Romans 13:7 - Meaning and Application

We are here taught a lesson in justice and charity.

First, we are taught justice. “Render to all what is owed to them” (Romans 13:7). This applies especially to rulers, since Paul is still speaking about the duty owed to government, and it also applies to everyone we deal with. To be just means to give each person what belongs to him. What we have is given to us as stewards, that is, as managers, not owners, and other people have real claims on it.

So we should give God what is due to him first. Then we should give to ourselves, our families, our relatives, the public, the church, the poor, and all with whom we do business, what is rightfully theirs. We should do this willingly and cheerfully, not waiting until the law forces us. Paul then names some of these duties more specifically.

He speaks first about taxes. “Pay taxes to whom taxes are due, and revenue to whom revenue is due.” At that time many of the places where the gospel was first preached were under Roman rule and treated as provinces of the empire. Paul wrote this to the Romans, who were wealthy but also heavily burdened with taxes and payments, and he calls them to honest and careful payment. Some people distinguish between tribute and custom, saying tribute means regular taxes and custom means occasional charges, but both must be paid faithfully when they are lawfully due.

Our Lord was born when his mother went to be taxed, and he told people to give Caesar what was Caesar’s. Many people seem fair in other matters, yet they feel no guilt about cheating the government. They excuse it with a bad saying, but Paul’s rule is clear: pay what you owe.

Paul also speaks about proper respect. “Respect to whom respect is due, honor to whom honor is due.” This covers not only rulers, but all who are set over us, such as parents and masters, and all who have authority over us in the Lord, as the fifth commandment teaches: “Honor your father and your mother.” Compare (Leviticus 19:3). This is not fear that makes a person tremble in terror, but loving, respectful obedience. If that respect is not in the heart, then no other duty will be done rightly.

He also speaks about paying debts. “Owe no one anything,” meaning, do not keep living in debt when you are able to pay, unless the person you owe has agreed to it. Give each person what is his own. Do not spend on yourself what you owe to others. “The wicked borrows and does not pay back” (Psalm 37:21). Many people feel the pressure of debt, but think little about the sin of staying in debt when they should pay.

Second, we are taught charity, that is, love for one another. “Owe no one anything, except to love one another” (Romans 13:8). Some read it this way: whatever else you owe to any relative or neighbor, it all comes together in this one debt of love. Love is a debt we must always be paying, yet never fully finish paying. God’s law and human good both make this clear. It is not something left to our choice. It is commanded, and it sums up all duty toward one another.

Love is the fulfilling of the law, not in the sense that it achieves perfect obedience by itself, but because it is a strong step toward it. It includes the duties named in the second table of the Ten Commandments, and those duties suppose love for God. See (1 John 4:20). If love is sincere, God accepts it as fulfilling the law. What a good Master we serve, who has gathered our whole duty into one word, and such a sweet word, love. Loving and being loved is the joy and happiness of an intelligent being. “God is love” (1 John 4:16), and love is his likeness in the soul. Where love rules, the soul is well shaped and ready for every good work.

To show that love fulfills the law, Paul gives two proofs. First, he gives a list of specific commands in (Romans 13:9). He names the last five commandments, and says they are all summed up in this royal law: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” This does not mean you must love your neighbor in the same amount, but with the same sincerity. Anyone who loves his neighbor as himself will care about his neighbor’s body, goods, and good name just as he cares about his own. This is the basis for the golden rule, doing to others what we would want done to us.

If there were no human laws or punishments, and human nature were not so corrupt that such restraints are needed, the law of love would itself be enough to prevent wrong and keep peace and good order among us. In listing these commandments, Paul puts the seventh before the sixth and names adultery first. Though people often talk about this sin as if it were love, it is really a serious breaking of love, just as killing and stealing are. That shows that true brotherly love is love for our neighbors’ souls first of all. A person who tempts others to sin and ruins their minds and consciences may speak in the language of passion, but he truly hates them, just as the devil does, for he fights against the soul.

Second, Paul gives a general rule about brotherly love: “Love does no wrong to a neighbor” (Romans 13:10). The person who walks in love, guided by love, does no harm. He does not carry out evil against anyone, and he does not even plan it. To plan evil is already, in effect, to do it. That is why plotting sin is called working evil on the bed (Micah 2:1). Love means no harm and no injury. It is against anything that would bring another person damage, offense, or grief.

Love does no wrong, and more is included than is said. It not only avoids harm, it also does all the good it can. It is a sin not only to plan evil against your neighbor, but also to withhold good from those to whom it is due. Both are forbidden together (Proverbs 3:27-29). This shows that love fulfills the law, because the law’s purpose is to keep us from evil and lead us into good. Love is a living, active principle of obedience to the whole law. The whole law is written on the heart when the law of love is there.