The Christian Life – Responsibility Toward Government – Part 1 (Romans 13:1-5)
INTRODUCTION:
Because of our political climate at this time if it were up to me, I would not choose to preach this chapter, but it is not up to me. When I became a pastor, I promised God that I would preach all of the Word, that I would not pick and choose my topic and the Scriptures but that I would preach through books of the Bible and preach the whole book verse by verse. So, this morning we begin in Romans 13. As I preach this morning, I want you to examine your own life as I have examined mine this week, and as you examine it, I ask that you do not examine it as an American Christian or as a citizen of the United States, but as a citizen of heaven, as a child of God, knowing your true citizenship and home is not this earth but is in heaven.
As we continue this morning to look at the Christian life, that is the life that is disciplined, obedient and Spirit-controlled, the question that is answered in this chapter is what is the Christian’s responsibility to society and to government. This morning and next couple of Sundays we will look at our responsibility to government recognizing as Peter writes that we are aliens and strangers in this world, given the responsibility of calling people to salvation through our faithful witness. In our Scripture passage for this morning and next couple of weeks Paul presents two principles that outline for us our responsibility to government. First, Paul calls us to be subject to the government; and second, he calls us to pay taxes. These two commands given to us by Paul sum up the Christian’s responsibility or our civic duty to the government. By fulfilling these two obligations we honor God and bring Him glory. Let’s pray and then get into our Scripture passage for this morning.
SCRIPTURE:
Turn in your Bibles this morning to Romans 13:1-5. The first seven verses of Romans 13 are the clearest and longest passage in the New Testament that teaches the Christian’s responsibility to governmental authority. Written to every Christian without regard to the form of government he lives under, the Lord is commanding us to be in submission to the government under which you live in order to live a peaceful life and so that you may be an effective witness. If you are able, please stand, in honor and respect for the reading of God’s Word.
Romans 13:1-5,
“Every person is to be in subjection to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God. Therefore whoever resists authority has opposed the ordinance of God; and they who have opposed will receive condemnation upon themselves. For rulers are not a cause of fear for good behavior, but for evil. Do you want to have no fear of authority? Do what is good and you will have praise from the same; for it is a minister of God to you for good. But if you do what is evil, be afraid; for it does not bear the sword for nothing; for it is a minister of God, an avenger who brings wrath on the one who practices evil. Therefore it is necessary to be in subjection, not only because of wrath, but also for conscience’ sake.” (Romans 13:1–5, NASB95)[1]
YOUR RESPONSIBILITY TO GOVERNMENT AUTHORITIES (Romans 13:1a)
Paul opens this passage with a straightforward and simple command, “Every person is to be in subjection to the governing authorities.” (Romans 13:1a, NASB95)[2] Paul uses the Greek term for “soul” translated “person” here, he does this so that there is no mistake as to what he is saying, every soul, every man, woman and child, every human being is to be in subjection to the governing authorities. His point is that this command and the principle being taught by it reflects God’s universal plan for mankind, the command is for each and every person. No one is excluded. Here in this book Paul is speaking specifically to Christians, to those who have come to faith in Jesus Christ, and Paul is teaching them that their faith in Christ and good citizenship should go together. As Paul goes on in this passage, he will teach that being in subjection to the governing authorities has more to do with it than just obeying the law, but it also includes showing honor and respect in a genuine way for those officials that God has appointed to the government offices for maintaining order and justice in our society.
