The Epistle to the Romans
Lesson 21
God’s Righteousness Applied

Reading Assignment: Romans 13

Introduction
We are still discussing righteousness. Not imputed righteousness. We have that in Christ by the gift and grace of God (1 Corinthians 1:30; Romans 3:21-22). Here, as in Chapter 12 and in the balance of the Epistle, Paul is presenting righteousness in its practical applications.

Doctrine is of little value until it is experienced in your heart and demonstrated in and through your life.

In this lesson, you will see righteousness applied in the Christian’s attitude toward and responsibility to human government. While the exhortations in this chapter may not all be easy to accept or understand in some existing situations, we shall endeavor to show you the truth and the will of God for Christians everywhere.

Importance of this Lesson

• Perhaps the most important phrase is for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law. Romans13 is not limited to instruction regarding responsibility to existing governments. Verses 8-10 command and define love and verses 11-14 plead with us to prepare for the coming of Christ.
• It is important to remember that if we love mankind, we will abide by the laws of God and man. If we love Christ, we will prepare for His return.

Include this form on your page

The Lesson

Outline:

1. The Christian’s Obligation – Romans 13:1-7
2. The Christian’s Means of Application – Romans 13:8-10
3. The Christian’s Motivation – Romans 13:11-14

I. THE CHRISTIAN’S OBLIGATION – Romans 13:1-7

1. Verse 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.
   1. It was essential for Paul to clarify our duty as Christians toward human government.
      1. Many Jews had difficulty submitting to idolatrous Roman authority because of
         Deuteronomy 17:15 which said they were to have no “stranger (foreigner)” for a ruler.
      2. According to Acts 18:2, the Roman Emperor Claudius banned all Jews from Rome. Some Jews remained in Rome and it was natural for them to rebel and resent the government.
   2. We learn from the Noahic Covenant (Genesis 9:5-6) that human government, with its authority to exercise capitol punishment, is a divinely established institution, and is to be obeyed.
      1. Daniel 4:17 says, “…the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will, and setteth up over it the basest of men.” Daniel 4:25 says, “…the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will.”
      2. In John 19:11, Jesus said to Pilate, “…Thou couldest have no power at all against me, except it were given thee from above….”
      3. From all this we learn the following: God has ordained and established human government. God is an absolute Sovereign. Man is allowed to govern but God still rules over the nations. Men may rule but God over-rules. God gave all the power any individual or government has.
   3. Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers.
      1. While every certainly includes non-Christians, keep in mind that Paul here, as throughout the epistle, was instructing believers.
      2. The word subject is a military term requiring implicit obedience.
      3. Paul wrote this same admonition to Titus. “Put them in mind to be subject to principalities and powers, to obey magistrates, to be ready to every good work” (Titus 3:1). And Peter agrees fully with Paul in 1 Peter 2:13,14 “Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake: whether it be to the king, as supreme; or unto governors….”
   4. …the powers that be are ordained of God.
      1. To be ordained means to be established, set up and set aside for a purpose – the regulation of human affairs.
      2. From this we learn four things:
         1. No one is exempted from this obligation.
         2. The apostles fully agreed regarding Christian responsibility to human government.
         3. Human governments are ordained of God and are to be respected and obeyed.
         4. This verse alone is a sharp rebuke of lawlessness then and now. It is a blow to those who defy, rebel against and seek to overthrow existing governments.
   5. The question naturally arises – What about matters of conscience and loyalty to Christ in the place of cruel, ruthless, anti-Christian government?
      Note carefully the following:
      1. Christians have a dual citizenship (Philippians 1:20,21).
      2. While we are to pray for and honor those who are in authority, we have an obligation to obey God when commanded to do that which we know is contrary to God’s will (1 Timothy 2:1-3).
         1. Daniel refused to bow to Nebuchadnezzar’s image, saying “…God… will deliver us out of thine hand, O King. But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods…” (Daniel 3:17-18). Daniel prayed in open defiance of the decree by King Darius (Daniel 6:10).
         2. In Acts 4:19-20, Peter and John defied the Sanhedrin, saying “Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God, judge ye. For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.”
