A. INTRODUCTION
1. In our study of Romans we have seen glimpses of God's will for Christian behaviour in their various relationships:
a. the believer's relationship with G __ __;
b. the believer's relationship with the l __ __ of God;
c. the believer's relationship with s __ __;
d. the believer's relationship with other C __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __; and
e. the believer's relationship with those who are not in the c __ __ __ __ __.
2. Chapter 13 begins with a consideration of the Christian's relationship with civil authority. This is not the only place in Scripture where we find such teaching.
a. Jesus Himself set the ground rules in Matthew 22:15-22. His teaching on this subject
caused those who asked the question to "m __ __ __ __ __."
(1) Jesus did not choose sides, "church" vs. "state."
(2) He demonstrates that the church and the state occupy different spheres, but that both come under the authority of the sovereign God of the Universe. His commandment:
- render unto the state those things which belong to the state;
- render unto God those things which belong to God.
b. The apostle Peter's principles regarding the Christian and government are set forth in 1 Peter 2:13-17.
c. In addition to his enjoinders in this morning's text passage Paul teaches elsewhere on this subject.
(1) 1 Timothy 2:1-2
(2) Titus 3:1
d. Early church fathers who succeeded the apostles stood in agreement with the Scriptures in this matter.
(1) Justin Martyr, in his Apology 1:17, states:
"Elsewhere, we, more readily that all men, endeavor to pay to those appointed by you the taxes, both ordinary and extraordinary, as we have been taught by Jesus. We worship only God, but in other things we will gladly serve you, acknowledging you as kings and rulers of men, and praying that, with your kingly power, you may be found to possess also sound judgment."
(2) Tertullian in Apology 30 wrote:
"We offer prayer for the safety of our princes to the eternal, the true, the living God, whose favour, beyond all other things, they must themselves desire....Without ceasing, for all our emperors we offer prayer. We pray for life prolonged; for security to the empire; for protection for the imperial house; for brave armies, a faithful senate, a virtuous people, the world at rest -- whatever, as man or Caesar, and emperor would wish."
(3) Arnobius informed the civil authorities that in Christian gatherings it was common that "peace and pardon are asked for all authority."
(4) The Westminster Confession declares:
"God, the supreme Lord and King of all the world, hath ordained civil magistrates, to be, under Him, over the people, for His own glory, and the public good; and, to this end, hath armed them with the power of the sword, for the defence and encouragement of them that are good, and for the punishment of evil doers....Civil magistrates may not assume to themselves the administration of the Word and sacraments; or the powers of the keys of the kingdom of heaven."
3. What lies behind this position is the doctrine of the s __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ of God, which winds in and out, around and through the text of this great epistle like a bright satin ribbon woven into a vast, muted tapestry.
a. "Throughout the epistle Paul has described God in authoritative terms. It was His authoritative word that created things that were nonexistent; it is through the obedience of nature to His laws that the visible things portray something of the invisible God; His dealings with His chosen people clearly demonstrate that He is their God and demands their allegiance; and His freedom to deal with them and others as He chooses is defended vigorously, as is His absolute right to judge the world in righteousness. That ultimate authority rests with God is beyond question, but it should be noted that God exercises His authority on earth and in heaven through delegation." - D. Stuart Briscoe: Romans (Volume 6, The Communicator's Commentary)
(1) God has delegated the risen Christ as J __ __ __ __ ( 2 Timothy 4:1-8 ).
(2) God has delegated the Holy Spirit as C __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ and T __ __ __ __ -
S __ __ __ __ __ ( John 14:15-17 ).
(3) God has delegated specific authority to:
- p __ __ __ __ __ __ ( Ephesians 6:1-4 );
- e __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ ( Ephesians 6:5-9 );
- e __ __ __ __ __ ( 1 Peter 5:1-5 ); and
- h __ __ __ __ __ __ __ ( Ephesians 5:22-33 ).
(4) God has delegated civil authority to secular governments (Acts 17:22-27a, Romans 13:1-7, 1 Peter 2:13-14).
b. The historical context of our text passage is significant, particularly as regards the unique and privileged position enjoyed by Christians under the Pax Romana at the time of this epistle (circa 57 A.D.), but which would end less than 10 years later.
