Romans 13 - The Governing Authority is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God's wrath on the wrongdoer By Tuese Ahkiong

Romans 13  -  The Governing Authority is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God's wrath on the wrongdoer

By Tuese Ahkiong 

Romans 13 is preceded by Romans 1-12

Rome and every government at all times are the servant of God.  The historical context of this passage in the 1st century pertains to relationship with Christians, Jews among the Roman Empire.  This is not a prescription to submit to all governments at all times but to submit to Rome because of the current crisis.

The book was written to saints 1:7 and the rest of the gentiles 1:13.  Paul was like an angel harvesting. See Matt 13

1:7 To all those in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints:

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

1:13 I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, that I have often intended to come to you (but thus far have been prevented), in order that I may reap some harvest among you as well as among the rest of the Gentiles. 

Matt 13:39 and the enemy who sowed them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels.

Romans and all of Scripture in my is all about Israel.  Paul even mentions “The Rest of the Gentiles” who were the scattered 10 tribes of the Northern Kingdom, Israel.  It’s interesting that he says in:

Romans 11:25-27  (NASB)

25 For I do not want you, brethren, to be uninformed of this mystery—so that you will not be wise in your own estimation—that a partial hardening has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in; 26 and so all Israel will be saved; just as it is written,

“The Deliverer will come from Zion,

He will remove ungodliness from Jacob.”

27 

“This is My covenant with them,

When I take away their sins.”

**Notice how All ISRAEL WILL BE SAVED when THE FULLNESS OF THE GENTILES HAS COME and that's THROUGH THE GOSPEL.  THE GENTILES were the scattered TEN TRIBES of the Northern Kingdom, Israel who became like gentiles when YHWH cut them off.  They were being brought back into the fold through The Gospel.  Christ said that He came ONLY for the lost sheep of the house of Israel.  But followers of Christ today do not believe Yeshua.

The center of who God’s Word is written and directed to is His people, Israel. Often when we see the phrases like every person, every man, all men, the world, every person, every human... the context is referring to Israel or God's covenant people.  

Romans 12:14-21  (ESV)

14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. 15 Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. 16 Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight. 17 Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. 18 If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. 19 Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” 20 To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” 21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

***Paul is preparing the saints for the coming Tribulation.  He is instructing them with an attitude of peace, respect, blessing, harmony.  

The enemy of the church were the Jews. 
YHWH's minister of wrath were the ROMANS.

Romans 13:1-14

1Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. 2 Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. 3 For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, 4 for he is God's servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God's wrath on the wrongdoer. 5 Therefore one must be in subjection, not only to avoid God's wrath but also for the sake of conscience. 6 For because of this you also pay taxes, for the authorities are ministers of God, attending to this very thing. 7 Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed.

8 Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. 9 For the commandments, “You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,” and any other commandment, are summed up in this word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 10 Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.

11 Besides this you know the time, that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed. 12 The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light. 13 Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy. 14 But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.

v1  every person in context are the covenant people. 

Governing authorities were Rome. 

v2. God appoints Roman authorities

v4. All creation and people are God’s servants.  They do the bidding of The Sovereign God!  Rome is The servant for the good of the ekklesia and the one who will avenge the saints by destroying apostate Jerusalem.  

v5-6 Rome is the wrath of God upon the murderers of His son, prophets and saints.   

v8-10 show love during this time of tribulation. 

v11-

Salvation was nearer to the Roman Christians when Paul wrote this epistle then early when they first believed because they were closer to 70AD.  Salvation would come in its fullness at the return of Christ in 70AD at the destruction of the temple as Christ and the writer of Hebrews proclaimed.  

Hebrews 9:27-28 (NASB)

27 And inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment, 28 so Christ also, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time for salvation without reference to sin, to those who eagerly await Him.

 v12-13 The night of the OC Law is almost extinguished or they are in the last days to last hours of the OC.  

The day light sun of the new covenant is breaking in. 70AD. 

God’s servant is the Roman Empire for that specific time frame. This is not prescriptive of submitting to all government authorities for all times but descriptive of what was happening in the 1st century. The Roman Christians were not to cause any trouble with the Roman Empire who were going to bring The Judgement of God upon the enemies of The Gospel, apostate unbelieving Jews by crushing them in 70AD. 

In 1 Samuel 8, the Jews rejected YHWH as King and wanted an earthly king/ govt. This angered YHWH!   And Christians today worship the state!  Smh