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ROMAS 13 COMMETARYEDITED BY GLE PEASE
Submission to the Authorities
1Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for
there is no authority except that which God has established. The
authorities that exist have been established by God.
BARES, "Let every soul - Every person. In the seven first verses
of this chapter, the apostle discusses the subject of the duty
which Christians owe to civil government; a subject which is
extremely important, and at the same time exceedingly difficult.
There is no doubt that he had express reference to the special
situation of the Christians at Rome; but the subject was of so much
importance that he gives it a general bearing, and states the great
principles on which all Christians are to act. The circumstances
which made this discussion proper and important were the
following:
(1) The Christian religion was designed to extend throughout the
world. Yet it contemplated the rearing of a kingdom amid other
kingdoms, an empire amid other empires. Christians professed
supreme allegiance to the Lord Jesus Christ; he was their Lawgiver,
their Sovereign, their Judge. It became, therefore, a question of
great importance and difficulty, what kind of allegiance they were
to render to earthly magistrates.
(2) The kingdoms of the world were then pagan kingdoms. The laws
were made by pagans, and were adapted to the prevalence of
paganism. Those kingdoms had been generally founded in conquest,
and blood, and oppression. Many of the monarchs were blood-stained
warriors; were unprincipled men; and were polluted in their
private, and oppressive in their public character. Whether
Christians were to acknowledge the laws of such kingdoms and of
such men, was a serious question, and one which could not but occur
very early. It would occur also very soon, in circumstances that
would be very affecting and trying. Soon the hands of these
magistrates were to be raised against Christians in the fiery
scenes of persecution; and the duty and extent of submission to
them became a matter of very serious inquiry.
(3) Many of the early Christians were composed of Jewish
converts. Yet the Jews had long been under Roman oppression, and
had borne the foreign yoke with great uneasiness. The whole pagan
magistracy they regarded as founded in a system of idolatry; as
opposed to God and his kingdom; and as abomination in his sight.
With these feelings they had become Christians; and it was natural
that their former sentiments should exert an influence on them
after their conversion. How far they should submit, if at all, to
heathen magistrates, was a question of deep interest; and
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there was danger that the Jewish converts might prove to be
disorderly and rebellious citizens of the empire.
(4) Nor was the case much different with the Gentile converts.
They would naturally look with abhorrence on the system of idolatry
which they had just forsaken. They would regard all as opposed to
God. They would denounce the religion of the pagans as abomination;
and as that religion was interwoven with the civil institutions,
there was danger also that they might denounce the government
altogether, and be regarded as opposed to the laws of the land,
(5) There were cases where it was right to resist the laws. This
the Christian religion clearly taught; and in cases like these, it
was indispensable for Christians to take a stand. When the laws
interfered with the rights of conscience; when they commanded the
worship of idols, or any moral wrong, then it was their duty to
refuse submission. Yet in what cases this was to be done, where the
line was to be drawn, was a question of deep importance, and one
which was not easily settled. It is quite probable, however, that
the main danger was, that the early Christians would err in
refusing submission, even when it was proper, rather than in undue
conformity to idolatrous rites and ceremonies.
(6) In the changes which were to occur in human governments, it
would be an inquiry of deep interest, what part Christians should
take, and what submission they should yield to the various laws
which might spring up among the nations. The principles on which
Christians should act are settled in this chapter.
Be subject - Submit. The word denotes that kind of submission
which soldiers render to their officers. It implies subordination;
a willingness to occupy our proper place, to yield to the authority
of those over us. The word used here does not designate the extent
of the submission, but merely enjoins it in general. The general
principle will be seen to be, that we are to obey in all things
which are not contrary to the Law of God.
The higher powers - The magistracy; the supreme government. It
undoubtedly here refers to the Roman magistracy, and has relation
not so much to the rulers as to the supreme authority which was
established as the constitution of government; compare Mat_10:1;
Mat_28:18.
For - The apostle gives a reason why Christians should be
subject; and that reason is, that magistrates have received their
appointment from God. As Christians, therefore, are to be subject
to God, so they are to honor God by honoring the arrangement which
he has instituted for the government of mankind. Doubtless, he here
intends also to repress the vain curiosity and agitation with which
men are prone to inquire into the titles of their rulers; to guard
them from the agitation and conflicts of party, and of contentions
to establish a favorite on the throne. It might be that those in
power had not a proper title to their office; that they had secured
it, not according to justice, but by oppression; but into that
question Christians were not to enter. The government was
established, and they were not to seek to overturn it.
No power - No office; no magistracy; no civil rule.
But of God - By Gods permission, or appointment; by the
arrangements of his providence, by which those in office had
obtained their power. God often claims and asserts that He sets up
one, and puts down another; Psa_75:7; Dan_2:21; Dan_4:17, Dan_4:25,
Dan_4:34-35.
The powers that be - That is, all the civil magistracies that
exist; those who have the rule over nations, by whatever means they
may have obtained it. This is equally true at all times, that the
powers that exist, exist by the permission and providence of
God.
Are ordained of God - This word ordained denotes the ordering
or
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arrangement which subsists in a military company, or army. God
sets them in order, assigns them their location, changes and
directs them as he pleases. This does not mean that he originates
or causes the evil dispositions of rulers, but that he directs and
controls their appointment. By this, we are not to infer:
(1) That he approves their conduct; nor,
(2) That what they do is always right; nor,
(3) That it is our duty always to submit to them.
Their requirements may be opposed to the Law of God, and then we
are to obey God rather than man; Act_4:19; Act_5:29. But it is
meant that the power is intrusted to them by God; and that he has
the authority to remove them when he pleases. If they abuse their
power, however, they do it at their peril; and when so abused, the
obligation to obey them ceases. That this is the case, is apparent
further from the nature of the question which would be likely to
arise among the early Christians. It could not be and never was a
question, whether they should obey a magistrate when he commanded a
thing that was plainly contrary to the Law of God. But the question
was, whether they should obey a pagan magistrate at all. This
question the apostle answers in the affirmative, because God had
made government necessary, and because it was arranged and ordered
by his providence. Probably also the apostle had another object in
view. At the time in which he wrote this Epistle, the Roman Empire
was agitated with civil dissensions. One emperor followed another
in rapid succession. The throne was often seized, not by right, but
by crime. Different claimants would rise, and their claims would
excite controversy. The object of the apostle was to prevent
Christians from entering into those disputes, and from taking an
active part in a political controversy. Besides, the throne had
been usurped by the reigning emperors, and there was a prevalent
disposition to rebel against a tyrannical government. Claudius had
been put to death by poison; Caligula in a violent manner; Nero was
a tyrant; and amidst these agitations, and crimes, and revolutions,
the apostle wished to guard Christians from taking an active part
in political affairs.
CLARKE, "Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers - This
is a very strong saying, and most solemnly introduced; and we must
consider the apostle as speaking, not from his own private
judgment, or teaching a doctrine of present expediency, but
declaring the mind of God on a subject of the utmost importance to
the peace of the world; a doctrine which does not exclusively
belong to any class of people, order of the community, or official
situations, but to every soul; and, on the principles which the
apostle lays down, to every soul in all possible varieties of
situation, and on all occasions. And what is this solemn doctrine?
It is this: Let every soul be subject to the higher powers. Let
every man be obedient to the civil government under which the
providence of God has cast his lot.
For there is no power but of God - As God is the origin of
power, and the supreme Governor of the universe, he delegates
authority to whomsoever he will; and though in many cases the
governor himself may not be of God, yet civil government is of him;
for without this there could be no society, no security, no private
property; all would be confusion and anarchy, and the habitable
world would soon be depopulated. In ancient times, God, in an
especial manner, on many occasions appointed the individual who was
to govern; and he accordingly governed by a Divine right, as in the
case of
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Moses, Joshua, the Hebrew judges, and several of the Israelitish
kings. In after times, and to the present day, he does that by a
general superintending providence which he did before by especial
designation. In all nations of the earth there is what may be
called a constitution - a plan by which a particular country or
state is governed; and this constitution is less or more calculated
to promote the interests of the community. The civil governor,
whether he be elective or hereditary, agrees to govern according to
that constitution. Thus we may consider that there is a compact and
consent between the governor and the governed, and in such a case,
the potentate may be considered as coming to the supreme authority
in the direct way of Gods providence; and as civil government is of
God, who is the fountain of law, order, and regularity, the civil
governor, who administers the laws of a state according to its
constitution, is the minister of God. But it has been asked: If the
ruler be an immoral or profligate man, does he not prove himself
thereby to be unworthy of his high office, and should he not be
deposed? I answer, No: if he rule according to the constitution,
nothing can justify rebellion against his authority. He may be
irregular in his own private life; he may be an immoral man, and
disgrace himself by an improper conduct: but if he rule according
to the law; if he make no attempt to change the constitution, nor
break the compact between him and the people; there is, therefore,
no legal ground of opposition to his civil authority, and every act
against him is not only rebellion in the worst sense of the word,
but is unlawful and absolutely sinful.
