Romans 13:7
“Therefore give everyone what you owe: if you owe taxes, pay taxes; if customs, then customs; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor.”
What does Romans 13:7 mean?
Paul is calling us to settle our debts, both the obvious financial ones and the deeper relational ones. He's not just talking about money to the government, but about recognizing what we genuinely owe to others: honesty in our dealings, courtesy in our interactions, and acknowledgment of those who deserve our esteem. This can feel countercultural when we're tempted to withhold respect from people we dislike or to minimize what we "owe" to systems or people we resent. Yet Paul suggests that integrity means paying what's actually owed, not just what we feel like giving in the moment. For many of us struggling through difficult relationships or seasons, this is an invitation to look honestly at what we might be withholding and whether settling our debts, even small ones, might bring us more peace than we'd expect.