         3. And, in Acts 5:29, Peter said, “…We ought to obey God rather than men.”
         • Keep in mind that through the centuries millions of saints have lost their lives – not for willfully defying their government, but for obeying what they knew to be the will of God.
2. Verse 2 – …resisteth the power, resisteth…God… and… shall receive… damnation (or judgment).
   1. To rebel and fight against established government is to oppose that which a sovereign God has ordained.
   2. The condemnation or judgment such rebels receive is from both God and the government they oppose.
   3. Millions of misguided Christians believe it is their responsibility to change and seek to overthrow existing governments. Christians have no such command! The great commission is a great, positive rescue operation. We are not here to change the world. Christ will do that when He returns. Our duty is to win as many souls to Christ as we can before He returns.
3. Verses 3-4 – For rulers are not a terror to good works,… do that which is good, and thou shalt have
   praise of the same.
   1. Do you want to stop being afraid of the government? Then do right, behave yourself and don’t unnecessarily defy the law. The government normally praises law-abiding citizens.
   2. …not a terror… – not just SOME or CERTAIN rulers, but all governments are set up to censor the evil, not the good. Read 1 Peter 2:14. Paul was abused by governments everywhere but he never advocated revenge or over-throw.
   3. A Christian’s interest should not be in rebellious movements, insurrections, etc. His responsibility is to whatever government is established.
   4. For he is the minister of God to thee for good. We all need to keep in mind that rulers are God’s servants! To obey them is to obey God. To defy them is to rebel against God’s sovereign purpose.
   • Bear in mind what has been taught. We are to obey God rather than man when man commands us to do that which we know is contrary to God's will.
   5. …he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath….”
      1. The sword is a symbol of authority to exercise capital punishment.
      2. 1 John 3:4 says…”sin is the transgression of the law.” The word translated “law” is a very strong word meaning “lawlessness.” Lawlessness or defiance of authority God calls sin.
      3. Lawlessness not only defies God, it destroys the social structure of a nation.
4. Verses 5-7
   1. We are exhorted here to be submissive to the government for two reasons:
      1. The wrath is the anger of the governments (verse 4).
      2. As for conscience, it is impossible for a Christian to break the law and not feel pangs of conscience. We are to strive to have a good conscience before God (1 Peter 2:19; Hebrews 13:18; 2 Corinthians 1:12).
   2. Christians are to pay their taxes! This is the means by which governments fulfill their work as God’s ministers (verse 6). Dean Alford quotes Tertullian (an early church father) as saying, “That which the Romans lost by the Christian’s refusing to bestow gifts on their temples, they gained by their conscientious payment of their taxes.”
   3. Christians are not only to give honor to whom honor is due, we are to give tribute to whom tribute is due (verse7). Christians are never to despise anyone. We are to give honor to those who hold high and honorable positions. We are to render to all men, the taxes, custom, respect and honor that is due them (1 Peter 2:17).
   4. The means or the method by which a Christian finds grace to submit to human authority is the power of the love of God in his heart.
   5. The Bible has much to say about love. If you do not have it, whatever else you may have is of no profit (1 Corinthians 13:1-3).

II. THE CHRISTIAN MEANS OF APPLICATION – Romans 13:8-10

1. Verse 8
   1. Owe no man anything but to love one another… – We should avoid as much as possible becoming indebted to the world in material things. But love is a continual obligation.
   2. To really love another is to fulfill the law! Read Galatians 5:13,14; 1 John 4:7,8,11. One cannot be “lawless” when love fills his heart.
2. Verse 9 – Here Paul named five of the great commandments and then said these and any other commandments are fulfilled in this saying: Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. This verse is taken from Leviticus 19:18.
3. Verse 10 – Love worketh no ill to its neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law. See also Galatians 5:14. Good sense tells us that we are not going to mar, harm, or destroy that which we admire or highly esteem. So, if we love others, including the leaders of our government, we will not defy them or seek to overthrow them by force.

III. THE CHRISTIAN’S MOTIVATION – Romans 13:11-14
These verses refer to the imminent return of Christ and are an exhortation as to how we should live in view of this glorious event. Concerning our responsibility to obey human governments and the love we are to show to all men, the imminent return of Christ is our motivation, our incentive and our inspiration.

