Civic Duty - Romans 13:1-7

Paul ends chapter 12 with the counsel to have compassion on our enemies and more specifically enemy combatants. Chapter 13 begins by describing our civic duties to the society and government in which we live. Of course, Paul didn’t write this letter broken up into chapters so sometimes I have to go back and reread the end of the last chapter to understand how it flows into the next one, because that’s how he wrote it.

There is a lot going on in these verses and even though I don’t really understand it as it is written, the IM has some helpful info. First, Paul requests that “every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power in the church but of God.” This is a JST edit that seems to specify that he’s talking about priesthood authority within the church. But the word “power” is cross-referenced with John 19:11 which is when Pilate tells Jesus to defend himself against the accusations by the Jews because only he has the power to free him. Jesus answers, “Thou couldest have no power at all against me, except it were given thee from above.”
Pilate was a civil authority and Jesus was reminding him that his power was only allowed him by God, which is an interesting concept. If we think about it, yes, God can come down and intervene at any time, or even just have his servants do the political upheaval, but he doesn’t. Does that mean that God wants evil dictatorships or rulers to be in charge of people? Of course not, but it does make me stop and think. But then again, terrible things happen to so many people, why would horror by government be any different than horror by the hand of anyone else?
The IM says, “The Joseph Smith Translation of Romans 13:1-7 indicates that Paul’s statements in these verses apply to following not only civic authorities but also Church authorities… In Joseph Smith Translation, Romans 13:4, ‘sword’ was changed to ‘rod.’ And in Joseph Smith translation, Romans 13: 6, ‘tribute’ (taxes) was changed to ‘your consecrations.’” Paul speaks of paying taxes just like Jesus did. I think that Jesus’ payment of tribute to Caesar is a very important and often overlooked incident during the Lord’s mortal ministry. If even Jesus paid taxes, then why should we feel exempt?
Paul continues, “render therefore to all their dues: tribute to whom tribute is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honour to whom honour.” The IM sets the background for Paul’s comments of civil obedience saying, “Roman rulers placed a high priority on maintaining peace and quelling social unrest, and revolts were put down swiftly and violently. Earlier in Paul’s ministry, unrest in the Jewish community in Rome had led to the expulsion of all Jews form the city for a time. Paul gave specific instructions about civic duties to help the Church avoid harm in potentially volatile circumstances.”
A religion or organization that causes problems for the government under which it operates is going to have a difficult time getting support from local leaders and almost always ends up in persecution for the members and a difficult time proliferating it’s message. Even when the groups don’t cause problems for the government, there is still a good chance at negative energy being garnered against them, especially religious groups. Having the government have at minimum a neutral opinion of the group is a very important step in the group’s growth. And not only would the organization’s leadership itself cause problems but the followers could adopt the same attitude of civil disobedience furthering the negativity.
Being a good citizen was not unique only to Paul’s time, the IM reminds us that we are under the same obligation, quoting the 12^th article of faith, saying, “We believe in being subject to kings, presidents, rulers, and magistrates, in obeying, honoring, and sustaining the law.” And by the same token, Paul also “acknowledged that all who hold positions of power are accountable to God, and they hold power only to the extent that God allows.”