Nero, God’s Servant

Today’s reading: Romans 13

“...the hour has come for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed.” - Romans 13:11

One of the most interesting things about this chapter in Romans is that Paul starts with the small picture of governing authorities, then he backs way up to show the Roman church the big picture.

There are many reasons not to riot against the government or refuse to pay taxes, but the main reason is that we are to look much further down the road. With heaven in view, we can put everything else in its proper place.

Paul was putting the craziest of all the Caesars, Nero, into proper perspective. Nero wasn’t worthy of respect. He was using Christians as torches to line the streets of Rome at night. He would later blame Christians for the burning of Rome. How is that a picture of God’s servant?

This is why reading the end of chapter 13 brings it all together. When we “put on the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ,” we put ourselves in a position to change the world.