Nothing can justify the opposition of the subjects to the ruler
but overt attempts on his part to change the constitution, or to
rule contrary to law. When the ruler acts thus he dissolves the
compact between him and his people; his authority is no longer
binding, because illegal; and it is illegal because he is acting
contrary to the laws of that constitution, according to which, on
being raised to the supreme power, he promised to govern. This
conduct justifies opposition to his government; but I contend that
no personal misconduct in the ruler, no immorality in his own life,
while he governs according to law, can justify either rebellion
against him or contempt of his authority. For his political conduct
he is accountable to his people; for his moral conduct he is
accountable to God, his conscience, and the ministers of religion.
A king may be a good moral man, and yet a weak, and indeed a bad
and dangerous prince. He may be a bad man, and stained with vice in
his private life, and yet be a good prince. Saul was a good moral
man, but a bad prince, because he endeavored to act contrary to the
Israelitish constitution: he changed some essential parts of that
constitution, as I have elsewhere shown; (see the note on
Act_13:22); he was therefore lawfully deposed. James the Second was
a good moral man, as far as I can learn, but he was a bad and
dangerous prince; he endeavored to alter, and essentially change
the British constitution, both in Church and state, therefore he
was lawfully deposed. It would be easy, in running over the list of
our own kings, to point out several who were deservedly reputed
good kings, who in their private life were very immoral. Bad as
they might be in private life, the constitution was in their hands
ever considered a sacred deposit, and they faithfully preserved it,
and transmitted it unimpaired to their successors; and took care
while they held the reins of government to have it impartially and
effectually administered.
It must be allowed, notwithstanding, that when a prince,
howsoever heedful to the laws, is unrighteous in private life, his
example is contagious; morality, banished from the throne, is
discountenanced by the community; and happiness is diminished in
proportion to the increase of vice. On the other hand, when a king
governs according to the constitution of his realms and has his
heart and life governed by the laws of his God, he is then a double
blessing to his people; while he is ruling carefully according to
the laws, his pious example is a great means of extending and
confirming the reign of pure
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morality among his subjects. Vice is discredited from the
throne, and the profligate dare not hope for a place of trust and
confidence, (however in other respects he may be qualified for it),
because he is a vicious man.
As I have already mentioned some potentates by name, as apt
examples of the doctrines I have been laying down, my readers will
naturally expect that, on so fair an opportunity, I should
introduce another; one in whom the double blessing meets; one who,
through an unusually protracted reign, during every year of which
he most conscientiously watched over the sacred constitution
committed to his care, not only did not impair this constitution,
but took care that its wholesome laws should be properly
administered, and who in every respect acted as the father of his
people, and added to all this the most exemplary moral conduct
perhaps ever exhibited by a prince, whether in ancient or modern
times; not only tacitly discountenancing vice by his truly
religious conduct, but by his frequent proclamations most solemnly
forbidding Sabbath-breaking, profane swearing, and immorality in
general. More might be justly said, but when I have mentioned all
these things, (and I mention them with exultation; and with
gratitude to God), I need scarcely add the venerable name of George
the Third, king of Great Britain; as every reader will at once
perceive that the description suits no potentate besides. I may
just observe, that notwithstanding his long reign has been a reign
of unparalleled troubles and commotions in the world, in which his
empire has always been involved, yet, never did useful arts,
ennobling sciences, and pure religion gain a more decided and
general ascendancy: and much of this, under God, is owing to the
manner in which this king has lived, and the encouragement he
invariably gave to whatever had a tendency to promote the best
interests of his people. Indeed it has been well observed, that,
under the ruling providence of God, it was chiefly owing to the
private and personal virtues of the sovereign that the house of
Brunswick remained firmly seated on the throne amidst the storms
arising from democratical agitations and revolutionary convulsions
in Europe during the years 1792-1794. The stability of his throne
amidst these dangers and distresses may prove a useful lesson to
his successors, and show them the strength of a virtuous character,
and that morality and religion form the best bulwark against those
great evils to which all human governments are exposed. This small
tribute of praise to the character and conduct of the British king,
and gratitude to God for such a governor, will not be suspected of
sinister motive; as the object of it is, by an inscrutable
providence, placed in a situation to which neither envy, flattery,
nor even just praise can approach, and where the majesty of the man
is placed in the most awful yet respectable ruins. I have only one
abatement to make: had this potentate been as adverse from War as
he was from public and private vices, he would have been the most
immaculate sovereign that ever held a scepter or wore a crown.
But to resume the subject, and conclude the argument: I wish
particularly to show the utter unlawfulness of rebellion against a
ruler, who, though he may be incorrect in his moral conduct, yet
rules according to the laws; and the additional blessing of having
a prince, who, while his political conduct is regulated by the
principles of the constitution, has his heart and life regulated by
the dictates of eternal truth, as contained in that revelation
which came from God.
GILL, "Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers,.... The
apostle having finished his exhortations to this church, in
relation to the several duties incumbent upon both officers and
private Christians, as members of a church, and with reference to
each other, and their moral conduct in the world; proceeds to
advise, direct, and exhort them
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to such duties as were relative to them as members of a civil
society; the former chapter contains his Christian Ethics, and this
his Christian Politics. There was the greater reason to insist upon
the latter, as well as on the former, since the primitive saints
greatly lay under the imputation of being seditious persons and
enemies to the commonwealth; which might arise from a very great
number of them being Jews, who scrupled subjection to the Heathen
magistrates, because they were the seed of Abraham, and by a law
were not to set one as king over them, that was a stranger, and not
their own brother, and very unwillingly bore the Roman yoke, and
paid tribute to Caesar: hence the Christians in common were
suspected to be of the same principles; and of all the Jews none
were more averse to the payment of taxes to the Roman magistrates
than the Galilaeans; see Act_5:37. And this being the name by which
Christ and his followers were commonly called, might serve to
strengthen the above suspicion of them, and charge against them.
Moreover, some Christians might be tempted to think that they
should not be subject to Heathen magistrates; since they were
generally wicked men, and violent persecutors of them; and that it
was one branch of their Christian liberty to be freed from
subjection to them: and certain it is, that there were a set of
loose and licentious persons, who bore the name of Christians, that
despised dominion, and spoke evil of dignities; wherefore the
apostle judged it advisable especially to exhort the church of
Rome, and the members who dwelt there, where was the seat of power
and civil government, so to behave towards their superiors, that
they might set a good example to the Christians in the several
parts of the empire, and wipe off the aspersion that was cast upon
them, as if they were enemies to magistracy and civil power. By
"the higher powers", he means not angels, sometimes called
principalities and powers; for unto these God hath not put in
subjection his people under the Gospel dispensation; nor
ecclesiastical officers, or those who are in church power and
authority; for they do not bear the temporal sword, nor have any
power to inflict corporeal punishment: but civil magistrates are
intended, see Tit_3:1; and these not only supreme magistrates, as
emperors and kings, but all inferior and subordinate ones, acting
in commission under them, as appears from 1Pe_2:13, which are
called "powers", because they are invested with power and authority
over others, and have a right to exercise it in a proper way, and
in proper cases; and the "higher" or super eminent ones, because
they are set in high places, and have superior dignity and
authority to others. The persons that are to be subject to them are
"every soul"; not that the souls of men, distinct from their
bodies, are under subjection to civil magistrates; for of all
things they have the least to do with them, their power and
jurisdiction not reaching to the souls, the hearts, and consciences
of men, especially in matters of religion, but chiefly to their
bodies, and outward civil concerns of life: but the meaning is,
that every man that has a soul, every rational creature, ought to
be subject to civil government. This is but his reasonable service,
and which he should from his heart, and with all his soul,
cheerfully perform. In short, the sense is, that every man should
be subject: this is an Hebraism, a common way of speaking among the
Jews, who sometimes denominate men from one part, and sometimes
from another; sometimes from the body or flesh, thus "all flesh is
grass", Isa_40:6, that is, all men are frail; and sometimes front
the soul, "all souls are mine", Eze_18:4, all belong to me; as
here, "every soul", that is, every man, all the individuals of
mankind, of whatsoever sex, age, state, or condition, ecclesiastics
not excepted: the pope, and his clergy, are not exempted from civil
jurisdiction; nor any of the true ministers of the Gospel; the
priests under the law were under the civil government; and so was
Christ himself, and his apostles, who paid tribute to Caesar; yea,
even Peter particularly, whose successor the pope of Rome pretends
to be. "Subjection" to the civil magistrates designs and includes
all duties relative to them; such as showing them respect, honour,
and reverence suitable to their stations; speaking well of them,
and
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their administration; using them with candour, not bearing hard
upon them for little matters, and allowing for ignorance of the
secret springs of many of their actions and conduct, which if known
might greatly justify them; wishing well to them, and praying
constantly, earnestly, and heartily for them; observing their laws
and injunctions; obeying their lawful commands, which do not
contradict the laws of God, nature, and right reason; and paying
them their just dues and lawful tribute, to support them in their
office and dignity:
for there is no power but of God; God is the fountain of all
power and authority; the streams of power among creatures flow from
him; the power that man has over all the creatures, the fowls of
the air, the beasts of the field, and the fishes of the sea, is
originally of God, and by a grant from him; the lesser powers, and
the exercises of them, in the various relations men stand in to one
another, are of God, as the power the husband has over the wife,
parents over their children, and masters over their servants; and
so the higher power that princes have over their subjects: for it
is the God of heaven that sets up kings, as well as pulls them
down; he is the King of kings, from whom they derive their power
and authority, from whom they have the right of government, and all
the qualifications for it; it is by him that kings reign, and
princes decree justice.
