This morning, I am going to begin our message with an illustration from a 2018 CNN article written by Thomas Weber: “On March 21, 1933, Germany was in turmoil. Less than two months after the Nazi seizure of power, even people with pro-regime leanings felt disquieted about the draconian measures instituted since the end of January. It was in this context that Protestant theologian Otto Dibelius invoked the biblical passage Romans 13 to urge Germans to support Hitler . . .”
Weber continues to say, “Throughout the lifetime of the Third Reich, in tens of thousands of sermons up and down the country, pro-Nazi Protestant pastors quoted from Romans 13: ‘The authorities that exist have been established by God. Consequently, whoever rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves.’ In short, as the Nazi regime imprisoned its opponents and wrought havoc across the world, Romans 13 became one of the glues that held the Third Reich together.”(1)
So, when Paul wrote Romans chapter 13, did he have in mind total obedience and surrender to a totalitarian government? Many unbelievers in recent days have quoted this passage at Christians, telling them to obey the government and stop complaining about the harsh measures. In an attempt to keep us from repeating the mistakes of history, I feel compelled this morning to do an in-depth exposition of Romans chapter 13. And when I say in-depth, what I mean is that I am going to be quoting from multiple commentaries. So, let’s go ahead and get started in Romans chapter 13, beginning with verses 1-6.
Do Your Best to Obey the Law (vv. 1-6)
1 Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. 2 Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves. 3 For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to evil. Do you want to be unafraid of the authority? Do what is good, and you will have praise from the same. 4 For he is God’s minister to you for good. But if you do evil, be afraid; for he does not bear the sword in vain; for he is God’s minister, an avenger to execute wrath on him who practices evil. 5 Therefore you must be subject, not only because of wrath but also for conscience’s sake. 6 For because of this you also pay taxes, for they are God’s ministers attending continually to this very thing.
So, what do we make of this passage, and why did Paul write these particular words? Commentator A. T. Robertson in Word Pictures in the New Testament, published in 1931, says that in this passage that, “Paul is not arguing for the divine right of kings or for any special form of government, but [simply] for government and order. Nor does he oppose here revolution for a change of government, but he does oppose all lawlessness and disorder.”(2)
You see, Paul wrote this passage to address civil disobedience. “The Jews were notoriously rebellious . . . The zealots [for example] were convinced that there was no king to the Jews but God; and that no tribute must be paid to anyone but God . . . [The zealots] were sworn and pledged to a career of murder and assassination. Their aim was to make any civil government impossible. They were known as the dagger-bearers. They were fanatical nationalist sworn to terrorist methods. Not only did they use terrorism towards the Roman government; they also wrecked the houses and burned the crops, and assassinated the families of their own fellow-Jews who paid tribute to the Roman government. In this, Paul saw no point at all. It was, in fact, the direct negation of all Christian conduct.”(3)
The first thing that Paul tells us here is that governing authorities exist by the appointment of God. It’s easy to view this verse as speaking about the appointment of specific individuals that hold public office, but this is not what the text means. Verse 1 is speaking about the “institution” as a whole, not a specific king, ruler, prime minister, president, or governor. Just as certain organizations are considered to be institutions, such as schools and hospitals, the government is an institution; and this passage is talking about the institution of government, or the institution of a body of leaders.
Commentator Kenneth Wuest in his Word Studies from the New Testament, written in 1955, says, “Human government is a permanent institution brought into being by God for the regulation of human affairs. The powers or authorities here are seen, not in their individual personalities, but as office[es] . . . That is, the various offices of civil authority are appointed by God. The structure of government and the laws connected with it are appointed by God as a means of promoting law and order on earth.” He emphasizes that, “the incumbents in those offices are not always ordained of God.”(4) But whether the individuals in those offices are appointed by God or not, we should obey the laws they enact to the best of our ability, and so long as they do not contradict our most sacred spiritual convictions.
