Subjection To Governing Authorities

April 7th, 2025
by Lance Waldie

Romans 13:1a Every person is to be in subjection to the governing authorities.

Paul knew a little something about the topic of civil obedience. On one occasion, after being falsely accused of breaking the law and being put into the Philippian prison, instead of moaning about the injustice of it all, he and his companion Silas spent their night “praying and singing hymns of praise to God” (Acts 16:25). As a law-abiding citizen, he counted on Roman law to preserve his rights, and it always did (cf. Acts 18:12-17; 21:39; 22:23-29; 25:10-11).

To Timothy, Paul wrote “that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men, for kings and all who are in authority, in order that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity” (1 Tim. 2:1-2). To Titus Paul wrote: “Remind [the Christians in Crete] to be subject to rulers, to authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good deed, to malign no one, to be uncontentious, gentle, showing every consideration for all men” (Titus 3:1-2). Likewise, Peter wrote to Jewish Christians saying, “Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether to a king as the one in authority, or to governors as sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and the praise of those who do right. For such is the will of God that by doing right you may silence the ignorance of foolish men. Act as free men, and do not use your freedom as a covering for evil, but use it as bond-slaves of God. Honor all men; love the brotherhood, fear God, honor the king” (1 Pet. 2:13-17).

The “governing authorities” in Romans 13:1 is a reference to anyone who represents the power of the state—from the lowest ranking official up to the president, prime minister, or in Paul’s context, the emperor himself. Every person in every era, whether Chrisitan or not, is to be in “subjection” to such authorities, giving authentic honor and esteem to them. Why? They are God’s servants, whether or not they acknowledge God. Notably, instead of using “obey,” Paul uses “submit” (Gr. hupotassō), for submit is broader in scope than obey, calling on believers to acknowledge their place under a higher authority. Christians are to likewise submit to spiritual leaders (1 Cor. 16:16), to one another (Eph. 5:21), slaves to their masters (Titus 2:9), prophets to other prophets (1 Cor. 14:32), and wives to husbands (Eph. 5:22-24; Col. 3:18).

The Roman historian Tacitus reveals that some in the Roman Empire were revolting against authority in the middle 50s, culminating in a tax revolt in AD 58, around the time Paul wrote the Epistle to the Romans. While Rome’s citizens questioned whether they should pay taxes, Paul made it crystal clear to Christians that they should. Previously, Jews in Babylonian exile were told by God to “seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf; for in its welfare you will have welfare” (Jer. 29:7). Clearly, since civil government is an institutional order of God, rebellion against it is rebellion against the God who ordained it. This is illustrated succinctly in Numbers 16 where Moses’ leadership was questioned. Those who did so found out first-hand the seriousness of their rebellion against God’s appointed leader.

Food For Thought
Romans 13:1 is clearly not a proof-text for killing Jews under the authority of the Nazi regime in WWII. It’s about respecting our governing authorities insofar as they govern morally. Although Christians might speak out against sin and injustice, we must do so respectfully. Submitting to those with whom we don’t agree is not optional; it’s a command of God. May our quiet and moral lives, devoted to prayer, be what we’re known for. There is no exhortation in Scripture to the modern practice in our churches of fighting moral and worldly battles with ineffective weapons of the flesh. Rather, let our spiritual battle be fought with the spiritual weapons of warfare, those “divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses” (2 Cor. 10:4).