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Romans 13
by Jon Zens
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It appears that much discussion about “government” in Romans 13 has been isolated from its immediate and broader context. Beginning in 12:1, Paul is unfolding aspects of the Christian life in the light of the gospel he set forth in chapters 1-11.
In 12:17-21, Paul speaks about Christian behavior in terms of non-vengeance and helping those who hate you. The general gospel principle is not to be overcome by the world*s methods (evil for evil, eye for eye), but to overcome evil by practicing counter-principles (doing good to those who hurt you).
It is in this setting that Paul then isolates “government” as a likely force that in all likelihood could be in the forefront of persecuting Christians. In light of 12:17-21, how are Christians to relate to the powers that be? By applying the principle of 12:21.
Historically, this passage has been used to show that the state is a divine institution, or to teach criteria by which to discern a “just” government. However, in light of its context:
“. . . more careful recent analysis, both exegetical and systematic, has given good reason to doubt whether the intention of Paul in this passage was at all to provide this sort of metaphysic or ontology of the state. Paul was simply arguing that the Christians in Rome should not rebel even against a government which threatened to mistreat them. They could be confident that God was using the powers in and behind the state within His providential purpose. The state is not instituted, i.e., established, but rather accepted in its empirical reality, as something God can overrule toward His ends. Paul therefore does not mean that in the divine acceptance of the state there is implied any ratification of its moral standards or political purposes, or any theory of the proper state. . . The Christian is called not to obey the state, which would imply actually receiving from the state his moral guidance, but to be subject, which means simply that he shall not rebel or seek to act as if the state were not there. Whether he obeys the state or finds that his submission must be in the form of disobedience and accepting punishment for it, will depend on what the state asks of him.” (John Yoder, The Christian Witness to the State, Faith & Life Press, 1964, p. 75)
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