Book of Romans · Chapter 13 of 16
14 verses · 11 video commentaries from 5 courses · Berean Standard Bible
1Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which is from God. The authorities that exist have been appointed by God.
2Consequently, whoever resists authority is opposing what God has set in place, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves.
3For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Do you want to be unafraid of the one in authority? Then do what is right, and you will have his approval.
4For he is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not carry the sword in vain. He is God’s servant, an agent of retribution to the wrongdoer.
5Therefore it is necessary to submit to authority, not only to avoid punishment, but also as a matter of conscience.
6This is also why you pay taxes. For the authorities are God’s servants, who devote themselves to their work.
7Pay everyone what you owe him: taxes to whom taxes are due, revenue to whom revenue is due, respect to whom respect is due, honor to whom honor is due.
8Be indebted to no one, except to one another in love. For he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law.
9The commandments “Do not commit adultery,” “Do not murder,” “Do not steal,” “Do not covet,” and any other commandments, are summed up in this one decree: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”
10Love does no wrong to its neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.
11And do this, understanding the occasion. The hour has come for you to wake up from your slumber, for our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed.
12The night is nearly over; the day has drawn near. So let us lay aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light.
13Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy.
14Instead, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the desires of the flesh.
Rom 13:1-13
Christianity introduced and emphasized 'Agape,' a unique form of love distinct from Greek concepts like 'Philia' (friendship) or 'Eros' (passionate love). Agape signifies active love, meaning doing good for others, and it became a central principle throughout the New Testament, often misunderstood in its original context.
Summarized by AI · Bart D. Ehrman · YouTube · Does Altruism Actually Exist? · watch the clip
Rom 13:1-7
The Bible presents an ambivalent view on obeying authority. While passages, particularly in the New Testament like Paul's letters, advocate for obeying ruling authorities to demonstrate Christians are not a threat, other parts of the Bible, including the Old Testament, show instances of objecting to and rebelling against authority when it acts wrongly. God himself is depicted as displeased with various rulers.
Summarized by AI · Bart D. Ehrman · YouTube · Must Christians Keep Kosher? Decoding Matthew��s Answer · watch the clip
Rom 13:1-3
Passages like Matthew 22:21 ('Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's') and Romans 13:1-3 (exhorting obedience to governing authorities) are original to their respective New Testament documents. These reflect a view within early Christianity that believers should obey political authority, often to avoid persecution for law-breaking rather than for faith. This stance coexists with other New Testament texts, such as Acts 5:29 ('We must obey God rather than human beings') and Revelation, which express opposition to Roman authority, indicating a tension and variety of views within early Christianity.
Summarized by AI · Bart D. Ehrman · YouTube · Why Should We Think Mark Was the First Gospel? · watch the clip
Rom 13:8-10
Paul emphasizes that loving others fulfills the law, summing up commandments like 'do not commit adultery,' 'do not murder,' and 'do not steal' into the single principle: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' Love, by doing no wrong to a neighbor, is the complete fulfillment of the law.
Summarized by AI · Paul and Jesus: The Great Divide · Lecture 6: Paul the Moral Teacher · watch the clip
Both Jesus and Paul agreed that obeying the Torah is achieved by fulfilling its greatest commandments: loving God above all else and loving your neighbor as yourself. They explicitly stated that loving your neighbor fulfills the Torah, summarizing its many laws into these two core principles.
Summarized by AI · Paul and Jesus: The Great Divide · Lecture 8: Did Paul and Jesus Have the Same Religion? · watch the clip
Despite his emphasis on salvation through Christ rather than the law, Paul also states that loving one's neighbor as oneself fulfills the law. This aligns with Jesus' and Matthew's teaching that love is the core of the law, suggesting a shared understanding among early Christian figures about the ultimate purpose of God's commands.
Summarized by AI · Bart D. Ehrman · YouTube · Can Anyone Keep the Jewish Law? · watch the clip
Rom 13:9
Despite their differences in salvation theology, Jesus and Paul shared common ethical teachings. Both affirmed that 'love your neighbor as yourself' is the central tenet of the Torah and that fulfilling this commandment effectively fulfills the entire law. Their ethical instructions, while often addressing different contexts, do not appear to be contradictory.
Summarized by AI · Bart D. Ehrman · YouTube · Paul and Jesus at Odds · watch the clip
In the New Testament, Jesus in the Gospels and Paul in Romans clearly refer to the Ten Commandments, listing prohibitions like adultery, murder, stealing, and honoring parents. However, the order of these commandments often varies from the Hebrew Bible, suggesting that they were likely transmitted through oral tradition or different textual editions rather than a fixed, written text.
Summarized by AI · The Ten Commandments · Lecture 4: The Status of the Ten Commandments · watch the clip
Rom 13:11
The success of Paul's mission in turning Gentiles to the God of Israel served as empirical reinforcement for his belief that the end times were near. This 'turning of the nations' was an anticipated event in Jewish eschatology, validating Paul's conviction.
Summarized by AI · Ancient Christianities: The First Five Hundred Years · Lecture 4: Beginnings | Paul, the Pagan's Apostle · watch the clip
Paul's understanding of salvation is deeply rooted in apocalyptic expectations, as evidenced in 1 Corinthians 15. He anticipates a coming kingdom, a great judgment, and the transformation of human bodies into spiritual bodies, reflecting a future-oriented eschatology.
Summarized by AI · The New Testament: Exploring the Christian Bible · Lecture 20: Collecting Paul’s Letters · watch the clip
Paul primarily uses the term 'saved' in the future tense, referring to what will happen when Jesus returns for judgment. For Paul, salvation is not something that has already occurred but is an event that will take place in the future for those aligned with Christ.
Summarized by AI · Bart D. Ehrman · YouTube · Paul's Bizarre Views on Salvation: Exploring the Apostle's Contradictory Explanations · watch the clip