1. Verse 11 – And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed.
   1. Christians are to be acutely aware of the time or times in which they live and realize how this relates to the return of Christ. We should not be ignorant of the numerous prophetic fulfillments occurring in our world which indicate the end of the age (2 Timothy 3:1; 1 Timothy 4:1).
   2. This passage is a warning concerning the brevity of time, the lateness of the hour, and the imminent return of Christ. “…the time is short…” (1 Corinthians 7:29) and “But the end of all things is at hand…” (1 Peter 4:7). Note the constant emphasis in scripture on imminency concerning Christ’s return for His Church.
   3. Christ rebuked the Pharisees, saying “O ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky; but ye cannot discern the signs of the times.” The Pharisees, of all people should have known the prophecies concerning Christ’s first advent, but they were “blind leaders of the blind”
      (Matthew 15:14; 16:3,4). May we not be just as blind to the time in which we live.
   4. …it is high time to awake… – Paul made a similar plea in Ephesians 5:14 with a free translation of Isaiah 60:1, “…awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light.” Surely this is no day for Christians to be bogged down in a quagmire of lethargy and indifference. If this warning was essential in Paul’s day, how much more it is needed today.
   5. Why? “Our salvation is nearer than when we believed.” I believe that Paul lived with the momentary expectation of Christ’s coming. See also 1 Thessalonians 4:17. If so, how much more should we so live realizing that we are much closer to the completion of our salvation.
2. Verse 12 – The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us, therefore, cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light.
   For us, the night and darkness of sin will soon be past. Christ will soon appear. What are we to do?
   1. …cast off the works of darkness… – Ephesians 5:8 says, “For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord; walk as children of light.” Ephesians 4:22,24 says, “…put off concerning the former conversation (manner of life) of the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts…and…put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.” Read also Colossians 3:8-10.
      1. Hebrews 12:1 says, “…let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us….”
      2. Before we met Christ we all lived in darkness and were a part of that darkness
         (Ephesians 5:8; Acts 26:18; 1 Peter 2:9). But now we are to cast off and put on.
   2. …put on the armour of light… – The armor God has provided for us to wear is described in Ephesians 6:11-17. Here in Romans it is called the armour of light.
      1. In 1 Thessalonians 5:5, Paul says, “Ye are all the children of light… not…of darkness.”
      2. Ephesians 5:8 declares “…but now are ye light in the Lord….”
      3. In Matthew 5:14-16, Jesus said, “Ye are the light of the world…. Let your light so shine….”
      4. Clothed with the armor of truth, righteousness, preparedness, faith and salvation, we are to shine for Christ in this dark world.
   3. Verse 13 – Here Paul lists the sins and life-style we are to cast aside: drunkenness, reveling, all immorality, wanton living, strife and envy should have no part in our lives.
   4. Verse 14 – But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfill the lusts thereof.
      1. In Galatians 3:27, Paul says, “For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.” He writes repeatedly of our being “in Christ” (Philippians 3:9; Colossians 1:28, 2:7).
      2. Christ, who is the Light of the World (John 8:12), said, ”he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.”
      3. Christ Himself is the shining armor with which we withstand the evil of our day and resist the lusts of our flesh. Note Romans 8:3,4; Galatians 5:16 and Galatians 2:20.

• Concerning the word “provision,” I must point out that this refers to an attitude of mind that is secretly contemplating to satisfy or give in to the flesh sometime. Don’t do it! Remember the words of Galatians 5:24, “And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.”
• Don’t let your old flesh get a toe inside the door. Don’t allow any situation in which the flesh can flourish.

Examination

This is the end of this lesson. In order to proceed with the examination, you must be preregistered* as a student with Rogma International. If you are ready to proceed with the examination, click one of the buttons below:

This version is recommended if you have a reliable internet connection. The exam must be completed during your open session, otherwise you risk losing any answers that you may have already completed.		If you are unable to complete the exam online, we suggest that you download this Adobe Acrobat PDF version of the exam and write your answers in the body of an e-mail message to your assigned grader.

* Although registration is not required, registered students can earn a Certificate of Accomplishment, Certificate of Achievement, or a Diploma. In addition, registered students are assigned a personal grader who will monitor their ongoing progress. If you would like to register first, click below. A student identification number and access codes will be e-mailed to you within a few business days. Click to register.