Romans 13:3

My Notes

What Does Romans 13:3 Mean?

Paul makes a statement about government that assumes the best: rulers are not a terror to good works, but to evil. If you do good, you'll receive praise from the authority. The government is designed to reward good and punish evil. That's its purpose. That's how it's supposed to work.

The phrase "rulers are not a terror to good works" describes the DESIGN of government, not necessarily its performance. Paul is stating what government SHOULD be: a protector of good, a punisher of evil. In Romans 13's context, this is the theological basis for submitting to authority: government exists as God's servant (verse 4) to execute justice.

The practical instruction — "do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise" — assumes a government that recognizes good behavior. The advice works when the government is functioning as designed. When it's not (when rulers ARE a terror to good works), the dynamic changes — and the book of Acts shows Paul himself being beaten, imprisoned, and tried by the very government he describes here.

Reflection Questions

• 1.Does 'rulers are not a terror to good works' describe your government — or does your experience contradict it?
• 2.How do you submit to authority that malfunctions (terrorizes good, rewards evil) while trusting the design?
• 3.Does Paul's own experience (beaten, imprisoned, executed BY government) create tension with what he writes here?
• 4.Can you 'do good' and trust the system when the system isn't functioning as designed?

Devotional

Rulers aren't supposed to terrify good people. They're supposed to terrify bad ones. Do good — and the government should praise you.

Paul describes government's intended function: reward the righteous, punish the wicked. The ruler is God's servant (verse 4) — an agent of divine justice in the civic sphere. The government exists not as a competing authority to God but as a delegated one. The same God who judges personally in eternity judges through government in the present.

"Not a terror to good works" — the design. Government, functioning properly, doesn't frighten the law-abiding. The good citizen has nothing to fear. The power of the state is aimed at evil, not at righteousness. The person who lives well within the system finds the system protective, not threatening.

"Do that which is good" — the practical advice assumes a functioning government. If the ruler is operating as designed (punishing evil, rewarding good), your strategy is simple: do good. The good behavior produces praise from the authority. The system works when the participants work.

The tension Paul creates is visible across his own life: the same apostle who writes "rulers are not a terror to good works" has been repeatedly terrorized by rulers FOR good works. Beaten in Philippi (Acts 16:22). Tried in Jerusalem. Imprisoned in Caesarea. Eventually executed in Rome. The government he describes as God's servant is the government that will kill God's apostle.

The principle is the design. The reality sometimes contradicts the design. And when it does — when rulers become a terror to good works rather than evil — the Christian faces the hardest test of Romans 13: trust the design while living under the malfunction.

Government SHOULD reward good and punish evil. When it does, submit gratefully. When it doesn't, live righteously anyway — and trust the God who designed the system to eventually correct it.

Commentary

Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.

Cross References

Related passages throughout Scripture