The Text:
Romans 13:1 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.
Rom 13:2 Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation.
Rom 13:3 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:
Rom 13:4 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, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil.
Rom 13:5 Wherefore ye must needs be subject, not only for wrath, but also for conscience sake.
Rom 13:6 For for this cause pay ye tribute also: for they are God’s ministers, attending continually upon this very thing.
Rom 13:7 Render therefore to all their dues: tribute to whom tribute is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honour to whom honour.
My Comment:
One of the most important rules of Bible interpretation is to interpret a passage faithfully in its context.
Context can be considered in a variety of ways. Usually what is properly meant is what comes before and what follows the verse or series of verses being considered.
Another important context is sometimes called “the whole of Scripture.” This context is crucially important, and involves taking careful account of what the rest of the Bible has to say about the subjects in the text we want to correctly interpret. The best way to learn the connection of a passage to “the whole of Scripture” is to search the Scriptures (Acts 17:11) using as complete a collection of cross references to the passage as you can find.
Another context which I am quite sure you will not read about anywhere else is what I call the “hidden context.” Now just what is a “hidden context”? It is a context which well-informed careful readers of the Bible will almost instantly recognize and understand. To miss this hidden context will mean you get the meaning of the passage absolutely wrong.
To understand what I am teaching in this article, I invite you to use great patience and hear me out by reading this whole article carefully. This may be the most important article, in the light of certain current events, that you will ever read (Proverbs 22:3).
Any time Jesus Himself, or one of the New Testament writers, either quotes directly or alludes to an Old Testament passage, the context of the Old Testament passage must be kept in mind.
For example, Matthew makes reference to fulfilled prophecy from Jeremiah at Matthew 2:17, 18. If you fail to check out what Jeremiah said in context, you miss much of the intended connection. In Jeremiah the passage Matthew cites gives a remarkable promise of the resurrection (Jeremiah 31:15, 16, 17). This would be a very comforting consideration for the families who had lost infants at the hands of Herod.
Many times Jesus spoke of things which his Biblically literate Jewish audience would know almost intuitively were direct references to matters written in the Hebrew Scriptures, our Old Testament. Some of these references pertain directly to the interpretation of Bible prophecy. Matthew 24:31 is a passage much misunderstood by would-be modern interpreters which is made perfectly plain when one recognizes the Old Testament promise to which Jesus refers (Isaiah 18:3).
More than recognizing an allusion to the Old Testament, one must recall the context of the passage cited, or else in some cases, the very opposite of what is intended will become the mistaken meaning you thought you understood. For example, Psalm 102:25, 26 is referred to several times in the New Testament. The original readers and hearers would be well aware of the lines that followed in their own hymn book! Psalm 102:25, 26 CANNOT BE PROPERLY UNDERSTOOD apart from Psalm 102:27, 28, though these following verses, best I recall, are never cited in the New Testament. The issue is, God repeatedly states that this earth will never pass away. Rather, He declares “the children” of his “servants shall continue, and their seed will be established before thee” (Psalm 102:28). This confirms (1) that the earth abideth forever (Ecclesiastes 1:4; Psalm 104:5; 148:6); and (2) that there will be eternal generations of human beings in their natural bodies like we have today living upon this earth without interruption (Psalm 72:5; Isaiah 59:21; Matthew 5:5); and finally, (3) that our Lord Jesus Christ does NOT rule upon this earth merely for the 1000 years we call the Millennium, but forever (Luke 1:32, 33).
These are things you probably did not learn in Sunday school, nor have you likely heard any of this taught by your pastor. Send him here to this site so he too can begin to learn more about what the Bible actually teaches!
What does all this mean? The Bible does not teach that this earth will end or be utterly destroyed or pass away (Matthew 24:35), but that this earth by God’s promise will last forever. What Jesus said in Matthew 24:35 does not state this earth will pass away; He is using a well-known figure of speech called litotes where the first part of a statement declares what is contrary to fact in order to emphasize the last part of the statement (what often follows the word “but”).
Other examples of this figure of speech can be seen at Luke 11:4 and Ephesians 5:18. In Luke 11:4, we are to pray that God will not lead us into temptation, BUT deliver us from evil (or, the Evil One). Clearly God is not in the business of leading anyone into temptation, a matter contrary to fact (James 1:13). In Ephesians 5:18, Paul is not accusing the Ephesians of being drunkards, “And be not drunk with wine, BUT.” Rather, Paul is emphasizing the command to be filled by the Spirit.
