Rom 13:4-5 | TNotes | STEP | 13:4 servants (Greek diakonos ): The New Testament usually reserves this word to describe Christians who serve God in various capacities. However, it was also used in secular Greek to refer to a civic official. Whether they know it or not, governing authorities are serving God when they administer justice. • they have the power to punish you (literally they do not bear the sword in vain ): The sword might simply be a metaphor for punishment of any kind, but some interpreters believe it suggests that human governments, under God’s authority, have the right to carry out capital punishment.

c13:1-4►

d13:3-4►

e13:1-2►

‏ Romans 13:4-5

13:4 ^a servants (Greek diakonos): The New Testament usually reserves this word to describe Christians who serve God in various capacities. However, it was also used in secular Greek to refer to a civic official. Whether they know it or not, governing authorities are serving God when they administer justice.

• they have the power to punish you (literally they do not bear the sword in vain): The sword might simply be a metaphor for punishment of any kind, but some interpreters believe it suggests that human governments, under God’s authority, have the right to carry out capital punishment.
13:5 ^b The two reasons for submission sum up the argument of 13:1-4 ^c in reverse order: to avoid punishment relates to 13:3-4 ^d, while to keep a clear conscience refers to 13:1-2 ^e.

• The word conscience (Greek suneidēsis) refers to the painful knowledge of wrongdoing. Christians know about their duty to submit to governing authorities, and their failure to do so would bring the pain of a guilty conscience.