Win - Lose – Draw
Romans 13:1-7
I don’t know about all of you, but I am looking forward to getting past Tuesday. I probably won’t be home until Wednesday morning because “ get to work” at the Floyd County Election office until all the paperwork is done. But, it is not the end of a long day I am looking forward to.
I am looking forward to the disappearance of all the advertising; the signs on the road the radio and TV spots.
I think that the choosing of the leadership for our local, state and national levels is a time period when the unity of this country is torn down in broader and broader ways with each election. A community and even the country rips itself apart as each politician picks apart the views and even character of their opponent.
To be honest I tend to want to run off into the woods and hide. I don’t think that I am alone at least in the sentiment.
Last week we talked about God’s standards on love. If you think about it they were very high and almost unobtainable.
This week we jumped into the book of Romans. With the election finally here it seemed like the right time to review the obligations of a citizen of an “earthly country.”
I am afraid that the message is not going to be generally popular today.
Maybe you will recall that Paul was a Roman citizen. That citizenship gave him certain privileges. Court – punishment – rights… His citizenship allowed him to preach in several different settings. The Roman soldiers actually protected Paul from the attacks of his Jewish opponents. The Romans has allowed the Jewish people to maintain their own system of government and religious views as long as the Jewish people were controlled and peaceful. However, Roman rule and law held higher authority.
In our scripture today Paul describes how Christians should view and interact with the earthly government that they live under.
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.
Everyone is a pretty broad description of his readers. Everyone must submit to governing authorities. Submission is really hard for people to blindly agree with. However, the New Testament talks about submission all over the place.
The submission of the young to their elders,
slave to master,
wives to husbands,
Men and women to spiritual leaders,
Jesus to his parents.
The disciples to Jesus,
The church to Christ.
And here Paul tells readers to submit to government authorities… no exceptions or limits of how far a person is to go when submitting to a government.
I was really troubled by the word submission in our scripture today. To me submission meant obedience.
So I started digging through some resources that helped me define the meaning of the word more accurately.
Let me share one side detail about the word Paul used for submission. He used a word that falls short of meaning obedience.
We might use to word cooperation to help us see the difference. To me that is an important detail which tells me that there are limits. Limits that allow Christians to be against governments that is unjust and savage….
One additional comment would be to look at how Paul and the other disciples submitted to government unless it caused a disobedience of God’s instructions. In each case the apostles took their punishment for their disobedience to local authorities for obeying God. So submission has limits and consequences.
Paul is not specific as to the type of government, democracy, republic, dictatorship, monarchy, communism….. But, he does explain why, “for there is no authority except that which God has established”
According to Paul, no government could ever have authority without God having established it. So God is in control – God created the Babylonian and Roman empires. He allowed the Nazism and communism. He also inspired the United States, Great Britain’s forms of government. They all exist because they have been established by God.
Now let’s be sure that we also know what is not said here. It is not saying that every decision and policy made in any government is from God. The leaders within the government will be held accountable to God for their policies, and actions.
In America today we tend to think that only one kind of government can be approved by God. But, the scriptures are not specific even to the Roman Empire much less democracy.
We like to claim that we live in a Christian nation and want to believe that God will automatically be on our side.
Unfortunately, we can’t find any direct support for that by reading scripture. What we find is that God created government for ultimate good. So good or bad governments and leaders act as instruments … tools of God.
(Did I mention that the sermon might not be popular today?)
Paul is addressing Christians living under the most powerful empire of the day. It is an empire that is known for persecuting the Christians and even executing Jesus himself.
And yet, he tells he readers that if they are Christians that they must submit to the authority of government because it is acting under God’s authority.
Then he adds another disturbing detail.
Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves.
Let me see if I can restate that. If God created it, and gave it authority, we are not allowed to rebel against it. If we do we bring judgment on ourselves.
Paul continues, “ For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong.” Do 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.
So according to Paul, the government, the leaders are not people to be feared. They are placed by God to make things better. It is only if we act badly that we need to fear. He uses a description for the leader, God’s servant for good. And God’s servant for wrath or punishment of wrongdoers.
For the most part I hope that we view our government system as one that generally acts as God’s servant. We have law and order. We have police and courts and prisons. For the most part good people are left alone while bad people get into all kinds of trouble.
