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Romans 1:18-3:20

The best summary of this long section is supplied by Paul himself as he moves into a new phase of his argument: "For there is no distinction; since all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (3:22b-23). When Paul says, "all," he means that Jews no less than Gentiles stand in need of God's gracious gift of justification. How, then, justification comes about – -- namely, "by faith" – -- and what justification means are important themes from Rom 3:21 through 8:39; and 1:18-3:20 provides an introduction to this whole discussion.

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In sum: the specific admonitions of Romans 12-13 illustrate how those whose lives have been transformed in Christ are to become instruments of righteousness (Rom 6:13), wherever and however long it is given them to exist in the present age.

Romans 13:1-7

Wiki MarkupWhat links these verses with their context in chs. 12 and 13 is Paul's concern to show how, even in the "secular" sphere, the Christian must seek to do what is "good" according to God's will (12:2: "to discern the will of God, and to know what is good"; 12:9b: "hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good"; 12:17, 21: "Repay no one evil for evil, ... but overcome evil with good"; and, finally, in the midst of 13:1-7 itself: "do what is good" \ [vs. 3b\]).

The topic of 13:1-7 is not "the state," nor is its appeal to ''be subject" to the state its specific appeal. Although the admonition to be subject opens the passage and is repeated in vs. 5, this admonition is still general as compared with the specific appeal, to pay whatever kinds of taxes one owes (vss. 6 f.), for which the preceding verses are preliminary. Once Paul makes this specific appeal, he is ready to summarize all of the preceding instructions, which he does by generalizing the appeal of 13:6 f. in such a way as to return to the fundamental importance of love: "Owe no one anything, except to love one another" (13:8).

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In the second place, Paul's points in vss. 1-2 – -- that earthly rulers have no authority except what God has given them and that whoever resists them resists God's authority and is liable to judgment – -- are not in any way distinctively his, but are simply taken over from the traditions of Hellenistic Judaism. It is crucial to realize, however, that these same traditions hold the earthly ruler accountable to God and stress that the ruler, also, is liable to God's judgment.

As for vss. 3-4, the first thing to notice is that Paul describes the governing authorities as God's servants. Far from being divine, earthly rulers are here to serve the divine, and their authority is to be acknowledged and respected, not because it is theirs, but because it has been given them by God. The other important point in these verses is that Paul specifies the proper function of the governing authorities – -- namely, to support whatever is good and to execute wrath on the wrongdoer, thereby securing the good of the whole society.

When Paul, then, repeats (in vs. 5) the admonition to be subject, he says that this is to be done for conscience's sake, not just to avoid God's wrath. By this he means simply that if one reflects critically on the matter – -- "conscience" designating our capacity thus to reflect on moral matters – being subject to the governing authorities will commend itself as the good or right thing to do.

But the conclusion and the real point of the passage lies in the last two verses, toward which everything said in vss. 1-4 has been leading. Paul urges his readers – -- "for the same reason" – -- to pay all the taxes, direct or indirect, for which they were obligated. By doing so, they will not only avoid the punishment that the authorities, as God's servants, are authorized to administer, but also act according to conscience, doing the good or right thing and thereby signifying their respect for law and order.

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Implicit in the argument of these verses is Paul's conviction that Christians do not ultimately belong to this world. Although they are for the present in this world (see 5:10), they are not of it. The world is not to judge them; indeed, because they are God's people, the world is in a sense to be judged by them (6:2). Those who belong to the world are "unbelievers" (6:6) and "unrighteous persons" (6:9); Christians, on the contrary, are "saints," people set apart for the service of God (6:1, 2). The question, "Don't you know that unrighteous persons will not get into God's kingdom?" (6:9a), simply emphasizes the distinction implicit in the preceding discussion. On the one hand are the "saints" who belong to God's kingdom even while they are in this world; on the other hand are the "unbelievers" or "unrighteous persons" who are not only in this world but belong to it, insofar as they submit to its claims and not to God's. In 6:9b-10, then, to make this point more concrete, Paul offers a list of unrighteous types, examples of those who belong to this world instead of to God's kingdom. He uses similar lists in 1 Cor 5:10 f.; Gal 5:19 ff.; and Rom 1:29 ff. But none is offered as a definitive formulation of all, or even of the chief, evils that Christians are to avoid. They are intended to be exemplary only, illustrating the kind and range of vices that Paul deems incompatible with the ways in Christ that he teaches in all his churches.

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Paul reminds the Philippians that the "state" (or "commonwealth") to which Christians belong "is in heaven," whence they "await a Savior," their one true "Lord Jesus Christ." They are thus distinguished from those who have their "minds set on earthly things."

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