Evangelical Free Church of Embarass

Turn with me in your Bibles to Romans chapter 13, please, as we continue our study through the 12th and 13th chapters of the book of Romans. We start chapter 13 this morning. I am going to look at the first seven verses. “Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. Consequently, he who rebels against the authority, is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment upon themselves. For rulers hold no terror for those who do right but for those who do wrong. You want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and he will commend you, for he is God’s servant to do you good. But if you do wrong be afraid for he does not bear the sword for nothing. He is God’s servant, an agent of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer. Therefore it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also because of conscience. This is also why you pay taxes, for the authorities are God’s servants who give their full time to governing. Give everyone what you owe him. If you owe taxes pay taxes, if revenue then revenue, if respect then respect, if honor then honor.”

I came across an ad for a Christian book. The title of the book is Vengeance is Ours, with a subtitle “The Church in Dominion.” This is what it says about the book. “There is a new militancy stirring in the breasts of many Christians in response to the evils that beset society. Is it not God’s mandate that the church take control of the nations and conform them to His rule?” And the book presents what’s called “dominion theology” based on the thought that God has mandated that His church take control of the nations and rule. That’s an interesting concept.

Here’s another quote that kind of takes us to the other extreme. “The Declaration of Independence declared that life, liberty and the pursuit happiness are divinely endowed rights. Therefore, such rights are worth attaining and defending at all costs by any means. Is such a position taught in Romans 13:1-7? Could it be that our country was born out of the violation of these biblical principles and that any blessings God has bestowed on America have come by His grace in spite of disobedience by the founding fathers?”

Interesting comments. So which is it? Are we, as Christians, to be fighting against the evil in our government and taking control with God’s principles, or are we, as Christians, supposed to stay out of it entirely because government is in violation of God’s design? Therefore we stay out of government, out of politics, out of patriotism and have nothing to do with that which violates these principles. Which is it? What does the Bible say? What does Romans 13:1-7, specifically since that’s where we are, have to say to those two extreme views? That’s what we’re going to look at this morning. Let’s pray first.

Father, we thank You for Your word that gives us direction and shares with us Your heart about so many subjects. Father, as we look at Your word concerning this subject, I pray that You would instruct us, give us something to think about, give us something to seek You about as we go from here, something to apply to our own lives. In Jesus’ name, amen.”

Chapter 12 of Romans, verse 2, as you recall says, “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world but be transformed…” And chapter 12 and 13 go on to give us a picture of what the transformed life is supposed to look like. If rather than conforming to the world I, as a person who have offered myself (12:1) as a living sacrifice to God, choose to live a transformed life, a different kind of life, how is that going to affect my life in the trenches every day. We find that relationships are talked about a lot in these 2 chapters, that the transformed life has an impact on our relationships. For instance, in chapter 12, verse 13, we find out that the transformed life impacts our relationship with people who are in need. We are to share with God’s people who are in need, show hospitality if there is a need. In verse 14, we find out that the transformed life impacts our relationship with those who persecute us. We’re to bless them, not curse them. The transformed life, according to verse 15, impacts our relationship with people who are rejoicing and people who are mourning. We’re to rejoice with those who are rejoicing and mourn with those who are mourning. There’s a sensitivity when you live the transformed life. There’s a willingness to share with people where they’re at, what they’re going through. We go on to verse 16 and we find that the transformed life impacts our relationship with those who are lowly, the people of low position, and we are to be willing to associate with them, not think we’re better, not think we’re higher. In the transformed life, we associate even with the lowly. In verses 17-21 we find that the transformed life impacts our relationship with our enemies, those who do evil toward us. As we relate to them we are to, as much as it depends on us and is possible, live at peace with our enemies, return good for evil, not get involved in this pay-back stuff thinking that vengeance is ours and we have a right to get even. Now when we come to chapter 13, we find out how the transformed life is to impact our relationship with governing authorities. How? How does the transformed life, this different life God wants us to live, impact our relationships with governing authorities? We’re going to go through the scripture very quickly and we’re going to answer those basic questions: Who? What? Why?

