Christians: Whats your take on Romans 13 ?

dknob said:

I don't know what Bibles people are using. I know the evangelicals in my area use the new testament, but my mother always had the King James version.

Whats your take on Romans 13? And what about the differences between King James version and the New Testament?

=============KING JAMES
Romans 13

1Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God.
2Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation.
3For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same:
4For he is the minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil.
5Wherefore ye must needs be subject, not only for wrath, but also for conscience sake.
6For for this cause pay ye tribute also: for they are God's ministers, attending continually upon this very thing.
7Render therefore to all their dues: tribute to whom tribute is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honour to whom honour.
8Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law.
9For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
10Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.
11And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed.
12The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light.
13Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying.
14But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof.


=============="New living translation"



Romans 13
Respect for Authority


Everyone must submit to governing authorities. For all authority comes from God, and those in positions of authority have been placed there by God. 2 So anyone who rebels against authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and they will be punished. 3 For the authorities do not strike fear in people who are doing right, but in those who are doing wrong. Would you like to live without fear of the authorities? Do what is right, and they will honor you. 4 The authorities are God’s servants, sent for your good. But if you are doing wrong, of course you should be afraid, for they have the power to punish you. They are God’s servants, sent for the very purpose of punishing those who do what is wrong. 5 So you must submit to them, not only to avoid punishment, but also to keep a clear conscience.
6 Pay your taxes, too, for these same reasons. For government workers need to be paid. They are serving God in what they do. 7 Give to everyone what you owe them: Pay your taxes and government fees to those who collect them, and give respect and honor to those who are in authority.
Love Fulfills God’s Requirements

8 Owe nothing to anyone—except for your obligation to love one another. If you love your neighbor, you will fulfill the requirements of God’s law. 9 For the commandments say, “You must not commit adultery. You must not murder. You must not steal. You must not covet.”[a] These—and other such commandments—are summed up in this one commandment: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”[b] 10 Love does no wrong to others, so love fulfills the requirements of God’s law. 11 This is all the more urgent, for you know how late it is; time is running out. Wake up, for our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. 12 The night is almost gone; the day of salvation will soon be here. So remove your dark deeds like dirty clothes, and put on the shining armor of right living. 13 Because we belong to the day, we must live decent lives for all to see. Don’t participate in the darkness of wild parties and drunkenness, or in sexual promiscuity and immoral living, or in quarreling and jealousy. 14 Instead, clothe yourself with the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ. And don’t let yourself think about ways to indulge your evil desires.

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dknob said:

Eh.... My conscience tells me they are both 100% bullshit. One is just older than the other, both written by governments or paid lackeys. But im not looking for that, I wanna see what Christians think about this whole Romans 13 thing.

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brendon420 said:

i think i am going to start making more religious threards so prophecy can come preach to us

repent or perish? okay prove it, i dont think i have once ever "repented" and i am happy healthy and very much not perishing.


you are a hateful person trying to be someone you're not

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WoldofWeedcraft said:

The book of romans is an epistle (a letter) to the Romans written by the apostle Paul (a jew who was converted to Christianity). It is said that he used man named Tertius to transcribe his writings.

Paul was a missionary, a leader, writing to the Romans (who eventually converted) because of the sin that was taking over their empire. Paul wrote many epistles to many kings, so yes I see where governments are involved in your concern. As far as obeying the law, that really depends however. If the law is pure and of true intention (i.e. not corrupt such as cannabis laws), then it should be followed. But it's obvious our government is corrupt, therefore, as Prophecy said "The Truth as it is revealed on your conscience is your heed to refine your life with it" applies. If you look back to the old testament, there's a story about shadrach, meshach, and abednago who are all told by their government to bow to a false god. When they refused, they were thrown into a furnace and God protected them.

So my interpretation is that if the law is true and not corrupt, then yes it should be followed.

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dknob said:

I do agree with you, I take joy in breaking laws that are completely absurd. You seem to have quite a bit of knowledge on the subject. Heres the deal, and im not trying to insult, I read the new Romans 13 and think, this basically means George Bush and every authority in his position in the world and every corrupt turd sandwich in positions below is put there by God. And I also am under the impression that Christians are directed to follow the bible, or you're basically a bad person, sinner, hell candidate.?

Now are you saying that because this is a documented letter rather than the word of God, it isnt 'instructions' or 'Christian correctness" or whatever ya call it? Its just a documented letter and not "the gospel" I suppose?

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dknob said:

Pretty damn interesting. Someone needs to tell this to the thousands of churches that preach this ancient propaganda as gospel. FYI - im not a bible reader, I only know about this passage here because of the letters issued from FEMA to churches all around the country requesting that they preach to Romans 13 in the event of a "national emergency".

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WoldofWeedcraft said:

The book of romans is an epistle (a letter) to the Romans written by the apostle Paul (a jew who was converted to Christianity). It is said that he used man named Tertius to transcribe his writings.

Paul was a missionary, a leader, writing to the Romans (who eventually converted) because of the sin that was taking over their empire. Paul wrote many epistles to many kings, so yes I see where governments are involved in your concern. As far as obeying the law, that really depends however. If the law is pure and of true intention (i.e. not corrupt such as cannabis laws), then it should be followed. But it's obvious our government is corrupt, therefore, as Prophecy said "The Truth as it is revealed on your conscience is your heed to refine your life with it" applies. If you look back to the old testament, there's a story about shadrach, meshach, and abednago who are all told by their government to bow to a false god. When they refused, they were thrown into a furnace and God protected them.

So my interpretation is that if the law is true and not corrupt, then yes it should be followed.

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EarthlyPassions said:

I'm repping you. I was all prepared to type the explanation and then I saw that you did it already. I got all my info when I was doing research about whether gays go to hell. What inspired you to go deeper?

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medgrower49 said:

the church in any form has never and will never save a single soul!! only the true Lord God incarnate Jesus Christ can save your soul. i am a devote Christian and follow the word of the Lord to the best of my ability, but as it has been said before faith in Christ as divine savior that died for your sins is all you truly need to be saved. My righteousness is as filthy rags before a just and holy God.

Ephesians 2:8-9
"For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God. Not of works, lest anyone should boast."

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homerdog said:

Sorry I can’t help this

“I don't know what Bibles people are using. I know the evangelicals in my area use the new testament, but my mother always had the King James version.”

KJV is one translation of the old and new test. Not trying to be an ass


"Pretty damn interesting. Someone needs to tell this to the thousands of churches that preach this ancient propaganda as gospel. FYI - im not a bible reader, I only know about this passage here because of the letters issued from FEMA to churches all around the country requesting that they preach to Romans 13 in the event of a "national emergency"."

Now that I have not heard, would love to have the reference for that. No, really.


In the old testament, I don’t remember where I haven’t been reading much lately, God tells us that he never intended for us to be lead by, judges, kings, etc that this was something we brought upon ourselves.

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