Romans 13

¹ Let every soul be in subjection to the higher authorities, for there is no authority except from God, and those who exist are ordained by God.

² Therefore he who resists the authority withstands the ordinance of God; and those who withstand will receive to themselves judgment.

³ For rulers are not a terror to the good work, but to the evil. Do you desire to have no fear of the authority? Do that which is good, and you will have praise from the authority,

⁴ for he is a servant of God to you for good. But if you do that which is evil, be afraid, for he doesn’t bear the sword in vain; for he is a servant of God, an avenger for wrath to him who does evil.

⁵ Therefore you need to be in subjection, not only because of the wrath, but also for conscience’ sake.

⁶ For this reason you also pay taxes, for they are servants of God’s service, continually doing this very thing.

⁷ Therefore give everyone what you owe: if you owe taxes, pay taxes; if customs, then customs; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor.

⁸ Owe no one anything, except to love one another; for he who loves his neighbor 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 whatever other commandments there are, are all summed up in this saying, namely, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

¹⁰ Love doesn’t harm a neighbor. Love therefore is the fulfillment of the law.

¹¹ Do this, knowing the time, that it is already time for you to awaken out of sleep, for salvation is now nearer to us than when we first believed.

¹² The night is far gone, and the day is near. Let’s therefore throw off the deeds of darkness, and let’s put on the armor of light.

¹³ Let’s walk properly, as in the day; not in reveling and drunkenness, not in sexual promiscuity and lustful acts, and not in strife and jealousy.

¹⁴ But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, for its lusts.

Around Romans 13

Book context

RomansEditorial draft

Paul writes to believers “in Rome” (1:1, 1:7), a church he had often planned to visit but had not yet reached (1:13), as he prepares to go to Jerusalem to serve the saints (15:25). The letter presents the Good News as “the power of God for salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first, and also for the Greek” (1:16 to 17), then turns to how believers live in response to God’s mercy (12:1). Easton’s Bible Dictionary (1897) outlines it as an introduction (1:1 to 15), the gospel of righteousness by faith (1:16 to 11:36), practical instruction (12:1 to 15:13) and a conclusion with many personal greetings (15:14 to the end). Easton places it in Corinth in AD 58; Phoebe, commended in 16:1, may have carried it.

Why we say this

HisFullGlory editorial · common interpretation · not yet reviewed by a theological reader

From the text itself

Sources

Notes summarise their sources in our own words. Where Christians or scholars disagree, the note says so. Notes are not original-language evidence and do not replace the text.

AI explanation

Romans 13 · Written by an AI model · Not reviewed by a theological reader

This explanation was written by an AI model to help you get started. It names no sources and can contain mistakes. Scripture comes first, and context with sources is shown separately on this page.

What this chapter says

Paul gives his readers a short lesson on how to stand before the powers around them. Everyone should be subject to the higher authorities, he says, because there is no authority except from God. Rulers hold the sword to restrain wrongdoing, and believers are to do good, pay what they owe in taxes and customs, and give respect where respect is due.

Then the tone shifts, and the center of the chapter appears. “Owe no one anything, except to love one another”. The commandments about adultery, murder, stealing and coveting are summed up in loving your neighbor as yourself. “Love doesn’t harm a neighbor.” Love is the fulfillment of the law.

The chapter ends with an alarm clock. “it is already time for you to awaken out of sleep”. The night is far gone and the day is near, so believers should put off deeds of darkness and put on the Lord Jesus Christ.

Background

Paul writes to Christians living in the capital of the empire. The first seven verses have been among the most debated in the Bible. Rulers have used them to demand obedience, even to unjust governments, and others have pointed out that Paul does not say rulers can never be wrong, that Christ and the apostles themselves were punished by authorities, and that elsewhere believers must obey God first (see Acts 5). Christians differ on what this means for resistance and civil disobedience today.

About this explanation

Written by Claude Sonnet 5.5, an AI model, on 16 October 2026. It draws on the WEB text and general knowledge and was not checked against sources by a person. Every quotation from Scripture is checked automatically against the WEB text.

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