Romans 13:5Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

What does “not only because of wrath” mean? You must obey, says the Apostle, not only because by not submitting you resist God, and bring great calamities upon yourself from God and men. You must also obey because the ruler, as guardian of peace and civil good order, is your greatest benefactor. For countless benefits come to states from authorities. If they are abolished, everything will perish. Neither cities, nor villages, nor houses, nor marketplace, nor anything else will stand. Everything will be overturned, because the stronger will devour the weaker. Thus, even if wrath did not follow disobedience, you would still have to submit, so that you would not prove conscienceless and ungrateful toward a benefactor.

It is necessary for you, he says, to obey not only so that you may not experience wrath, both God’s and the ruler’s, as one disobedient, and be subjected to unbearable punishment. You must obey also so that you may not prove shameless and ungrateful toward your benefactor. Authorities provide great benefits to states. Our well-being is maintained by them. If they did not exist, everything would long since have been overthrown, because the stronger would have swallowed up the weaker. Therefore, he says, let your own conscience persuade you to honor those who provide you with so many goods.

Paul wants us to understand that under the conditions of this life we must obey and not resist when someone wishes to take something from us, if this lies within his authority. Authority has been given to him over temporal things that will pass away. We do not need to submit with respect to the good that will abide forever, but only with respect to the needs of this age. When he says, “Therefore one must be subject,” so that no one submits to authorities without a pure heart and without love, he adds, “not only because of wrath. But also for conscience’ sake.” That is, not merely to be free from the fear that may arise, but so that your conscience may be assured that you do this out of love for God. For you obey the commandment of your Lord, who wills that all be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth.

Therefore it is necessary to obey not only because he is an avenger of wrath, but also for the sake of conscience, that is, for the sake of our mind. Let it not reproach us for being filled with anger and resisting him after we have been given the command not to resist the authorities.

Paul rightly says that one must submit not only from fear of punishment, that is, of vengeance now, for wrath brings vengeance. One must submit also because of the future judgment. Even if someone manages to escape punishment here, it awaits him there. His own conscience will be his punishment.

By wrath the Apostle means punishment. He commands obedience for both reasons: from fear of punishment, and in order to fulfill what is due. This he called conscience.

Those who do evil and live contrary to the commandments are subject to authorities as punishment. Those who live rightly are subject by conscience, because the actions prescribed for them are good and righteous.

“It is necessary to obey authority not only because of wrath, but also because of conscience.” That is, not only from fear of punishment for resisting authority, but also from the conviction of conscience that the existence of authorities is beneficial for all. From this it is clear that the Christian conscience, having in view the clearly expressed will of Christ, resists the fulfillment of commands of authority that go against this conscience. In such a case, the Christian is obliged to obey the voice of conscience rather than the demand of authority. Thus the Apostle establishes here a special right of judgment concerning the actions of authority, and he himself gives an example of this (Acts 16:36-37 and similar passages).

Why is this? Because we must obey God according to conscience. Therefore we must also obey His servants according to conscience. The one who obeys according to conscience obeys not only while he is seen by the ruler, but also when he cannot be seen, exposed, or punished. He obeys from sympathy and oneness of mind. This sympathy and oneness of mind is precisely what we must have with authority, which is appointed by God and fulfills God’s work, since we are all servants of God.

One must obey not only from fear of punishment, but also according to conscience, from the awareness of duty. Conscience always stands for the known will of God. Therefore, after pointing to rulers as servants of God and sanctifying obedience to them by the will of God, the Apostle concludes: one must obey not from fear alone, but, even if there were no fear at all, according to conscience. Blessed Theodoret writes: “By wrath the Apostle meant punishment, that is, fear of punishment. He commands obedience for both reasons: from fear of punishment, and in order to fulfill what is due. This he called conscience.” “Even if there were no fear at all from authority,” let us add the words of Photius, “conscience compels one to listen to it and obey it.