Living Under Authority Series

I am not sure if you noticed this, we are always living under some kind of authority in life.

• As children, we live under the authority of our parents. In schools, our teachers. At work, our superiors. In church, pastors and leaders. As citizens, our government.

• None of these authorities is perfect. They are fallible and do make mistakes but God has designed life to be governed by some structure of authority.

• Paul is going to address this today in Romans 13. As Christians, how we are to conduct ourselves under the government of the day.

Paul spent 11 chapters of Romans laying down the foundation of our belief – what it means to be saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ.

• From Romans 12 onwards, he lay down the practical expressions of our belief, now that we are redeemed and living the new life as children of God.

• Christianity is not just about a set of beliefs, although that is important. It has to do with our relationship with God and therefore a new way of life.

• Our relationship with God expresses itself in real life, in the way we behave and relate to others.

• James 2:17-18 “17So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. 18…Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.”

Hence we see Paul addressing this in Romans 12.

• 12:1-2 – how we relate to God – we offer our lives in worship of God, no longer conforming to worldly ways but obeying the will of God.

• 12:3-8 – how we see ourselves – don’t think too highly of ourselves; we are all gifted differently, so don’t compare and don’t compete. We treasure one another.

• 12:9-16 – how we relate to one another – to love and honour one another, care for each other’s needs, live in harmony and at peace with all.

• 12:17-21 – the last part, how we relate to our enemies – don’t take revenge, if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink.

Paul continues in today’s passage Romans 13:1-7 addressing our relationship with those who are in authority governing our nation.

• How do we behave as Christian citizens living under a secular rule?

• This question is significant to the believers who are staying in Rome, the capital of the Roman Empire, at a time when Emperor Nero has just ascended to the throne.

• Are they going to contend with the Roman rule or live in submission to it?

Romans 13:1-7

1Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. 2Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. 3For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, 4for he is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God’s wrath on the wrongdoer. 5Therefore one must be in subjection, not only to avoid God’s wrath but also for the sake of conscience. 6For because of this you also pay taxes, for the authorities are ministers of God, attending to this very thing. 7Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honour to whom honour is owed.

Paul laid down some principles here. I summed them up in these 3 pointers:

(1) Governing Mandate: the governing authorities are given the mandate to rule by God

(2) Governing Mission: they have a role to play, a governing purpose, and

(3) Governing Means: citizens are to support them so that they can do the job well.

GOVERNING MANDATE – Established By God

Paul urges the believers to live in submission to the Roman rule, the reason being their authority has been established by God. He said it three times in different ways:

• “For there is no authority except from God” (v.1)

• “Those that exist have been instituted by God” (v.1) and

• “Whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed.” (v.2)

All human authority has been derived from God. If the sovereign God has not allowed it, they would not be there.

• Daniel says God “removes kings and sets up kings.” (Dan 2:21)

• He tells King Nebuchadnezzar, the Babylonian ruler: “… the Most High rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom He will.” (Dan 4:25)