Romans 13:1-7 widely misunderstood
Just who are the “higher powers” Paul refers to in Romans 13:1? I recall some years ago that the Jehovah Witnesses applied this verse to themselves, saying they were the “higher powers” or spiritual teaching authority to which the Jehovah Witnesses must submit. The Watchtower Society of the Jehovah’s Witnesses has since changed or corrected their understanding of this passage and now teach the “higher powers” have reference to the civil authorities.
Others suppose that the “higher powers” have reference to God, to our Lord Jesus Christ, and perhaps even angels.
At the present time some of our pastors nationwide have been or are being trained to help during a potential future national crisis. These pastors are being trained, so I have read, by FEMA, a US government agency, and Homeland Security, to help people cope with an expected crisis that might require families to be separated and sent to safe havens under government auspices. That is, children may be separated from parents and each other, and parents from each other. As part of this training, these pastors (reportedly some 80,000 nationwide) are being taught and encouraged to teach Romans 13 to their congregations now to inspire their members to be obedient to the government no matter what the government asks them to do, especially in a crisis.
The problem with all this is that Romans 13:1-7 was not written to support blind loyalty to any national government regardless of what policies the government determines to deploy. If Paul were writing with that in mind, Paul would be in direct conflict with what Peter stated as recorded in the book of Acts (see Acts 4:19; Acts 5:29), a book Paul must have been directly acquainted with, since Acts was written by Luke, who was Paul’s companion in travel.
The Hidden Context of Romans 13:1-7
Note Paul’s discussion in Romans 12:19, “Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.” This passage is a reference to Proverbs 24:17, 18 which furnishes in its context the clue that identifies the hidden context of Romans 13:1-7. Without question, Paul had this passage in Proverbs 24 before him in his mind as he completed what is in our Bible Romans chapter 12 and continued WITHOUT A CHAPTER BREAK in the writing of Romans chapter 13. And so, if we continue reading with Paul further into Proverbs chapter 24 we have the hidden context which guides us to the proper and intended meaning of Romans 13:1-7. You can be sure this intended meaning is not what is usually taught today.
Romans 12:19, particularly Paul’s directive to “give place unto wrath,” is based upon Proverbs 24:17, 18,
Pro 24:17 Rejoice not when thine enemy falleth, and let not thine heart be glad when he stumbleth:
Pro 24:18 Lest the LORD see it, and it displease him, and he turn away his wrath from him.
Note that “give place unto wrath” directly relates to “Lest the Lord see it…and he turn away his wrath from him” (Proverbs 24:18).
Paul reflects on this very passage in Proverbs 24:17 in Romans 12:19. Interpreters of Romans 13:1-7 generally fail to take into account what must be the controlling interpretative context present here in Proverbs 24:19, 20, 21, 22, a context which strongly suggests that God Himself is against evil rulers, and our proper response to such rulers is commanded in Proverbs 24:24, 25—the very opposite of what the mistaken interpreters of Romans 13:1-7 derive from Paul’s words.
Proverbs 24:24 He that saith unto the wicked, Thou art righteous; him shall the people curse, nations shall abhor him:
Pro 24:25 But to them that rebuke him shall be delight, and a good blessing shall come upon them.
Paul is not suggesting that we must follow and approve of what evil rulers do. This “hidden context” in Proverbs shows that God declares we must rebuke the evil to reap the blessing God intends.
Paul was surely aware of the context in Proverbs to which he alludes, and we must be just as aware when making application of Paul’s words in our own day. The chapter boundary in Romans constituting a break between Romans chapter 12 and chapter 13 obscures this vital connection. Paul’s readers in his day would be aware of the context Paul alluded to and was following, and would have understood what Paul was saying, even though he used intentional obscurity as he does several times elsewhere (1 Corinthians 15:24; 2 Thessalonians 2:7; Hebrews 12:27), to avoid conflict with the civil authorities of his day.
As Bible-believing Christians, we must get the Gospel message out to all we can. We must not stand by idly and helplessly as if there is nothing we can do. God has plainly told us what to do. Supporting or acquiescing to the lawlessness in our government is not what God has called us to do. We are to denounce and renounce the hidden works of darkness. God calls us to turn the light on (Ephesians 5:11, 12) and to believe in the power of the Gospel unto salvation to everyone who believes (Romans 1:16).