Christianity 101: Romans 13 - Submission to Authority and the Law of Love

Submission to Governing Authorities

• 📜 Paul states that everyone must submit to governing authorities as they are established by God.
• ⚠️ Rebelling against authority is seen as rebelling against God's institution, which will bring judgment.
• ⚖️ Authorities are God's servants for good, but also agents of wrath for wrongdoers, necessitating submission for both punishment avoidance and conscience.
• 💰 This includes fulfilling obligations like paying taxes and showing respect and honor to those in power.

Historical and Ethical Considerations

• 🏛️ The concept of God-given authority has historically been linked to the divine right of kings, raising questions during events like the American Revolution.
• ✝️ Theologians like Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrestled with these verses when confronting oppressive regimes like Nazi Germany, questioning when opposition to government is justified.
• 🤯 The passage's application is complicated by the fact that Paul was writing to the Roman church under Emperor Nero, who later became a persecutor of Christians.

The Law of Love

• ❤️ Paul shifts focus to the continuing debt to love one another, stating that love fulfills the law.
• 🚫 Commandments against adultery, murder, theft, and coveting are summed up by the rule to love your neighbor as yourself.
• ✨ Love does no harm and is the fulfillment of all legal requirements.

Urgency and Christian Conduct

• ⏳ Paul urges believers to understand the present time, as salvation is nearer than when they first believed, and the day is almost here.
• 💡 This calls for putting aside deeds of darkness and putting on the armor of light, behaving decently.
• 🚫 Christians are encouraged to avoid orgies, drunkenness, sexual immorality, dissension, and jealousy.
• 🌟 Instead, they should clothe themselves with the Lord Jesus Christ and not gratify the sinful nature.

Submission in Practice

• 🤝 The chapter emphasizes submission in three areas: to authority, to others (through love), and to God's authority over personal urges and desires.
• ❓ The question of when to submit versus when to oppose authority, and by what means, is left for individual consideration, but Paul's emphasis on submission is clear.