"Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God; the powers that be are ordained of God. " (verse 1) In this section of Romans, the author deals with the Christian's responsibility to civil authority. Under any and every form of government, Paul says to live under it as under the command of God in order to lead a peaceful life and in order to effectively spread the gospel. This does not mean that the Christian is not to exert his energy and efforts for good government, but that he is first of all, to preach the gospel and live out the Christian life. Governments cannot legislate morality, but Christians are to exert every effort to change people from the inside out. Whenever a person is changed inwardly, then his actions will be changed outwardly. In America with all of the freedoms we enjoy, it is difficult for us to understand what believers living in other countries experience in order to share the gospel with others. Civil disobedience is never justified, in spite of the adage that the end justifies the means. Many social and political activities are perfectly worthwhile, but they can deplete the believer's time, energy, and money available for the central work of the spread of the gospel. MacArthur says, "Some evangelical pastors and other Christian leaders have turned from emphasizing the gospel to emphasizing politics, from emphasizing the Word of God to emphasizing coalitions to 'impact culture'" (p. 208). This should not be so.
The word translated subject means "to subordinate oneself," or "to put oneself under the command of another." It is a military term referring to soldiers who were ranked under and subject to the absolute authority of a superior officer. The governing authority can be any civil officer in charge of keeping peace or maintaining tranquility. Paul wrote to Titus (3:1,2), "Put them in mind to be subject to principalities and powers, to obey magistrates, to be ready to every good work, to speak evil of no man..." Civil powers are ordained of God that the children of God may effectively preach the gospel and evangelize the world. God has ordained that man live under some form of government rather than in chaos. A person may not appreciate the kind of government he lives under, but it is some better than chaos. God's work must go on whether man lives under anarchy, a democracy, a dictator, an oligarchy, or a monarchy. The autocratic, ruthless, and demonic regimes of Hitler, Stalin, and Mao Tse Tung are no exceptions to God's command to be subject to civil authority. Israel lived under many ruthless empires like ancient Assyria, Babylonia, and Egypt. The Christian is to be 'the salt of the earth,' and the 'light of the world' regardless of the kind of government under which he lives.
"Whosoever, therefore, resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God; and they that resist shall receive to themselves judgment (damnation)." (verse 2) The word resisteth here means 'to oppose,' or 'to array oneself against.' To rebel against or resist government which God has established is to rebel or resist God. It is He Who has established government. God may not approve of all governments, but no government can exist without His sanction. After all, He is Sovereign, and governments have no power without His permission. The nineteenth-century Scottish evangelist Robert Haldane wrote, "The people of God then ought to consider resistance to the government under which they live as a very awful crime, even as resistance to God Himself" (MacArthur, p. 220). Those who resist powers will receive judgment or condemnation. God has ordained judgment, condemnation, or punishment for several reasons - under the Mosaic law (1) punishment was meted out as a matter of justice, (2) as a deterrent to crime, (3) it required impartiality, (4) punishment was to be without delay, and (5) the law provided pardon and rehabilitation (MacArthur, p. 222). The only exception to the breaking of a civil law would be when a higher law (God's law) is involved. When obedience to a state involves disobedience to God then obedience to God comes first, and the lawbreaker may suffer dire consequences even death.
"For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou, then, not be afraid of the power? Do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same; for he is the minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain; for he is the minister of God, and avenger (revenger) to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil." (verses 3, 4) As long as a citizen lives an obedient life he should have no fear of the rulers in power. They are no terror to him, for he is a law-abiding citizen. Only those who break the law of the land need to fear the ruler or his representatives. The formula for living peaceably with governmental officials is to "Always do the good and the result will be that you will always have their approval." The purpose of God in ordaining public officials to administer society is that some order may be maintained, even though the people are unregenerate. God intends that civil governments promote public good.