First the “Who” and I’ve already answered it – governing authorities. Nine times in these seven verses Paul refers to the governing authorities or the rulers. That is very clearly the subject here, that’s the group of people he’s talking about. Notice in verse 1 he calls them the governing authorities. Many times he just refers to them as authorities, verse 3 “rulers,” at the end of verse 3, “the one in authority.” So we’re talking here about our relationship as Christians to the governing authorities over us. Very interesting, in verses 4 and 6 three times Paul refers to those governing authorities as -- guess what -- God’s servants. Do you see that? Did that get your attention? He refers to these rulers, these governing authorities as God’s servants three times. And in verse 1 he says, “There is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established BY God.” So we’re talking here about governing authorities that the Bible says are actually God’s servants. He has put them where they are. He has established them in that position of governing. They didn’t get there by accident. They didn’t get there by deceit. They didn’t get there by a coup. They didn’t get there by a national election. They didn’t get there by mistake. It says all of them have been established by God. Now, that’s hard for us, right, because immediately certain governing authorities’ names come to our mind. That’s what the Word says, isn’t it --ALL governing authorities that exist are established by God. So that’s who this passage is talking about.

The original readers of this letter were the Roman Christians. It’s written to the church in Rome, the Christians there. So when they read the words “governing authorities, authorities, ruler” nine different times, when they hear that being read to them, who are they thinking of? Who must they apply Romans 13:1-7 to? The Roman Empire, right? They were under the Roman Empire, Rome. Their ruler was the emperor, Nero. And they’re sitting there in their place of assembly and someone gets up and reads this part of the letter from Paul and it says all of the governing authorities have been established by God. Rome? Nero? They hear it read three times that those rulers are God’s servants. You’re kidding? Rome? Nero? Aren’t you glad you live in America and that’s what you get to think about when you read these verses? The American government, our rulers and leaders, according to this, were established by God, and in some way, God says, “they’re My servants.” So that’s who we’re talking about in these verses. Living a transformed life is supposed to impact our relationship with those people, those governing authorities.

How should it impact our relationship with them? Let’s talk about the “what.” Right from the beginning we’re told “Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities.” That’s the what, and again, in verse 5, “Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities.” God has established the governing authorities. They are, in some sense, His servants, and as God’s people living under that authority we are to submit. We are to live in submission, place ourselves under that leadership. And then when we come to the last verse, we get some specifics in this submission. He says, “Give everyone what you owe him. If you owe taxes, pay taxes (a good word from God on April 1) if you owe revenue…” Custom, taxes would probably be on property or income – revenue or custom would be exports/imports, that type of thing. If you owe that, pay it he says. But he goes a step farther. That submission to the governing authorities is not just paying your taxes and the customs but it also involves respect and honor. Again, aren’t you glad that you get to think about America, that you get to think about the US when you read that? Picture yourself a Roman Christian who maybe has had thoughts that now since I belong to Jesus, now since I have been freed from sin, maybe I’m also freed from the Empire and the emperor. Maybe now that I’m a Christian and I serve God I don’t have to submit to the Empire anymore and to Nero. And then this is read to you and it says no, you submit and you do that by paying your taxes, paying your customs and you go one step farther, respect those governing authorities and honor those governing authorities. That’s the instruction here. No matter how hard it seems that’s the instruction.

Now, maybe that’s a unique set of instructions. Maybe this is the only place it appears and there’s some explanation for it and there are other places in scripture we can go to that kind of cancel that out and free us from the responsibility of obeying Romans 13. Think so? No. (I wouldn’t even bring that up if there was.) There are other scriptures that reaffirm this, that show us that there’s a pattern in the New Testament presenting this kind of teaching for us as Christians. In Matthew 22, do you remember the time when the religious leaders came to Jesus and they were trying to trick Him and catch Him in His words, stir up a controversy, get Him in trouble? They brought Him a Roman coin and they said, “Is it right for us to pay taxes to the government, pay taxes to Caesar?” Jesus takes that coin and He says, “Who’s inscription is on that coin?” and they say, “Caesar’s.” Remember what He said? “Render to Caesar what is Caesar’s and render to God what is God’s. Pay your taxes, they belong to Caesar.” If you go to some other writings of the apostle Paul, in fact maybe you want to go there with me, 1 Timothy 2:1-2. “I urge then first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone, for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good and pleases God.” Paul says pray for the governing authorities. Pray for the king, and again, at that time it’s Rome, it’s Nero. He says pray for them. That’s how you relate to them. Titus 3:1: “Remind the people to be subject to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready to do whatever is good, to slander no one, to be peaceable and considerate and show true humility.” Again, it’s the same idea isn’t it? Be subject to rulers and authorities. Obey them. Don’t slander. Do Christians ever slander governing authorities? Paul says don’t do it. That’s not submitting to them. That’s not honoring them. That’s not respecting them. And then, lest we think only Paul taught this, let’s go to 1 Peter. Peter’s a man who writes in the midst of a terrible persecution at the hands of the Roman Empire. You know, with the book of Romans, even 1 Timothy and Titus, maybe we can say that at that point the Romans were rather tolerating Christians. They had problems with them and there was some injustice and mistreatment but not much. So Paul could give those instructions. But you come to 1 Peter and at this time when Peter is writing, Christians are scattered all over. Why? Because of a terrible persecution that’s going on at the hands of Nero, the emperor. So now maybe the tune will change since that government is persecuting. Chapter 2 of 1 Peter, verse 13: “Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every authority instituted among men, whether to the king as the supreme authority or to governors who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right. For it is God’s will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish men. Live as free men but do not use your freedom as a cover up for evil. Live as servants of God. Show proper respect to everyone. Love the brotherhood of believers. Fear God. Honor the emperor.” There it is. In the midst of terrible persecution by those governing authorities it’s the same instruction by Peter. There isn’t any pulling back from it in the New Testament. The teaching is the different way of relating to governing authorities. Part of the transformed life of a Christian is that we honor those authorities no matter who they are. We respect them, at least for the fact that God has allowed them to be in that position over us and we submit and we obey and we pray for them, we don’t slander them. That’s the instruction. For some of us that’s hard to take, but again, thank God you’re in America. That’s who you apply it to. They were applying it to Rome, ungodly Rome.

