Five Things I Learned from Romans 13: How to be a Good Citizen

how we are to be a good citizen

We can learn a lot simply by reading the Bible. Romans 13 offers guidance on how to live in a world that does not know God and often ignores the law. Paul lays out how we are to be a good citizen of whatever country we live in.

One: 1 Every  person is to be in subjection to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God. Romans 13:1

A lot of us get hung up on things like taxes, we think that it is okay to not pay our taxes because they are used for things we do not support, or we just don't want to pay them. This is not what the bible tells us, Jesus Himself was very explicit about this, Matthew 22:15-22, Mark 12:13-17. We can take this as an example that we are to follow for other laws, driving, voting, insurance, and so on. Yes, there is a line that the government can cross and then we must respond. But, we are to be good citizens and obey the law. See Acts 5:29 for help in discerning the difference.

Two: 7  Render to all what is due them: tax to whom tax is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honor to whom honor. Romans 13:7

Our response should be from humility, not arrogance and “I am right, not you”. Paul continues with our response to authority. Be good citizens and obey the law. Participate in elections, be part of the community you live in. We cannot hide in our homes and churches and declare ourselves righteous. We are expected to be good citizens.

Three: 8 Owe nothing to anyone except to love one another; for he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law. Romans 13:8

Jesus, in the famous parable of the Good Samaritan, explains this in Luke 10:25-37. Basically, we are to love all people and help anyone in need. No, we do not have to approve of all the things people do, but we can act with mercy. However, that does not excuse anyone from receiving a punishment that is just under the law. A person who commits a crime and is then jailed should be forgiven, but they have to serve the sentence given as punishment.

Four: 11 Do this, knowing the time, that it is already the hour for you to awaken from sleep; for now salvation is nearer to us than when we believed. Romans 13:11

Why do we act this way? Because there is a time coming when we will be held to account for all we have done, good and bad, Matthew 25:46. And that time is not far off, so Paul is telling us to live as if it is coming tomorrow!

Five: 13 Let us  behave properly as in the day, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual promiscuity and sensuality, not in strife and jealousy. 14 But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts. Romans 13:13-14

Our society today tells us that all sorts of lewd and obnoxious behavior is good. It is not. All sorts of sin and bad behavior is now excused and even made lawful. We cannot imitate this behavior. What should we do? Should we hunt down all the offenders and mock them and punish them? I don’t think so; we should be patient and good examples to all people. Most importantly, we cannot be guilty of the sins we preach against. Paul tells us to “…act properly…” in verse 13. This is important!

This is not an in-depth study of Romans 13, but these are some key lessons I learned about how we are to be a good citizen from reading Romans 13. We are given a choice by God; what we do with that choice changes our lives—and those we meet. And that is good news!