Generally, Paul and his readers had a similar environment living under Roman control. They were much less involved in leader selection. There were no elections at their level. But the government maintained an army and roads. They kept commerce going. They allowed different levels of freedom based on class. They kept the streets safe and punished criminals. And generally left the good people alone if they acted right and paid their taxes.
Then he says, “Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also because of conscience.”
So, it is not just the fear of the government and punishment for doing wrong that Paul appeals to. It is also that you want to be obedient to God that should keep us in line.
Today’s reading adds one more set pebbles for our shoes.
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 ran across a story about a man in Oregon that took his citizenship in the kingdom of heaven seriously. In fact he took it so seriously that he ignored his earthly citizenship totally. The story says that he figured that because he was a Christian he no longer was required to follow the laws of society.
So he created his own drivers license, car tag, and decided that he was not liable to the local government for any property taxes.
The courts of his County had another view – and eventually seized the land and sold it at auction – imagine that, the Kingdom of Heaven sold on the court house steps.
We should pay our taxes and debts and show respect and honor to earthly authorities because it is what God wants us to do.
I guess that most of us don’t mind doing that when we feel like our government is being fair and just. I guess we feel better about the taxes we pay after the house is broken into and the police show up. Perhaps the lack of terror attacks in our country hints at money well spent.
Personally I believe that we are blessed to have the best form of government in the world, but I also know that it is not perfect.
Unlike many people in the world, God has bless us with the ability to be involved in leadership selection. We have the additional advantage or opportunity to participate in setting moral standards and community rules of conduct.
-- Now, our message today has nothing to do with the election. But, it is directly related to how we live and act and respond to the election.
There are a lot of people that are sitting around watching the TV reports and are being filled with one or several emotions that totally affect their attitude.
Some are paralyzed by fear. What will the newly elected official do to the economy, to gas prices to freedom to the justice system or our wallets? What will happen to our way of life?
Some perhaps many people are filled with hate that controls their view of the future. Their hate leads their minds to fantasize accidents or attacks. Hate hardens their hearts and closes doors for communication with people with different opinions.
Some are led to react to perceived or real injustice by attempting small retaliations of their own. They are not opposed to sabotage of the process which might include fraud and slander.
Others are filled with excitement and joy anticipating something new. They hold a vision that a new leader will bring energy and hope. That our system works ultimately for the good of the nation.
-- Every emotion and characteristic that we could mention is being felt by people that are involved in this election.
There are plenty of good Christian people that will be voting for each candidate for their own reasons. I hope that you will just try to keep one thing in mind.
Win, Lose or Draw it is ultimately God that will have a new servant in the white house.
As christens we are told by Paul that we have no need to fear, if we will act like good citizens of this country and more importantly good citizens of the kingdom of God.
What does that specifically mean?
Starting today your prayers should be less about who you want to win the election and more about the heart and mind of both candidates and the ultimately winner being good servants of God.
You prayer should be a prayer for salvation, wisdom, peace and love.
Probably the most important prayer will probably need to be for you. That you will be able to accept God’s authority and direction for your life that comes via the government. You may need to ask god to help you with overcoming fear and find peace. You may need to ask that your love me made more perfect and that your heart and mind be open to God’s leading.
Here is the key thing that I believe that Paul is reminding us to understand.
We must trust in God and the authorities he has told us in scripture are in place. Family, Church and Government.
If we trust God it does not mean that we sit on our behinds and allow apathy to let the world or government go without accountability…that has happened long enough.
I have heard all my life that if you don’t vote that you can’t complain about the government. That statement indicates that in our culture you have to be a part of the process other wise you are a part of the problem.
Paul encourages cooperation instead of disgruntled rebellious points of view.
In our culture we have the ability to participate with God in our government process more that much of the world.
Christians are to be active in society and politics. If we want to see Christian values and morals upheld… then someone with those views needs to support like minded candidates and more importantly some Christians have to agree to be those candidates.
We have no right to say our country is “going to hell in a hand basket” if we are not willing to cooperate and submit to being active in our government. It we are unwilling to do something more active than complaining or an occasional trip to vote.
Remember that God is supreme…His plan will move ahead. Leaders will be raised up and fall. And we must live in a way that honors our king and his servants wither we like them or not. We do that my falling back onto last week’s lesson about love…
1 Corinthians 13:7
It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
All Glory be to God!
