Christian Citizenship
Romans 13:1-7
©July
3, 2005 Rev. Bruce Goettsche
Every day on the news we see countries that are torn apart by conflict. The news is filled with protests, riots, and debate. We are inundated by commentators in our own country, who point to the evils, or mismanagement of our government. No matter what side you are on in the political spectrum there are certainly things you would like to see changed.
It is easy to become cynical about anything related to the government. It is tempting to adopt an adversarial role toward those in authority over us. It is tempting, but…according to Paul, it is also wrong.
It might seem strange that Paul moves from how to make
friends of our enemies to submission to the governing authorities. But it’s not as strange as you might
think. In the beginning of Romans
chapter 12 Paul told us to submit to God and he
followed that command by giving us practical expressions of that
submission. We are to serve the church
by using our gifts and abilities, we are to love one another, we are to bless
those who persecute us, and we are to overcome even the evil people with
good. In each case we are to give
ourselves in obedience and submission to the Lord. In chapter 13 Paul continues this discussion. We also show submission to the Lord by
submitting to earthly authorities.
In Paul’s day this was radical
teaching. Paul was a Roman citizen but
he was also Jewish. Most Jews viewed
the Romans as oppressors who occupied Israel.
I think it would be safe to say that most Jews of Paul’s day viewed the
Romans like many Jews of our day view the Palestinians.
Paul however urged the new
believers to be supportive of the state rather than to take the approach of the
zealots who constantly opposed the state.
Down through the centuries (even during great persecution) church
leaders have always advised the same thing.
In our text in Romans 13 we are going to see why this is important. Paul
gives us some important principles that serve as the foundation of our
submission to earthly authorities.
Paul lays down an important principle right off the bat: there is “no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God.” Paul is not alone in his opinion. Peter writes,
13 Submit
yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every authority instituted among men: whether
to the king, as the supreme authority, 14 or to
governors, who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to commend
those who do right. 15 For it is God’s will that by
doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish men. 16
Live as free men, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil;
live as servants of God. 17 Show proper respect to
everyone: Love the brotherhood of believers, fear God, honor the king. [1 Peter
2:13-17]
Neither of these men tell us that God has established only every authority that we agree with, or only those authorities we believe are good. We are told that God has established every authority. There is no one who is in a position of authority that is not in a sense representing God in his or her service.
In Paul’s day, the King was Nero. Nero was a crazy tyrant. Even so, Paul says that we ought to obey, serve, and pray for even this leader. I don’t think Paul is arguing that God appoints every leader in office or that He is pleased with every leader. In other words, I don’t think God selected people like Saddam Hussein to be King. What he is saying is that we should respect the principle of authority even when it is being administered poorly. God can still work through the godless leaders.
The Lord established government for the purpose of keeping order in society and reigning in the sinful nature of man. If we did not have the government there would be no public utilities, no military, no police force, and no public aid. Without the government we would have no assurance that our food sources were safe and there would be no court system (even if we are disappointed with the way the courts are going it is still better than anarchy). Without the government defending the powerless and protecting the little guy, the powerful would victimize the weak. God ordained government for the public good and to restrain the sinful nature of men. We ought to respect those in authority because God designed those authorities to help us.
GOOD CITIZENSHIP MAKES SENSE
Paul alludes to the fact that being a good citizen actually makes sense for two reasons. The first reason is that being obedient frees us from fear. If we obey the law, the government is not a threat to us. For believers it was very important that they not be known as rebels. Leaders are put in place to do us good. When we submit to the government IN MOST CASES the result will be a greater freedom to live. If we are good citizens we will benefit from what the government is able to do for us. In the Christian community this means that we will be given a greater measure of freedom to share our faith and to serve God. When we obey the government we will be left alone by the government. When Christians serve as good citizens and are respectful to those in leadership positions, our churches receive tax breaks, our opinions will be listened to, and we will be free to “do our thing”. As soon as Christians become troublemakers, those in authority will begin to seek to limit those same freedoms. When believers abuse the system government will work to stop that abuse. In short: you will accomplish more by showing respect than you will be showing disdain.
The second practical reason for submitting to the government is that those who do not submit will face the power of the government. The government benefits those who submit, but punishes those who do not. Paul tells us, “he (the authority of government) does not bear the sword for nothing. He is God’s servant, an agent of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer.”
The government has (and must have) the power of coercion (or the ability to force compliance to the law) without that power there will be chaos. We see a negative example of this in our school systems. The power of coercion has been largely taken from teachers and administrators and the result is a staggering lack of respect for teachers and administrators.
God gave power to the authorities to help restrain the sinful tendency in humankind. People who break the law are punished. People who don’t pay their taxes go to jail. Those who kill may be executed themselves. Churches who abuse their tax-exempt status can have that status revoked. Companies that engage in illegal activity can be fined and its executives can be put in jail. God gives “the sword” to the government to try to keep things in order.
Paul does not leave the matter here. He tells us that we should also honor those in authority “not only because of possible punishment but also because of conscience.” (Romans 13:5) In other words we should be obedient not just because we don’t want to get in trouble. We should be respectful because it is right in the eyes of God.
