Romans 13:7: Pay To All What Is Owed To Them

Romans 13:7
[7] Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed. (ESV)

A theme that the Apostle Paul has emphasized through the book of Romans is the difference that Christ makes in our lives. Before we became believers in Jesus Christ we were rebels at the very core of our being. We lived to please ourselves and not to please God. Our ability to please God only comes after he has given us a new life in Jesus Christ.

Christians and unbelievers will continue to live together in the same society. In this scenario all are being required to follow the man-made authority of the government we are all subject to. Paul's instructions on our relationship with governmental authority have everything to do with the testimony we have for Christ in our community.

There were those in the time of the Early Church that tried to portray the Christians as rebels. It would have been easy to dismiss the Church as being irrelevant if they could have labeled them as a band of anti-government dissidents. This labeling would have been catastrophic for the church. The way that we act as citizens of this world has important bearing on our relationship with God.

We are told to pay to all what is owed to them. It should never be said of a Christian that they did not pay their bills. Because you bear the name of Christ your actions will always be connected with the Savior. I can remember working as a server at a restaurant. The servers would often complain about Sundays because the "Christians" would come in and not tip them. Disgraceful.

Do you owe taxes? Pay them. Do you honor to someone? Give it. If you go out to eat, make sure you tip. Be generous. You are not just representing yourself, or even your family. You represent Christ no matter where you go or what you do. Take it seriously.