Paul knew that statements can be taken to an extreme. For example, some may decide that when he instructed them “not to conform to the pattern of the age” (Romans 12:2) that meant they had no obligations to secular government. He may also have been eager to present an alternative to the “vigilantism” he rejected in Romans 12:19. Or perhaps believers were joining in an anti-taxation movement (Romans 13:6f). Whatever his reasons, he explained that government has its ordained role.