ROMANS 13:4

“or it is a servant of God to you for good. But if you do what is evil, be afraid; for it does not bear the sword for nothing; for it is a servant of God, an avenger who brings wrath on the one who practices evil.”

I was with a friend of mine this past weekend helping him pack up some things as he prepares to move. As we were packing, I noticed a sheath on the shelf and saw the hilt of what looked like a sword. He pulled it down and showed it to me. He told me he had given it to his son at his bat Mizpah when he was thirteen. It was meant to represent the sword of the Lord, His Word. What a great idea!

Paul uses the word “sword” in today’s verse to stand for the power of the authorities God has placed over us. He uses this word here and back in Romans 8:35. The sword was meant to symbolize the power to protect the innocent but to also punish the evil doers. Remember, Paul has already stated that every authority is placed by the Lord for a reason. That sword is a reminder to us that will use these authorities in our life to keep us in line.

APPLICATION

That kind of sounds like we have to live in fear, Carl. No, no, no! Paul is very explicit here in this verse. He says, “if you do what is evil” and “the one who practice evil.” Both of these are in the Present tense which implies a lifestyle, not a one time event. We all are capable of failures from time to time. God knows we will never live a perfectly sinless life. Only His Son, Jesus, was capable of that. But we are not to make evil our normal practice.

Paul uses another word of interest in this verse. He says the person who has been placed in authority serves as “an avenger who brings wrath.” The Greek word for “avenger” is ékdikos, which is defined as “someone executing a just judgment, carrying out what is right which can include administering punishment for the wicked.” (HELPS Word-studies) If they are God’s avenger against those doing evil, why should we not choose to obey, knowing that by doing that we are really obeying the Father?

Ekdikos is only used once more in the New Testament in 1 Thessalonians 4:6 where it says, “…because the Lord is the avenger in all these things, just as we also told you previously and solemnly warned you.” You see, it is really the Lord who avenges evil. “Submit yourself, therefore, to the Lord. Resist the devil and he will flee.” (James 4:7)

I trust the sword in the hand of the authority knowing that You place all who are in authority for a purpose.

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