Romans 13:7
Render therefore to all their dues: tribute to whom tribute is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honour to whom honour. Render therefore to all their dues: tribute to whom tribute is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honour to whom honour.
Render to all what is owed them, to civil rulers tribute and taxes, customs and fees, reverence and honor, for human government is divinely appointed and obedience to it in its rightful sphere is a sacred duty to be met peaceably. This submission is to be conscientious and for conscience's sake, not merely to escape punishment nor in a defiant spirit. It holds only so far as it does not clash with duty to God, for God's word is supreme over all human law, and where rulers require what God forbids obedience belongs to God rather than men. The same rule requires strict integrity in paying honest debts and wages in full to those entitled to them, since failure to repay defrauds neighbors and reproaches the Christian cause. It also requires giving honor and respect where they are due, to worn workers, to institutional leaders and managers in their trust, to patients and to all, in meekness and courtesy without exalting any man or worshiping those who did not honor God.
Dues to Civil Authority
Render to all their dues means rendering to civil authorities what belongs to them — tribute and taxes to whom tribute and taxes are due, custom and fees to whom custom and fees are due, fear and respect to whom fear and respect are due, and honour to whom honour is due. Human government is an ordinance of divine appointment, and obedience to it within its legitimate sphere is a sacred duty to be met peaceably, remaining peaceably subject to the laws of the land and meeting the support civil authority requires. This submission is to be practiced for conscience's sake and conscientiously, not merely to avoid punishment and not in a defiant spirit.
The duty holds as long as it does not conflict with duty to God, whose claims must always be obeyed. God's word remains supreme above all human legislation of church or state, with the crown of Christ standing above earthly diadems, and when the claims of government conflict with the claims of God, obedience belongs to God rather than men. God's people are to be taught to conform in all things to the laws of their state whenever they can do so without conflicting with the law of God.
When the law of God is made void, the true and loyal are to become more zealous, steadfast, positive, and unflinching in witness, with hearts fully surrendered to God. Even then loyalty must not be expressed defiantly or as antagonistic to law and order. Speech and writing are to be careful, nothing is to be done that would needlessly close the way, but the way is to go forward in Christ's name advocating committed truth and holding aloft truth and religious liberty even in the last conflict.
Rejecting all civil control and order in the name of divine authority leads to rebellion and strife. Obeying princes is not an attempt to serve both God and evil.
Paying Debts and Wages
Romans 13:7 requires paying what is owed with strict integrity in meeting just obligations. Failing to repay honest debts, such as for family provisions, defrauds neighbors and brings reproach on the Christian cause. Such conduct can make others regard all believers as unreliable. What is owed must be given to the person entitled to it, repaying every amount owed, including the full principal, without stopping until the debt is paid.
Publishing houses are to make restitution to authors and others they have treated unjustly, paying them their dues rather than withholding money that belongs to them. Each person is to receive what is due, including wages proportionate to the work performed. Workers are not to be deprived of wages to cover shortages caused by lavish or misdirected spending. Fair pay leaves them able to help people in genuine need.
Giving Honor Where Due
Honor and respect are to be given where they are due, to those who merit and deserve them. Giving such honor requires discernment and good manners, rather than a proud, defiant refusal to respect those who differ in opinion. Honoring those who should be honored means exalting no man and never lifting up self in any place or on any occasion. It does not mean worshiping or exalting human beings without regard to their lives, and it opposes praising people who did not honor God or represent Christ.
Honor includes recognizing moral worth and caring for a worn-out missionary who has embraced present truth, for neglecting her wrongs Jesus, whom she represents. Thirty years of work should inspire confidence in integrity and warrant giving honor where honor is due, as with Bro. H’s thirty years of work. Respect and honor are also to be shown to patients by not speaking to them in an irritating or disrespectful manner.
Honor and respect are owed to those in authority in institutions, including managers and department leaders placed in charge, because they have been put in positions of trust with respect and honor shown them. Children and youth must submit to their discipline and rules, and parents must uphold that authority rather than blindly sustain and sympathize with their children in differences with superiors. When difficulty arises parents are to go directly to those in charge to learn the truth, manifest confidence in their judgment, and teach their children to respect and honor them, since those leaders know best what regulations are essential and honoring them upholds the principles at the foundation of loyalty to truth, to fellow beings, and to God.
Honoring church officers does not give them the right to rule arbitrarily or dominate others, for cooperation among believers should be harmonious and no human being is to come between a person and God as Counselor. Human judgment can misjudge people and assign them work they are not suited for, discouraging them and costing them time and courage. In particular, encouraging those intending to prepare for ministry to become doctors can divert workers when ministers are greatly needed. Pomposity and self-esteem are to be cut away, walking humbly and softly before God with conversation and conduct as a real and visible expression of grace and truth within, in a spirit, character, words, and actions that always reveal meekness, kindness, and Christian courtesy, which shows the Spirit of Christ abides in the soul and is necessary for success in God’s work and for receiving the Holy Spirit in rich measure.