Submission To The Authorities
Romans 13:1-7
Read Text: Romans 13:1-7
INTRO: How many of us like to submit? Doesn’t even the thought of submitting or of submission almost repulse us?
I know that we have a lot of competitive people in this body of believers. We have business men and women who seek continually to be competitive with their competition, you want to win at all cost and submitting doesn’t even cross your mind.
We have those who are involved in athletics, whether it be youth sports all the way from the little tykes through high school sports, Brazilian Jujitsu, body building, or adult sports like golf, softball, and basketball. To submit and to admit defeat, that is just not in us and there is no coach that I’ve ever heard who told their players, “it ok to just give up.”
Hunting and fishing for us guys is no different, in my experience there is the place where I’ve had to submit. When I’ve been deer hunting all day and I haven’t seen anything, and I’m cold and tired, I have to submit and leave the woods with my head hung low.
I’ve seen the discussed look on the faces of women as well when they’ve been shopping all that, but just can’t find that top that goes with their pants. You don’t want to stop shopping, you really want that top, but you go home with your head held low because you just had to submit and admit failure.
Submitting is not always failure. Submitting when God’s says to submit is being successful.
In Romans 12:1 Paul urges Christians to be living sacrifices of God, but when he gets to the issue of civil authority as we are talking about today Paul no longer just urges Christians, he says, we “must submit”. And that is hard for us to hear. Not only is it hard for us to hear, it is hard for us to understand. And as hard as it is for us to understand, it must have been just as hard for the First Century Christians in Rome to understand as well.
Consider what was going on in Rome at the time and who the ultimate governing authority. It was none other than Nero. Let’s find out a little bit about Nero. Nero became emperor at age 15, and at age 22 he had his mother murdered, followed three year later by the divorce (and later murder) or his wife. It is thought by many historians that the great fire that swept Rome in AD 64 was instigated by Nero, who blamed it on the Christians. He had Christians tortured and burned publicly, ultimately taken the lives of both the apostles Peter and Paul. Nero committed suicided under the pressure against his policies in AD 68. This is the man to which Paul is saying to submit to.
Not only this, but these Christians knew some history as well. They would remember the ruthless Herod the Great who had all the male children two years old and younger killed in Bethlehem and it’s vicinity. They would remember Herod Anitpas who at the beseeching of his wife had John the Baptist beheaded.
But Paul says we must submit to the governing authorities because they have been established by God and we have questions. How is it possible that murderous rulers are in place by God’s will? And why would God want us to submit to them?
Perhaps, it would have been more understandable if Paul would have just said, “we are in a holding pattern - these governing authorities are not permanent. We are destined to inherit something far more permanent and better than this. In light of that, submit to the authorities, love one another, and walk in the light.”
We must not forget what Paul has just told the Christian in Rome and to us. Romans 12:1, “Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship.”
And in light of that Paul gives us some guidelines of how we are to treat our civil governing authorities.
Firstly, if we are going to be living sacrifices, pleasing to God, we must…
Not Rebel Against Civil Authorities vs. 1 -2
Romans 13:1-2, 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 on themselves.
In Daniel 2:21 Daniel says that God, “sets up kings and deposes them” and in talking to king Nebuchadnezzar he said, “After you, another kingdom will rise… Next, a third kingdom… will rule… Finally, there will be a fourth kingdom.” Daniel 2:39-40
Then Daniel said, “the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed.” Daniel 2:44
What was Daniel’s point in all of this? That from Nebuchadnezzar’s kingdom to God’s final kingdom, God is in control, setting up and taking down kings to accomplish his perfect will.
What Paul wanted the believers in Rome to understand was that, in the Roman Empire (or any other), as it says in Psalms 75:6-7, “No one from the east or the west or from the desert can exalt a man. But it is God who judges: He brings one down, he exalts another.”
And since God establishes civil authority if we rebel against that civil authority we are rebelling against God. But the fact of the matter is that any civil governing authority we have are “human” authorities. They are sinners just like we are and that is perhaps why it is so difficult for us to grasp that we are to submit to these authorities and when we don’t we are rebelling against God.
ILLUS: How many of us have ever been pulled over by a state highway patrol or local police or sheriff? When you were pulled over no matter what you did, the officer probably told you give him your drivers license and proof of insurance. What did you do? Well you probably got your drivers license out of your pocket, got in your glove box and got your insurance card and reluctantly, but with a smile, gave him what he asked for.