Paul in this passage and in other New Testament passages makes truly clear that subjection to human authority applies to all Christians wherever they may live in the world, and under whatever type of government. Peter in his first epistle that was addressed to believers who were scattered around the known world wrote to them saying in 1 Peter 2:13-17, our Scripture reading this morning, “Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether to a king as the one in authority, or to governors as sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and the praise of those who do right. For such is the will of God that by doing right you may silence the ignorance of foolish men. Act as free men, and do not use your freedom as a covering for evil, but use it as bondslaves of God. Honor all people, love the brotherhood, fear God, honor the king.” (1 Peter 2:13–17, NASB95)[3]
As disciplined, obedient, Spirit-controlled Christians we should be good, well-behaved, model citizens, we should be known for our obedience to the law and not known as those who bend or break the law when we want to, nor should we be known as troublemakers or agitators. We should be law abiding and not rebellious, respectful of government rather than always tearing it down. The Lord spoke to me this summer about this, specifically about driving the speed limit. I am a bit of a lead foot and tended to drive 5-10 miles over the speed limit, the Lord convicted me about this, and I have been trying to drive the speed limit. I have to really watch my speedometer to make sure I am doing the speed limit. Maybe you think that this is such a little thing, but it is a law that is in place by our governing authorities and so I must be subject to it. Now understand that I am not saying that we should not speak about sin, we must speak against sin, we must speak against injustice and against immorality and ungodliness and we must do that without fear and with diligence and dedication, but it must be done within the framework of the law with respect for the governing authorities. It is only when we are a godly people, doing good and living peaceably in an ungodly society that our transformed lives will be clearly seen and will loudly declare the saving power of God to those around us.
The phrase “be in subjection to” is one word in Greek and was often used as a military term which referred to soldiers who were under and subject to the absolute authority of their superior officer. As Paul uses it here in the Greek it is a passive imperative which means two things, first, that the phrase “Be in subjection to…” is a command, not an option and second, the believer is to willingly place himself under all governing authorities, who ever they may be. Notice that Paul does not qualify this or give a condition when this is not to be done. Every authority that is over us we are to willingly submit to them. Paul writing to Timothy writes in 1 Timothy 2:1-2, “First of all, then, I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men, for kings and all who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity.” (1 Timothy 2:1–2, NASB95)[4] Notice again that Paul does not qualify this, he makes no exception concerning what kind of authorities these are, they may be cruel or kind, moral or immoral, competent or incompetent, godly or ungodly. Instead, he says that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings are to be made on behalf of them. Do you pray for all those who are in authority, whether you voted for them or not? Paul says pray for them, entreat God for them, make petitions for them, thank God for them.
All this said, there is one limitation to the Christian’s obligation to willingly and completely submit to the governing authorities, the only time we are not to submit is when any law or command or mandate would require you to disobey God’s Word. We have some examples of this in both the Old and New Testaments. Daniel’s three friends were told to bow and worship an idol, they refused. Daniel was told he could only pray to king Darius, he refused. Peter and the apostles were told they could no longer speak or teach in the name of Jesus, they refused. This is the only instance that we can disobey human authority. In most of the world today and I would say that this includes many former communist places, Christians seldom if ever need to obey God rather than men. Our most common obligation by far is to obey God and human authority. If that time does come when we are told we cannot preach or teach about Jesus, that we cannot pray, we will disobey but we do so with respect and a willingness to suffer whatever penalties or consequences may result. This is what we did when we were told that there was no congregational singing. We understand that singing is a part of our worship and this cannot be dictated by the state. Colossians 3:16-17 states, “Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God. Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.” (Colossians 3:16–17, NASB95)[5] So, we respectfully declined to follow this mandate knowing full well and being willing to suffer whatever penalties or consequences that may result. This did not mean that we threw out everything else as well. No, we continued as a church to follow the restrictions placed on us except for this one thing that we felt went against God’s Word.
No government is perfect, and no government will ever be until the millennial reign of the Lord Jesus Christ, He will rule in perfect righteousness and with perfect justice. Until that time we are commanded to be subject to the governing authorities, no matter how immoral, unjust, and ungodly they may be. We are called upon to pray for them and to live peaceful, law-abiding lives that will influence the world by our godly living, not by protests, sit-ins, and marches and certainly not by rebellion. We have an obligation to confront sin and ungodliness in our society, but we must do it lawfully and with respect for the governing authorities. We must do it in the Lord’s way and in His power not the world’s way. We may not influence society to change, but as we live disciplined, obedient, Spirit-controlled lives individuals will see the power of God in salvation. They will see what a person saved from sin and indwelt by the Holy Spirit is like.