The powers that be are ordained of God. The order of magistracy
is of God; it is of his ordination and appointment, and of his
ordering, disposing, and fixing in its proper bounds and limits.
The several forms of government are of human will and pleasure; but
government itself is an order of God. There may be men in power who
assume it of themselves, and are of themselves, and not of God; and
others that abuse the power that is lodged in them; who, though
they are by divine permission, yet not of God's approbation and
good will. And it is observable, that the apostle speaks of powers,
and not persons, at least, not of persons, but under the name of
powers, to show that he means not this, or the other particular
prince or magistrate, but the thing itself, the office and dignity
of magistracy itself; for there may be some persons, who may of
themselves usurp this office, or exercise it in a very illegal way,
who are not of God, nor to be subject to by men. The apostle here
both uses the language, and speaks the sentiments of his countrymen
the Jews, who are wont to call magistrates, "powers"; hence those
sayings were used among them; says Shemaiah (t),
"twvrl edwtt la, "be not too familiar with the power".''
that is, with a magistrate, which oftentimes is dangerous.
Again,
"says (u) Rabban Gamaliel, , "take heed of the power" (i.e. of
magistrates), for they do not suffer a man to come near them, but
in necessity, and then they appear as friends for their own
advantage, but will not stand by a man in the time of
distress.''
Moreover, after this manner they explain (w) Pro_5:8,
""remove thy way far from her", this is heresy; "and come not
nigh the door of her
house", , "this is the power". The gloss on it is, magistrates,
because they set their eyes upon rich men to kill them, and take
away their substance.''
And a little after it is observed,
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""the horse leech hath two daughters, crying, give, give",
Pro_30:15, it is asked, what is the meaning of give, give? Says Mar
Ukba, there are two daughters which cry out of hell,
and say in this world, give, give, and they are heresy, , "and
the civil power".''
The gloss on this place is,
"Heresy cries, bring a sacrifice to the idol; "Civil Power"
cries, bring money, and gifts, and revenues, and tribute to the
king.''
Nevertheless, they look upon civil government to be of divine
appointment. They say (x), that
"no man is made a governor below, except they proclaim him
above;''
i.e. unless he is ordained of God: yea, they allow (y) the Roman
empire to be of God, than which no government was more disagreeable
to them.
"When R. Jose ben Kisma was sick, R. Chanina ben Tradion went to
visit him; he said unto him, Chanina, my brother, my brother,
knowest thou not that this nation, (the
Romans) , "have received their empire" from God? for it hath
laid waste his house, and hath burnt his temple, and has slain his
saints, and destroyed his good men, and yet it endures.''
Nay, they frequently affirm (z), that the meanest office of
power among men was of divine appointment. This is the apostle's
first argument for subjection to the civil magistrate.
HERY, "We are here taught how to conduct ourselves towards
magistrates, and those that are in authority over us, called here
the higher powers, intimating their authority (they are powers),
and their dignity (they are higher powers), including not only the
king as supreme, but all inferior magistrates under him: and yet it
is expressed, not by the persons that are in that power, but the
place of power itself, in which they are. However the persons
themselves may be wicked, and of those vile persons whom the
citizen of Zion contemneth (Psa_15:4), yet the just power which
they have must be submitted to and obeyed. The apostle had taught
us, in the foregoing chapter, not to avenge ourselves, nor to
recompense evil for evil; but, lest it should seem as if this did
cancel the ordinance of a civil magistracy among Christians, he
takes occasion to assert the necessity of it, and of the due
infliction of punishment upon evil doers, however it may look like
recompensing evil for evil. Observe,
I. The duty enjoined: Let every soul be subject. Every soul -
every person, one as well as another, not excluding the clergy, who
call themselves spiritual persons, however the church of Rome may
not only exempt such from subjection to the civil powers, but place
them in authority above them, making the greatest princes subject
to the pope, who thus exalteth himself above all that is called
God. - Every soul. Not that our consciences are to be subjected to
the will of any man. It is God's prerogative to make laws
immediately to bind conscience, and we must render to God the
things that are God's. But it intimates that our subjection must be
free and voluntary, sincere and hearty. Curse not the king, no, not
in thy thought, Ecc_10:20. To compass and imagine are treason
begun. The subjection of soul here required includes inward honour
(1Pe_2:17) and outward
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reverence and respect, both in speaking to them and in speaking
of them - obedience to their commands in things lawful and honest,
and in other things a patient subjection to the penalty without
resistance - a conformity in every thing to the place and duty of
subjects, bringing our minds to the relation and condition, and the
inferiority and subordination of it. They are higher powers; be
content they should be so, and submit to them accordingly. Now
there was good reason for the pressing of this duty of subjection
to civil magistrates, 1. Because of the reproach which the
Christian religion lay under in the world, as an enemy to public
peace, order, and government, as a sect that turned the world
upside down, and the embracers of it as enemies to Caesar, and the
more because the leaders were Galileans - an old slander. Jerusalem
was represented as a rebellious city, hurtful to kings and
provinces, Ezr_4:15, Ezr_4:16. Our Lord Jesus was so reproached,
though he told them his kingdom was not of this world: no marvel,
then, if his followers have been loaded in all ages with the like
calumnies, called factious, seditious, and turbulent, and looked
upon as the troublers of the land, their enemies having found such
representations needful for the justifying of their barbarous rage
against them. The apostle therefore, for the obviating of this
reproach and the clearing of Christianity from it, shows that
obedience to civil magistrates is one of the laws of Christ, whose
religion helps to make people good subjects; and it was very unjust
to charge upon Christianity that faction and rebellion to which its
principles and rules are so directly contrary. 2. Because of the
temptation which the Christians lay under to be otherwise affected
to civil magistrates, some of them being originally Jews, and so
leavened with a principle that it was unmeet for any of the seed of
Abraham to be subject to one of another nation - their king must be
of their brethren, Deu_17:15. Besides, Paul had taught them that
they were not under the law, they were made free by Christ. Lest
this liberty should be turned into licentiousness, and misconstrued
to countenance faction and rebellion, the apostle enjoins obedience
to civil government, which was the more necessary to be pressed now
because the magistrates were heathens and unbelievers, which yet
did not destroy their civil power and authority. Besides, the civil
powers were persecuting powers; the body of the law was against
them.
II. The reasons to enforce this duty. Why must we be
subject?
1. For wrath's sake. Because of the danger we run ourselves into
by resistance. Magistrates bear the sword, and to oppose them is to
hazard all that is dear to us in this world; for it is to no
purpose to contend with him that bears the sword. The Christians
were then in those persecuting times obnoxious to the sword of the
magistrate for their religion, and they needed not make themselves
more obnoxious by their rebellion. The least show of resistance or
sedition in a Christian would soon be aggravated and improved, and
would be very prejudicial to the whole society; and therefore they
had more need than others to be exact in their subjection, that
those who had so much occasion against them in the matter of their
God might have no other occasion. To this head must that argument
be referred (Rom_13:2), Those that resist shall receive to
themselves damnation: krimalpsontai, they shall be called to an
account for it. God will reckon with them for it, because the
resistance reflects upon him. The magistrates will reckon with them
for it. They will come under the lash of the law, and will find the
higher powers too high to be trampled upon, all civil governments
being justly strict and severe against treason and rebellion; so it
follows (Rom_13:3), Rulers are a terror. This is a good argument,
but it is low for a Christian.
2. We must be subject, not only for wrath, but for conscience'
sake; not so much formidine poenae - from the fear of punishment,
as virtutis amore - from the love of virtue. This makes common
civil offices acceptable to God, when they are done for conscience'
sake, with an eye to God, to his providence putting us into such
relations,
-
and to his precept making subjection the duty of those
relations. Thus the same thing may be done from a very different
principle. Now to oblige conscience to this subjection he argues,
Rom_13:1-4, Rom_13:6,
(1.) From the institution of magistracy: There is no power but
of God. God as the ruler and governor of the world hath appointed
the ordinance of magistracy, so that all civil power is derived
from him as from its original, and he hath by his providence put
the administration into those hands, whatever they are that have
it. By him kings reign, Pro_8:15. The usurpation of power and the
abuse of power are not of God, for he is not the author of sin; but
the power itself is. As our natural powers, though often abused and
made instruments of sin, are from God's creating power, so civil
powers are from God's governing power. The most unjust and
oppressive princes in the world have no power but what is given
them from above (Joh_19:11), the divine providence being in a
special manner conversant about those changes and revolutions of
governments which have such an influence upon states and kingdoms,
and such a multitude of particular persons and smaller communities.
