Romans Thirteen

by Michael Smith (Veshengro)

[1] Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. [2] Consequently, whoever rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves. [3] For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and you will be commended. [4] For the one in authority is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for rulers do not bear the sword for no reason. They are God’s servants, agents of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer. [5] Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also as a matter of conscience.
[6] This is also why you pay taxes, for the authorities are God’s servants, who give their full time to governing. [7] Give to everyone what you owe them: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor."
Romans 13:1-6 NIV

Time and again so-called Christians quote this passage as proof that G-d means for people to be under a government and that the people have to obey the government in all things.

This is, however, not something that came from Jesus, the so-called Christ, but was something that a Saul of Tarsus, later the so-called St. Paul, concocted in his letter to the Romans. It is the view of a man – if he ever wrote it – who believed that people have to bow down to the “authority appointed by G-d over them” and much of that, more than likely, something that he carried over from having been a Roman official in his “previous life”. It is from this passage also that the kings and emperors have claimed their “by the grace of God” part, or as “ordained by God”.

It is not sufficiently clear as to whether Paul ever wrote this first and foremost and secondly this passage has been deliberately used by Church and state alike to enslave the people and that for centuries. Jesus would have told those people and governments to go to a certain hot place which may or may not exist. It may have even been concocted by the Roman state in order to subjugate the Christians when Christianity was made into the official state religion of the Roman Empire shortly before its collapse.

This passage also totally and utterly contradicts the belief and the teachings that a Christian has but one king and one authority to follow, namely that of G-d and that his or her allegiance is to G-d and G-d alone and not to some earthly master.

In the same way Paul write to the Colossians in Chapter 3 verse 22: “Slaves, obey your masters in all things. Do not obey just when they are watching you, to gain their favor, but serve them honestly, because you respect the Lord”. Thus he is condoning slavery and making it appointed by G-d.

It was the latter passage (and others) that the Church and state used to justify slavery and also all attempts at keeping the poor oppressed as, so they claimed, it was their G-d appointed state to be laborers and such and they had no right to aspire too something greater in life and the state schools taught this in England as much as in continental Europe.

If you were born into poverty, to a farm laborer, a factory worker, or such then that was the position that G-d had appointed for you in life, they reckoned, and you did not have the right to aspire to becoming something better. And this attitude in public schools continued in England and on the European mainland until the early part of the 20th century.

This is New Testament Bible. Please reflect on whether or not any of the scripture passages quoted are compatible with private property rights, self-ownership, and the non-aggression principle. I do not think so. And those are not the only parts that are not.

© 2013