In truth, being a good citizen is part of being submissive to the Lord Himself. In verse 2, Paul says, “Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves.”
We show submission to God
through our submission to even sometimes unjust rulers. God gives us situations every day that teach
us how to bend our will to another. If
we don’t learn proper submission to parents, teachers, coaches, employers, and
governing officials our supposed submission to God may be only an
illusion. Consequently, we should be
the best workers and the best citizens because we respect the authority (and
the one behind the authority) even if we do not like the person who is position
of authority.
But a question remains doesn’t
it? What if the one in authority goes to far?
What if they use their God given authority to rebel against God? For example,
How far are we to take our
submission? The principle is this:
whenever an authority seeks to overrule God, we must resist. We have a higher motive for obeying those in
authority over us because we see that obedience to authority is actually
obedience to God. However, we also have
a stronger reason for disobeying when disobedience is necessary because we know
God is the highest authority.
We see several examples of this
in the Bible. Daniel was told not to
pray but he did and was thrown to the lions.
Daniel’s friends, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were told that they
must bow down to a golden statue when the band played. They refused to bow down to anyone but the
Lord and were thrown in the fiery furnace.
Peter and John were told to stop talking about Jesus but they refused,
saying, “We must obey God rather than men” they were put in jail. Throughout the history of the church brave
men and women have refused to deny their allegiance to the Lord. The have refused to call Caesar Lord and
been burned at the stake or thrown to wild beasts. During World War II many Christians refused to disclose the location
of Jews hiding in their homes even if it meant some of them would be arrested.
We can (and must) resist the
unjust practices of a corrupt law or government but we must do so with
respect. Boice illustrates by talking
about the issue of abortion,
we will
get nowhere if all we do is adopt the world’s methodology—sit-ins and pressure
tactics and more laws. The world will use that against us, and has. Instead, we need to explain that the only
view of mankind that protects us from exploitation by tyrannical rulers or
others is that we are made in the image of God and are therefore valuable to
God, even in an embryonic state. We need to show that the disenfranchising of
the unborn child is no different than the once-popular defense of slavery by
calling blacks less than human or the murder of the Jews by calling them a
threat to society. We must show that
human beings are all made in God’s image and therefore must not be
destroyed for anyone’s convenience, even that of the mother. [Romans p. 1667]
Attitude is everything. We can and must protest without becoming
ugly. When we protest we must
understand that at times there will be negative consequences to our protest (as
with the protestors of the Bible). We
must be willing to accept the adverse consequences, if that is what it takes to
serve God rather than men. Ultimately,
we must be willing to stand with Christ even if it results in death! In each case, the values of God must be put
ahead of the directives of men.
The problem with this principle
is that it is a little slippery. It is
easy to elevate personal preference over God’s truth. Some horrible things have been done over the years in the name of
Christian principle. We must examine
our position and the Scriptures carefully and then take our stand boldly. We must beware of using faith to justify
injustice, a lack of compassion, lawlessness or disrespect of any kind.
Paul gives us his own practical
conclusion, “This is also why you pay taxes, for the authorities are
God’s servants, who give their full time to governing. 7 Give
everyone what you owe him: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then
revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor.” [vv. 6,7]
Our first responsibility is to
be good and law-abiding citizens. It is
the Christians responsibility to
In other words, we are to be
model citizens. We should submit to the
government joyfully as a way of honoring the Lord. We should not give anyone cause for offense because we do not do
what is right. When people are offended
at us let it be because we act like Jesus, not because we are law-breakers or
obnoxious.
This does not mean that we
should remain politically aloof.
Perhaps you need to run for office to provide people with a better
alternative. We must be informed as to
where our representatives stand on various issues. We are given the right every
2-4-6 years to vote for new leaders. We
should exercise that right intelligently.
We should write our officials when we disagree with them on an issue;
this is legal and appropriate. However,
we must never resort to threats, personal attacks, or abusive speech. This is not effective…and it is not
Christian. Our job is to address issues
and to do so in a way that treats the person in authority with respect and
honor.
The Bible tells us that we
should pray for those who are in authority over us. This is true whether that leader is an employer, a supervisor, a
parent, a coach, an elected official or any other position of leadership. We
should pray that leaders are guided by God’s wisdom. We should pray for their ability to handle the stress of their
position. We should pray that they
might resist the temptation that power brings. We should pray for their
families because they too must deal with the consequences of authority.
We are to give honor to those in
authority. This means we should speak
of them respectfully and treat them with respect. The President of the United States should be honored and
respected regardless of which man has the title. The office demands respect.
We should speak of our employers honorably rather than running them down
before others. This holds true for
coaches, parents, teachers and anyone else in authority.
In all things it is important
that we remember that our primary goal as believers is not to exert political
clout or to legislate morality. Our job
is to show the world the love of God and introduce those around us to the grace
of our Lord Jesus Christ. We will do
this most effectively when we relate to others with humility, love and respect
rather than with threats and attacks.
If we will honor those in authority over us, (even when….or especially
when, we disagree) whether in the school, workplace or in government, we will
be most effective in our primary goal of honoring God and pointing other people
to Jesus.
©July
3, 2005 Rev. Bruce Goettsche