Audio commentary on this verse

Note 1 at Rom. 13:1: The subject of submission to authority is a very basic Bible doctrine. Some of the major areas of submission commanded in the scriptures are: (1) submission to God (Eph. 5:24; Jas. 4:7); (2) submission to civil or governmental authority (Rom. 13:1-7); (3) submission to the church or religious authority (Heb. 13:17); (4) wives are to submit to husbands (Eph. 5:22-24; Col. 3:18); (5) children are to submit to their parents (Eph. 6:1; Col. 3:20); (6) slaves are to submit to masters-today's equivalent would be employees submit to employers (1_Pet._2:18); (7) the younger are to submit to the older (1 Pet. 5:5); and (8) we are all supposed to submit to each other in love (Eph. 5:21; 1 Pet. 5:5).

The Greek word translated "subject" here, as well as 14 other times in the New Testament is, "hupotasso." This was a military term meaning "to rank under." Although in most cases, obedience is a part of submission, these terms are not synonymous. Just as an enlisted man in the army has limits to his obedience to an officer, so we only obey men as long as their commands do not oppose God.

A failure to understand the difference between submission and obedience has given birth to many false teachings that have caused some people to obey others in matters of sin. That is never commanded in the word of God.

One of the easiest ways to see that a person can submit without obeying an ungodly command is to look at the life of Peter. Peter made some striking statements in 1 Peter 2:13-14 when he said, "Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake: whether it be to the king, as supreme; Or unto governors, as unto them that are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers, and for the praise of them that do well."

This is the same Peter who refused to obey the chief priests when they commanded him to not speak or teach anymore in the name of Jesus (Acts 4:18-19). When Peter and the other apostles continued their teaching and preaching about Jesus, the high priest and the elders of the Jews imprisoned them. However, they were supernaturally freed from prison by an angel of the Lord who told them to go back to the temple and preach again (Acts 5:17-20). This command was a direct contradiction to the commands of the Jews.

The Jews again arrested Peter and the other apostles and said, "Did not we straitly command you that ye should not teach in this name?" (Acts 5:28). Peter responded by saying, "We ought to obey God rather than men" (Acts 5:29). This is always the bottom line. We never obey any man if that would cause us to disobey God.

Yet, we are to submit to every ordinance of man (1 Pet. 2:13). Submission is an attitude, not an action. It will express itself through actions, but a person can have a submissive attitude and yet disobey an ungodly command.

If a government official commanded us to not preach Jesus, we should follow the example of Peter and not obey him. But we should also not rebel at his authority in the same way that Peter and the other apostles did not rebel at the authority of the Jews.

When the apostles were beaten for their obedience to God, they didn't criticize or form a revolt. They praised God and kept right on preaching the gospel (Acts 5:41-42). They didn't obey ungodly commands but they didn't become ungodly either by cursing those who had hurt them (see note 8 at Rom. 12:14, p. 831). They submitted to the authority over them to the point that they took a beating without one complaint, but they never did do what the Jews commanded them.

If a man commanded his wife not to go to church anymore, she should not obey that command. The Bible clearly says not to forsake the assembling of ourselves together (Heb. 10:25). However, there is a submissive way and a rebellious way of doing that.

If she said, "You old reprobate. You never have liked me going to church. Well, I'm going to show you that you can't tell me what to do. I'm going anyway and I don't care what you say." That is a rebellious attitude.

Yet, a woman in the same circumstance could affirm her love to her husband and state that she really wants to comply as much as possible. But in this instance, she has to obey God over her husband. If that was her attitude, she would be in submission to her husband even though she didn't do what he said.

Submission is also a voluntary thing. You cannot make another person submit. You can make people obey you, but that doesn't mean they've submitted. Their attitude is totally a matter of choice on their part. This is the reason that a man cannot hear a teaching on submission and go home and make his wife submit. She has to choose to submit.

The book of Daniel has two examples of civil disobedience done through a commitment to God's higher laws (Dan. 3:8-18;

6:10-17). And yet, this disobedience was accomplished with respect and submission to the civil authority. Moses' parents did not obey Pharaoh's command to kill their son and God blessed them for their actions.

Submission is a essential part of true Christianity. However, it is a missing ingredient in most Christians' lives. The root of all lack of submission in our lives lies in pride (1 Pet. 5:4-6).

Note 2 at Rom. 13:1: This sentence has perplexed many people. Is Paul saying that God wills that there be oppressive governments like the Nazis or even the Roman government that Paul was under? Definitely not. Even though He has used corrupt rulers and governments to punish offences, their governmental authority was not created by God to be oppressive. They were ordained to be ministers of God to us for good (v. 4).

In the same way that God ordains people to the ministry, and yet they fail to fulfill that call as God intended, likewise, God ordains governments, but doesn't ordain everything that they do. There are countless scriptural examples of rebukes and punishments by God upon civil leaders because they did not submit to His will.

God's original government over man was directly administered by God Himself. Man answered only to his Creator. Even after the fall of man, God worked in cooperation with the conscience of man to refrain him from evil. In the beginning, this was effective, as can be seen through Cain's statement, "My punishment is greater than I can bear" (Gen. 4:13).

However, man seared his conscience (1 Tim. 4:2) through repeated sin. Therefore, since man was no longer responsive to his Creator, God ordained man to begin to police themselves. He told Noah, "Whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made he man" (Gen. 9:6). This responsibility of corporate man to avenge the wrongs of individual men continued to develop until, through the giving of the Old Testament law, God gave detailed instructions on how mankind was to treat each other and prescribed punishments for failure to do so.

So, in that context, God did ordain all government. But in more cases than not, governments are not any more responsive to Him than are individuals. However, we are to submit to them and obey them as long as we don't have to violate a clear command of God. Even bad government is superior to anarchy.

The governor himself may not be of God, but civil government is definitely of God.