“Sept 5, 2024 - Christians and Government”

Wednesday, September 04, 2024

Christians and Government

Reading:  Romans 13:1-7
    
    Paul has been teaching the Romans about the need to be peaceable rather than vengeful amid persecution (Rom 12:18-21).  Here he discusses Christians and government more generally, addressing believers who live in the shadow of the most powerful empire in the ancient world.  “Let every person be subject to the governing authorities…one must be in subjection”(Rom 13:1, 5).  The general posture is obedience and submission, acknowledging the power of government and the blessing it is to mankind.  We do what our government tells us.  We also give respect (Rom 13:7) and honor (Rom 13:7), independent of whether the specific figures in government are honorable people.

    We respect and obey government because we respect and obey God.  “For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God”(Rom 13:1).  This does not mean that God has specifically chosen each figure in government, but that he has established government as part of ordering human society.  Paul goes so far as to call the leader “God’s servant for your good…for he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God’s wrath on the wrongdoer”(Rom 13:4).  We can certainly complain that governments don’t always do this well (Roman Christians could too) or that many are hopelessly corrupt (Roman Christians could too), but Paul insists that government checks the spread of evil by enforcing justice.  In this, government is God’s servant and therefore worthy of our submission.  There might be situations in which we resist rather than obey government (for example, when we must decide between man and God, Acts 5:29), but the rule is that we submit.  

    All of this does not sit well with modern Americans, including many Christians.  Our nation was founded in revolution and allows freedom to dissent when we do not like a certain governmental action.  This would be unheard of in ancient times.  Christians must remember that government deserves respect because we honor God, no matter who is in office.  We obey laws, we pay taxes, and we speak with honor about our elected officials.  We do this because we appreciate the blessing that government is to check the evil in the world.  

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One Thing to Think About:  Is it a struggle for me to be subject to people I don’t respect?

One Thing to Pray For:   A deeper allegiance to God’s kingdom than to my nation
 

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