A Revolutionary Reading of Romans 13

By placing Paul’s famous pericope about believers and the civil magistrate into contextual perspective, Dr. Decker has provided God’s people with a helpful analysis of Romans 13:1–7. With exegetical acumen supplemented by historical sensitivity, the reader will better understand how this text fits the larger context of Scripture and will be aided by careful application.

It is always gratifying to see increased exegetical clarity with regard to an important passage of Scripture. It is especially gratifying when that clarity provides timely, practical guidance to the believer. Such clarity and practicality are the blessed results of Tim Decker’s study on Romans 13. I have been convinced for many years of his exegetical approach to and understanding of Romans 13 and have defended it in my Political Revolution in the Reformed Tradition. Recent events in the church and society have only emphasized both the doctrinal and practical necessity of this understanding of Romans 13. May God give this book great influence!

Christians are tasked with the difficult duty of navigating the “city of man” as citizens of the “city of God,” and as we do so, we look to the Word of the King for instruction on how to do so well in both cities. A key text for understanding our duties in the common kingdom is Romans 13, and Timothy Decker walks his readers through cultural, textual, and theological issues at play in this locus classicus. Pastors need tools in their belts as they help Christ’s people lead godly and honorable lives under the civil government. Decker’s work will be one such tool, contributing to your thinking as you prepare to lead the people entrusted to your care.

Dr. Timothy Decker’s new book, A Revolutionary Reading of Romans 13, is a book that needed to be written and that needs to be read by our generation, both pastors and laypeople alike. He effectively challenges the shallow assumption that Christians and churches are simply to obey the dictates of the government under which we live, no matter what, unless we are specifically required to do something egregiously sinful. This book is marked by careful, detailed, and yet engaging exegesis of the relevant passages. Especially helpful are the chapters on the lesser magistrate doctrine, sphere sovereignty, and tyranny biblically defined—these chapters are gold! I am very thankful God put it into the heart of this brother to write this book. I highly recommend it!

Anyone who lived and labored through the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic and beyond will have surely encountered the invocation of “Romans 13” in the relevant discourse. In this impressive volume, Dr. Timothy Decker does the hard work of diving deep into the exegetical, contextual, and hermeneutical factors that inform our understanding of Romans 13. While one may not agree with all of Dr. Decker’s premises or conclusions, one will still be biblically stimulated, challenged, and perhaps even encouraged as he thinks through the intricacies of the church’s relation to the state in a more theologically informed way.