Romans 13:1–7 brings the gospel right down into the everyday frustrations of taxes, laws, and government bureaucracy. In this episode, we consider what it means to be good citizens not because the system is perfect, but because God stands behind all authority—and uses even flawed governments to restrain chaos and create space for His people to live and witness. Submission, fearlessness, and a clear conscience become markers of a life that trusts God more than personal rights.
In this week’s episode, we explore:
- How Romans 13 fits into Paul’s larger call in chapters 12–13 to stop thinking too highly of ourselves and instead live with sober judgment about our place in God’s world
- What “submission” really is: not slavish obedience, but a humble, pre-decided posture that lets God limit us through the authority structures He has permitted
- When civil disobedience is appropriate, and why accepting the consequences can still be an expression of submission to God’s higher authority (Acts 4 as an example)
- Why the greatest danger is not “big government” out there, but lawlessness in our own hearts—our tendency to demand our rights, resent limits, and put ourselves at the center
- How Paul can call rulers “God’s servants” even when they are unjust, and how basic order and stability still serve God’s purposes for the gospel
- The difference between fearlessness and safety: living so that if we suffer, it is for doing good, not for cutting corners or hiding guilt
- Peter’s parallel call to live as free people, not using freedom as a cover for evil, and to silence slander by consistently doing good
- Why paying taxes, respecting officials, and honoring those in office are matters of conscience before God—not just fear of audits, fines, or social pressure
- How grumbling about taxes and mocking leaders can quietly erode a Christian witness that ought to be marked by gratitude, integrity, and respect
- The striking story from a Brazilian prison where a carved crucifix in the “punishment cell” becomes a picture of Christ “doing time for the rest of us,” and how that redefines power, justice, and true change
By the end of the episode, listeners will see that Romans 13 is less about blind patriotism and more about trusting God’s sovereignty in the messy realities of public life. You’ll be invited to trade resentment for submission, anxiety for fearlessness, and cynical complaint for a clear conscience—learning to honor those in authority, bear necessary costs, and quietly adorn the gospel in the way you drive, pay, work, speak, and pray.
Paul is continuing in his application of how we should live in light of the gospel, and in this often-discussed and debated passage, he explains how to be good citizens.
In Romans 1-8 Paul explained the glory of the gospel and the greatness of God — how no one can be saved by keeping the law; we can only be saved by trusting that God, because of the blood of Jesus Christ, will forgive us and solve the problem of sin in our lives.
In Romans 9-11, Paul examines how God treated Israel. He argues that God did not fail Israel, nor reject them and that proves he will be faithful to Gentile believers as well. In a great crescendo at the end of Romans 11 he extols the living God with dynamic praise. Then in Romans 12 he turns to believers and says, “It is only reasonable that we worship this God with our bodies.” The rest of the book then talks about our practical response to the greatness of the gospel: How should it make our lives different?
Chapter 12:3 has implications for everything that comes after it: “For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned.” – Romans 12:3 ESV
In Romans 13 the issue is still learning not to think too highly of ourselves, or seeing ourselves accurately in relation to the authorities that govern any nation. There are three words in this passage that summarize its themes: submission, fearlessness, and conscience.
- Submissiveness helps give us proper perspective about ourselves.
- Submission is not slavish obedience.
- Submission is an attitude in which we are predisposed to let God, through government and other authority structures, put limits on where we go, what we do, and how we spend our resources.
- Compare with Acts 4:18-20 and James 4.
- Fearlessness is not the same thing as safety.
- Being fearless means not being guilty of anything.
- If we are going to be punished for anything, it will be for righteousness.
- Compare with 1 Peter 2:11-20.
- Punishment is one means by which we are impelled to do right. But Paul says there is a better reason, and that is your conscience.
- Conscience demands that we keep the record clear for God’s sake, and not for man’s.
- We are free to submit because God is in control. We are free from guilt and anxiety if we practice what is good. We honor God when we keep our conscience clear in dealings with authorities.
For more detail and explanation please listen to the podcast.
Next: 20 Romans 13:8-14 Freedom in Christ
Previous: 18 Romans 11:33-12:21 How Shall We Live?
Series: Romans: Justification by Faith
Study: Romans Resources
Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash
Season 2, Episode 19
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