Rô-ma 13

Living under governing authorities

¹Everyone must submit to the authorities who govern, because no authority exists except by God’s doing, and the authorities that are in place have been put there by God.^{a 2}So anyone who sets themselves against the authority is standing against what God has ordered, and those who take that stand will bring judgment on themselves.^{b 3}Rulers are not something to fear when you do what is good, only when you do what is wrong. Would you like to have no fear of the one in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive its approval. ⁴For the ruler is God’s servant, working for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, because the ruler does not carry the sword for nothing. The ruler is God’s servant, one who avenges and brings wrath on anyone who does wrong. ⁵So you must submit, not only to escape wrath but also for the sake of conscience. ⁶This is the reason you also pay taxes: those in authority serve God in a public office, and they give themselves to this very task. ⁷Pay everyone what you owe them: taxes to the one who collects taxes, customs to the one who collects customs, respect to the one who is owed respect, honor to the one who is owed honor.^c

Love fulfills the law

⁸Do not stay in debt to anyone, except for the debt of love you owe one another. Whoever loves another person has fulfilled the law. ⁹Take the commandments “Do not commit adultery,” “Do not murder,” “Do not steal,” “Do not covet”: these, and whatever other commandment there is, are gathered up in this one saying: “You must love your neighbor as you love yourself.”^{d 10}Love does no harm to a neighbor, and so love is what fulfills the law.

The day is near

¹¹Do this because you know what time it is: it is already time for you to wake up out of sleep. Our salvation is closer now than it was when we first believed. ¹²The night is almost over; the day is close. So let us take off the deeds that belong to darkness and put on the armor of light. ¹³Let us live decently, as people do in the daytime: not in wild parties and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and shameless excess, not in quarrels and envy. ¹⁴Instead, put on the Lord Jesus Christ like clothing, and do not make plans to satisfy the desires of the flesh.