Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves.
Parallel translations
- WEB Therefore he who resists the authority, withstands the ordinance of God; and those who withstand will receive to themselves judgment.
- KJV Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation.
- BSB Consequently, whoever resists authority is opposing what God has set in place, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves.
- NASB Therefore whoever resists authority has opposed the ordinance of God; and they who have opposed will receive condemnation upon themselves.
- NLT So anyone who rebels against authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and they will be punished.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
To resist legitimate authority is to resist God's ordinance and incur judgment.
Overview
Building on verse 1, Paul warns that rebellion against rightful authority is, in principle, rebellion against the God who established it, bringing deserved judgment. The point is the God-given role of government, not the endorsement of every act a ruler commits. It calls believers to respect the institution of civil order as part of submission to God.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 10
- 1 Pet 2:13Therefore subject yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake: whether to the king, as supreme;
- Titus 3:1Remind them to be in subjection to rulers and to authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good work,
- Rom 13:5Therefore you need to be in subjection, not only because of the wrath, but also for conscience’ sake.
- Jas 3:1Let not many of you be teachers, my brothers, knowing that we will receive heavier judgment.
- Luke 20:47who devour widows’ houses, and for a pretense make long prayers: these will receive greater condemnation.”
- Mark 12:40those who devour widows’ houses, and for a pretense make long prayers. These will receive greater condemnation.”
- Matt 23:13“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you devour widows’ houses, and as a pretense you make long prayers. Therefore you will receive greater condemnation.
- Jer 23:8–17but, ‘As Yahweh lives, who brought up and who led the offspring of the house of Israel out of the north country, and from all the countries where I had driven them.’ Then they will dwell in their own land.”
- Jer 44:14–17so that none of the remnant of Judah, who have gone into the land of Egypt to live there, shall escape or be left, to return into the land of Judah, to which they have a desire to return to dwell there; for no one will return except those who will escape.’”
- Isa 58:2Yet they seek me daily, and delight to know my ways. As a nation that did righteousness, and didn’t forsake the ordinance of their God, they ask of me righteous judgments. They delight to draw near to God.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
Paul unfolds the gospel in full: Christ our righteousness received by faith, the second Adam in whom many are made righteous, in whose death and resurrection we are buried and raised.
How Romans 13:2 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.