Most likely you broke the law in some way or another, but you respected the officer because he represents the law and you did what he told you to do because there was nothing wrong with what he told you to do. And since you were nice the officer may have let you off with a warning. But even if you had to pay a ticket you paid it because you knew you were wrong in breaking the law.
What if that scenario was the same, but instead when the officer came to your window he asked you if you were a Christian. You of course would say that you are a Christian, but then the officer says, I will not write you a ticket and you will not have to pay a fine if you will just deny Christ. This of course flabbergast you, and the officer continues, if you don’t deny Christ, not only will get the ticket, but I’m going to arrest you for be combatant with an officer of law and you are going to go to jail. What would you do? Are you then going to submit to the governing authority or are you going to go to jail?
In Acts 4:18-19 & 5:29 you get the answer to that question. When the apostles Peter and John were told by Jewish leaders, “not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus… Peter and John replies, ‘Judge for yourselves whether it is right in God’s sight to obey you rather than God… We must obey God rather than men.”
Key to discerning when to be disobedient to civil authority is found in Paul’s words, “which God has established.” Vs. 1
ILLUS: T. M. Taylor in his book The heritage of the Reformation, 1961, says, “The obedience which the Christian man owes to the State is never absolute but, at the most, partial and contingent. It follows that the Christian lives always in a tension between two competing claims; that in certain circumstances disobedience to the command of the State may be not only a right but also a duty. This has been classical doctrine ever since the apostles declared that they ought to obey God rather than men.”
The point is that when it comes to submitting to authority we have to judge for ourselves what is the higher authority. In all cases God’s authority is higher than any civil authority or man’s authority.
What Paul is emphasizing here with submitting to the civil authorities is the civil version of what he said in Romans 12:18, “If it is possible, as far as it depend on you, live at peace with everyone.”
We please God when we submit to civil authority because He established that authority, however when that authority is disobedient to God, we please God when obey Him rather than man.
Second, If we are going to be living sacrifices, pleasing to God, we should…
Not Fear Civil Authorities vs. 3-5
Romans 13:3-5, 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. Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also because of conscience.
ILLUS: In the last couple of months have you noticed the presence of more highway patrol in our area? I have! One day as I was coming back from Springfield I counted 5 highway patrol on I-44. What do think I did when I saw those highway patrol? I looked at my speedometer to make sure I wasn’t going over 5 miles an hour over the speed limit.
What do you do when you see a highway patrol? I would venture to say that most, if not all of us at least look down at our speedometer, many may even just out of habit put on our breaks.
Just a little side note, it’s been said that the last part of a Christian to be saved is their right foot.
The Christian who is seeking to be pleasing to God has no reason to fear any governing authority (including highway patrol) because he is not there to punish the one doing right, but will punish the one doing wrong.
Look what verse 4 of our text says, “For he is God’s servant to do you good.” Rom. 13:4
In the original text it is interesting that the word here used for servant is diakonos. That is the same word used in Romans 16:1, 1 Tim. 4:6, and in 1 Tim. 3, it’s the same word used in Phil. 1:1 in reference to deacons who serve the church and in reference of ministers of Christ. In other words, just as God established those who serve the church as deacons, He also established the servants to serve for the public good.
ILLUS: Samuel Rutherford in The Law and the Prince 1644, said, “the law, not the human authority, is king, and the law is to be based on God’s law.”
Therefore, when the human authority uses his power he is doing so not on a personal basis but as a servant of the king which is law. And again, in an ideal setting (all rulers are not moral or lawful) no one should live in fear of a governing authority. God has put them in place to provide for order and safety until the king of all kings come back to take us all home to be with Him in heaven.
God commends right living through the intermediary of rulers. The idea is that if your living in peace, you are living right. If you are living in trouble, you are not living right. Rulers are God’s arm of correction for us on earth.
So we submit to the governing authorities to avoid punishment (nobody wants that ticket from the highway patrol), but there is a higher reason we submit to governing authorities and do our best to live by the rule of law. That is so we can have a clear conscience.
Take a look at verse 5, Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also because of conscience.
Does your conscience bother you? Are you sleeping well at night? Is there something that you know you should have done, but haven’t?
ILLUS: I don’t know about you but there have been times in the past when I haven’t been able to pay my taxes by December 31. I know that it’s not that big of a deal if you don’t get your taxes paid on time as long as you do finally get them paid. Matter of fact they may like you not paying your taxes on time because then they get to collect those extra penalties.
