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
 

Why Revenge Doesn’t Work

Reading:  Romans 12:17-21
    
    Paul has mentioned the potential of “tribulation”(Rom 12:12) and persecution (Rom 12:14) coming on the Roman Christians; here he addresses their response directly.  He repeatedly exposes the futility of revenge.  “Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all”(Rom 12:17).  Revenge doesn’t work because it is solely focused on our own sense of justice.  Meanwhile the watching world sees our actions as hostile, aggressive, and dishonorable.  Revenge in no way promotes the gospel.  “If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all”(Rom 12:18).  Revenge is also not peaceable.  There are times when peace does not depend on us (or is not possible), but revenge is not one of those times.  It is willfully choosing to perpetuate hostilities.

    Paul urges us to endure hardship as an act of faith in a just God.  “Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, ‘Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.’  To the contrary, ‘if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head’”(Rom 12:19-20).  Revenge doesn’t work because it is God’s domain.  He has promised to right all the wrongs that need addressing; he has not asked for my help.  (I suspect that in our aggrieved state we are also not very objective or fair).  “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good”(Rom 12:21).  But the main reason revenge doesn’t work is that it leads us to do evil because others started it.  We feel justified in harming others because they have done wrong, but we merely add our wrong to their wrong.  We have been overcome by evil rather than overcoming their evil with good.

    Revenge takes many forms.  We can speak evil about others.  We can work to hurt them financially, socially, reputationally, or occupationally.  We can show hostility by never speaking to them again.  But revenge doesn’t work.  Christians “live peaceably with all” and when wronged, “leave it to the wrath of God.”

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One Thing to Think About:  How am I tempted to take revenge on those who hurt me?

One Thing to Pray For:   Patience and discipline to respond to evil with goodness
 

The Spirit of Christian Community

Reading:  Romans 12:9-16
    
    The short, punchy sentences that comprise this section emphasize the spirit of their community.  “Let love be genuine.  Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good.  Love one another with brotherly affection.  Outdo one another in showing honor”(Rom 12:9-10).  Christian community is full of sincere love and affection where we all seek one another’s good.  We are not fakers in our service to God or our love for each other.  We also have a passion for pursuing what is right and avoiding what is evil.  From this foundation comes a passion for the work of Jesus:  “Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord”(Rom 12:11).  Christians are an enthusiastic, hard-working people.

    Christian community is mature and not easily swayed by difficult circumstances:  “Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer…Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them”(Rom 12:12, 14).  There is a tight-knit bond that leads us to take care of one another (Rom 12:13), rejoice and weep with one another (Rom 12:15), and live in humble peace together (Rom 12:16).  All of this persists in the face of challenging circumstances (“tribulation” “those who persecute you”) and the personal slights that occur in any relationship (“live in harmony with one another”).  We do not always look, think, or act the same, but our hearts are together.  

    Christian communities are imperfect places.  None of them looks exactly like this ideal picture.  Yet as each disciple pursues this spirit toward his or her brothers, it grows.  Rather than lamenting what is not ideal in the Christian communities we observe, we should get busy changing ourselves and promoting the spirit of love, zeal, persistence, and peace in the places where we find ourselves.

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One Thing to Think About:  If the entire church had only my love, zeal, persistence, and peace, what would it be like?

One Thing to Pray For:   A renewed zeal to serve Jesus and my brothers
 

A Living Sacrifice

Reading:  Romans 12:1-8
    
    Paul transitions from his deep theology to more practical considerations here.  “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship”(Rom 12:1).  Because God has shown such mercy to us in Jesus, we respond with devoted service.  Like an ancient worshiper bringing an animal to the altar, we present our bodies (see Rom 6:13, 16) to God as an ongoing sacrifice.  “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect”(Rom 12:2).  As we remember our shameful past in sin, we reject the world and its ways and seek new ways of thinking and viewing the world.  Incapable of renewing our own minds, we allow God to daily refresh, rewire, and reshape our thoughts.  As we live this new perspective, we confirm that God’s way is “good and acceptable and perfect.” 

    Part of that renewal is humility.  “For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned”(Rom 12:3).  Our sin and need for a savior remind us that we are not that great.  Instead, we acknowledge the gifts that we have “differ according to the grace given to us”(Rom 12:6).  None of us is a self-made man or woman.  None of us has precisely the same gifts as anyone else.  Rather than gloating or comparing, we use our gifts with gusto:  prophecy, service, teaching, exhortation, contributing, leading, showing mercy.  By employing our talents to bless others and honor God, we offer up a living sacrifice to him.

    The animals Jewish worshipers offered to God were killed; Paul urges us to devote our bodies to God as a “living sacrifice.”  Every dimension of our lives—thinking, attitudes, words, relationships, behaviors, gifts—we devote to God.  Everything reflects our allegiance to him.  This is the only appropriate response to “the mercies of God.”

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One Thing to Think About:  How will I use my body to serve God today?

One Thing to Pray For:   Awareness of my gifts and a heart to use them for others
 

The Genius of God

Reading:  Romans 11:25-36
    
    Here Paul summarizes his teaching about the current state of Israel, his hopes for the future, and the God who has made all of this possible.  “Lest you be wise in your own sight, I do not want you to be unaware of this mystery, brothers:  a partial hardening has come upon Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in.  And in this way all Israel will be saved”(Rom 11:25-26).  Since many Jews have rejected the gospel, Paul and others have gone to the Gentiles, who have been grafted into the “olive tree” of God’s people (Rom 11:17-24).  “In this way all Israel will be saved” does not mean that Paul anticipates God throwing out his message and simply saving unbelieving Jews.  God will fulfill his promises to save Israel, but it will happen in this way:  as a group of spiritual Israelites, people who believe in his Son, comprised of both Jews and Gentiles.  Paul simply hopes that as more Gentiles come to faith, Jews will be moved to jealousy and join them.  His stubborn hope for them is not merely personal, but is because “they are beloved for the sake of their forefathers” and because “the gifts and calling of God are irrevocable”(Rom 11:28, 29).  God still loves and will accept them.

    Paul sees a final irony here:  that Jews and Gentiles seem to have switched places from disobedient to receiving mercy (Rom 11:30-31).  “For God has consigned all to disobedience, that he may have mercy on all”(Rom 11:32).  Now all people are united by their experience in sin and need for the mercy of God.  Paul steps back from these considerations and marvels:  “Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God!  How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!”(Rom 11:33).  God cannot be predicted or put in a box; he will keep his word yet continually surprise us.  God is genius.

    For centuries the Jewish people anticipated the coming of Messiah, who would deliver Israel.  Paul argues that Messiah has come and has begun that deliverance through death, resurrection, and spiritual rebirth.  Israel’s deliverance has also included the participation of non-Jews who have submitted to Messiah’s reign.  It is no surprise that many were caught flat-footed by this transition.  God’s genius humbles us.  We should not expect to always grasp his goals and plans, yet we can trust that he has a plan that is always for our good.

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One Thing to Think About:  Am I amazed at the brilliance of God?

One Thing to Pray For:   Gratitude that God has revealed his mind to us