Or, it may be meant of government in general: it is an instance of
God's wisdom, power, and goodness, in the management of mankind,
that he has disposed them into such a state as distinguishes
between governors and governed, and has not left them like the
fishes of the sea, where the greater devour the less. He did herein
consult the benefit of his creatures. - The powers that be:
whatever the particular form and method of government are - whether
by monarchy, aristocracy, or democracy -wherever the governing
power is lodged, it is an ordinance of God, and it is to be
received and submitted to accordingly; though immediately an
ordinance of man (1Pe_
2:13), yet originally an ordinance of God. - Ordained of God -
tetagmenai, a military word, signifying not only the ordination of
magistrates, but the subordination of inferior magistrates to the
supreme, as in an army; for among magistrates there is a diversity
of gifts, and trusts, and services. Hence it follows (Rom_13:2)
that whosoever resisteth the power resisteth the ordinance of God.
There are other things from God that are the greatest calamities;
but magistracy is from God as an ordinance, that is, it is a great
law, and it is a great blessing: so that the children of Belial,
that will not endure the yoke of government, will be found breaking
a law and despising a blessing. Magistrates are therefore called
gods (Psa_82:6), because they bear the image of God's authority.
And those who spurn at their power reflect upon God himself. This
is not at all applicable to the particular rights of kings and
kingdoms, and the branches of their constitution; nor can any
certain rule be fetched from this for the modelling of the original
contracts between the governors and governed; but it is intended
for direction to private persons in their private capacity, to
behave themselves quietly and peaceably in the sphere in which God
has set them, with a due regard to the civil powers which God in
his providence has set over them, 1Ti_2:1, 1Ti_2:2. Magistrates are
here again and again called God's ministers. he is the minister of
God, Rom_13:4, Rom_13:6. Magistrates are in a more peculiar manner
God's servants; the dignity they have calls for duty. Though they
are lords to us, they are servants to God, have work to do for him,
and an account to render to him. In the administration of public
justice, the determining of quarrels, the protecting of the
innocent, the righting of the wronged, the punishing of offenders,
and the preserving of national peace and order, that every man may
not do what is right in his own eyes - in these things it is that
magistrates act as God's ministers. As the killing of an inferior
magistrate, while he is actually doing his duty, is accounted
treason against the prince, so the resisting of any magistrates in
the discharge of these duties of their place is the resisting of an
ordinance of God.
(2.) From the intention of magistracy: Rulers are not a terror
to good works, but to the evil, etc. Magistracy was designed to
be,
-
[1.] A terror to evil works and evil workers. They bear the
sword; not only the sword of war, but the sword of justice. They
are heirs of restraint, to put offenders to shame; Laish wanted
such, Jdg_18:7. Such is the power of sin and corruption that many
will not be restrained from the greatest enormities, and such as
are most pernicious to human society, by any regard to the law of
God and nature or the wrath to come; but only by the fear of
temporal punishments, which the wilfulness and perverseness of
degenerate mankind have made necessary. Hence it appears that laws
with penalties for the lawless and disobedient (1Ti_1:9) must be
constituted in Christian nations, and are agreeable with, and not
contradictory to, the gospel. When men are become such beasts, such
ravenous beasts, one to another, they must be dealt with
accordingly, taken and destroyed in terrorem - to deter others. The
horse and the mule must thus be held in with bit and bridle. In
this work the magistrate is the minister of God, Rom_13:4. He acts
as God's agent, to whom vengeance belongs; and therefore must take
heed of infusing into his judgments any private personal
resentments of his own. - To execute wrath upon him that doeth
evil. In this the judicial processes of the most vigilant faithful
magistrates, though some faint resemblance and prelude of the
judgments of the great day, yet come far short of the judgment of
God: they reach only to the evil act, can execute wrath only on him
that doeth evil: but God's judgment extends to the evil thought,
and is a discerner of the intents of the heart. -He beareth not the
sword in vain. It is not for nothing that God hath put such a power
into the magistrate's hand; but it is intended for the restraining
and suppressing of disorders. And therefore, If thou do that which
is evil, which falls under the cognizance and censure of the civil
magistrate, be afraid; for civil powers have quick eyes and long
arms. It is a good thing when the punishment of malefactors is
managed as an ordinance of God, instituted and appointed by him.
First, As a holy God, that hates sin, against which, as it appears
and puts up its head, a public testimony is thus borne. Secondly,
As King of nations, and the God of peace and order, which are
hereby preserved. Thirdly, As the protector of the good, whose
persons, families, estates, and names, are by this means hedged
about. Fourthly,As one that desires not the eternal ruin of
sinners, but by the punishment of some would terrify others, and so
prevent the like wickedness, that others may hear and fear, and do
no more presumptuously. Nay, it is intended for a kindness to those
that are punished, that by the destruction of the flesh the spirit
may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.
JAMISO, "Rom_13:1-14. Same subject continued - Political and
social relations -Motives.
Let every soul every man of you
be subject unto the higher powers or, submit himself to the
authorities that are above him.
For there is no power no authority
but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God have been
ordained of God.
HODGE, "Let every soul be subject to the higher powers. The
expression every soul is often used as equivalent to every one; it
is at times, however, emphatic, and such is probably the case in
this passage. By higher powers are most commonly and naturally
understood those in authority, without reference to their grade of
office, or their character. We are to be subject not only to the
supreme magistrates, but to all who have authority over us. The
abstract word powers or authorities ( ) is used for those who are
invested with power, Luke 12:11; Ephesians 1:21; Ephesians 3:10,
etc. etc. The word ( ) rendered higher, is applied to any one who,
in dignity and authority,
-
excels us. In 1 Peter 2:13, it is applied to the king as
supreme, i.e. superior to all other magistrates. But here one class
of magistrates is not brought into comparison with another, but
they are spoken of as being over other men who are not in office.
It is a very unnatural interpretation which makes this word refer
to the character of the magistrates, as though the sense were, Be
subject to good magistrates.' This is contrary to the usage of the
term, and inconsistent with the context. Obedience is not enjoined
on the ground of the personal merit of those in authority, but on
the ground of their official station.
There was peculiar necessity, during the apostolic age, for
inculcating the duty of obedience to civil magistrates. This
necessity arose in part from the fact that a large portion of the
converts to Christianity had been Jews, and were peculiarly
indisposed to submit to the heathen authorities. This indisposition
(as far as it was peculiar) arose from the prevailing impression
among them, that this subjection was unlawful, or at least highly
derogatory to their character as the people of God, who had so long
lived under a theocracy. In Deuteronomy 17:15, it is said, "Thou
shalt in any wise set him king over thee, whom the Lord thy God
shall choose; one from among thy brethren shalt thou set king over
thee; thou mayest not set a stranger over thee, which is not thy
brother." It was a question, therefore, constantly agitated among
them, "Is it lawful to pay tribute unto Caesar, or not?" A question
which the great majority were at least secretly inclined to answer
in the negative. Another source of the restlessness of the Jews
under a foreign yoke, was the idea which they entertained of the
nature of the Messiah's kingdom. As they expected a temporal
Prince, whose kingdom should be of this world, they were ready to
rise in rebellion at the call of every one who cried, "I am
Christ." The history of the Jews at this period shows how great was
the effect produced by these and similar causes on their feelings
towards the Roman government. They were continually breaking out
into tumults, which led to their expulsion from Rome,68 and,
finally, to the utter destruction of Jerusalem. It is therefore not
a matter of surprise, that converts from among such a people should
need the injunction, "Be subject to the higher powers." Besides the
effect of their previous opinions and feelings, there is something
in the character of Christianity itself, and in the incidental
results of the excitement which it occasions, to ACCOUNT for the
repugnance of many of the early Christians to submit to their civil
rulers. They wrested, no doubt, the doctrine of Christian liberty,
as they did other doctrines, to suit their own inclinations. This
result, however, is to be attributed not to religion, but to the
improper feelings of those into whose minds the form of truth,
without its full power, had been received.
For there is no power but of God; and the powers that be are
ordained of God. . This is a very comprehensive proposition. All
authority is of God. No man has any rightful power over other men,
which is not derived from God. All human power is delegated and
ministerial. This is true of parents, of magistrates, and of church
officers. This, however, is not all the passage means. It not only
asserts that all government ( , authority) is ( ) derived from God,
but that every magistrate is of God; that is, his authority is jure
divino. The word is evidently, in this connection, used in a
concrete sense. This is plain from the use of the word in the other
clauses of the verse. "The higher powers," and "the powers that
be," are concrete terms, meaning those invested with power. Compare
Romans 13:3, Romans 13:4, where "rulers" and "ministers" are
substituted for the abstract "powers." The doctrine here taught is
the ground of the injunction contained in the first clause of the
verse. We are to obey magistrates, because they derive their
authority from God. Not only is human government a divine
institution, but the form in which that government exists, and the
persons by whom its functions are exercised, are determined by his
providence. All magistrates of whatever grade are to be regarded as
acting by divine appointment; not
-
that God designates the individuals, but it being his will that
there should be magistrates, every person, who is in point of fact
clothed with authority, is to be regarded as having a claim to
obedience, founded on the will of God. In like manner, the
authority of parents over their children, of husbands over their
wives, of masters over their servants, is of God's ordination.
