Romans: The Gospel for Everyone — Week 29 - Romans 13:1-7

Romans 13:1-7 is handled as one of the letter's hardest passages, with the preacher openly naming his own biases before letting the text speak. The context matters: Paul wrote about submission to governing authorities while Nero ruled and Christians were being killed. Historical and biblical examples—Moses, Daniel, the apostles—raise the question of when to submit and when to resist injustice. The answer is found in Jesus' teaching to render to Caesar what bears Caesar's image and to God what bears God's image: obey until an authority defaces the image of God or oppresses those who bear it. A final warning lands: a good citizen without Jesus is still without salvation. Christianity is not what you do; it is what has been done.