INTRODUCTION
Paul is going to talk about the Christian’s responsibility to civil government. This is certainly a live issue today, has it has been for centuries.
A variety of views are held about how the church and state should relate to each other. These range from full integration to strict separation.
1. The church controls (full integration: theocracy)
2. The state controls (full integration: state-sponsored or governed religion)
3. Church is the state (Catholicism in the Middle Ages, Islam in many countries today)
4. Church and state . They work together in some areas. Neither is in control of the other. Both have separate responsibilities, and both are under divine authority. (Support when possible)
5. Complete of church and state. Both exist but do so in separate realms that do not overlap.
In Romans 13:1-7 we have the most extended discussion of the role of civil government and the relationship believers are to have to it. We’ll see that option number 4 above comes closest to Paul’s teaching. While Paul’s teaching will be clear, we will certainly have some questions to deal with before we finish.
The basic command: to civil authority, 1a
Be subject – willingly take the subordinate position and the behavior that demonstrates that subordination. This includes obedience, but goes beyond obedience to describe the character of the relationship between the governing authorities and the individual Christian.
“(T)his word is broader in its scope than “obey.” It calls on believers to recognize that they “stand under” government in the scheme that God has instituted for ruling the world.”
The reason behind the command, 1b-2
Civil authority is , 1b
To resist is to resist , 2
Proverbs 8:15–16 (ESV)
Daniel 4:17 (ESV)
The God-given of civil authority, 3-4
Their God-given purpose is to good and evil.
Application:
Do and you’ll gain approval of the governing officials and have to fear.
Do , then you because you will experience God’s through his divinely appointed civil servant.
Notice what Paul calls civil authorities:
They are (diakonos) of God, 4 (2x)
They are (those who perform public service or ministers to a need) of God, 6
As a priest serves God by attending to the worship of the temple, so a government official serves Gods by attending to need for a safe state.
A final conclusion about Christians and civil authority, 5
“Therefore”
to governing officials
Do this for two reasons:
To avoid .
To keep our clear.
A specific application of the command, 6-7
1.
2.
These applications may have been uppermost in Paul’s mind because of the unrest in the city over the recent mistreatment of people in the collecting of taxes, tolls, and other revenue. However, who likes to pay taxes and who hasn’t been tempted to speak disrespectfully of civil authorities? Paul’s application seems timeless.
God’s goodness in providing civil government
Rejection of authority started in the Garden of Eden.
That rejection continued and grew worse, until people were so evil, God brought the flood to start over.
The rejection of authority grows out of everyone’s desire to rule themselves, to make their own laws, and follow their own path without hindrance. We all naturally want to do what the Jewish people were doing in the time of the Judges, we want to do “that which is right in our own eyes.” This is chaos. No one wants to live in a place where everyone does whatever they want with no restrictions whatsoever.
As much as we sometimes struggle to fully obey the government we should be every happy that God ordained human government to prevent everyone from doing what is right in his/her own eyes.
Even though God ordained human government, not all civil leaders submit to God and his reasons for them to be in power. Civil authorities can abuse power, act selfishly, oppress people, act corruptly, extract toil and money from their people, declare unjust wars, punish those who oppose them, etc., etc.
What then? Does God insist we obey tyrants and crooks?
This and other questions have to be answered.
Questions:
1. Does Paul expect absolute obedience no matter what? Are there any exceptions to the command to submit to civil government?
The Caesars who the church?
and Nazi Germany?
The emperor of and the bombing of Pearl Harbor?
John Stott:
“We need to be cautious, however, in our interpretation of Paul’s statements. He cannot be taken to mean that all the Caligulas, Herods, Neros and Domitians of New Testament times, and all the Hitlers, Stalins, Amins and Saddams of our times, were personally appointed by God, that God is responsible for their behaviour, or that their authority is in no circumstances to be resisted. Paul means rather that all human authority is derived from God’s authority, so that we can say to rulers what Jesus said to Pilate, ‘You would have no power [exousia, authority] over me if it were not given to you from above.’14 Pilate misused his authority to condemn Jesus; nevertheless, the authority he used to do this had been delegated to him by God.”
The Bible teaches us that if it comes to a clear choice between obeying civil authority or doing what God commands, we must civil authority. Examples:
Jewish mid-wives in Egypt
Daniel and his friends in Babylon
The disciples in Acts 5: “We must obey God rather than man” (Acts 5:29)
2. What if civil government turns against God and disobedience and protest is not enough?
There may come a time when Christians must become .
An example:
Jews taking up arms against Antiochus Epiphanes after he tried to eradicate Judaism in the 2nd century BC.
Guidelines:
If a direct command or law you must follow conflict with Christian morals and commands, .
If a direct command or law you must obey with Christian morals and commands, respectfully to obey.
If a law that does not affect you directly is passed that is against Christian morals or commands, and seek to have it .
How believers can work for a Godly government
In our nation we can work for godly government in many ways:
(MULTILINE)
CONCLUSION
Let’s move from theory to practicality.
Are you fully our government?
Are you fully ?
Are you acting and speaking of God’s servants, our civil authorities?
Are you working for a better, more just, fairer, more God-honoring society?