Twenty One Spiritual Principles From Romans 13.1-7
Wenstrom Bible Ministries
Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom
Tuesday January 19, 2010
Romans: Twenty One Spiritual Principles From Romans 13:1-7
Lesson # 444
Please turn in your Bibles to Romans 13:1.
This evening I thought it would be appropriate and beneficial to the congregation now that we have completed our study of Romans 13:1-7 that we review twenty spiritual principles that are presented to us by the apostle Paul in this passage.
These principles present the proper attitude and conduct that the Christian must maintain in relation to those in human government.
Adherence to these principles is a manifestation of the righteousness of God in the believer’s life.
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.”
My translation: 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.”
This verse contains three spiritual principles related to the believer’s conduct in relation to human government.
The first principle is that it is the will of the Father that the believer voluntarily subjects himself to the governmental authorities.
The second is that human government exists by God.
The third principle is that those governmental authorities, which do at any time in history exist on the earth have been ordained from eternity past by God the Father under the divine decree.
Romans 13:2, “Therefore whoever resists authority has opposed the ordinance of God; and they who have opposed will receive condemnation upon themselves.”
My translation of Romans 13:2, “Therefore, the one who, at any time does set himself or herself in opposition against this authority is in a state of opposition against this institution originating with God the Father. In fact, those who are in a state of opposition will, as a certainty, undergo judgment for the detriment of themselves.”
This verse also contains three spiritual principles related to the believer’s conduct in relation to human government.
The fourth principle is that the Christian who at any time does set himself or herself in opposition against any governmental authority is in a state of opposition against this institution, which originates from God the Father.
The fifth principle is that human government is a divine institution.
The sixth principle is that those Christians who are in a state of opposition against any governmental authority will, as a certainty, undergo judgment at the hands of these authorities for the detriment of 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.”
My translation of Romans 13:3, “Furthermore, rulers are, as an eternal spiritual truth, never a cause of fear with respect to conduct which is good in character but rather with respect to that which is evil in character. Consequently, do you desire not to live in a state of fear of this authority? Continue making it your habit of practicing that which is good in character so that you will, as a certainty, experience recognition from the same.”
The seventh principle appears in Romans 13:3, which teaches that governmental rulers are a cause of fear for those whose conduct is evil.
The eighth is that if believers do not want to live in fear of the governmental authorities they are to obey the laws of the land.
The ninth principle is that obedience to the governing authorities will result in receiving commendation from the governing authorities.
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.”
My 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 against those who exist in a state of committing that which is evil in character.”
Romans 13:4 presents the tenth principle, namely that governmental rulers are God’s servants.
The eleventh is that governmental authorities encourage conduct that is in accordance with the will of God.
The twelfth is that disobedience to the governmental authority will produce fear of the authority.
The thirteenth principle is that God delegated authority to the governmental authorities and is therefore justified to inflict capital punishment upon those who commit evil such as murder.
The fourteenth is that by inflicting capital punishment on the criminal, governmental authority is serving God.
The fifteenth principle is that when the governmental authority uses capital punishment against criminals it is expressing God’s righteous indignation.
The sixteenth is that governmental authority discourages evil conduct.
Romans 13:5, “Therefore it is necessary to be in subjection, not only because of wrath, but also for conscience' sake.”
My translation of Romans 13:5, “Therefore, to continue voluntarily subjecting yourselves is, as an eternal spiritual truth, always absolutely imperative, not only because of this exercise of righteous indignation but also because of your conscience.”
The seventeenth principle appears in Romans 13:5, namely that it is always imperative for the Christian to obey the governmental authorities.
The eighteenth principle is that the Christian is to obey the governmental authorities not only because they exercise God’s righteous indignation against sin and evil but also because of conscience meaning they know it is the will of God that they do so because all authority originates with God.
Romans 13:6, “For because of this you also pay taxes, for rulers are servants of God, devoting themselves to this very thing.”
My translation of Romans 13:6, “In fact, because of this, all of you make it a habit of even paying taxes because they are, as an eternal spiritual truth, God’s commissioned public servants, continually dedicated to this very thing.”
The nineteenth principle teaches that Christians pay taxes because they know that all authority originates from God and is His servant and that it is the will of the Father that they subject themselves to these authorities.
The twentieth principle is that the Christian pays taxes to the governmental authorities because they are God’s public servants.
Romans 13:7, “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.”
My translation of Romans 13:7: “I solemnly charge all of you to make it your top priority to fulfill each and every one of your obligations to each and every one of them, without exception: To the one who receives the tribute tax, that which is the tribute tax, to the one who receives the indirect custom tax, that which is the indirect custom tax, to the one who receives reverence, that which is reverential in character, to the one who receives honor, that which is honorable in character.”
In Romans 13:7, Paul presents the twenty-first and final principle, namely that the Christian is to pay his taxes to the government and bestow upon those in government reverence and honor because they are God’s public servants for their good.