There is no limitation to the injunction in this verse, so far as
the objects of obedience are concerned, although there is as to the
extent of the obedience itself. That is, we are to obey all that is
in actual authority over us, whether their authority be legitimate
or usurped, whether they are just or unjust. The actual reigning
emperor was to be obeyed by the Roman Christians, whatever they
might think as to his title to the sceptre. But if he transcended
his authority, and required them to worship idols, they were to
obey God rather than man. This is the limitation to all human
authority. Whenever obedience to man is inconsistent with obedience
to God, then disobedience becomes a duty.
CALVI, "1.Let every soul, (399) etc. Inasmuch as he so carefully
handles this subject in connection with what forms the Christian
life, it appears that he was constrained to do so by some great
necessity which existed especially in that age, though the
preaching of the gospel at all times renders this necessary. There
are indeed always some tumultuous spirits who believe that the
kingdom of Christ cannot be sufficiently elevated, unless all
earthly powers be abolished, and that they cannot enjoy the liberty
given by him, except they shake off every yoke of human subjection.
This error, however, possessed the minds of the Jews above all
others; for it seemed to them disgraceful that the offspring of
Abraham, whose kingdom flourished before the Redeemer coming,
should now, after his appearance, continue in submission to another
power. There was also another thing which alienated the Jews no
less than the Gentiles from their rulers, because they all not only
hated piety, but also persecuted religion with the most hostile
feelings. Hence it seemed unreasonable to acknowledge them for
legitimate princes and rulers, who were attempting to take away the
kingdom from Christ, the only Lord of heaven and earth.
COFFMA, "The great need of Paul's revelation of the proper
Christian attitude toward the secular state derived from a number
of very important considerations. The whole Jewish nation groaned
under the yoke of Roman tyranny, longed to escape it, and had
participated in a number of bloody insurrections against Roman
authority. Barabbas, who had come into conspicuous view at the time
of Jesus' crucifixion, was a revolutionary, many others having
preceded him. Further, at the very moment Paul was writing Romans,
practically the whole Jewish nation was preparing its final
insurrection which was destined to culminate only a few years later
(70 A.D.) in the destruction of Jerusalem by Vespasian and Titus.
The widespread Jewish attitude toward Rome was well known in Paul's
day, and there can be little doubt that practically all of the
Christians sympathized with it and were strongly tempted to aid the
Jewish cause. To all such persons, the question of submission to a
government like Rome Was the most burning question of the day.
-
Furthermore, the Christians themselves were widely regarded as a
Jewish sect, were known to acknowledge supreme allegiance to the
Messiah, and were easily confused with the extreme nationalistic
movement among the Jews. Paul himself was mistaken for the leader
of an insurrection by the military tribune himself (Acts 21:38);
and thus, it was extremely important that Christian behavior should
conform to a strict pattern of respect and submission to the lawful
government. Otherwise, the whole Christian movement might have been
swallowed up in the overwhelming destruction of Israel, then
impending, and so soon to be accomplished.
Also, there were certain Christian practices which might have
led them easily to despise the state. In all legal and disputes,
Christians were encouraged to bypass the pagan courts of justice
and settle, as far as possible, all such questions among themselves
(1 Corinthians 6:1ff). They did not participate in the public
festivals and ceremonies given over to the deification of the
emperor, and might, therefore, have been suspect as enemies of the
government. Even beyond all this was the evil nature of the Roman
government itself, enjoying at the moment the relative tranquillity
of the quinquennium of ero, but despite that, almost UIVERSALLY
hated for its pitiless institutions of imperial power. To the
gentle, Spirit-filled Christian, Rome must certainly have appeared
to be the seat of Satan himself, an impression that would have been
"proved" in their view by the murders and debaucheries which
occurred so soon thereafter, drowning ero's administration in blood
and shame.
It is such a background, therefore, which dramatizes Paul's
instructions to Christians in this thirteenth chapter. Some have
expressed wonder at Paul's sandwiching such commandments as these
in between two tender and beautiful admonitions on love; but Paul
knew what he was doing, and did it in such a manner that none could
mistake his intention or misunderstand his commands. The
"beseeching" attitude of the previous chapter gives way in this one
to the majestic authority of the apostolic command which seems to
say, "Make no mistake about it; this is an order!"
Let every soul be in subjection to the higher powers: for there
is no power but of God; and the powers that be are ordained of God.
(Romans 13:1)
The state itself, no less than God's church, is a divine
institution, existing by God's permission and authority, and
absolutely necessary for the COTIUITY of the race of people upon
the earth; and it is the unqualified duty of the Christian to
submit to it, except in whose situations where doing so would break
the
-
commandments of God. This cannot mean that the shameful deeds,
of evil rulers are ever in any manner approved of God. It is not
any particular implementation of the state's authority which is
"ordained of God," but the existence of such an authority. Without
such constituted authority, the whole world would sink in me chaos
and ruin. Unbridled human nature is a savage beast that lies
restless, and uneasy under the restraint imposed by the state,
being ever ready, at the slightest opportunity, to break its chains
and ravage the world with blood and terror.
Civilization itself is but the ice formed in process of ages
over the turbulent stream of unbridled human passions. To our
ancestors, that ice seemed SECURE and permanent; but, during the
agony of the great war, it has rotted and cracked; and in places
the submerged torrent has broken through, casting great fragments
of our civilization into collision with one another, and
threatening by their attrition to break up and disappear
altogether.[1]
Thus, Stanley Baldwin described the disastrous effects which
always accompany the dissolution of states and the breakdown of
authority. Paul's revelation that the state is "ordained of God"
and an effective instrument of the holy will is not a new doctrine
invented by him to ease the Christian community through a difficult
political period, but it is essential element of Jesus' teachings.
In this connection, a little further attention to Christ's
teachings in this sector is helpful.
CHRIST AD THE STATE
Jesus said, "My kingdom is not of this world" (John 18:36). His
kingdom lies, for the most part, within a sector totally removed
and separated from the secular state, that institution being also
"ordained of God" but charged with a different function, that of
preserving order upon earth. Christ himself honored God's ordained
institution, the state, ordered the payment of TAXES to Caesar
(Matthew 22:21), declared that the authority of the procurator,
Pontius Pilate, was given to him "from above" (John 19:11),
prophetically identified the armies of Vespasian and Titus as those
of God himself sent for the purpose of destroying those evil men
and burning their city, the city of Jerusalem (Matthew 22:7),
submitted to arrest, even illegal and unjust arrest (Matthew
26:47-56), refused to allow Peter to defend with the sword against
such an outrage, and meekly accepted the death penalty itself,
which the state unjustly exacted, and which Christ had ample means
of avoiding (Matthew 26:53), but did not.
Christ never led a riot, organized an underground, criticized
the government, or took the part of the Jews against Rome. He did
not offer himself as an advocate against society on behalf of any
so-called victim of social injustice; and, once, he
-
even refused to aid a man who claimed that he had been robbed of
his inheritance (Luke 12:13). Jesus Christ was not a revolutionary
in any sense of that word today. Although it is true that his holy
teachings had the profoundest influence upon the course of history,
it was always as leaven and not as dynamite that his influence
worked.
Some of Jesus' parables had as their significant and active
premises the institutions of government, as exemplified by the
"king" who stood for God (Matthew 22:2), the legal contract of the
householder who let out his vineyard, and even the "unrighteous
judge" who granted the plea of the importunate widow, his
unrighteousness in no way preventing his appearance in the parable
as analogous with God! Had the state and its institutions been
otherwise than "ordained of God," it is unthinkable that Christ
would have borrowed such illustrations and made them analogies for
the conveyance of eternal truth. Christ's usage of such terms as
the officer, the judge, and the prison, in the Sermon on the Mount
(Matthew 5:25) also fits this conclusion.
All of the apostles understood and reiterated' Jesus' teaching
in this field. Both Paul (here) and Peter (1 Peter 2:13-17)
emphatically underscored this teaching. ot merely those laws of the
state conceived of as "just laws" are to be obeyed; but, as Peter
said, "every ordinance of man" was to be obeyed. In the ew
Testament, there was never any hint of Christians organizing any
kind of campaign to change or nullify laws. That some laws were
unjust was clear to all; but Paul sent a runaway slave back to his
Christian master (Philemon 1:1:17), and provided specific
instructions to both masters and slaves in his epistles to Ephesus
and Colossae.