God established human government for the good of all, to maintain order and justice; and when we resist the law, we are ultimately resisting the God who made the institution and its structured offices. Paul tells us that we are to be “subject” to the governing authorities; but according to commentator Dale Moody, in The Broadman Bible Commentary, written in 1970, being “subject” is not a servile attitude. He says that the term “subjection” is often used by Paul in his letters in regard to mutual respect and submission to brothers (1 Corinthians 16:16). So, when we apply this understanding, it means that we must show respect to a government and its authorities; but that government must, in turn, show respect to its subjects. Moody says that Christians who are loyal subjects of the state are those who find a place in the organic whole that is consistent with their commitment to Christ.(5)
Kenneth Wuest says that our duty to the government, as Christians, is to obey in all matters lawful. “But . . . if the civil power commands us to violate the law of God,” he says, “we must obey God before man. If it commands us to disobey the common laws of humanity, or the sacred institutions of our country, our obedience is due to the higher and more general law, rather than the lower and particular.”(6) In the book of Acts, we see an example of obeying the higher law over the lower, or the law of God over the law of a particular man. When Peter and the apostles were brought before the high priest and commanded not to preach Christ, the Scripture says, “But Peter and the other apostles answered and said: We ought to obey God rather than men” (Acts 5:29).
So, according to Wuest, our duty to the government, as Christians, is to obey in all matters lawful. He continues to add, “To obtain, by lawful means, the removal or alteration of an unjust or unreasonable law, is another part of this duty: for all powers among men must be in accord with the highest power . . . But even where law is hard and unreasonable, not disobedience, but reasonable protest, is the duty of the Christian.”(7) So, when a law, or numerous laws, conflict with the law of God, we can and should “appeal in court” and “protest.”
The First Amendment of the United States Constitution says the same. It states, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”
In verse 2, we read, “Whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves.” This verse is not talking about spiritual judgment. It’s not like we are going to be sentenced to hell for breaking the law of man. The word “judgement” is the Greek word krima, which is a judicial type of judgement, or a judicial sentence from the magistrate. However, even though it is an earthly type of judgement, it is still seen as God being at work; as He is working through the hand of the civil power.(8)
So, we must always bear in mind that obedience to man’s law – whenever those laws are in line with the law of God – it pleases the Lord; and disobedience displeases God, and it leads to judgement, which could mean jail time or even death. So, let’s strive to obey whenever possible. Obedience to civil law becomes a good witness for the Christian; and according to 1 Timothy 2:2, it leads to living a quiet and peaceable life.
Verse 3 says, “For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to evil.” Kenneth Wuest says, “It is implied [here] that those to whom [Paul] speaks will always be identified with the good works, and so have the authorities on their side; it is taken for granted also that the State will not act in violation of its own idea, and identify itself with the bad.”(9) But what if rulers do become a terror to good works and to those who do good works?
Dale Moody says, “The wrath of the state should be in harmony with the wrath of God, and it is in a just state.”(10) He continues to add, “State officials as rulers deserve the loyalty of Christians only when they do approve good conduct and punish the wrongdoer. The corrupt politicians who appeal to the Christian conscience to protect their unjust reign of terror and tyranny should be totally repudiated.”(11)
In verse 4, we read of individual rulers that “he is God’s minister to you.” The word “minister” in Greek is diakonos, which simply means, “servant.” The ruler is not a church leader or pastor. He is a servant in a divinely established order of government, appointed to minister or “ad-minister” the law. He is not a minister in the sense that he hears from God and then speaks the words of God to the citizens. Down in verse 6, “minister” is the Greek word leitourogos, which means, “a public minister” or “servant of the state.”(12)
In verse 6, Paul advises Christians to pay their taxes. Why? Because government officials are God’s servants. Just as we tithe, in order to help support a pastor, public officials also need our financial support. Not even Jesus would argue about paying taxes. For example, when the Pharisees tested Jesus, asking Him if it was lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, Jesus replied, “Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s” (Matthew 22:21).
Our taxes support not just government officials, but the entire operation of government, including our nation’s infrastructure and numerous social services. Commentator William Barclay in The Daily Study Bible, written in 1957, says, “No man can entirely disassociate himself from the society in which he lives and has a part. No man can, in conscience, opt out of the nation. As part of the nation, he enjoys certain benefits which he could not have as an individual.”(13)
Some of us might want to believe we are separate from society, but this country is where we live. Human beings live on actual real estate, not on a floating castle in the sky; and actual real estate is operated by nations and governments. You could say that, as Christians, we have dual citizenship. We are citizens of the kingdom of God and citizens of the United States of America. But while we live in this country, we must abide by the law of the land and support our government; so long as our government affords the freedom of worship and religious expression.
I must point out that Christians are model citizens. We have a strong sense of patriotism and we try our very best to obey the law; that is, until the law becomes unjust; at which time we do question and we do protest. There are many, though – mainly unbelievers – who will argue that we should obey “all” laws at “all times,” even when those laws are harmful to others. Those who argue total obedience tend to be the ones seeking to benefit from laws that cater to themselves; laws such as those, for example, that provide food stamps and other government handouts; or laws that allow the killing of unborn children and the promotion of sexual deviance.