(1) Jewish communities throughout the Roman empire held the status of collegia licita ("permitted associations") and, since Rome regarded them as little more than members of a peculiar Jewish sect, Christians received the same legal status.
(2) Paul was acutely aware of the fact that his special place in the world as a full-fledged Roman citizen was giving him the opportunity to preach the gospel of Christ far and wide and providing legal protection from those who would silence him on "religious" grounds.
(3) ref: Acts 18:12-17
c. The Biblical context of our text passage as part of the entire third section of Paul's letter to the Christians at Rome must be taken into account, particularly as it relates to what he had begun teaching in chapter 12.
(1) references to the believer's "r __ __ __ __ __ __" mind ( 12:2 )
"In the light of the exalted position of divinely appointed secular authority, the Christian should 'be subject' to such authority, and the extent to which his submission is shown will be some indication of the extent to which his mind has been renewed, for only the mind enlightened by the Spirit of God would see secular powers in such a light." - D. Stuart Briscoe: Op. cit.
(2) references to g __ __ __ and e __ __ __ ( 12:17, 21 )
(3) references to p __ __ __ __ ( 12:18 ), especially the exhortation that Christians must endeavor to "be at peace with everyone."
(4) references to w __ __ __ __ ( 12:19 ), especially the instruction that Christians must "give place to," or "provide room for," the wrath of God.
d. The arena for the believer's obedient relationship with civil authority lies between these two recorded extremes:
(1) Judges 21:25 - In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes.
(2) Acts 5:29 - But Peter and the other apostles answered and said: "We ought to obey God rather than men."
B. Text: ROMANS 13:1-7
1. Paul in v.1 declares two profound truths.
a. The a __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ that exist have been established ("anointed;" "appointed") by God. The same term is used in the gospels to characterize how the people regarded Christ's teaching: "He taught as one having authority."
(1) "What does authority mean? In the English word, authority, we find the smaller word, author. So authority has something to do with authorship and ownership. God is the ultimate author of all things, for He is the Creator who owns what He creates and who has the right to rule and to govern His creation.
In its actual functional meaning, authority means that one has the right to impose obligations, to issue commands which others are responsible and morally accountable to obey. Parents have authority over their children; so they have the right to command obedience from their children. Teachers in school have authority over their students; they have the right to give assignments, to state requirements, and the students are responsible and culpable if they fail to accomplish them. Therefore, the whole concept of authority is important to Christians, for the Christian life is profoundly concerned with obedience. And obedience means conforming to authoritative obligations that are set before us from a source of authority." - R.C. Sproul: Romans
(2) Does this statement mean that even the ruling authority of historical villains like Hitler and Stalin were ordained of God? Yes, in the sense that no power on earth can rise to power and authority without the permission of the Lord of history. But it is important to remember that the fact that God has ordained a cruel, unjust civil authority does not imply that God approves of it. Nations and national leaders rise and fall in the providence of God for His purposes in history and to the ultimate end of His glory. One of the incredible lessons of the book of Habakkuk is that God gave rise to the terrible and mighty Assyrians in order to use them as the means of administering His judgment on His chosen people, Israel.
(3) ref: Psalm 2:2
Proverbs 8:15-16
Isaiah 45:1-2
Jeremiah 27:5
Daniel 2:21, 37
1 Samuel 24:1-15
2 Samuel 2:1-16
b. It is God's will that every person s __ __ __ __ __ to the authorities He has seen fit to ordain. Paul goes so far as to refer to them as God's m __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ (!).
(1) The Greek term translated correctly in the authorized versions as "every soul" is a comprehensive one. The command says, in essence, "Let every single person submit to these authorities with every fiber of his or her being."
(2) Paul could have chosen at least three Greek words to use as the verb "to obey" in this passage. The one he did choose implies much more than simple, flat "obedience." "It was originally a military term that meant to arrange troop divisions in marching order. Thus, to submit was to take one's assigned place because it was assigned, not because of personal inferiority. Submission meant to respect the other person's rank and authority, his place in a chain of command. This included selfless, but not blind and slavish, obedience to the extent of the other person's authority." - NavPress "Life Change Series" Bible Study: Romans
2. V.2 provides the proper Christian rationale for such submission: it is, in fact, submission to the authority of God Himself! To fail to do so is for the Christian s __ __, since, we are told in the
second part of the verse, it will bring about God's j __ __ __ __ __ __ __.
