Read Romans 13 here (text coming …) or at Bible Gateway.
The Greek Testament has no Hebrew paragraph divisions. This is my outline of of Romans so far:
1:1-7, Greeting and benediction;
1:8-15, Desire to visit Rome;
1:16-17, Theme of the letter: the Gospel reveals the righteousness of God;
1:18-5:21, Justification and the righteousness of God;
6:1-8:39, Sanctification and the righteousness of God;
9:1-11:36, God’s righteousness and Israel;
12:1-15:13, Practical application of God’s righteousness;
12:1-21, Filled with the Spirit for service, not conformed to the world but to God’s will;
13:1-14, Be subject to governing authorities, to love, and to the Lord Jesus Christ;
15:14-16:27, Conclusion.
Romans 13:1-14 Chiastic Structure:
Scripture is teaching us that the Law of Love is the equivalent of the Law of the Hebrew Testament.
Jesus said all the Law could be summed up in two commandments, Love God, and Love your neighbor (Mat 22:34-40). Paul said that all the Law could be summed up in one verb: Love. Paul quotes some of the Ten Commandments to make his point, in fact, the second half of the Ten Commandments, he says, can be summed up by Love your neighbor:
| Law of Love | |
| Love God | Love your neighbor |
| 1. Worship God alone (Exo 20:2-3) | 6. Do not murder (Exo 20:13) |
| 2. Do not worship idols (Exo 20:4-6) | 7. Do not commit adultery (Exo 20:14) |
| 3. Do not profane the Lord’s name (Exo 20:7) | 8. Do not steal (Exo 20:15) |
| 4. Keep the Sabbath (Exo 20:8-11) | 9. Do not bear false witness (Exo 20:16) |
| 5. Honor father and mother (Exo 20:12) | 10. Do not covet (Exo 20:17) |
And the first half of the Ten Commandments teach us how we love God.
If there are questions, these are good resources:
The Law of Love – Christine Miller
Romans 13, The governing authorities – Christine Miller
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