Sunday School Notes: Romans 13:4-5

⁴ For it [i.e., the authority] is a servant of God to you for good. But if you do that which is bad, be afraid! For it does not bear the sword in vain. For it is an avenging servant of God for wrath to the one doing that which is bad. ⁵ Therefore to be in submission [is] a necessity, not only on account of wrath, but also on account of conscience.

Last time we talked about the fact that basic Christian morality and ethics should not be in conflict with most government’s ideals of good citizenship. If a believer abides by the standard of godly living set for him by Christ, he should be able to live peaceably under just about any governing authority. The Christian, therefore, truly need not fear the authorities, but recognize that they are established by God, and willingly submit to their rule. Should the dictates of the government contradict the command of God, then clearly the command of God takes precedent. But the believer submits to whatever punishment the authority metes out to the disobedient Christian.

Paul continues in verse 4, describing the ruling authority as a “servant” or “minister” [Greek: diakonos] of God. The term “minister” is not just a liturgical term; it it also employed in the secular realm. Even today, those who serve in Parliament in the UK are referred to as “Minsters of Parliament” (MPs), and the Prime Minister’s cabinet consists of “ministers”: the Minister of Defense, the Minister of Education, the Minister of Labor, etc. These are government offices with secular jurisdiction, but the term “minister” is applied to the official because his job is one of service to the government and the country. Paul is saying that they, and all secular leaders, are ultimately serving God, and their work primarily serves the purposes of God. The rulers are God’s instruments “to you for good,” or possibly, “for your advantage” or “for your benefit.” As servants of God, the ruling authorities should always be on the side of those who do godly-good (i.e., that which God says is good).

But we know secular authority is not always on the side of those who promote the cause of Christ. There are places where it is illegal to preach the gospel, and there are other anti-biblical principles that Western governments promote that God’s people can get in trouble for standing against. Paul was not ignorant of this; he knew the ways government–especially local government–persecuted believers. So how can he say this? Perhaps this is God’s ideal, how a government should operate. And if government doesn’t operate this way, Paul’s message seems to be that it is not the believer’s place to rebel. It is, after all, the governing authorities who “carry the sword.” It is to them that God gave the authority to execute judgment. But they also come under the judgment of God.

In 12:19, Paul reminded his readers that God is the one who takes revenge; it is not our place to do that. Here in 13:4, Paul says the ruling authorities have been given the sword as God’s “avenging servant.” I believe Paul here indicates one of the ways in which God avenges: through earthly authorities. Certainly, God will ultimately vindicate Himself on the Last Day, when He will bring judgment on all those who have opposed Him and His people. But God can also use earthly governments to bring judgment here and now (e.g., the Babylonians against Judah). Again, we should note that the government’s authority to bear the sword and judge is God-given. And governments will come under the judgment of God for abusing that authority (see 1 Peter 3:13-16).

Fear of the sword is not the only reason, and perhaps not even the primary reason, to submit. In verse 5, Paul says they (and we) should submit because of “conscience.” This goes along with the fact that the Christian has a renewed mind (12:2), and hence is able to discern the will of God. He knows God would have him submit to the ruling authorities, and that should be sufficient. I think the overwhelming point in all of this is that submission is not an option. Whether out of fear, or out of conscience, the Christian must submit to authority. Even if the believer doesn’t fear the power of government, the believer should respect the will of God, and obey His command.

We got into verse 6, but I will hold off on giving notes for verse 6, and we’ll start from there next time.