Romans 13:1 - Forerunner Commentary

Romans 13:1

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Articles, Bible studies, and sermons that contain The Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Romans 13:1:

Romans 13:1-2
Excerpted from: Simplifying Life (Part Six)

The Amplified Classified editions adds a few more salient details, Let every person be loyally subject to the governing (civil) authorities. For there is no authority except from God [by His permission, His sanction], and those that exist do so by God's appointment. Therefore he who resists and sets himself up against the authorities resists what God has appointed and arranged [in divine order]. And those who resist will bring down judgment upon themselves [receiving the penalty due them].
Romans 13:1-2 is encapsulated within Paul's larger exhortation, encompassing Romans 12 through 15, explaining how God's called-out saints should live in the world, especially in relation to others beyond their own families as well as their spiritual siblings.

After teaching about love, humility, and peace in chapter 12, Paul turns to the follower of Christ's relationship with the civil government.

During the time of Jesus Christ and the apostle Paul, the Roman government was primarily under the rule of Emperor Augustus and his successors, such as Tiberius (reigning from 14-37 AD), Caligula (reigning from 37-41 AD), Claudius (reigning from 41‒53 AD), and Nero (reigning from 54‒68 AD), probably the most cruel and evil of all the Caesars.

Augustus came to power in 27 BC, significantly expanding the Roman Empire, including Judea as a province, appointing Herod the Great, who played a crucial role in the life of Jesus, including the events surrounding His birth and crucifixion. Historians have characterized the Roman Empire as a centralized government, establishing extensive road networks, and having a common language which thankfully facilitated the rapid spread of Christianity and missionary activities of the apostle Paul.

Paul understood that the Roman government was an extremely powerful, and sometimes evil oppressive system. Yet, Paul still calls believers to recognize the legitimacy of governmental authority within God's sovereign order.

Romans 13:1-5
Excerpted from: Government (Part Three)

Where is power? Power is with God. And from His position of power He delegates to certain individuals a portion of power and responsibility. Those to whom He delegates the power are responsible, or they are accountable, to Him.

In the New Testament, despite the fact that the nations have in no way made a covenant with God like Israel did (and in many cases the governments are despotic, chaotic, bribe-taking, abusive, unjust, uncaring, unmoving, and insensitive), their power and existence flows from God.

God is not responsible for what they do, but He does not make them do the things that they do. They have free moral agency as well. But we have to understand that they exist only because God has deemed it so.

Their purpose is seen here, in the New Testament, to be generally good. At least, it is better than the alternative, which is no government at all. The reason is that it is God's intention that the purpose of these governments—to whom He has delegated His authority—is to keep order in the community. The Christian, then, is to honor its power, as sent by God—to keep life from social chaos, to be a deterrent to evildoers, and also to be a rewarder of those who do right and good.

Romans 13:1
Excerpted from: Self-Government and Responsibility (Part One)

All authority is from God. In other words, all authority on earth has been given. Those benefactors that Christ spoke of in the book of Luke (we did not turn to it) were given their authority by God and then they proceed to take more than was originally given through whatever method they employ to control toward accomplishing their end.

What Romans 13:1 is telling you is that the governments of the United States, Canada, Britain, Germany, Russia, Iraq, Iran, Somalia—all of them receive their authority from the God we worship. Now, do we consider them the government of God? You are going to have to answer that question.

They got their authority directly from God, the same way that we suppose that the authority of the ministry came directly from God. Yes they both did! Both the authority of the State and the authority of the ministry came from exactly the same source, but we do not consider the civil governments to be the government of God. Why do we assume that the government in the church is the government of God?

Romans 13:1
Excerpted from: Government (Part Three)

Where is power? Power is with God. And from His position of power He delegates to certain individuals a portion of power and responsibility. Those to whom He delegates the power are responsible, or they are accountable, to Him.

In the New Testament, despite the fact that the nations have in no way made a covenant with God like Israel did (and in many cases the governments are despotic, chaotic, bribe-taking, abusive, unjust, uncaring, unmoving, and insensitive), their power and existence flows from God.

