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"Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has
instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves. For rulers hold no
terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from
fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and he will commend you. For he is
God's servant to do you good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the
sword for nothing. He is God's servant, an agent of wrath to bring punishment on the
wrongdoer. Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of
possible punishment but also because of conscience" (13: 2-5, N.I.V.).
The teaching of these verses is perfectly clear. The person whose conscience and
actions are right, has nothing to fear. The opposite is true for the wrongdoer. "Bearing
the sword" can only mean capital punishment and moreover shows that the authorities
must be civil powers and cannot refer to angels, which some have taught: nor is any
problem felt with the Christian way of love. Those who have are confusing the
preservation of mankind with the salvation of mankind (which many do these days). The
authority of human rule is to protect from evil, but in no sense is this a spiritual work,
doing away with the need of salvation which has grace and love at its root.
The submission to authorities includes the paying of taxes:
"This is also why you pay taxes, for the authorities are God's servants, who give their
full time to governing. Give everyone what you owe him; if you owe taxes, pay taxes;
if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honour, then honour" (13: 6, 7,
N.I.V.).
No one enjoys paying taxes. Most think this is to be avoided as far as possible, yet we
remember that the Son of God did not consider Himself to be free from this duty
(Matthew 17: 24-27). Moreover He gave the injunction, as we have seen, to "render
unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's", and the
paying of taxes once again proves that we are not dealing with angels or spiritual powers,
but with human beings.
Having dealt with the relation of the believer to the State, the Apostle continues his
theme of Christian practice by returning to the all-inclusive command of love:
"Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for
he who loves his fellow man has fulfilled the law. The commandments, `do not commit
adultery' (Exod. 20: 14), `do not murder' (13), `do not steal' (15), `do not covet' (17),
and whatever other commandment there may be, are summed up in this one rule: `love
your neighbour as yourself'. Love does no harm to its neighbour. Therefore love is the
fulfillment of the law" (13: 8-10, N.I.V.).
Here Paul gets to the very heart of the law of God given through Moses. It is really
perfect love in action. The first five commandments deal with our love to God, and the
second five our love to our neighbour. The problem is that man, by becoming a sinner,
cannot love properly in the sense that God uses the term. The word becomes besmirched
with uncleanness, selfishness and sentimentality. The word "fulfillment" is the important
word pleroma, often rendered "fullness" (see 11: 25; 15: 29).