"Bearing the sword..." has to do with the infliction of punishment, including the penalty of death for crimes that deserve it. The Lord instituted capital punishment in the early days of mankind. Genesis 9:6 says, "Whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed; for in the image of God made he man." The reason God approves and encourages capital punishment is because man was created in the image of God. When one man kills another, he is doing damage to the image of God.
Jehovah God approves and ordains law and the enforcement of it. "Three reasons for law and its enforcement have been cited in justification for the existence of the state, as an alternative to anarchy. (1) The state exists for the protection of society, (2) the state also exists to uphold the dignity of its courts, (3) the state exists for the rehabilitation of the criminal, and (4) the ruler is an agent of God to visit divine wrath upon those who transgress His law" (Yeager, Volume XII, p. 171).
"Wherefore, ye must needs be subject, not only for wrath but also for conscience sake. " (verse 5) The Christian should submit to civil authority not only out of fear of punishment, but because his conscience tells him to obey. I Peter 2:13 reads, "Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake, whether it be to the king, as supreme, or unto governors, as unto them that are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers, and for the praise of them that do well. For so is the will of God, that with well-doing ye may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men..." A child of God, preachers included, should obey the traffic laws just like any other citizen should do so. They are passed and enforced for the protection of the citizen. The wrath of God and fear of punishment is reason enough to obey the law of the state, but for the Christian citizen there is a far greater reason - Christians are law-abiding citizens on principle.
"For, for this cause pay ye tribute also; for they are God's ministers, attending continually upon this very thing." (verse 6) Tribute means an annual tax levied upon houses, land, and persons (Luke 20:22; 23:2). Although no one enjoys paying taxes, it has been ordained that the government protect the citizen so the citizen pays for that protection. The governmental officials are God's ministers to administer justice and peace. If the citizen feels that a particular tax is unjust, he should attempt to legally change the tax laws, or any other law, by voting and representation. When God established the nation of Israel, He instituted a specific and detailed system of taxation for His chosen people; it was the tithe, or a tenth.
The Roman Christians were paying taxes to the government before they were saved. Paul is here commenting on the fact that the tax collector is designated as such on divine authority. The Christian must obey the law, and he must pay taxes to maintain the government.
"Render, therefore, to all their dues: tribute to whom tribute is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honor to whom honor." (verse 7) Render means 'to pay back,' to recompense,' or 'to repay.' Dues means 'debts.' The Christian is to pay his honest debts. Tribute = property taxes; custom = excise tax; fear = respect; and honor = worth. There are three kinds of taxes: (1) property tax, (2) excise tax levied at the end of the production process, and (3) poll tax. There are three types of obligation to the government: (1) financial, (2) respect for the man in power because of the office which he holds by God's appointment, and (3) honor to anyone, in or out of public office, whose character and achievement warrant it (Yeager, Ibid, p. 174).
"Owe no man any thing, but to love one another; for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law." (verse 8) To owe someone means 'to be bound' to someone, either legal or moral, or 'in debt.' The repetition of the word (medevi or medev) is all inclusive, owe "not one thing to not one person." The first phrase probably means "let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another" (NIV). The apostle does not forbid borrowing; but rather, "don't continue borrowing, pay your debts." If you owe anything for an extended period of time, it is "to love one another." Literally, "owe nothing to anyone, except to love one another; because he that loves another is fulfilling the law." In other words, "...the one loving his neighbor is always fulfilling the law; love fulfills human statutes that are enacted on naturalistic principles (Yeager, Volume XII, p. 275). We should never say, "I have done all the loving I need to do." Love is a perpetual debt.
"For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, thou shalt not kill, thou shalt not steal, thou shalt not bear false witness, thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself." (verse 9) Although the apostle does not say anything about the commandments, we recognize the sixth through tenth commandments (Exodus 20:13 - 17). Godly love to one another reminds the apostle of the commandments that have to do with our relationship to one another. If a person has godly love for his fellowman, he will conduct himself in such a way that he will not transgress the sixth through tenth commandments. Adultery comes from impure, sinful lust, never pure love. Murder and stealing will never take place where true love exists. Coveting other's property and belongings never originate from a loving heart. Lying against a fellowman will never occur if we love him as we should.
