ipl-logo

Romans 13 Analysis

903 Words4 Pages

The Roman government in the first century A.D saw several horrific and inhumane rulers who killed and tortured people. It is easy for one to look at horrible rulers and think of every way possible to defy the government. But, Paul tells his reader in Romans 13 that man is supposed to be subject to the governing authorities. Paul says that a ruler is “God’s servant to do you good.” Why is Paul saying that we should be subject to the government even if the government is corrupt and against God? What benefit is it to a believer to submit? Paul tells his listener this because submission is a part of man’s testimony of faith. Submission to God believes that God is completely sovereign and has His children’s best interest in mind. When Paul tells the reader to submit to the governing authorities, he is talking about the good and the bad rulers. Rome had some good rulers, but Rome also suffered under some horrific rulers such as Caligula and Nero. But, Why is Paul telling man to submit? Paul tells man in Romans 13 that government is instituted by God, and intended to be a …show more content…

Part of obedience to God is obeying Him when the outcome does not seem to be in one’s favor. When man submits to God, he is proclaiming his testimony of faith. Reverence requires prostrating oneself before the maker of heaven and earth, and declaring that God is in control. Paul clearly states in Ephesians 5:21, “Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.” Paul knew that he was going to be killed by Nero, but Paul was still in jail proclaiming the name of God and telling man to respect the government. Why? Because Paul knew that obedience to government was obedience to Christ. Man obeys the governing authorities to humble himself before God and declare Christ as his sovereign Lord and Savior. When man humbles himself before his creator, he is testifying that God knows what He is

Show More
Related
161 Words | 1 Pages

Paul’s intention was to show them that Abraham was already justified before he acted upon any of these noble tasks. God could never be obligated to any man. This is not the relationship He desired with man. Morris explains

Read More
595 Words | 3 Pages

Continued along the lines, any money or items they receive is given to the owner. Sages of which had written in the Lawbook of manu reflect the ideas presented in culture and tradition along with the superior and high class. In Document 2, the letter presented by Paul holds similar text in which slaves did not contain any rights and were commanded from their master. Although Paul is against the general ideas of slavery due to his christian belief, he notes that slavery exists and that the slaves have no power. Documents 7 presents the view of slave trade which was due to the slaves being acted upon like property.

Read More
687 Words | 3 Pages

This shows that the Byzantines’ loyalty to God is far superior than loyalty to any living man. Furthermore, the Romans would never be loyal to one God, and would also praise the government over any of the Gods in their pantheon. The Romans believed that their emperor was the most

Read More
613 Words | 3 Pages

Do Not Ignore the Laws of the Gods Loyalty to the state should not undermine a person’s loyalty to their gods. When the king challenges or ignores the authority of the gods, he is headed for failure. Sophocles trumpets this message throughout his tragic play, Antigone. After Polyneices rebelled against Thebes and killed his brother Eteocles in battle, King Creon decreed that a traitor to the state cannot be buried.

Read More
1555 Words | 7 Pages

The second equivalently means to follow; therefore the text is basically directing to let each person “follow” according to the lot the Lord has appointed. This verse shows that Paul is not thinking primarily of a vocation to which a man is called, but of the condition in which a man is when the concerting call of God comes to him and summons him to the life of the Christian faith. This gives presumption that God wants the converter to remain in the state at which he was converted. In addition, Barrett states that those who were called to become Christians in a state circumcision do not have to undo their circumcision, and those who were uncircumcised when called to the faith do not have to be circumcised to stay in the faith. On page ( ), Barrett writes, “Were you a slave when you were called?...

Read More
928 Words | 4 Pages

Some rights that we all have as citizens include: freedom to express ourselves, right to pursue life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Some of our responsibilities include, protecting the constitution, respecting and obeying laws, pay income and taxes, serve a jury when called, and the most important one is to defend the country if needs arise. The Romans were very big on these rights and responsibilities. They felt as if they all united under these rules, and nobody had more rights than others. The Romans followed these rules very strictly.

Read More
1420 Words | 6 Pages

Faithfulness could be reached by taking these oaths. They were so much more than a promise, they provided protection over the empire along with important meanings to oneself. It was said that “First, each one voluntarily shall thrive, in accordance with his knowledge and ability, to live wholly in the holy service of God in accordance with the precept of God.” By partaking in these oaths, one would choose to thrive and accomplish tasks within everyday life. God would play a role to keep them on their feet.

Read More
753 Words | 4 Pages

3. " Concerning Unlimited Submission and Non-Resistance to the Higher Powers." Jonathan Mayhew on Romans 13 and Submission to Higher Powers. N.p., n.d. Web.

Read More
204 Words | 1 Pages

For Pelagius it is “through absolute obedience a person could have absolute certainty”. This certainty was critical for people as everything else was falling apart around them with the barbarian invasions. It goes further than that “obedience is a constitutive element in religion and human power as commensurate with obligations”. It is through obedience that humans have power in religion.

Read More
733 Words | 3 Pages

This religious aspect to these absolute monarchs caused the people to have respect for their rulers. People thought “Fear God, Honor the King.” (Document 5) It meant that people should have faith in their Kings and fear the course that God has set for them. They believed that monarchs were sent to do the good deeds of god and that using their power for evil was a horrible sin.

Read More
1290 Words | 6 Pages

These reasons will prevent anarchy because one has a conscience to determine which laws to follow and which ones do not; therefore, one shows loyalty to the authority of law and also loyalty to one’s

Read More
214 Words | 1 Pages

The theme of obedience is quite common in these texts. In the time the texts were written, faith in rulers and gods was essential and obedience was one of the ways people could show their faith. Rulers knew the people would follow the rules because they (the rulers) had been endorsed by a greater power. An example of this is shown in “From Laws of Hammurabi,” when Hammurabi says that he himself is “the king who cause[d] the four quarters of the world to render obedience.” He then follows this statement with a list of rules people are expected to follow.

Read More
1011 Words | 5 Pages

However, Christians are called and compelled to submit to authority, but it is a voluntary response out of obedience to God’s Word. Romans were forced to submit to the state because the gods controlled their fate. Therefore, a Christian’s duty to the state stems from a commitment to the Lord, not out of compliance to fate. Aeneas showed this dedication to fate and to the gods before he recounts his time in the underworld he says to the gods, “May it be right, and fitting, by your will,/ That I describe the deep world sunk in darkness/ Under the earth” ( Virgil 6.4-6). It was of utmost importance to the Romans to be loyal to the gods and submit to the state as a result of this.

Read More
942 Words | 4 Pages

The Greek Gods: Tyranny in Exchange for Power Throughout the evolution of society, one idea has stayed the same. That is the belief that we need to consistently be the best and the most powerful. We use this as a measure of self-worth and the foundation of the social hierarchy. The hierarchical nature of society drives this motivation of people to do everything it takes to reach the top. Our commitment can be so incredibly devout that we lose more than we gain on the search for this sense of power.

Read More
1088 Words | 5 Pages

(1 Corinthians 11:13). What Paul means is that God gives us options and lets us decide which choice to make. In both of these texts, it is clearly stated that

Read More

More about Romans 13 Analysis

Related Topics

Open Document