There is no suggestion here that the evil laws of Rome may be
justified, nor the evil laws of any other state; but, in the light
of Christian acceptance of such laws under the direct guidance of
Christ and the apostles, the conclusion is demanded that the
constituted government must be viewed as "ordained of God" and
entitled to Christian obedience. Over and above all this, there
stands the commandment of the apostles that the public prayers of
Christians should constantly be directed to God upon the behalf of
the state and its lawful representatives, on behalf of "kings and
all that are in high place" (1 Timothy 2:1,2), to the intent that
Christians might be permitted to "lead a tranquil life in all
godliness and gravity," thus, by implication, making the provision
of such privilege for Christians being the state's intended
function.
To those persons, present in every age, who reject the meek and
submissive attitude of Christ regarding earthly governments, and
prefer instead the belligerent posture of the aggressive
revolutionary, it should be pointed out that this is not a new
-
attitude but an old and discredited one. It existed
contemporaneously with Christ and the apostles. The Jewish people
preferred Barabbas the seditionist to the gentle Jesus; but it must
be added that when they finally got the revolution they wanted, it
terminated in a situation far worse than what existed previously.
The tragic results of taking the route of Barabbas, instead of the
way of Christ, may serve as a classical example of the superiority
of Jesus' way. In our own beloved America today, those people who
are flirting with revolutionary schemes, if they should ever have
their way, shall certainly overwhelm themselves and their posterity
with sorrows, and far from attaining any worthy goals, will reap a
gory harvest of tragedy and disappointment.
Then, may it never be overlooked that the established order in
the civilized world, in spite of its deficiency, despite the
inequalities and injustices, despite its halting and stumbling, is
still far better than anarchy; and that, even if some complete
overthrow of established institutions should occur, the new order,
judged in the light of what history invariably discloses, would be
no better than the old and would probably be much worse, especially
when contrasted with the magnificent and benevolent policies
already existing in our own beloved United States.
To that affluent host of Christians in present-day America, let
it be thundered that they must not now allow the submerged torrent
of blood, lust, and anarchy to break through. This may be prevented
by their love, support, honor, and prayers for the present
government, and by the necessity of their voting in a manner
consistent with their prayers, to the end that the government may
be able to survive the assaults being made upon it by forces of
evil; and may their diligence in this be stimulated by the thought
that if a breakthrough against the government succeeds, none will
survive it, least of all, those who sought the tranquil life as God
directed.
Present-day Christians are the privileged heirs of the greatest
earthly inheritance ever known in the history of the world, a fact
that angers Satan. Don't throw it away, or allow some revolutionary
to rape you intellectually and rob you of it. And if, through
indifference or tacit support, you should ever contribute to the
overthrow of present institutions, and if you should live for a
single day without the legacy you now hold in your hands, an ocean
of tears could not ease your heartbreak or give you another
inheritance like the one in which you now stand SECURE. Keep it! We
currently pass through an era that glorifies the extremist; the
seductive voices of the far left are calling; stop your ears and
bind yourselves to the mast, like the sailors of Ulysses. Death and
destruction shall reward you if you turn your back upon the
teachings of the Saviour and cast in your destiny with the
seditionists. The Marxists, revolutionaries, Rousseauists, and
screaming agitators are not the friends of the people but enemies.
To trust them is to have your throats cut and to lose your souls
also.
-
Take up the whole armour of God that ye may be able to stand
against all the fiery darts of the evil one, and having done all,
STAD (Ephesians 6:13f).
Reject every form of extremism, and heed the apostolic
injunction to "Let your moderation be known unto all men"
(Philippians 4:5).
Implications of the Christian attitude toward the state are
far-reaching and include the deduction that Christians may serve in
military or political capacity, vote, and engage freely in the
participation allowed and encouraged by the state itself, the only
restriction being that conscience, being under God above all,
should not be defiled. It is a comment upon the extreme worthiness
of our own government, as compared to other worldly states, that
many Christians do share in the management of its institutions and
hold offices of public trust, the nation being far better off for
the presence of such citizens within the structure of its political
and institutions.
EDOTE:
[1] Sir Stanley Baldwin, Address: Truth and Politics, delivered
at Edinburgh UIVERSITY, ovember 6,1925. Modern ESSAYS of Various
Types (ew York: Charles E. Merrill Company, 1927), p. 213.
By these reasons, as it is probable, Paul was induced to
establish, with greater care than usual, the authority of
magistrates, and first he lays down a general precept, which
briefly includes what he afterwards says: secondly, he subjoins an
exposition and a proof of his precept.
He calls them the higher powers, (400) not the supreme, who
possess the chief authority, but such as excel other men.
Magistrates are then thus called with regard to their subjects, and
not as compared with each other. And it seems indeed to me, that
the Apostle intended by this word to take away the frivolous
curiosity of men, who are wont often to inquire by what right they
who rule have obtained their authority; but it ought to be enough
for us, that they do rule; for they have not ascended by their own
power into this high station, but have been placed there by the
Lord hand. And by mentioning every soul, he removes every
exception, lest any one should claim an immunity from the common
duty of obedience. (401)
-
For there is no power, etc. The reason why we ought to be
subject to magistrates is, because they are constituted by God
ordination. For since it pleases God thus to govern the world, he
who attempts to invert the order of God, and thus to resist God
himself, despises his power; since to despise the providence of him
who is the founder of civil power, is to carry on war with him.
Understand further, that powers are from God, not as pestilence,
and famine, and wars, and other visitations for sin, are said to be
from him; but because he has appointed them for the legitimate and
just government of the world. For though tyrannies and unjust
exercise of power, as they are full of disorder, ( )are not an
ordained government; yet the right of government is ordained by God
for the wellbeing of mankind. As it is lawful to repel wars and to
seek remedies for other evils, hence the Apostle commands us
willingly and cheerfully to respect and honor the right and
authority of magistrates, as useful to men: for the punishment
which God inflicts on men for their sins, we cannot properly call
ordinations, but they are the means which he designedly appoints
for the preservation of legitimate order.
(399) Anima , not only the Hebrews, (see Gen_14:21,) but the
Greeks also designate man by this word. Man is sometimes designated
by his immaterial part, soul, and sometimes by his material part,
flesh, or body, as in Rom_12:1. One author says that the word soul
is used here in order to show that the obedience enforced should be
from the soul, not feigned, but sincere and genuine. Let every
soul, that is one, says [Grotius ], apostles, prophets, and
bishops. Ed.
(400) Potestates supereminentes pre-eminent powers. [Hammond ]
renders the words supreme powers, meaning kings, and refers to in
Rom_13:3, as a proof; but this word means magistrates as well as
kings. See Luk_12:58. The ruling power as exercised by those in
authority is evidently what is meant here, without any reference to
any form of government. Of course obedience to kings, or to
emperors, or to any exercising a ruling power, whatever name they
may bear, is included. Ed
(401) [Grotius ] qualifies this obedience by saying, that it
should not extend to what is contrary to the will of God. But it is
remarkable, that often in Scripture things are stated broadly and
without any qualifying terms, and yet they have limits, as it is
clear from other portions. This peculiarity is worthy of notice.
Power is from God, the abuse of power is from what is evil in men.
The Apostle throughout refers only to power justly exercised. He
does not enter into the subject of tyranny and oppression. And this
is probably the reason why he does not set limits to the obedience
required: he contemplated no other than the proper and legitimate
use of
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power. Ed.
BARCLAY, "Rom. 13:1-7Let everyone render due obedience to those
who occupy positions of outstanding authority, for there is no
authority which is not allotted its place by God, for the
authorities which exist have been set in their places by God. So he
who sets himself up against authority has really set himself up
against God's arrangement of things. Those who do set themselves
against authority will receive condemnation upon themselves. For
the man who does good has nothing to fear from rulers, but the man
who does evil has. Do you wish to be free of fear of authority? Do
good and you will enjoy praise from authority, for any servant of
God exists for your good. If you do evil, then you must fear. For
it is not for nothing that the man set in authority bears the
sword, for he is the servant of God, and his function is to vent
wrath and vengeance on the man who does evil. So, then, it is
necessary for you to submit yourself, not because of the wrath, but
for the sake of your own conscience.
For this same reason you must pay your taxes too; for those set
in authority are the servants of God, and continue to work for that
very end. Give to all men what is due to them. Give tribute to
those to whom tribute is due; pay taxes to those to whom taxes are
due. Give fear to those to whom fear is due. Give honour to those
to whom honour is due.
At first reading this is an extremely surprising passage, for it
seems to counsel absolute obedience on the part of the Christian to
the civil power. But, in point of fact, this is a commandment which
runs through the whole ew Testament. In 1Tim. 2:1-2, we read: "I
urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings
be made for all men, for kings and for all who are in high
positions; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life, godly and
respectful in every way." In Tit. 3:1 the advice to the preacher
is: "Remind them to be submissive to rulers and authorities, to be
obedient, to be ready for any honest work." In 1 Pet. 2:13-17 we
read: "Be subject for the Lord's sake to every human institution,
whether it be to the emperor as supreme, or to governors as sent by
him to punish those who do wrong and to praise those who do right.