GOD’S REASON FOR OUR SUBMISSION (Romans 13:1b-5)
Paul does not just give us the command to submit to our government authorities and then move on. Paul through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit gives us the reason God wants us to submit to human authority. Paul gives us seven reasons in the next four and a half verses. We are going to look at these reasons one by one, I do not believe we will get through all of them this morning. We will go as far as we can and then pick up next week where we left off. Let’s begin looking at the reason God has given us to submit to the governing authorities.
Government is ordained by God (Romans 13:1b)
Paul begins in the second half of verse 1 with the first reason we are to submit to governing authorities, and this is the primary reason if no other was given. Paul writes, “For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God.” (Romans 13:1b, NASB95)[6] In other words, human government is ordained and established by God, in whatever form it exists it has been created by God for the benefit of mankind. It is a universal institution created, ordained, and established by God.
Paul writes that no authority exists except that which has been ordained by God. God is the one who puts into authority those who are there. No human government has ever existed except by God’s sovereign authority establishing it, no matter where it is, no matter what people it is among, no matter if it is a national, provincial, state, county, city, or town government, at whatever level, whatever geographical boundary, it only exists because it was established by God. There is nothing in heaven or earth that is not subject to the Creator, even Satan and his demons are subject to God. All you need to do is read the first two chapters of Job to find that out. In His sovereignty God created the universe and He absolutely controls it as well, without exception and with no limitations. Any one person, or group, or council that has been given power to rule, power to have authority only does so because God has given them the position they are in and the power and authority they possess. How well or how poorly they use that power and authority is another matter. The primary point that Paul is trying to make in this verse is that the power and authority that any person possesses comes from one source only, that one source is God.
Why then are some governments so corrupt, so immoral, so cruel, so godless? The answer is Satan and the fact that those who are in power and have authority are sinners. God in His sovereign wisdom has allowed or permitted Satan to have great power, though limited power over the world and mankind and their affairs. Satan was not directly responsible for man’s fall into sin, it was his seduction and deception that led Adam and Eve to choose to disobey God and commit the first sin, thus coming under sin’s power and passing that newly acquired sin nature onto all of their descendants, the whole human race. Understand that Satan cannot make anyone sin, but ever since that first success in deceiving man in the garden of Eden, Satan has used every form of deceit and half-truths and lies at his disposal to seduce and tempt mankind to give in to their sinful desires and defy God by their choice. Because by nature we are naturally inclined toward sin, Satan uses this to tempt us by his evil schemes.
We understand that Satan is the ruler of this world having been allowed to usurp it until Jesus Christ returns to claim it for Himself, the rightful Creator and King. Even when Jesus was being tempted in the wilderness by Satan, Jesus did not deny Satan’s claim on all the kingdoms of the world and his ability to give them to whomever he wished. (Luke 4:6) Scripture seems to teach that some, and possibly all nations are under the charge of a demon or a group of demons. This is seen in Daniel 10 where Daniel had asked the Lord for understanding of the vision he had seen recorded in chapter 9. When an angel of God finally came 21 days later, he informed Daniel that he had been delayed by the prince of Persia, this prince was not a human, but supernatural and this angel fought with him until Michael the archangel came to help this angel get through the blockade and reach Daniel. This is one place where this is seen. Two other places are in Isaiah and Ezekiel, both prophets are pronouncing judgment on human rulers, Isaiah on the king of Babylon and Ezekiel on the king of Tyre. Isaiah after predicting the death of the king of Babylon continues and addresses one beginning in Isaiah 14:12 with these words, “How you have fallen from heaven, O star of the morning, son of the dawn! You have been cut down to the earth, You who have weakened the nations!” (Isaiah 14:12, NASB95)[7] The phrase translated “star of the morning” is the name “Lucifer” in Hebrew. The close association with this human king of Babylon and Satan seems to indicate that Satan himself took charge of that pagan nation. Although Ezekiel addresses the “king of Tyre” the being that he refers to in Ezekiel 28:12-14 is not human, but again supernatural, he writes, ““Son of man, take up a lamentation over the king of Tyre and say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord God, “You had the seal of perfection, Full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. You were in Eden, the garden of God; Every precious stone was your covering: The ruby, the topaz and the diamond; The beryl, the onyx and the jasper; The lapis lazuli, the turquoise and the emerald; And the gold, the workmanship of your settings and sockets, Was in you. On the day that you were created They were prepared. You were the anointed cherub who covers, And I placed you there. You were on the holy mountain of God; You walked in the midst of the stones of fire.” (Ezekiel 28:12–14, NASB95)[8] This anointed cherub associated with the king of Tyre is supernatural and could only be Satan.
