Romans Chapter 13 in Simple English

Updated on October 8, 2026

Read Romans Chapter 13

1Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God. The authorities that exist have been appointed by God.

2So whoever resists the authority is resisting what God has ordained. And those who resist will bring judgment on themselves.

3For rulers are not a terror to good deeds, but to evil ones. Do you want to be free from fear of the authority? Then do what is good, and you will be praised by it.

4For he is God's servant to do you good. But if you do what is evil, be afraid. He does not carry the sword for nothing. He is God's servant, who punishes and brings wrath on the one who does evil.

5So you must be subject to them, not only because of wrath, but also for the sake of conscience.

6This is also why you pay taxes. For the rulers are God's servants, giving their full time to this very work.

7So give to everyone what you owe them: taxes to whom taxes are due, revenue to whom revenue is due, respect to whom respect is due, honour to whom honour is due.

8Owe no one anything, except to love one another. For whoever loves another person has fulfilled the law.

9For the commandments, "You shall not commit adultery," "You shall not kill," "You shall not steal," "You shall not give false witness," "You shall not covet," and any other commandment, are all summed up in this one saying: "You shall love your neighbour as yourself."

10Love does no harm to its neighbour. So love is the fulfilling of the law.

11Do this, knowing the time: it is now high time to wake up out of sleep. For our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed.

12The night is nearly over, the day is near. So let us throw off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light.

13Let us live honourably, as in the daytime: not in wild parties and drunkenness, not in sexual sin and shameless living, not in quarrelling and envy.

14Instead, put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no plans to satisfy the desires of the flesh.

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Explanation

Romans 13

In short

Paul tells Christians to obey the government, understanding that rulers carry out God's purposes. He then shifts to say that love of neighbor fulfills all of God's law, and urges believers to live righteously because Christ's return is near.

Context

Paul is writing to the church at Rome about how to live as believers. This chapter follows his teaching on how Christians should treat each other and those outside the faith. He is addressing both submission to authorities and the deeper principle that should guide all Christian conduct.

What the text says

Verses 1-4 command submission to governing powers, stating that all authority comes from God and that rulers serve as God's ministers to punish wrongdoing. Verse 5 grounds this submission not only in fear of punishment but also in conscience. Verses 6-7 apply this to paying taxes and showing respect: give tribute, customs, fear, and honor to those in authority to whom these are due.

Verses 8-10 pivot to a larger principle: the only debt that should remain unpaid is love toward one another. This love fulfills the law. The text lists specific commandments from the Old Testament, then says these are "briefly comprehended" in the single command to love your neighbor as yourself. Love accomplishes this because it does no harm to others.

Verses 11-14 urge an urgent change in conduct. Knowing that salvation is drawing nearer, believers should "awake out of sleep," cast off "works of darkness," and "put on the armour of light." This means walking in honest conduct, avoiding rioting, drunkenness, and sexual excess. Finally, believers should "put on the Lord Jesus Christ" and refuse to feed the desires of the flesh.

Takeaways

Civil authority is presented as part of God's order, though the text does not address what a Christian should do when authority commands sin.
All God's laws are summed up in the single command to love your neighbor, which is the practical test of obedience.
Living rightly now is urgent because believers expect Christ's return and the end of this age.

Romans 13 - Simple English