Then Paul sums up the rest of the commandments that deal with relationships with others by saying, "Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself" (Leviticus 19:18). In New Testament language Jesus said in Matthew 22:37 - 39, "...thou shalt love the Lord, thy God, with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it, thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself." "It rather assumes that, as fallen human beings, we already have a high view of ourselves and that we should, by God's grace, have the same affection for others" (MacArthur, p. 252).
"Love worketh no ill to its neighbor; therefore, love is the fulfilling of the law." (verse 10) If believers have such selfless concern for the welfare of others, it clearly follows that genuine, godly love does no wrong to a neighbor, meaning it does no wrong to anyone. To allow God's love to rule his life, the individual is divinely protected from sin and inclined to righteousness, and he has fulfilled many of the Ten Commandments. So Paul sums up this section on practical Christian ethics.
"And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed." (verse 11) "Awake" is an interesting word meaning 'to rise up,' or 'to lift up.' Time is limited, opportunity is brief. Time, however, is not so much chronological but an era, an epoch, or an age. Here Paul means for the Christians to arise out of sleep or lethargy; arise from unconsciousness, unresponsiveness, and inactivity concerning the things of God. The time of the Lord's return is much closer than the Romans think. Obviously Paul looked for the coming of the Lord in his lifetime, and he wanted to prepare the Romans for such an event. Christians are admonished to cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light; they are to walk honestly and put on the Lord Jesus Christ. When Paul refers to salvation here he means the culmination of salvation (deliverance) of the body at the coming of the Lord or at the resurrection. Salvation here is a comprehensive term embracing our past (justification), or present (sanctification), and our future (glorification).
"The night is far spent, the day is at hand; let us, therefore, cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light." (verse 12) The night means that period of time from the crucifixion of Christ to His coming again. Darkness reigns while the Light of God is absent from the world. Paul uses the metaphors here of night and day, and darkness and light. The Christians were to put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. From the human standpoint, it sometimes seems that the night of man's depravity is interminable, and that Satan's dominion over man is becoming stronger and more unalterable.
The imagery could be that of a soldier who has been engaged in a night orgy and drinking bout and, still clad in the garments of his sin, has fallen into a drunken sleep. But the dawn is approaching and the battle is at hand. It is time to awake, throw off the clothes of night, and put on the battle gear (MacArthur, p. 263). The armor of light spoken of here could also be the armor of which Paul writes in Ephesians 6:13 - 17 - truth, righteousness, gospel of peace, faith, salvation, and the sword of the Spirit which is Word of God.
"Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in reveling (rioting), and drunkenness, not in immorality (chambering) and wantonness, not in strife and envying." (verse 13) The Christian is to walk honestly; that is, walk with a proper seemly manner, or decently as in the daylight when things are obvious. Then Paul mentions a catalog of sins as follows: reveling - carousing, or rioting; drunkenness - intoxicated, or under the influence of drugs and alcohol; chambering, - or activities of the bed; illicit sex; wantonness - lasciviousness, or pernicious ways of filthiness. Then he mentions strife and envy - being contentious, quarreling, bickering, and debating and manifesting a jealous spirit.
"But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts." (verse 14) Put on or 'wrap yourselves' in the Lord Jesus Christ. Then Paul writes, "Don't plan ahead in order to sin." But rather, let us "plan ahead" to avoid the social situation that makes it easy to sin. The victorious Christian will indulge in self-analysis and know where his weaknesses lie. He will then plan ahead to avoid the situations in which his particular weakness can be best exploited. Paul wants the Christian to not only yield to the superior power of the indwelling Holy Spirit, Who will clothe us with the holiness of the Lord, but also to use our own intelligence and common sense and stay away from the social situations in which we are most severely tempted to yield to the flesh. (Yeager, p. 183).