rulers are God’s servants in that they are an avenger “for the purpose of” exercising and manifesting God’s righteous indignation against those who commit evil and sin such as murder.
Therefore, when the governmental ruler exercises capital punishment upon the criminal such as a murderer, he is in reality exercising God’s righteous indignation toward that criminal.
Consequently, when the government fails to practice capital punishment against the murderer, it is failing to fulfill one of its purposes in being established by God.
In Romans 13:4, the verb prasso denotes the habit of those who commit evil acts and speaks of a lifestyle or habitual state of committing evil acts.
The present tense of the verb is “stative” and the active voice is as well indicating that governmental rulers administer capital punishment upon those who “habitually exist in the state of” committing that which is evil.
The substantive participle form of prasso functions as a dative of disadvantage meaning that governmental rulers exercising God’s righteous indignation by inflicting capital punishment upon those who habitually commit evil is “for the detriment of” the criminal.
As was the case earlier in the passage, once again the adjective kakos means “evil” and describes the conduct of the Christian which is in disobedience to the will of the Father as manifested by their disobedience to the laws of the government.
Completed corrected translation of Romans 13:4: “For you see, it is, as an eternal spiritual truth God’s servant for your benefit for the purpose of encouraging that which is good in character. However, if you, at any time practice that which is evil in character, then begin and continue to live in a state of fear because it, as an eternal spiritual truth by no means exists in the state of bearing the sword without justification because it is, as an eternal spiritual truth God’s servant, an avenger for the purpose of exercising God’s righteous indignation for the detriment of those who exist in a state of committing that which is evil in character.”
To summarize, in this passage, Paul makes two assertions that explain or elaborate on Paul’s previous statements in verse 3 with regards to the positive and negative function of governmental authority.
Romans 13:4 can be divided grammatically into five sections.
First of all, the passage begins with an explanatory statement that is divided into two sections:
(1) A declarative statement: “It is, as an eternal spiritual truth God’s servant for your benefit for the purpose of encouraging that which is good in character.”
This assertion elaborates on the positive function of governmental authority, which he addresses in the command at the end of verse 3.
(2) Adversative clause containing a fifth class condition: “However, if you, at any time practice that which is evil in character, then begin and continue to live in a state of fear.”
This assertion elaborates on the negative function of governmental authority, which Paul mentions in the causal clause at the beginning of verse 3.
Then, on the heels of the adversative clause, which contains a fifth class condition, we have a causal clause that elaborates on this negative function: “Because it, as an eternal spiritual truth by no means exists in the state of bearing the sword without justification.”
This causal clause presents the reason why Paul’s readers should live in a state of fear for practicing evil, namely, that God has delegated authority to the government to inflict capital punishment for those who practice evil such as murder.
This causal clause is followed by another one: “Because it is, as an eternal spiritual truth God’s servant.”
This clause teaches that governmental authority is justified for inflicting capital punishment upon those who commit evil because they serve God by doing so.
Lastly, this second causal clause is followed by an epexegetical clause: “An avenger for the purpose of exercising God’s righteous indignation for the detriment of those who exist in a state of committing that which is evil in character.”
This clause is clarifying for the reader exactly the responsibility of the governmental authorities in relation to God the Father’s purpose for them.
It teaches that when the governmental authority uses capital punishment against criminals it is expressing God’s righteous indignation.
Therefore, in Romans 13:4, Paul is teaching his readers that governmental rulers are God’s servants, which is demonstrated by these two functions.
For the Christian, the positive function of governmental authority is that it encourages conduct that is in obedience to the Father’s will in relation to one’s fellow human being as summarized by the command to love one’s neighbor as oneself.
The negative function discourages conduct that is evil or in other words, it discourages conduct that is in disobedience to the will of God and fails to love one’s neighbor as oneself.
