“For government is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, because it does not carry the sword for no reason. For government is God’s servant, an avenger that brings wrath on the one who does wrong.” (Romans 13:4, HCSB)

Government serves God’s purposes. What are God’s purposes for the government? It serves a two-fold purpose. First, the government is for my good. How can that be? Government is good for me because it provides services for my well-being. I pay taxes and the government provides services for me. In the time of Paul, paying taxes to the Roman government meant increased security, freedom of assembly, and the rights of being a citizen of the Roman Empire. In a similar way, the government of the United States serves the purpose of providing services for me when I pay it taxes.

The government also serves a negative purpose. If I disrupt the civil order of society, the government serves as an avenger. An avenger is someone who exacts punishment to someone when they do wrong to other people. In this case, the government serves a policing purpose. It provides law and order and deals out punishment for crimes against the people.

“Pay your obligations to everyone: taxes to those you owe taxes, tolls to those you owe tolls, respect to those you owe respect, and honor to those you owe honor.” (Romans 13:7, HCSB)

This is why the Bible says that we have five responsibilities to the government. These five responsibilities include (1) obligations, (2) taxes, (3) tolls, (4) respect, and (5) honor.

Photo by Nigel Tadyanehondo on Unsplash