Why? Why these instructions? Why, as Christians, relate to governing authorities in this way? Let’s see what he says here in Romans 13, the reasons for this. Three reasons that I see in the passage:

We submit to governing authorities and relate to them the way he has instructed because God put them there. That’s what he says in verse 1. “Submit to the governing authorities because there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God.” So consequently if you rebel against the authority, you’re rebelling against something God has put there. That’s what he’s saying. And there are consequences to that, he goes on to say. He put them there. For whatever reason they’re there and they’re in a position of authority over us because we live here. And because of that we are to submit. Now, that’s taught other places. In Daniel 2, there’s a statement that says God removes and establishes kings. He’s the One that does it. He removes and establishes kings. In Proverbs 8, God says, “By Me kings reign. By Me princes rule.” That’s the teaching of scripture. We have a sovereign God. So is the government in China there against God’s will? This says He allowed it to be there, He established it. He wouldn’t have let them rise up if He absolutely didn’t want them there. I don’t understand that but that’s what the teaching is. Cuba, good old Mr. Castro. God removes and puts in place rulers. Just go down the line. Countries, rulers. They’re established by God according to the scripture. He’s the One that removes and puts them in place. Therefore, Paul says if you rebel against the governing authorities, you’re rebelling against something God has put in place. And that’s serious, so that becomes a motivation to submit and honor and respect.

The second reason to submit is to avoid punishment, to avoid the consequences of rebelling, the consequences of not submitting to the governing authorities. Notice, he talks about that in verse 2. You rebel, you’ll bring judgment on yourself. Verse 3 and 4 talk about how, in God’s design, those rulers are there to commend the good and reward the good and punish the evil, and that they are God’s servants of wrath. They wield the sword, they carry out punishment for wrongdoing. So if you want to avoid those consequences, if you want to avoid punishment, then submit. Follow the laws. Do good, pray. Don’t slander. This is a very practical reason to relate to our governing authorities in that way. You know, just because I’m a Christian and I get stopped for speeding and violating a law of this land, I don’t expect God to rescue me from that punishment of a ticket or a fine. Just because I’m a Christian and I don’t really like a certain law that the authorities in this country have set up, if I violate it, I don’t think God is going to rescue me from the consequences. That’s what this scripture is saying. I don’t think it’s talking about this punishment and wrath out of heaven from God. I think it’s saying, submit, don’t rebel, follow the laws, pay your taxes, all that stuff or you will experience the punishment that those governing authorities will inflict. God won’t rescue you from that because He says submit and follow the laws.

Third, we do it for conscience sake. Notice, Paul says that in verse 5. He says “It’s necessary to submit to the authorities not only because of possible punishment but also because of conscience.” Good conscience before God. Because this is the right thing to do. You want a clear conscience before God, knowing that you are doing what He wants, knowing that you are obeying Him, then you’re going to have to submit to the governing authorities. For the sake of good conscience before God we are to relate to them in that way. In fact over in those other scriptures we looked at, especially in 1 Peter, Peter says “Do it for the Lord’s sake.” OK, you don’t agree with them, you don’t like the character of those leaders, you don’t like the way they govern, you think the law that they have passed is foolish and unjust. Peter says submit for the Lord’s sake because it’s His will that you do that and you want a good conscience before God, don’t you?