3. V.3-5 present a list of more "general" reasons for submission to civil authority.
a. P __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ reasons
(1) "Doing good" ("obeying") will bring p __ __ __ __ __ from rulers, if only in the form of being left alone.
(2) "Doing evil" ("refusing to obey") will bring w __ __ __ __. The "s __ __ __ __" which authorizes civil governments to enforce their laws and to punish wrongdoers is part and parcel of the authority granted to them by God.
"God's concern for individuals is seen in His concern that society should operate in such a way that man may be free to live as He intended. Authority is necessary if such an environment is to be provided and preserved, so it follows that God-ordained authority is a natural prerequisite for God-ordained order. It is interesting to note that the role human authority is called to play is clearly linked to a realistic appraisal of man's sinfulness. Society will be spoiled where sinful man is allowed to engage in all manner of evil, and society will never flourish for the common good where man is allowed to squander his life on himself and pursue relentlessly his own self-centered course. Accordingly, the authorities are required by God to punish the evildoer and reward the one who does right. Both actions provide incentives to proper societal behaviour without which man would destroy his own environment and totally pollute his own community." - D. Stuart Briscoe: Op. cit.
"Reinhold Niebuhr rightly noted the paradox in divine order: it is God's goodness in creation which makes civil order possible, but it is the corruption of sin which makes civil order necessary." - James R. Edwards: Romans (Volume 6, New International Biblical Commentary)
b. Reasons of C __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __
(1) Scholars believe that Paul may have broken literary ground in his use here of the Greek noun translated in English as "conscience." It had come into recognized usage only shortly before the Christian era, having been a term of the common vernacular which meant "consciousness of right or wrong doing." Paul here uses it to refer to "an independent witness from within, which examines and passes judgment on one's conduct." (Edwards)
(2) For Christians this examination and judgment is enlightened and heightened by the Holy Spirit and by the Word of God.
ref: 2 Corinthians 2:10-11, 14-16
Hebrews 4:12
4. The Living Bible's paraphrase of v.5-7 is a good one.
Obey the laws, then, for two reasons: first, to keep from being punished, and second, just because you know you should. Pay your taxes too, for these same two reasons. For government workers need to be paid so that they can keep on doing God's work, serving you. Pay everyone whatever he ought to have: pay your taxes and import duties gladly, obey those over you, and give honour and respect to all those to whom it is due.
a. There's that term "minister" again, used to identify, in this case, the dreaded taxman!
b. In Mark 12:13-17 Jesus provides splendid insight to the matter of our taxes, paid to a government of which we might not approve, with which we might not agree, and whose spending policies might infuriate us.
(1) The Herodians, who supported the Roman occupation and, thus, defended the collection of taxes, wanted to hear from Jesus' own lips His position on whether or not patriotic Jews should, in fact, pay tribute to their despised occupiers. Their question was posed in this way: "It is right that we should give our money to Caesar?"
(2) Jesus, always hip to their game, went them one better. He used a word that means "to give back" when giving His answer, "suggesting that what is paid to the government in the form of taxes presupposes value received or to be received." - Everett F. Harrison: "Romans," in Volume 10 of The Expositors' Bible Commentary
c. The various items listed in v.7 are seen by Paul as obligations:
(1) t __ __ __ __, paying a fee to support a foreign ruler;
(2) c __ __ __ __ __, indirect taxes in the form of import duties, tolls, and revenues;
(3) h __ __ __ __ __ (often rendered as "respect"), characterized by one as "the profound veneration due to the highest persons in the state."
C. APPLICATION
1. We live in the 1990's U.S., and we have as President as man who has been for four years the target of some of the most vicious vilification in recent memory -- much of it coming from the Christian community. The news has been filled in recent months with stories of so-called local militias and bands of "Freemen" who have called into question the very legitimacy of the Federal government. Debates over how our tax money is being spent are as old as the Republic, but an incredible amount of attention has been directed in the past few years to the subjects of welfare payments, Federally-funded abortion, public education excesses, the Securities and Exchange Commission, defense spending, the National Debt, etc., etc.
a. Our government -- our society in general -- is deeply flawed. To say that changes are not in order is to belie the obvious.
b. Our government, however, is, according to God's Word, in place because He has seen fit to give it authority over us.
c. Our government bears little resemblance to the civil authorities about which Paul wrote in Romans 13:1-7. The Roman Empire was decidedly not a democracy. There was no peaceful means available to its citizens by which it could be fundamentally changed, and no means whatsoever for those who chafed under its military occupation. The choices available to Paul's readers were either obedience or revolution.
