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Everyone should submit to the governing authorities, for no authority exists apart from God's permission. Those who hold authority do so under the authority God has established.1
KJV
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.
For rulers are not meant to be feared by those who do what is right, but by those who do evil. Do you want to live without fear of those in authority? Then do what is right, and you will have their approval.2
KJV
For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same:
Hoi gar archontes ouk eisin phobos tōn agathōn ergōn, alla tōn kakōn. Theleis de mē phobeisthai tēn exousian? To agathon poiei, kai hexeis epainon ex autēs;
For a governing authority is God's servant for your good. But if you do wrong, you have reason to be afraid, because the authority to punish wrongdoing is not carried without purpose. Those in authority are God's servants, carrying out judgment against those who practice evil.
KJV
For he is the minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil.
theou gar diakonos estin soi eis to agathon. Ean de to kakon poiēs, phobou; ou gar eikē tēn machairan phorei; theou gar diakonos estin, ekdikos eis orgēn tō to kakon prassonti.
Therefore, you should submit to governing authorities not merely to avoid punishment, but also because your conscience recognizes the responsibility to do what is right.3
KJV
Wherefore ye must needs be subject, not only for wrath, but also for conscience sake.
Give everyone what is rightfully owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are due, revenue to whom revenue is due, respect to whom respect is due, and honor to whom honor is due.
KJV
Render therefore to all their dues: tribute to whom tribute is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honour to whom honour.
The commandments—“You shall not commit adultery,” “You shall not murder,” “You shall not steal,” “You shall not covet”—and any other commandment are all summed up in this one saying: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”5
KJV
For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
To gar, Ou moicheuseis, ou phoneuseis, ou klepseis, ouk epithymēseis, kai ei tis hetera entolē, en toutō tō logō anakephalaioutai, en tō, Agapēseis ton plēsion sou hōs seauton.
And do all of this with an understanding of the time in which we are living. The hour has already come for you to wake up from your sleep, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed.7
KJV
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.
Let us live honorably, as people who walk in the daylight—not in wild partying and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and shameless behavior, and not in quarreling and jealousy.9
KJV
Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying.
All’ endysasthe ton kyrion Iēsoun christon, kai tēs sarkos pronoian mē poieisthe, eis epithymias.
Notes
Romans 13:1Authority Established by God. The Greek exousiais hyperechousais refers to governing or superior authorities. Paul uses hypotassesthō, meaning to be subject or submit, rather than a word requiring unquestioning obedience to every command. TWMC's “God's permission” explains divine authority in terms of permission, while the Greek more directly says that authorities are appointed or ordered by God. TWMC does not add “legitimate” to verse 2. That word is not in Paul's Greek and would introduce a potentially contested distinction between legitimate and illegitimate governments into the Scripture itself. The Greek antitassomenos concerns opposing or resisting authority. The passage does not explicitly define the circumstances of every historical revolution or instance of civil disobedience. TWMC keeps Paul's instruction concerning submission as he gives it, and the Theology notes below take up the difficult question of unjust government.↩
Romans 13:3God's Servant for the Public Good. Paul calls the governing authority theou diakonos, meaning God's servant or minister. This describes the responsibility of governing authority within God's ordering of society. It does not establish that every government official personally serves God faithfully or that every governmental decision is morally right. The Greek expression traditionally translated “does not bear the sword in vain” refers to the authority's power to punish wrongdoing. TWMC's wording, “the authority to punish wrongdoing is not carried without purpose,” communicates the governmental responsibility but does not preserve the literal sword imagery. It is a translation choice, not a word-for-word rendering. The Greek also describes governing authority as an ekdikos, an agent who carries out punishment or vengeance against wrongdoing. This provides an important connection to Romans 12:19, where Paul instructed individual believers not to take personal revenge.↩
Romans 13:5Conscience, Taxes, and Honor. Paul gives two reasons for submission to governing authorities: avoiding punishment and acting for the sake of conscience. TWMC explains the second reason as recognizing a moral responsibility to do what is right. Verse 7 distinguishes several obligations: taxes, other revenue obligations, respect or fear, and honor. Maintaining these distinctions prevents Paul's instructions from being reduced to a vague command that Christians must personally admire every government official or agree with every governmental decision.↩
Romans 13:8Owe Nothing Except Love. The phrase mēdeni mēden opheilete is literally “owe nothing to anyone.” The form opheilete can be read as either a present command or a statement, but the instructions immediately before it favor the command. “Owe nothing” keeps the direct force of the wording. The expression to allēlous agapan describes loving one another as the exception to the command. “Continuing debt” conveys that contrast in ordinary English. The verb peplērōken, “has fulfilled,” describes love as accomplishing the Law's requirement toward others.↩
Romans 13:9The Commandments Brought Together. Paul names commandments against adultery, murder, theft, and coveting before quoting Leviticus 19:18. The verb anakephalaioutai means to sum up or bring together under one principal point. Some printed Greek traditions, including the Textus Receptus, also include “You shall not bear false witness” in this list. The Robinson–Pierpont Byzantine text does not include those words here. Both forms of the text retain Paul's conclusion that the commandments are summed up in loving one's neighbor.↩
Romans 13:10Love Does No Harm. The phrase kakon ouk ergazetai means that love does not do evil or harm to a neighbor. Paul concludes with plērōma oun nomou hē agapē: “therefore love is the fulfillment of the Law.” The wording brings verses 8 and 9 to their conclusion.↩
Romans 13:11The Hour to Wake. The word kairos describes a significant time or season. The expression ex hypnou egerthēnai pictures waking from sleep. Paul's phrase about salvation being “nearer” looks forward from the time his readers first believed.↩
Romans 13:12Night, Day, and Armor. The expression hē nyx proekopsen pictures the night as far advanced, while hē hēmera ēngiken says the day has drawn near. The verb apothōmetha means “put off” or “lay aside.” The phrase hopla tou phōtos can mean “weapons of light” or “armor of light”; “armor” retains Paul's image of readiness for conflict.↩
Romans 13:13Conduct in the Daylight. The expression euschēmonōs peripatēsōmen describes walking or conducting one's life honorably. The words kōmois and methais refer to carousing and drunkenness; koitais and aselgeiais describe sexual and shameless excess. The final pair, eridi kai zēlō, refers to strife and jealousy.↩
Romans 13:14Put On Christ. The verb endysasthe means to put on, as one puts on clothing. Paul literally says “put on the Lord Jesus Christ.” TWMC's “wrap your whole life in” keeps that clothing picture in words a modern reader can follow. Paul uses the same image in Galatians 3:27, where those baptized into Christ have “put on Christ.” It speaks of belonging to Him and letting Him be seen in every part of life, not only of copying His example. The noun pronoia means forethought or provision; Paul's warning addresses preparation directed toward gratifying desires. The word sarx, “flesh,” has several uses in Paul's letters and here is qualified by the desires toward which provision must not be made.↩