And there you have the 3 reasons that Paul gives for submitting to the governing authorities and relating to them in this different way. Because God put them there, to avoid the consequences of not submitting and for the sake of a good conscience before God, knowing that you’re doing what’s right in God’s eyes. Now, does that mean we can never speak out about things we don’t like concerning our governing authorities, our government? Does that mean we can never take a stand about something that we think is not moral, something that we think is unjust? I’m not sure Paul is saying that. He’s not coming right out and saying that, but I do think that his counsel would be you have a right to do that but in a law abiding way and in a way that is in the context of submission and respect and that is godly. And thank God, again, that we’re in America where our country even gives us the right to speak up. But just because we have the right doesn’t give us permission to do it in a way that is disrespectful, dishonoring and rebellious and harmful. We do it in a law abiding way, in a way that would honor God.

Are there biblical exceptions? Everybody likes to hear about that at this point. Are there any exceptions in scripture to this teaching? I think there are. I think there’s precedent for that. In the book of Exodus 1:17, the governing authorities, pharaoh of Egypt sent out a decree and he ordered the Hebrew midwives to kill all the baby boys that were born. They disobeyed it. In Daniel 3, the governing authority, Nebuchadnezzar, put out a decree that everyone was to bow before and worship his image. There were 3 young Hebrew men who disobeyed it and wouldn’t do it. In Daniel 6, Daniel disobeyed an edict from the governing authorities. King Darius set down an edict that there could be no prayers in the whole kingdom except to him, and Daniel disobeyed it and continued to pray to his God. In Acts 4 and 5, the apostles were ordered by the leaders to stop talking about Jesus and they disobeyed the order. So there is a precedent in scripture of God’s people not submitting to government authorities and disobeying but there is something in common in all of those. In each case, the governing authorities were ordering people to do what would violate God’s word, where if the people would have done what the governing authorities said, they would then have to be violating God’s will, God’s principles, God’s word. And that’s why the apostles said in Acts 4 and 5 to the leaders, “We ought to obey God rather than man.” But I tell you what, friends, it is rare that governing authorities would order us to violate God’s word. I’ve lived in America for 48 years and I don’t remember one order from my government that clearly told me to violate God’s word. There are a lot of things they’ve said and set down that I don’t agree with and that I don’t think jive with God’s word but they’ve never ordered me to disobey God’s word. That’s an exception. It was even an exception in Rome. As pagan and as almost anti-God as they became, to actually set down an order to disobey God was rare. So the exception is there but it’s rare. Let’s not focus too much on the exception. We need to work on the rule and what’s taught here.

Some applications. I just want to toss out 2 things and then we’re done. First of all I want to remind you that we’re talking about 2 different kingdoms. In John 18, Jesus made it very clear that He was a king of a kingdom but He said, “My kingdom isn’t the kingdom of this world. If it was, my servants would be militant, they would be fighting.” But He said there are 2 different kingdoms. You have the kingdom of God, of which we are citizens as believers. And then there are the kingdoms of this world, the nations. What is God’s purpose for us in being here? Let me suggest something. His purpose for us in being here is not to impose on this kingdom of the world (the United States of America) the rules of the kingdom of God and force this kingdom of the world to act like people in the kingdom of God are supposed to act. It’s 2 different kingdoms. These kingdoms of the world are acting just the way they should. They don’t know the Lord, and sometimes Christians think that our purpose here is to somehow make the kingdoms of the world just like the kingdom of God and impose one on the other, and like that book says, be militant about it if you have to. What’s our purpose in being here? It’s to introduce the people in the kingdoms of this world to the King of the THIS kingdom. They need to know Jesus Christ individually and He will change them. Our purpose here isn’t to change governments, to change the kingdoms of the world and impose the kingdom of Christ on them. It’s to introduce Christ to those who live in those kingdoms of the world. So always remember we’re talking about 2 different kingdoms. And we who live in the kingdom of God, while we’re here, are to respect and honor and submit to and pray for the kingdom of the earth that we happen to be under for this time.

And then the second thing, always keep in mind, as we have through this whole series, the transformed life. As Christians, we’re to be different. So how do you live the transformed life when it comes to governing authorities in America? Don’t apply this to Rome, don’t apply this to China, don’t apply this to Iraq, don’t apply this to Cuba. God has put you and me here. The Christians in those countries, God will give them the grace and the wisdom to know how to apply these scriptures in their context. You and I don’t have to worry about that, so I’ll just set aside the “what-ifs” and “what-abouts.” We apply it to America. That’s our context. So, the next time I’m in a conversation about my government and the president and the Congress and the Supreme Court and the governor, what will a person living the transformed life contribute to that conversation? The next time the Congress or the Supreme Court sets down a ruling, how will I respond as a person living a transformed life? When confronted by a law that I think is foolish or unjust, how will I as a person trying to live the transformed life respond to that law when confronted by it? Am I going to obey it or not?