Christians believe in being good citizens, and giving back to society, not taking. That’s why the Christian is often heard sounding the warning concerning those who are trying to bend the law to suit themselves. Many unjust rulers, or unjust leaders, are trying to rewrite and twist what’s written in our founding documents. It’s the unbeliever who is actually seeking live like a non-citizen; who wants to take and not give back. It’s the unbeliever who wants to live by the lower particular laws, instead of the higher more general laws, such as the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. It’s the unbeliever who thinks to himself, “It’s all about me. I want the government to support me fully; so, if advocating for full surrender to a corrupt system is what it takes to get what I want, then that’s what I’ll do!”
We now live in a time such as Isaiah described, when he declared that there are “those who call evil good, and good evil; who put darkness for light, and light for darkness” (Isaiah 5:20). The Christian is misconstrued as being the rebel, and being the disobedient one, for appealing to the higher law, such as the Constitution or the Bible; while the unbeliever considers himself the obedient one, as he obeys the lower more particular law; a law that he has oftentimes crafted for himself. The unbeliever serves his own self-created laws, while rejecting the absolutes; which is all the product of moral relativism.
Love Fulfills the Divine Law (vv. 7-10)
7 Render therefore to all their due: taxes to whom taxes are due, customs to whom customs, fear to whom fear, honor to whom honor. 8 Owe no one anything except to love one another, for he who loves another has fulfilled the law. 9 For the commandments, “You shall not commit adultery,” “You shall not murder,” “You shall not steal,” “You shall not bear false witness,” “You shall not covet,” and if there is any other commandment, are all summed up in this saying, namely, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 10 Love does no harm to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.
In verse 8, Paul was quoting Jesus. In Matthew 22:37-40, Jesus said, “You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.” According to both Jesus and the apostle Paul, if we have love, or rather “walk in love,” then we will fulfill or obey the entire law.
Love will deter us from committing adultery, as we have enough respect for our neighbor not to take his or her spouse, and as we have a healthy fear of God. Love will keep us from committing murder, including the murder of unborn children, as we know that murder is a true crime against humanity. Love will keep us from coveting and stealing what someone else has, as we realize that perhaps they need it more than we do. Love will keep us from telling lies to get our own way, as we consider how our lies might destroy someone’s life. Love will compel us to put our neighbor first over and above ourselves.
But here’s what we cannot miss. All of these commands that will be fulfilled by love are commands given by God. Commentator Dale Moody says, “There is no conflict between social justice found in the civil law and brotherly love found in the Mosaic law and taught by Jesus and Paul.”(14) But when civil law is not based on Mosaic law or the Bible; and when civil law is not based on a foundation love; then there will be a clash of values, and thus, conflict. If the laws of a country are not rooted in love, then love cannot fulfill that law. Only evil and hate will fulfill the law in such circumstances; and the end result will be a collapse of the law and society.
The laws that govern us in America were originally based on God’s law, such as the Ten Commandments; though people will fight tooth and nail against this truth. In 1923, President Calvin Coolidge said, “The foundations of our society and government rest so much on the teachings of the Bible that it would be difficult to support them if faith in these teachings would cease to be practically universal in our country.” A lack of faith in the Bible and its teachings, explains a whole lot of the problems we’re seeing today in the way of society and government. Because the laws that govern America were based on God’s law originally, then in loving others we would have no problem in fulfilling those founding laws. But now, many laws are based on the selfish whims of individuals, rather than on the perfect law of God.
God says, “You shall not commit adultery” (Deuteronomy 5:18), which is sexual sin, but we now have laws that permit sexual sin. The Lord says, “You shall not murder” (Deuteronomy 5:17), but we now murder unborn children, and are even considering murdering the sick and elderly. And if you keep going down the list, we have numerous laws that contradict the law of God. So, the deal is, we live in a society where love is now contradictory to the laws of man. And if we, as Christians, tell someone they are acting contrary to God’s law, then we are called hateful. And if we resist any manmade law that contradicts what God commands us, we are called the criminal.
Love fulfills the law of the land, when the law of the land is based on the Word of God; otherwise, love is seen as hate. Even still, when we walk in love, we walk in the commandments of God; and that’s the thing that should matter most. God is well pleased with us, even when society and the government is not. You see, all divinely rooted, and divinely established, laws are kept through this saying, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (v. 8); but brothers and sisters, we live in a society where evil is called good, and good is called evil (Isaiah 5:20), and where people love self, more than they love their neighbor.
