Chapter # 13 Paragraph # 1 Study # 6
November 1, 2020
Humble, Texas
(076)
1769 Translation:
3 For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same:
4 For he is the minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to [
execute] wrath upon him that doeth evil.
5 Wherefore [
ye] must needs be subject, not only for wrath, but also for conscience sake.
6 For for this cause pay ye tribute also: for they are God's ministers, attending continually upon this very thing.
7 Render therefore to all their dues: tribute to whom tribute [
is due]; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honour to whom honour.
1901 ASV Translation:
3 For rulers are not a cause of fear for good behavior, but for evil. Do you want to have no fear of authority? Do what is good and you will have praise from the same;
4 for it is a minister of God to you for good. But if you do what is evil, be afraid; for it does not bear the sword for nothing; for it is a minister of God, an avenger who brings wrath on the one who practices evil.
5 Therefore it is necessary to be in subjection, not only because of wrath, but also for conscience' sake.
6 For because of this you also pay taxes, for [
rulers] are servants of God, devoting themselves to this very thing.
7 Render to all what is due them: tax to whom tax [
is due;] custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honor to whom honor.
- I. The Rationale For The Soul's "Subjection" To "Higher Authorities".
- A. The "issue" of "authority".
- B. The actual nature of the "soul's" resistance to "authority.
-
C. The particular consequence, in this text, I have called "self-inflicted judgment" which will be enforced.
- D. The divine intention regarding human authorities.
- 1. "Human authority" is designed by God to be "a cause of fear" for those who do evil.
- a. The term Paul chose to use to express this fourth major part of his argument for "submission to authority" ("rulers"; arcontes) is not a word that Paul used often (only four of the New Testament's 36 texts possessing this word were written by Paul).
- 1) Luke is the majority user (8 texts in Luke and 10 in Acts) with half of the uses in the New Testament being written by him.
- 2) Most, if not all, uses of this word put "rulers" at the top of the food chain: they "rule" as ultimate authorities. Their "problem" is that they do not "get" the wisdom of God so that they do very foolish things (1 Corinthians 2:6-8). But, even in their "foolishness" they are "protected" by divine decree (Acts 23:5), and, accordingly, they are to be "obeyed" in all things (Matthew 23:2) except when their foolishness carries them beyond their divinely intended boundaries (Acts 5:29).
- b. These "rulers" are intended by God to be "fearful", but only by those who "do evil".
- 1) Paul's declaration.
- a) He says, "...rulers are not a fear to the good work...".
- i. Even as he wrote this, he was aware of glaring contradictions to this claim. Note the example of this in Paul's experience recorded by Luke in Acts 23:1-3. This means that he was writing with respect to the divinely established "norm" (there were hundreds/thousands of "rulers" who were not "glaring contradictions"), and it means that he was writing with respect to the divine pattern for human authorities who, in spite of their deep commitments to their own self-interest, generally followed the divine pattern of enforcing "the good". Caesar did not have personal interaction with most of the hundreds of thousands of "cases" brought before the courts of the Roman empire and there were many "civil rulers" who were "generally" fair in their dealings with the affairs of law enforcement in their own limited domains. Note particularly Acts 19:35-41 which makes this point.
- ii. At issue here are two elements: "fear" and "the good work". "Fear" is a very major biblical, motivational, thesis (in John's own unique way, he addressed this thesis in 1 John 4:18 by saying, "...perfect love casts out fear...") and "the good work" is a concept that Paul addressed in 19 texts of Romans alone, not to mention 26 references in his other letters).
- b) He follows up with "...BUT to the evil [work]...".
- i. This "evil" (kakos) is the fruit of the pernicious tree (poneros) of antagonism to God's authority, and it is focused upon every violation of legal righteousness.
- ii. The logic is simple: if you do not wish to be fearful, do what the law requires. "Authorities" are only a threat to those who break the law.
- 2) Paul's question.
- a) He asks, "Do you wish to not be made afraid of the authority?"
- b) This question is aimed at a significant "root" problem for men: "fear".