God is not responsible for what they do, but He does not make them do the things that they do. They have free moral agency as well. But we have to understand that they exist only because God has deemed it so.

Articles
A Matter of Honor
Ecclesiastes and Christian Living (Part Fifteen): Deference
Ecclesiastes and Christian Living (Part Fifteen): Deference
Elisha, the Young Men, and the She-Bears
Fully Accepting God's Sovereignty (Part Four)
God's Kingdom in the Parables (Part One)
Power Belongs to God (Part Two)
Prophecy's Place
Respect or Respect of Persons?
Should We Obey the Laws of Our Government?
Sin Is Spiritual!
The Four Horsemen (Part Two): The White Horse
The Ministry of Angels
The Promise in the Fifth Commandment (Part Two)
The Sixth Commandment (Part 2): War! (1997)
The Sixth Commandment (Part One) (1997)
The Sovereignty of God: Part Five
The Sovereignty of God: Part Six
The Sovereignty of God: Part Two
Unsheathe Your Sword! (Part One)
Why Did God Command Israel to Go to War?
Why Should Christians Refuse Jury Duty?

Bible Studies
The Model Prayer (Part Four): Your Kingdom Come
Tithing: Second Tithe
Would Jesus Christ Vote? (Part Three)
Would Jesus Christ Vote? (Part Two)

Essays
A Heavenly Homeland (Part Two)
Are These Your Feasts? (Part Two)
Christian Reaction to Terror
Is Patriotism Biblical?
John Paul II's Successor
Marriage—A God-Plane Relationship (Part Five)
Submission (Part One)  (2)
Submission (Part Two)
The Honor Due to Parents
The Word of the Hour
Ubiquitous Government
Whence Comes Leadership?

Sermons
Biblical Principles of Justice (Part Three)
The Handwriting Is On the Wall (Part Two) (2007)
Is the United States a Christian Nation? (Part 3)
Angelic Responsibilities
God Gives Grace to the Humble
Self-Government (Part 2)
Self-Government
Fully Accepting God's Sovereignty (Part Six, Conclusion)
Fully Accepting God's Sovereignty (Part Six, Conclusion)
Secession (Part One): Separation Wrong?
The Book of Daniel (Part Three)
The Book of Daniel (Part Five)
Matthew (Part Twenty-Eight)
In Search of a Clear World View (Part Seven)
'Christianity Today' and Trump
Ecclesiastes Resumed (Part Twenty-Eight)
God and Government
How Does God View Human Government?
Faith Over Fear
Ecclesiastes Resumed (Part Twenty-Nine)
Ecclesiastes Resumed (Part Twenty-Nine)
Ecclesiastes Resumed (Part Thirty)
Ecclesiastes Resumed (Part Thirty)
We Still Need a Sense of Urgency
Unity and Godly Diversity in One Body
Don't Meddle and Always Be Ready to Answer
Submitting (Part 1)
Strategies for Interfacing with Babylon without Becoming Assimilated (Part Seven)
Seeing is Submitting
Ecclesiastes Resumed (Part Thirty-Two): Ecclesiastes 8:1-9
Strategies for Escaping Babylon (Part Five)
'But I Say to You' (Part Six): Retaliation
'But I Say to You' (Part Six): Retaliation
Choices and a Man After God's Own Heart: Turn, Turn, Turn
God's Stare Decisis
Titus (Part Six)
Think First of What We Say
Pilgrim's Progress
We Give Our Heads and Hearts
The Handwriting Is On the Wall (Part One) (2007)
Submitting (Part 2)
Self-Government: Overcoming
Self-Government: Overcoming
The Sovereignty of God (Part 6)
Warfare!
Faith and the Calendar (Part Two)
Faith, Government, and the Calendar (Part 4)
Acts (Part Twenty-Four)
John (Part Twenty-Seven)
Loyalty and Submission (Part 1)
Power Belongs to God (Part 2)
Authority and Government

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