Put on the Armor of Light (vv. 11-14)
11 And do this, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed. 12 The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore, let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light. 13 Let us walk properly, as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in lewdness and lust, not in strife and envy. 14 But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts.
In verse 11, Paul speaks about how right now is the time to wake up. The word he uses for “time” is not kronos as in “the clock,” but kairos as in “the season.” It is a special, critical, and strategic period of time. Now, the word “sleep” here refers to a lethargic, non-aggressive, lazy Christian life.(15) The day is at hand (v. 12), Paul says. The Day of the Lord is near. Christ is returning soon; therefore, it is “high time” that we wake up and stop hitting the snooze button on injustice and evil. It’s “high time” to walk boldly in our faith and put aside our idleness. Let’s start living as citizens of the light, and stop cowering before the kingdom of darkness.
Paul says that we are to cast off the works of darkness, and put on the armor of light (v. 12). I believe he was warning us to be alert to the possibility of an evil spiritual element in government, and he wanted us to be suited up for battle on account of spiritual warfare. Kenneth Wuest says that even though earthly governments have been ordained by God, that “the incumbents in those offices are not always ordained of God,” and he emphatically adds, “We know that demons have a great deal to do with various governments.”(16) We need to be ever mindful that, even though human government has been established by God, sometimes it can become hijacked!
What Paul says here echoes Ephesians 6:11-12, in which he said, “Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.” The word that Paul used for “authorities” in Romans chapter 13, is the same word he used for “powers” in Ephesians 6:12. In using the words from my Greek-English Interlinear New Testament, verse 12 actually reads, “The struggle is not against blood and flesh, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the world-rulers of the darkness of this age, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”
We are in an all-out spiritual war, and governments can become hijacked by evil spiritual forces. So, we need to put on the Lord Jesus as a garment, and put on the whole armor of God, and be prepared to take a stand for what is good and right. This begins by making no provision for the flesh to fulfill its lusts; or rather, we need to live as an example of Christian principles and morality at all times, both in private and in the public arena.
Time of Reflection
Charles Colson once asked, “How now shall we live?” This is a good question. For starters, we must obey the law and pay our taxes. Peter said, “Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake . . . that by doing good you may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men” (1 Peter 2:13, 15). In Romans 12, Paul said, “Have regard for good things in the sight of all men. If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men” (Romans 12:17-18). In Colossians, he said, “Walk in wisdom toward those who are outside, redeeming the time. Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one” (Colossians 4:5-6).
We must do our very best to become model citizens who live at peace with others; but, at the same time, we cannot turn a blind eye when we see injustice and corruption; when we see laws and actions that run contrary to the nature of God and that threaten our religious liberty. Paul did not envision mindless subjection to a totalitarian regime when he wrote Romans 13; and that’s why he concluded the chapter by telling us to be suited in the armor of light, and to be ready for spiritual battle. We must be ready to speak the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15), and work within the realm of the established legal system through appeal and by peaceful protest to enact just and biblical laws.
Hopefully, this message will have helped you understand how we, as Christians, can best serve both the law of man and the law of God. I must emphasize, though, that for believers, the divine law of God should always supersede the law of man.
NOTES
(1) Thomas Weber, “When Romans 13 Was Invoked To Justify Evil,” CNN.COM: https://www.cnn.com/2018/06/22/opinions/jeff-sessions-bible-verse-nazi-germany-opinion-weber/index.html (June 22, 2018).
(2) A. T. Robertson, Word Pictures in the New Testament (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1931), p. 407.
(3) William Barclay, “The Letter to the Romans,” The Daily Study Bible (Philadelphia: The Westminster Press, 1957), p. 187.
(4) Kenneth S. Wuest, Wuest’s Word Studies from the New Testament, vol. 1 (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1955), p. 223.
(5) Dale Moody, “Romans,” The Broadman Bible Commentary, vol. 10, ed. Clifton J. Allen (Nashville: Broadman, 1970), p. 256.
(6) Wuest, p. 223.
(7) Ibid., 223.
(8) Wuest, p. 224.
(9) Ibid., p. 225.
(10) Moody, p. 258.
(11) Ibid., p. 257.
(12) Wuest, p. 226.
(13) Barclay, p. 188.
(14) Moody, p. 260.
(15) Wuest, p. 228.
(16) Ibid., p. 223.
