Why Obedience to Government Depends on Government’s Obedience to God: When Romans 12–13 Are Quoted Without Romans 1–11
Why Obedience to Government Depends on Government’s Obedience to God: When Romans 12–13 Are Quoted Without Romans 1–11
When Speaker Mike Johnson recently invoked Romans 12 and 13 to encourage public submission to governing authorities, he stepped into one of the most quoted—and most misused—sections of the New Testament. For generations, Christians have wrestled with Paul’s words about honoring rulers, doing good, and living peaceably with all. But Paul never intended Romans 13 to function as a blank check for government power or a muzzle for Christian conscience. His vision of authority is moral, accountable, and deeply rooted in the transforming work of Christ.
Romans 13 cannot be understood apart from Romans 12.
And neither chapter can be understood apart from the first eleven chapters of the letter.
Paul’s argument is cumulative. His theology builds like a staircase. And if we skip the steps, we misunderstand the destination.
The Context We Often Skip: Romans 1–11
Before Paul ever mentions government, he spends eleven chapters describing the human condition and God’s redemptive plan. Romans 1–11 lays the theological foundation for everything that follows:
- God’s righteousness revealed in Christ
- Humanity’s universal sin and moral accountability
- The futility of idolatry and the consequences of rejecting truth
- The gift of justification by faith
- The call to holiness empowered by the Spirit
- The formation of a new community shaped by mercy
Romans 12 begins with a sweeping call:
“Be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind…” (Romans 12:2)
Paul is not preparing believers to obey blindly.
He is preparing them to obey wisely, with renewed minds capable of discerning good from evil. Without that discernment, Romans 13 becomes a tool of manipulation rather than a guide for faithful citizenship.
Romans 12: The Ethic of the Kingdom
Romans 12 is a manifesto of Christian character. It calls believers to sincere love, humility, patience, generosity, and forgiveness. It commands them to hate what is evil and cling to what is good. It urges them to bless those who persecute them and to overcome evil with good.
This is not the ethic of empire.
It is the ethic of the cross.
Paul is forming a people who evaluate all earthly power through the lens of Christlike virtue. Romans 12 is the moral filter through which Romans 13 must be read. Without it, obedience becomes servility, and submission becomes idolatry.
Romans 13: Government as God’s Servant—Not God’s Substitute
Romans 13 describes governing authorities as “ministers of God” tasked with rewarding good and restraining evil. But Paul’s language is descriptive, not absolute. He is describing what government ought to be, not what it always is.
A government that rewards evil and punishes good is not fulfilling Romans 13.
A government that abandons justice is not acting as God’s servant.
A government that demands what God forbids—or forbids what God commands—cannot claim divine sanction.
Paul himself resisted unjust authority.
Peter declared, “We ought to obey God rather than men.”
Jesus confronted political and religious leaders when they violated God’s will.
Romans 13 is not a leash on the church.
It is a leash on the state.
When Blindness Becomes a Choice: God Gives People Over to What They Demand
Romans 12–13 cannot be separated from one of Paul’s most sobering themes: God allows people to remain blind when they insist on rejecting the truth. In Romans 1, Paul repeats the warning three times:
“God gave them over…” (Romans 1:24, 26, 28)
This is not divine cruelty. It is divine judgment on human pride. When people choose darkness long enough, God eventually allows them to have the darkness they prefer.
This is the biblical logic of spiritual blindness:
- People choose not to see
- Satan deceives and distorts
- God allows blindness as judgment
- Blind leaders then mislead blind followers
Jesus described this tragic cycle with stark clarity:
“If the blind lead the blind, both will fall into a pit.” (Matthew 15:14)
The pit is not merely confusion.
It is spiritual ruin.
A nation can be materially prosperous, politically confident, and religiously active—and still be spiritually blind.
The Devil’s Oldest Strategy: Twisting Scripture to Justify Power
Whenever Scripture is quoted to demand obedience, Christians must remember that Satan himself quotes Scripture. In the wilderness temptations (Matthew 4:1–11), the devil attempts to manipulate Jesus by appealing to Scripture out of context.
The three temptations reveal the enemy’s strategy:
1. Turn stones to bread — use power for self-interest
2. Jump from the Temple — use Scripture to justify reckless behavior
3. Bow to Satan — trade worship for political authority
The third temptation is especially relevant. Satan offers Jesus “all the kingdoms of the world” in exchange for allegiance. Political power is not neutral. It is spiritually contested territory.
When leaders quote Scripture to secure loyalty, Christians must ask whether the voice they hear resembles the Shepherd—or the serpent.
The Third Temptation: When a Tribe Claims Divine Selection but Was Chosen by Satan
The wilderness scene exposes a danger that echoes through every generation: the danger of a tribe, movement, or nation claiming to be chosen by God when in fact it has been empowered by the enemy—and God allows it because the people demanded blindness.
Scripture warns that when people reject truth long enough, God eventually gives them over to the deception they prefer. A spiritually blind people will not recognize when:
- Their “chosen” identity is self-appointed
- Their leaders appeal to divine authority without divine character
- Their tribe confuses political success with spiritual legitimacy
- Their movement uses Scripture the way Satan did—selectively and manipulatively
Jesus’ warning becomes painfully literal:
A blind tribe following blind leaders will fall into the pit—and God may allow it because they insisted on rejecting the light.
The third temptation teaches us that not every kingdom is from God, not every “chosen” tribe is chosen by Him, and not every ascent to power is a blessing. Some are judgments. When a people want a leader who reflects their blindness, God may allow them to have exactly what they asked for.
Blindness, Deception, and the Misuse of Romans 13
Romans 13 becomes dangerous when:
- It is quoted without Romans 12
- It is used to silence moral discernment
- It is invoked to justify injustice
- It is weaponized to demand loyalty to flawed human authority
A government that twists Scripture is not acting as God’s servant.
A leader who uses Scripture to sanctify power is not following Christ.
A people who refuse to discern good from evil are choosing blindness—and God may allow them to remain blind.
Paul’s warning is not subtle:
A blind church following blind leaders will not drift toward righteousness. It will fall into the pit.
A Call for Moral Clarity in Public Leadership
When public officials quote Romans 12–13, they step into sacred territory. Scripture is not a political prop. It is a moral mirror. And it reflects back on leaders as much as on citizens.
If leaders want Romans 13 obedience, they must demonstrate Romans 13 governance.
If leaders want Romans 12 peace, they must embody Romans 12 virtue.
If leaders want biblical submission, they must practice biblical justice.
The church’s loyalty is not to any party, platform, or politician.
The church’s loyalty is to Christ.
And Christ calls His people to discernment, courage, and truth—even when those virtues make earthly powers uncomfortable.
A Prayer for Discernment in an Age of Deception
Holy Father,
You are the God who sees all things clearly. We confess that our own eyes grow dim when we drift from Your Word, and our hearts grow dull when we trust our own understanding.
Send Your Holy Spirit to us.
Strengthen our discernment.
Sharpen our minds.
Awaken our spirits.
Guard us from the blindness we choose when we prefer comfort over truth.
Rescue us from the deception that comes when we stop listening to Your voice.
Protect us from the schemes of the enemy, who twists Scripture, flatters our pride, and disguises darkness as light.
Teach us to test every spirit, every leader, every claim of divine authority.
Give us courage to reject what is false, humility to receive what is true, and wisdom to walk the narrow path that leads to life.
Make us a people who see clearly, love deeply, and obey You above all earthly powers.
And may our discernment be rooted not in suspicion, but in devotion to Christ—the Way, the Truth, and the Life.
Amen.
