Sermon Tone Analysis

Wenstrom Bible Ministries

Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom

Tuesday January 12, 2010

www.wenstrom.org

Romans: Romans 13:5-The Christian Must Not Only Subject Himself To Governmental Authority Because Of Their Punitive Function But Also Because Its God’s Will

Lesson # 440

Please turn in your Bibles to Romans 13:1.

This evening we will note Romans 13:5, which is an inference from Paul’s teaching in verses 1-4.

In verse 5, Paul infers from these verses that the Christian must not only voluntarily subject himself to the governmental authorities because they exercise God’s righteous indignation towards evil conduct through capital punishment but also for the sake of conscience meaning they were to do so because its God’s will.

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.”

Romans 13:5, “Therefore it is necessary to be in subjection, not only because of wrath, but also for conscience' sake.”

Paul’s statement in verse 5 summarizes his teaching in verses 1-4 and also serves as a self-evident conclusion based upon this teaching.

“Necessary” is the nominative feminine singular form of the noun ananke (a)navgkh) (an-ang-kay), which means “absolutely imperative” since the word denotes an obligation or a fact that demands action on the part of Paul’s Christian readers in Rome.

This word denotes that based upon Paul’s teaching in Romans 13:1-4, it was “imperative” that the Christians in Rome voluntarily subject themselves to the governmental authorities.

Therefore, ananke denotes that it is absolutely imperative for Paul’s Christian readers in Rome to subject themselves to the governmental authorities in Rome for the following reasons:

(1) Governmental authority is established by God (verse 1).

(2) Failure to obey governmental authority is to oppose God since it originates with Him (verse 2).

(3) Governmental authority is a cause of fear for evil conduct (verse 3).

(4) Obedience to governmental authority results in commendation from the authority (verse 3).

(5) Governmental authority is God’s servant for the purpose of encouraging good conduct (verse 4).

(6) Governmental authority by no means inflicts capital punishment without justification (verse 4).

(7) Governmental authority is an avenger for the purpose of exercising God’s righteous indignation against those who commit evil (verse 4).

Romans 13:5, “Therefore it is necessary to be in subjection, not only because of wrath, but also for conscience' sake.”

“To be in subjection” is the third person singular present passive infinitive form of the verb hupotasso (u(potavssw) (hoop-ot-as-so), which is used with the Roman believers as its subject and the Roman governmental authorities as its object.

The verb means “to voluntarily subject oneself to” human government.

This is how the word was used in Romans 13:1 where it was used in a command.

Romans 13:1, “Each and every person must continue making it their habit of voluntarily subjecting themselves to the governmental authorities because there is, as an eternal spiritual truth, absolutely no authority except by God.

Specifically, those which at any time do exist are, as an eternal spiritual truth, ordained by God.”

In Romans 13:5, the verb denotes that each and every one of the believers in Rome is to subject themselves, be obedient to the governing, civil authorities in Rome.

It is used this way in several other places in the New Testament.

Titus 3:1, “Remind them to be subject to rulers, to authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good deed.”

1 Peter 2:13-14, “Submit yourselves for the Lord's sake to every human institution, whether to a king as the one in authority, or to governors as sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and the praise of those who do right.”

Romans 13:5, “Therefore it is necessary to be in subjection, not only because of wrath, but also for conscience' sake.”

“Not only…but also” indicates that in addition to the Roman Christians subjecting themselves to the governmental authorities because they exercise God’s righteous indignation against those whose conduct is evil, they should also do so because of conscience.

In other words, because they know God’s purpose for these authorities and that their establishment originated with Him, they were to be obedient to the authorities.

With these words, Paul is saying that not only is it imperative that the Romans continue to voluntarily subject themselves to the governmental authorities because they exercise God’s righteous indignation but also because of conscience in that they know God established them and they know God’s purpose for them.

Romans 13:5, “Therefore it is necessary to be in subjection, not only because of wrath, but also for conscience' sake.”

“Because of wrath” is composed of the preposition dia (diaV) (dee-ah), “because of” and the articular accusative feminine singular form of the noun orge (o)rghv) (or-gay), “wrath.”

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.

This is how it was used in Romans 13:4.

The word contains the figure of metonymy meaning that righteous indignation is put for the exercise of God’s righteous indignation.

This prepositional phrase indicates that Paul’s readers are to continue voluntarily subjecting themselves to the governmental authority because it is an instrumentality that God uses to exercise His righteous indignation against those whose conduct is evil.

“For conscience’s sake” is composed of the preposition dia (diaV) (dee-ah), “because of” and the articular accusative feminine singular form of the noun suneidesis (suneivdhsi$) (soon-ay-dee-sees), “conscience.”

The noun suneidesis means “conscience” and speaks of that aspect of the human soul where the Christian’s norms and standards reside, which are to be based upon the teaching of the Spirit in the Word of God.

The word refers to knowledge of the fact that God established human government as His servant to encourage good conduct by commending such conduct and to discourage evil conduct by inflicting capital punishment upon evil doers.

Paul’s statements in Romans 1:8 and 15:14-15 clearly indicate that Paul’s teaching in Romans 13:1-4 was a reminder to his readers to continue doing what he taught in Romans 13:1-4.

Therefore, suneidesis in Romans 13:5 is used by Paul to denote his readers knowledge of God’s purpose for establishing human government and their knowledge of His will for them in relation to this institution.

This knowledge serves as his readers’ norms and standards and their conscience bears witness to that standard.

It also serves as a guide to their conscience.

The word functions as the object of the preposition dia, which is a marker of cause or reason indicating that Paul’s readers were to continue voluntarily subjecting themselves to the governmental authority “because” of their conscience.

In other words, they were to obey the governmental authorities because in their conscience, which is based upon the Word of God, they possessed knowledge of God’s purpose for human government and their responsibility to this institution.

So in this passage, Paul is addressing the Christian’s “conscientious subjection” to the governmental authorities.

The believer is held to a higher standard than the unbeliever in that the unbeliever obeys the authorities because of fear of punishment if he does not whereas the Christian obeys because it is the will of the Father for him or her to do so.