But when I have not able to pay may taxes on time it just eats away at me. It bothers me a lot when I know I owe the taxes but haven’t been able to get them paid and my conscience will not let me forget about it. Every time when I’ve done that and then finally been able to get them paid there is a huge load taken off of me and I’m finally able to breath again. And it feels very good. I’m thankful this year that I will have my taxes paid this week!
If we are living our lives in such a way so as to please God we should have nothing to fear of any governing authority.
Finally, If we are going to be living sacrifices, pleasing to God, we should…
Pay what we owe vs. 6-7
Romans 13:6-7, 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.
Jesus said, “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.” Mt. 15:21. For us to do anything less than that would be to dishonor God. The idea is that the Christian who seeks to please God will honor Him in this way because the Christian bears the name of Christ.
ILLUS: When I was a youth minister and when Maria and I were working with the youth here for a while one thing we always impressed upon the students was who they represented. Before we would let them out of the van when we were going somewhere to eat or for some activity we would tell them to remember who you represent. We made sure the knew they represented Christ first and Mt. Vernon Christian Church second. We wanted to make sure they didn’t bring dishonor to the name of Christ.
The same idea is given here, if we don’t pay our taxes, if we don’t pay what we owe, if we don’t give respect and if we don’t give honor to those to whom we owe those things, then in turn we are dishonoring God. God wants His people to seek to live in peace with everyone if possible and if His people refuse to do so by not honoring His civil servants then it will be impossible to please God.
I have avoid saying anything about Ferguson, MO but I can tell you that what is going on there is not honoring to God. I just hope professing Christian are not involved. Oh, I know all about the Rev. Al Sharpton, though I’m not sure why he is called reverend, because that should only be reserved for God the Father. And I’m not sure what church he leads, but it seems that he leads the church of racism and division. I really wish he would drop out of the news because there are people who thinks he represent Christianity. I my opinion he is far from what Christianity is all about. Enough soap box.
I want to make you aware that in verse 6 we see the word “servant” again. This time the word is different in the original language. It is the word leitourgos. In verse 4 the word “servant” speaks of the activity. Here is verse 6 the word “servant” speaks to the activity as representing another. It is the same used of Christ in Heb 8:2, of angels in Heb. 1:7, of Paul in Romans 15:16, and of Epaphroditus in Phil. 2:25.
It is the same concept of the Old Testament Levitical Priest and how they were to represent God’s will to the nation of Israel. In turn for their service in their representation of God’s will to Israel they received tithes from the whole nation for their support, “in return for the work they do while serving at the Tent of Meeting.” Num. 18:21
While civl ruling authorities in no way take the place of or succeed the role of the Levitical Priest the principle of supporting them is not dissimilar. Just like how you should not “muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain” Deut. 25:4, 1 Cor. 9:9, 1 Tim. 5:18. Because governing authorities are God’s authorities and they are to be supported since they give full time to governing. Just as the Levites did, and just as do those elders “who direct the affairs of the church… especially those whose work is preaching and teaching.” 1 Tim. 5:17
CONCLUSION:
The Christian submitting to civil authorities can be a head scratcher at times, but it all can be boiled down to two simple things. In submitting to the civil authorities we are doing what is pleasing to God and we are representing God in such a way so as to bring Him honor, glory, and praise.
God desires for His people to people of love, to love God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength and to love your neighbor as yourself. He also desires His people to be a people of obedience. People who don’t just teach His Word, or just listen to His Word, but people obey His Word. We are called to be more than people who just come to church on Sunday and worship God, He wants us to worship Him everyday through doing His Word.
Today I want us to gather together to pray. What I would like for you to do is to gather around the elders we have here today. In our text today God has directed us toward honoring our civil leaders and I ask that you do that as you go about your week, but just now let’s honor our elders by praying for them as they serve this congregation the best they can.
I ask that you pray that they may be diligent in their study of God’s Word, that may be given strength in their service, that they be diligent in prayer, and that they may be given the wisdom of God as they do their best to guide this congregation to becoming the disciple makers He desires us to be.
Visitors, you may gather around our elders to if you like or you may stay where you are, but I ask also that you take time to pray.
I’m going to give you time to either silently pray or pray out loud so that we can have a concert of prayer for our elders. After a few minutes I will close us in prayer and we can have our closing song.