For it is Gods will that by doing right you should put to silence
the ignorance of foolish men.... Honour all men. Love the
brotherhood. Fear God. Honour the emperor."
We might be tempted to argue that these passages come from a
time when the Roman government had not begun to persecute the
Christians. We know, for instance, in the Book of Acts that
frequently, as Gibbon had it, the tribunal of the pagan magistrate
was often the safest refuge against the fury of the Jewish mob.
Time and again we see Paul receiving protection at the hands of
impartial Roman justice. But the interesting and the significant
thing is that many years, and even centuries later, when
persecution had begun to rage and Christians were regarded
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as outlaws, the Christian leaders were saying exactly the same
thing.
Justin Martyr (Apology 1:17) writes, "Everywhere, we, more
readily than all men, endeavour to pay to those appointed by you
the taxes, both ordinary and extraordinary, as we have been taught
by Jesus. We worship only God, but in other things we will gladly
serve you, acknowledging you as kings and rulers of men, and
praying that, with your kingly power, you may be found to possess
also sound judgment." Athenagoras, pleading for peace for the
Christians, writes (chapter 37): "We deserve favour because we pray
for your government, that you may, as is most equitable, receive
the kingdom, son from father, and that your empire may receive
increase and addition, until all men become subject to your sway."
Tertullian (Apology 30) writes at length: "We offer prayer for the
safety of our princes to the eternal, the true, the living God,
whose favour, beyond all other things, they must themselves
desire.... Without ceasing, for all our emperors we offer prayer.
We pray for life prolonged; for security to the empire; for
protection for the imperial house; for brave armies, a faithful
senate, a virtuous people, the world at rest--whatever, as man or
Caesar, an emperor would wish." He goes on to say that the
Christian cannot but look up to the emperor because he "is called
by our Lord to his office." And he ends by saying that "Caesar is
more ours than yours because our God appointed him." Arnobius (4:
36) declares that in the Christian gatherings "peace and pardon are
asked for all in authority."
It was the consistent and official teaching of the Christian
Church that obedience must be given to, and prayers made for, the
civil power, even when the wielder of that civil power was a
ero.
What is the thought and belief at the back of this?
(i) In Paul's case there was one immediate cause of his
stressing of civil obedience. The Jews were notoriously rebellious.
Palestine, especially Galilee, was constantly seething with
insurrection. Above all there were the Zealots; they were convinced
that there was no king for the Jews but God; and that no tribute
must be paid to anyone except to God. or were they content with
anything like a passive resistance. They believed that God would
not be helping them unless they embarked on violent action to help
themselves. Their aim was to make any civil government impossible.
They were known as the dagger-bearers. They were fanatical
nationalists sworn to terrorist methods. ot only did they use
terrorism towards the Roman government; they also wrecked the
houses and burned the crops and assassinated the families of their
own fellow-Jews who paid tribute to the Roman government.
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In this Paul saw no point at all. It was, in fact, the direct
negation of all Christian conduct. And yet, at least in one part of
the nation, it was normal Jewish conduct. It may well be that Paul
writes here with such inclusive definiteness because he wished to
dissociate Christianity altogether from insurrectionist Judaism,
and to make it clear that Christianity and good citizenship went
necessarily hand in hand.
(ii) But there is more than a merely temporary situation in the
relationship between the Christian and the state. It may well be
true that the circumstances caused by the unrest of the Jews are in
Paul's mind, but there are other things as well. First and
foremost, there is this--no man can entirely dissociate himself
from the society in which he lives and has a part. o man can, in
conscience, opt out of the nation. As a part of it, he enjoys
certain benefits which he could not have as an individual; but he
cannot reasonably claim all the privileges and refuse all the
duties. As he is part of the body of the Church. he is also part of
the body of the nation; there is no such thing in this world as an
isolated individual. A man has a duty to the state and must
discharge it even if a ero is on the throne.
(iii) To the state a man owes protection. It was the Platonic
idea that the state existed for the sake of justice and safety and
secured for a man security against wild beasts and savage men.
"Men," as it has been put, "herded behind a wall that they might be
safe." A state is essentially a body of men who have covenanted
together to maintain certain relationships between each other by
the observance of certain laws. Without these laws and the mutual
agreement to observe them, the bad and selfish strong man would be
supreme; the weaker would go to the wall; life would become ruled
by the law of the jungle. Every ordinary man owes his security to
the state, and is therefore under a responsibility to it.
(iv) To the state ordinary people owe a wide range of services
which individually they could not enjoy. It would be impossible for
every man to have his own water, light, sewage, transport system.
These things are obtainable only when men agree to live together.
And it would be quite wrong for a man to enjoy everything the state
provides and to refuse all responsibility to it. That is one
compelling reason why the Christian is bound in honour to be a good
citizen and to take his part in all the duties of citizenship.
(v) But Paul's main view of the state was that the Roman Empire
was the divinely ordained instrument to save the world from chaos.
Take away that Empire and the world would disintegrate into flying
fragments. It was in fact the pax Romana, the Roman peace, which
gave the Christian missionary the chance to do his work. Ideally
men should be bound together by Christian love; but they are not;
and the
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cement which keeps them together is the state.
Paul saw in the state an instrument in the hand of God,
preserving the world from chaos. Those who administered the state
were playing their part in that great task. Whether they knew it or
not they were doing God's work, and it was the Christian's duty to
help and not to hinder.
BIBLICAL ILLUSTRATOR, "Let every soul be subject unto the higher
powers. For there is no power but of God.
Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers
I. Every soul, or man (Exo_12:4; Gen_46:27).
1. Secular person.
2. Ecclesiastical or religious.
II. The object. The higher powers, or chief magistrates
established in each nation.
1. To see that God be rightly worshipped (2Ch_14:2; 2Ch 14:4;
2Ch 17:6; 2Ch 17:9).
2. To preserve peace (1Ti_2:2; Psa_72:7).
3. To execute justice (Psa_72:2; Rom_13:4).
III. The act. Be subject. We owe them
1. Prayers (1Ti_2:1).
2. Fear (Pro_24:21; 1Pe_2:17).
3. Not to speak evil of him (Ecc_10:20; 2Pe_2:10; Jud_1:8).
4. Dues (Rom_13:7).
5. Subjection and obedience (Tit_3:1).
(1) Otherwise the magistrates power is in vain.
(2) The public good depends upon our obedience.
(3) We are bound to obey for fear (Rom_13:2; Rom 13:5).
(4) For the Lords sake (Rom_13:5).
(5) He that resisteth, resisteth the ordinance of God.
IV. The reason of the command. All power is of God. This
appears
1. From Scripture.
(1) Every power is ordained of God (Rom_13:1-2).
(2) The magistrate is the minister of God, %(Rom_13:4).
(3) By God kings reign (Pro_7:15-16).
(4) They judge under Him (2Ch_19:5-7).
(5) He sets up kings (Dan_2:21; Dan 2:37; Dan 5:21).
(6) God first ordained the power of the sword in the hand of men
(Gen_9:6).
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(7) God gave particular direction for choosing most of the kings
of Israel; as Saul, David, Jehu: and so now.
2. From reason.
(1) He is the first cause of all things (Joh_19:11).
(2) All power depends on Him (Act_17:28).
(3) As the stream from the fountain.
3. All power in men is Gods power in their hands (2Ch_19:6).
4. Power is good and necessary: therefore from God
(Jas_1:17).
5. It is part of the law of nature (Rom_2:14-15). (Bp.
Beveridge.)
Subjection to the higher powers
I. The duty.
1. Respects all legitimately constituted authority.
2. Extends to all persons, without distinction.
3. Requires submission in all matters not affecting
conscience.
II. Its foundation. Power is
1. Derived from God.
2. Is an ordinance of God.
3. Is established by the providence of God. (J. Lyth, D.D.)
Obedience to law
I. Subjection to the higher powers. Not abject subjection to
governments, whatever their character; but intelligent, manly
subordination to a divinely ordered arrangementthe social framework
and the national dominion. Many are the corruptions and oppressions
of rulers and the imperfections and perversions of constitutions.
Nevertheless there is a Divine ordination, as of marriage and home,
so of nationality. Per se, government is essential to the
perfection of human life, and so far as it does not hinder our
obedience to God as the direct Sovereign of our souls, we are
properly obligated to obey it. Divine Providence may have so
ordered our lives that we may be overshadowed by pagan authorities.
While we approve not the perversions of depraved legislatorstheir
intemperance, Sabbath desecration, profanity, luxury and ambitionwe
can, notwithstanding, hold ourselves in dignified yielding to
normal law. When the corruptions or misapplications of government
become glaring and intolerable, the right of revolution is rightly
appealed to, and then may God speed the right.
