³ For rulers are not a cause of fear for good behavior, but for evil. Do you want to have no fear of authority? Do what is good and you will have praise from the same; ⁴ for it is a minister of God to you for good. But if you do what is evil, be afraid…

Scripture gives a reason for being “in subjection to governing authorities” (Rom 13:1). Whether or not we need a reason to obey God, sometimes He does provide one. We must note that Paul is not writing his opinion or giving a time-limited command—he writes under inspiration of the Holy Spirit with the authority of an apostle (Rom 1:1). This teaching is Scripture—and in our present-day democratic, free speech, Western culture we recognize it can be hard to implement. Though we may grapple with its interpretation and application, we must not question its authority. This is the same for all of Paul’s difficult writings (2 Peter 3:15-16), whether they be gender roles, sovereignty/free will issues or church life and discipline.

Yet the command would have been even harder for Christians in Paul’s day than for us today. The Roman world at that time was ruled by a dictatorship following the assassination of Julius Caesar with the rise of his successor, Augustus, who refashioned the Roman Republic into an Empire, himself becoming the Emperor. The system of laws was stabilized, but power remained ultimately with one man, who was somewhat unrestricted in his authority. The only means of replacing a dictator was assassination. The rule of Rome was harsh and unbending. The average citizen or occupant of Roman-ruled lands had no voice or vote. They were completely at the mercy of the rulers. They may have been able to make appeals, as Paul did (Acts 25:11), but by and large the system was harsh to the average person, and the immediate application of Roman law was completely dependent on the local rulers. So living under that system was much more difficult than living in our Western world today.

The general reason Paul lays down is that when one behaves according to the laws of the land, there is no need to fear. The principle of authority is good, despite the abuse of authority. In general, wherever there is a group of people living or working together, or generally united for any reason (as in being part of a unified country), there must be authority or everything degenerates into anarchy—or as Israel found out in the time of the judges, “[E]veryone did what was right in his own eyes” (Judges 21:25).

Lord, help me have a right attitude toward my government, office holders and the laws of my country, even when I disagree or they make life uncomfortable.