This is presumably not the case for modern day American Christians. But, we need to ask, what are the Biblically-legitimate means of redress for Christian citizens to take against our country (or any state) which claim to be democratic, but which exhibit undemocratic policies, which enact into law legislation which Christians find morally and Biblically reprehensible, running the gamut from legalized abortion to legalized gambling, from capital punishment to carrying hand guns, from supporting "friendly" despots abroad to "paying people not to work" at home, from miscarried justice in a legal system filled with loopholes to electoral fraud and municipal malfeasance?
2. None of these matters is addressed in this morning's text passage. Yet there is Biblical reference for at least two explicit rules.
a. God will never bless any attempt to right a wrong which involves the breaking of His own law.
b. There is a limit to civil authority: the overriding authority of God.
c. Scripture is very clear on one of the chief "political" activities for all believers: we are to faithfully p __ __ __ for those who serve in government.
3. Several more observations:
(1) No particular form of government is commended or advocated in Scripture, but almost any form of civil authority is seen as more desirable than anarchy.
(2) A believer's loyalty to the civil authority does not preclude endeavors to improve it,, change it, to question its correct representation, or to oppose tyranny.
(3) The believer must be loyal to the government in spite of the character of its civil rulers, who may be selfish, arbitrary, oppressive, or immoral. Remember, Paul urged loyalty to Nero.
(4) The believer must not disobey conscience in submitting to civil authority. This was the great crime of the Nazi Germans who claimed at Nuremberg that they were "simply following orders." Without being a "rebel" a believer can refuse to do what he or she regards as wrong in the eyes of God, but must submit to and patiently endure the penalty for that decision.
(5) Duties to both church and state are spiritually binding upon the Christian. Paying your taxes is as legitimate an expression of spiritual life as is the offering of a public prayer.
D I S C U S S I O N G U I D E
1. Read Acts 18:9-17.
a. On what basis did the civil authorities protect Paul in Corinth?
b. What ramifications did Gallio's decision have on the future of the new Christian church?
2. Read 1 Peter 2:13-17.
a. Does the duty of "honouring the King" belong to individual Christians or to the local church? Explain your answer.
b. Some folks desire to see "patriotic" services in the local church on the Sundays nearest July 4th, Memorial Day, or Veterans' Day. What is your opinion on this subject?
c. Most hymnal include songs like "America the Beautiful," "Battle Hymn of the Republic," and "America" in their collections.
(1) Obtain a copy of our church hymnal and read the lyrics to these songs. Are there any verses which you feel would be good to hear in a worship service? Are there any lyrics which you might not feel are appropriate in a worship service? Explain your answer.
(2) Are these "hymns"? Explain your answer.
d. Are there any hymns in our hymnal which you feel might be particularly appropriate for a "patriotic" Sunday? List any ones you can think of.
4. Martin Luther saw the church and the state as two separate kingdoms, one sacred, the other secular. In his commentary, he writes of the 12th and 13th chapters of Romans in this way:
"In the preceding chapter, Paul taught that one must not disturb the order of the church; in this chapter, hed teaches that also the secular order must be maintained. For both are of God: it is the purpose of the former to give guidance and peace to the inner man and what concerns him, and it is the purpose of the latter to give guidance to the outer man in his concerns. For, in this life, the inner man cannot be without the outer one."
Do you agree or disagree with Luther's position? Why, or why not?
5. Read 1 Samuel 24:1-15. Make a good case for both of the following propositions.
a. David could have been justified in killing Saul.
b. Two reasons why David was right in choosing not to kill Saul.
6. Read the attached editorial from Christianity Today, written by the pastor of a large church in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Do you agree or disagree with the author's position? Explain your answer.
7. Write a brief essay on the subject "The Christian and Civil Disobedience." Be prepared to share your thoughts with the group. Cite Scripture wherever you can.
