Romans 13 - Introduction

THE BOOK OF ROMANS-CHAPTER 13

OUTLINE AND COMMENTARY-MARK DUNAGAN

I. OUTLINE OF CHAPTER 13:

I. The Christian and the Government: Romans 13:1-7

II. The Christian and Love of Neighbors: Romans 13:8-10

III. Exhortation to Spiritual Alertness and Moral Purity: Romans 13:11-14

II. INTRODUCTION TO CHAPTER 13:

'In the preceding chapter Paul has been pointing out to Christians their duty of showing humility and love as members of the church; here he enforces the duty of loyalty as citizens of the state...because he is. member of the church,. Christian is not free from his duties to the state, but rather is under obligation to perform these duties with greater faithfulness. What local conditions may have led Paul to discuss the question of Christian citizenship is largely. matter of conjecture. Yet evidently it was necessary that the church in the Roman capital should not be misled by any false ideas as to the nature of the Kingdom of God, that it should not be allied with any movements which tended toward anarchy, insurrection, or rebellion. All Christians need to have. definite understanding of their right relation to the state...'

'So long as the church was mainly Jewish in composition, problems of this kind (problems with the Roman government) were not lacking, but they were not so acute as they were later to become. The position of Jews within the Roman Empire was regulated by. succession of imperial edicts. The Jews, indeed, as. subject nation within the Empire, enjoyed quite exceptional privileges....Imperial policy forbade successive governors of Judaea to bring the military standards, with imperial images attached to them, within the walls of the holy city of Jerusalem, as that was an affront to the Jew's religious susceptibilities. If by Jewish law the trespassing of. Gentile upon the inner courts of the Jerusalem temple was. sacrilege deserving the death penalty, Rome confirmed Jewish law in this respect to the point of ratifying the death-sentence for such. trespass even when the offender was. Roman citizen. For the first generation after the death of Christ Roman law, when it took cognizance of Christians at all, tended to regard them as. variety of Jews. (See Acts 18:12 ff)

There is another side to the picture of Christianity's relation to the state. Christianity started out with. tremendous handicap in the eyes of Roman law. for the sufficient reason that its Founder had been convicted and executed by the sentence of. Roman magistrate. The charge against Him was summed up in the inscription attached to the cross: "The king of the Jews." Whatever Jesus may have said to Pilate about the nature of His Kingship, the one record of Him known to Roman law was that He had led. movement which challenged the sovereign claims of Caesar.....When Paul's opponents at Thessalonica wished to stir up as much trouble for him and his companions locally as they could, they went to the civic magistrates and laid information before them: "These men who have fomented subversion throughout the world have come here too....they all act contrary to Caesar's decrees and claim that there is another emperor, Jesus." (see Acts 17:6).... It was all the more necessary, therefore, that Christians should be specially careful of their public behaviour, and give their traducers no handle against them, but rather pay all due honour and obedience to the authorities.'

In addition, suffering and persecution loomed on the horizon for the Church in Rome. In 64 A.D., Rome would experience one of the most disastrous fires in it's history. In order to divert suspicion from himself, Nero instituted persecution of the Christians. In the midst of such persecution, the Christians in Rome, could remember what Paul had written years ago, civil government is. minister of God. Persecution, even by the civil authorities, did not give them the liberty to become anarchists.

III. COMMENTARY ON CHAPTER 13: