Review:
A REVOLUTIONARY READING OF ROMANS 13
Every person is to be in subjection to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist have been appointed by God.
Therefore whoever resists that authority has opposed the ordinance of God; and they who have opposed will receive condemnation upon themselves.
Romans 13:1-2
A Revolutionary Reading of Romans 13.
This is an incredibly important book.
The title is great, and I think it worth quickly explaining:
“When considering the full scope of all the details behind the epistle to the Romans, there is a strong reason to understand Paul prohibiting private revolution against the Roman empire.”
Page 7
“Romans 13 is a prohibition of private revolution against the God-established civil magistrate. Is is not an unqualified command to obey the government at all costs except if they force you to sin.”
Page 212
“Romans 13, no matter how much we quote it, has a historical meaning that is limited in its application. It cannot be forced to say what Paul never intended it to say. And it cannot be twisted to demand Christians do things that God has not authorized his avenging servant to enforce.”
Page 213
This all has foundation in Samuel’s Rutherford’s Lex Rex. Thus it is not that Decker’s handling is revolutionary, ie novel, but rather Paul is writing against revolutionary tendencies.
This really functions as the central thesis of the book.
In Chapter 1 Decker covers some of the history of the discussion, and the various conclusions, about the purpose of Paul’s letter. This is important because we often seek to discern this question when interpreting other NT books, but this is often overlooked with Romans. Then he covers some of the history of the church(es) at Rome, the expulsion of the Jews, etc. Next he corrects the oft promoted error that Paul wrote this under “wicked” Nero. This all ties together to establish the context of the recipients in Rome, which is necessary for extracting Paul’s meaning. Paul did not write into a vacuum, and this is so oft forgotten in modern expositions of Romans 13.
In Chapter 2 Decker sets the foundation for understanding a prevailing Jewish sentiment against Rome. This posture comes out, for example, in the foolish trap dangled in front of Jesus, when the Pharisees and the Herodians asked Jesus if it was lawful to pay tax to Caesar, or not.
Chapters 3 and 4 get into more specific examples of strife and disunity that Paul was seeking to undermine and diffuse in Romans 1-11, and 12-15, respectively. The disagreements stemming from the weaker brother eating only vegetables, and others observing certain days, are some of the most well-known examples.
In chapter 5, (page 77 of 238) Decker moves to an exegesis of Romans 13:1-2, within the cultural and literary context. This is an excellent chapter. Having worked through the text myself many times, and read much exposition of the text, I appreciated his work, even in a few places where I disagreed with him. There are several very important arguments here that need to be worked through. Decker argues that the language of submission is not to be equated with obedience. He also argues that the language of subjection, resisting, and opposing, carry more of their original military background than we often recognize and give credit for. He argues that Paul is first re-establishing the fact that civil government is a divine institution, and then against that backdrop prohibiting the (private) revolutionary tendencies by some in Rome. Additionally, Decker makes the very important and persuasive argument that Paul’s statement in verse 1, “those which exist have been appointed by God,” is not referring to mere ordination by God, but rather appointment to a particular assigned task. He cites Murray in his Romans commentary, “The context shows that the ordination of which the apostle speaks is that of obligation to perform the appointed functions.” Decker concludes, “Therefore, the option preferred by Murray is not to read in this verse the will of decree (what God ordains) but rather, in keeping with the normal use of the verb, God’s will of command (what God would command or have government tasked to do).” This is a chapter that needs to be read, and re-read by anyone that wants to take seriously the purpose and meaning of Paul’s writing.
Chapter 6 gives 22 pages of exegesis and interpretation of 13:3-7. Decker shows how differing interpretations in verses 1-2 set the stage for varying interpretations of verses 3-7. He traces the logic of those various positions in 1-2, and continues to convincingly demonstrate the “private revolution prohibition” that undergirds Paul’s point(s). This is again a chapter that needs to be read, and carefully weighed.
As an aside, Chapters 5 and 6 deal with the semantic range of Greek words and are, like the other chapters, well footnoted. A blessing is that those not familiar with Greek words should not feel overwhelmed by Decker’s teachings.
Chapter 7 takes Decker’s understanding of the text, its meaning and application in Paul’s day, and seeks to compare and contrast those conclusions with other texts in the New Testament that speak to issues of submission and the civil government. This is of course a very important study. Decker’s exposition must be checked by the rest of Scripture (rightly interpreted). Additionally Decker brings in the Doctrine of the Lesser Magistrate, as it is deduced from 1 Peter 2. This is a good introduction to the doctrine.
Chapter 8 is a great introduction to sphere sovereignty. After explaining the concept, Decker shows how the concept is found in historical Protestant theology, even though the phrase itself is much newer. He then goes on to show how Romans 13 and sphere sovereignty work in tandem, with appeals to Calvin, Rutherford and Hodge. At the risk of sounding like a broken record, this is another important chapter that all serious-minded Christians need to work carefully through.
Chapter 9 demonstrates ten manifestations of tyranny, with biblical examples of the condemnation of the practice.
Chapter 10 looks at the contemporary application of Romans 13. Decker puts the actions of many over the last few years under the light of all that has been explained thus far. No matter your conclusion on Decker’s hypothesis, or his handling of the text of Romans 13, his examples and illustrations, and calls to Christian bravery and liberty are almost the highlight of the book. Almost.
In speaking of the bravery and willingness to suffer, both for the truth, and for the longterm good of others - suffering as undertaken by men like Luther and the Reformers, and even the Founding Fathers of the US, Decker says:
“Their wise and prudent course led to suffering for a future reward many of us now enjoy. Surely, it is neither wise nor prudent to succumb to present and lesser tyranny for the sake of taking care of one's family in the present moment. Wisdom dictates that we reflect on the world we are allowing to be shaped in our undutiful submission. Prudence would make us mindful more of the future good than present comforts.”
As many of you know, I’ve been dealing with this text almost non-stop since March of 2020 (as the decline in my Facebook friends list reminds me), and on that basis I enthusiastically say that this is one of the must read works on Romans 13.
It is under 240 pages. It is at times dense, but it is not overly technical or difficult. Due to the depth of the arguments and requirement that you (at times) track with several lines of argumentation at once, particularly in the exegesis of Romans 13, it wont always be a quick read. It will, however, be a profitable read, no matter the degree of agreement that you have with Decker.