II. Spiritual authority. Aside from references to political
governments, the whole paragraph may have a truer application to
spiritual authority. Rank pharisaic ecclesiasticism and Papal
domination are extremely abhorrent to every soul whom the truth and
grace of God have made free. But Church officers and institutions
founded on the gospel are the reflex of the Lords own kingdom.
These powers are ordained of Godapostles, deacons, elders; with
regulations for Sabbath observance, public
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worship, evangelistic progress. That one or more persons should,
therefore, in any community decry creeds, church association,
ministerial functions and labours, etc., must be a grievous evil.
Satan can quickly divide and scatter the fold by such disorganisers
and malcontents if the least heed be paid them. At suitable public
anniversaries we should look into the Magna Charta of our Christian
rights and experiences. (Homiletic Monthly.)
The duty and obligations of civil obedience
I. The duty which we owe to civil governors.
1. Submission. This injunction is given to every soul. And with
regard to its extent, Peter says, Submit yourselves to every
ordinance of man. If anything, indeed, were enjoined on us
inconsistent with Gods will, we are to obey God rather than man, as
did the three Hebrew youths, Daniel, and Peter. For the commands of
the greatest potentates in the world are of no weight against the
paramount authority of the King of kings and Lord of lords. When,
however, they are not at variance with the law of God, the
Scriptures expressly enjoin an unreserved obedience.
2. Support (verse 6, 7). Expenses must be incurred, both in
carrying on affairs and in supporting the dignity and remunerating
the labours of the officers of state. Hence there must be taxes,
tribute and custom. Hence all shrinking from bearing our
proportional weight of the public burdens is not only against the
law of the land, but the Word of God. Christ Himself paid taxes
from which He was properly exempt.
3. Respect. Fear to whom fear; honour to whom honour, i.e.,
reverential homage due to kings and principal rulers, and the
respect due to all who are in authority. Here, then, is forbidden
everything that is disrespectful either in manner or language. The
blazoning abroad the faults of our rulers, so as to degrade them in
the eyes of others, is an offence against God. When Korah, etc.,
gathered themselves together against Moses, you know how God
expressed His indignation against these contemners of constituted
authority. The Scriptures regard it as a daring thing to speak evil
of dignities, to despise dominion.
II. The grounds on which our obligation rests.
1. The penalty which those incur who transgress. A law becomes a
dead letter, unless its penalties are enforced: and it is the duty
of such as are in authority to be a terror to evil works, and not
to bear the sword in vain, for they are appointed as the ministers
of God, as revengers to execute wrath on him that doeth evil. Yea,
it is said that they that resist, shall receive to themselves
damnation. We acknowledge this is a low motive. Still, low as it
is, we fear, so great a lack of higher principle prevails amongst
us, that, were it not employed, such a thing as obedience would
hardly be known. Each would be an Ishmael.
2. The advantage we derive from civil government (verses 3, 4).
So appalling is the evil of the want of a regular government, that
the very worst government is better than no government at all (see
Jdg_18:1-31). We have so long enjoyed the blessings of an equitable
government, in which even the king dare not, if he would, invade
the rights of the beggar, and in which every crime is prosecuted,
and, in consequence, we have been so long privileged to sit each
one under his vine and under his fig-tree, none daring to make us
afraid, that we seem almost to forget that we owe this happy
security, not to any improvement in man himself, but to a
well-ordered government.
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It might help us to realise these advantages if we were to
suppose for a time, a suspension of the laws throughout the land;
and that every one was left to follow the full bent of his own
will, without fear.
3. The consideration of the authority wherewith they are
invested (verse 1). This applies to all that hold legitimate
authority. It is not necessary, in order to make any power the
ordinance of God, that it should be nominated by God Himself: as
Moses, and Saul, and David were, for instance. For the apostle is
speaking of the Roman emperors, who were elected by the army. It is
mutual consent and contract that makes two persons man and wife;
and yet matrimony is Gods ordinance; and the subjection under which
the wife is required to be unto her own husband in everything
arises not just from mutual contract, but from Gods appointment.
Again, one becomes master, and another servant, by consent and
covenant: but the masters authority over the servant is derived,
not simply from the covenant entered into, but from the ordinance
of God. Hence, when Israel murmured against Moses and Aaron, Moses
says to them, Your murmurings are not against us, but against the
Lord. And, moreover, when Israel rejected Samuel as their ruler God
regarded it as a rejection of Himself. (J. Sandys, A.M.)
Christian duties towards civil rulers
These duties are enforced on two grounds
I. That they are ordained of God, and therefore ought to be
obeyed as a matter of conscience. This implies
1. That it is according to Gods purpose that society should be
organised into self-governing communities for
(1) Protection against aggressions from without.
(2) For the restraint of wrong-doing and the promotion of
prosperity within.
2. That government must assume some form. The administration
cannot be left to chance. There must be a constitution, clearly
defined, and generally known and approved. The first form of
government was that of the family. But, as families multiplied,
each having a variety of rights, out of which would arise
differences not to be easily settled, some more general form became
necessary. Government by patriarchy having fallen through, many
other forms are possible, and have become actual. Which then is the
one ordained of God? This does not concern the apostle. The general
rule assumed seems to have been that, as every community is likely
to secure for itself that form of government which is best suited
to it, at any period of its development, so that form of government
actually existing is the one which is of Gods ordination for that
people at that time. For the apostle speaks not of what ought to
be, but of the powers that be.
3. That there must be powers, i.e., living persons invested with
both authority and power to administer government, and that to
these the Christian must render conscientious obedience. But it
does not follow that he is to take no part in insisting that the
ruling powers exercise their proper functions legitimately. For the
governors have no more right Divine to do wrong than have those who
are governed. Only this was a matter in which Christians had at
that time no special concern, and in respect to which it was no
part of the apostles purpose to give instructions.
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4. That, whatever the form of government, the real Divine
purpose is for the punishment of evildoers, and for the good of
them that do well. The government is made for the people, and not
the people for the government. To the masses it matters little what
form of government obtains, but it matters much indeed whether the
government rules according to wise or unwise principles. Yet, after
all, any government at all is better than none, and none is
possible if no obedience is to be secured.
5. That each ought to be subject and to render respectful
obedience out of conscience towards God. Of course, there are
limits to obedience (Act_4:17-19). When Rome required of the
Christians to render homage to an idol, they were under imperative
obligation not to obey. And so, while it is incumbent upon every
one to render to all officials their due, we are not bound in
conscience to render that which is not due. If any state
functionary should oppressively demand illegal taxes or service for
illegal purposes, the duty of obedience has no place. If, indeed,
the service is not in itself immoral, it may be found to be a
matter of prudence to submit; but a man is not morally bound
thereto: his conscience leaves him free to refuse. But, with such
obvious exceptions, the duty of submission is universal.
II. That they have the right power, and will to punish those who
disobey. Obedient subjects have nothing to fear. The magistrate is
the minister of God to them for good; and those who do good shall
have protection and praise of the same. But he has been entrusted
also with the sword, the right and power to punish, even unto
death, those who disobey. That this motive of fear should be urged
appears somewhat strange. Any who were disposed to refuse obedience
must have known that they did it at the risk of punishment. But
some may have been fanatic enough to persuade themselves that a
heathen power could have no moral right to enforce obedience, and
that God would hold them harmless for their disobedience. Such are
reminded that God, under whom these very rulers were marshalled,
was on their side, and would sustain them in the enforcement of
subjection and obedience. Therefore, if you cannot be moved to
obedience on any higher ground, yet do learn obedience through
fear. Even of the wrath of God, who will sustain by His almighty
arm the just authority of these powers which are of His own
ordination and appointment. (W. Tyson.)
The Christian view of the State
What has our religion to say to our patriotism? What is the
final meaning of our relation to the State under which we live?
I. To begin with, the Bible teaches us to take a far higher view
of the nation than any we are accustomed to hear. In Gods Word, the
State is not a mere machine for keeping order and peace. The nation
is not profane, but sacred; not secular, but Divine. The government
derives its sanctions not merely from expedience or convenience,
but from the appointment of God. You know how elaborately this idea
is wrought out in the Old Testament. Jehovah is the actual, almost
visible King of the Hebrew commonwealth. He establishes His
covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He it is that leads the
nation out of bondage into freedom. No matter who sits upon the
throne, at Jerusalem, or in Samaria, whether it be David or Saul,
an Ahab or a Hezekiah, still Jehovah is their true King. From Him
cometh promotion; in His name prophets speak; by Him princes rule,
and kings decree judgment. But some one says, all this may be true
of Israel. It is easy enough to see Gods hand there. But here is
our new nineteenth century, where nothing is sacred, how shall we
recognise the Divine? In authorities, chosen as ours are, out
of
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the seething cauldron of our practical politics, how can we feel
that the powers that be are ordained of God? The man who does not
see Gods hand in our nations past history has read its records to
very small purpose. Upon every shining page rests the finger of God
as t