In all three of these passages, we see Satan or one of his demons associated with the kings and rulers of the nations involved. It should be clear that God in His sovereign wisdom has allowed Satan the power to influence world governments, even though civil government was created by God, His plan for maintaining order on the earth. Many governments throughout history if not all governments have been influenced by Satan’s lies and have been used by him to promote and spread his evil agenda. Even in this God is in control and causes the rising and falling of earthly authorities and is continually moving the earth towards His plan and purpose even through the evil influence of Satan on the governments of the earth. The cruel, tyrannical, and demonic kingdoms of the Assyrian and Babylonian empires, the Roman empire ruled by men who proclaimed themselves to be gods, the regimes of Adolf Hitler, Joseph Stalin and others, the city states and empires of the middle ages and even the Shaman ruled primitive tribes and animistic tribes all are influenced by Satan, but each is ordained and established by God to maintain order on the earth and to move the world towards the glorious return and reign of the Lord Jesus Christ. Even though Satan may have influence in the world’s governments God is still in control and Satan’s power is limited, God’s sovereignty is limitless. Proverbs 21:1 reminds us, “The king’s heart is like channels of water in the hand of the Lord; He turns it wherever He wishes.” (Proverbs 21:1, NASB95)[9]
CONCLUSION:
I am going to stop here this morning. We are commanded to submit to the governing authorities. If no reason was given, we out of obedience to God must submit, and to submit is more than just obeying the laws and mandates and restrictions handed down to us by the government. It also means showing respect and honor for those officials whom God has placed in office from the highest office in the land to the city councilman in the smallest town. We show respect and honor to those in authority over us and we are to be law-abiding citizens. Does this mean just when we are out in public or does it also mean in the privacy of our own homes? My brothers and sisters it means both, and I might add that it has nothing to do with being an American or any other nationality, it has to do with being a child of God and being obedient to His Word.
We obey and submit to the governing authorities because we are commanded to by God if for no other reason. But God has given us a reason, actually seven reasons, we have only covered the first and the primary one, we submit to the governing authorities because God by His sovereign authority has ordained each person to the place of power and authority where He has placed them. God is the one who created and established government and who are we as His children to question what He has done. If God has done it and placed certain people in certain positions of power and authority, we must trust Him that He has done it to fulfill His purpose which may not be to preserve this nation as we know it but to bring us into the glorious reign of the Lord Jesus Christ. My citizenship in this country is temporary and fleeting, my citizenship in heaven is eternal. Who will I be loyal to, who will I obey? The One who gave Himself up for me so that I could have an eternal citizenship in His kingdom. Might that decision cost me something, might it mean that I cannot spend time with friends and extended family for a time because we have been asked not to, might it mean that I have to change some plans or wear a mask or social distance? Yes, it means all those things right now, but in view of eternity it is worth it, to hear my Lord and Savior say to me, “Well done, good and faithful slave. You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.” (Matthew 25:21, NASB95)[10]
[1]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995.
[2]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995.
[3]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995.
[4]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995.
[5]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995.
[6]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995.
[7]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995.
[8]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995.
[9]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995.
[10]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995.