The Christian Responsibility to Government

THE CHRISTIAN RESPONSIBILITY TO GOVERNMENT
FALL/WINTER 2008/2009
MARCH 04, 2009
ROMANS 13:1-7

I. EXEGETING THE TEXT
    A. "Let every soul..." Is Paul laying down a universal principal for all men everywhere, saved and unsaved? Why would the unsaved be reading this 'Christian literature' addressed to those in church? Why would it have any importance to an unbeliever? But are the unsaved exempt from its principal? Is Paul's counsel valid for all men? It certainly must be for believers in the church as it is addressed to them in particular.
   B. "...be subject..." The word for "submission means to get in an orderly alignment under the responsible party.
   1. It is functional and practical and is about smooth operating teamwork.
      a. Each one on the team has a function that must be performed;
      b. Any team member seeking to take the responsibility from another OR dropping his duty OR choosing to do his own thing instead of the team's, OR stopping to criticize another team member OR simply losing focus of the team goal is only going to create conflision, loss or even death..
   2. Consequently, the idea behind submission is voluntarily setting aside of one's personal rights or preferences to a
fellow team member to complete his duty in order that the goal of the team might be reached and accomplished.
   C. "...to the governing authorities." Literally, the ones who are superior, held over you, more excellent or higher than you are and who also are in an executive position of authority, or right over you. 'Ecousia' are those who can exercise their rights without restraint from others; they exercise unrestricted possibility or freedom of action
   D. "For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God." God as sovereign has delegated authority or freedom to act over others to human beings. This is not a declaration of their moral superiority but of His authority to use human authority to carry out His will.
He has set them in order, arranged them, designed them for a particular time for His own often unstated purpose. It was done from long before they actually appeared as an authority. This means God appoints the authority not his actions. The authority is free to act but accountable to God for his actions. "Therefore whoever resists..." Sets up a new order or design in opposition to the one God has established. This word, to resist, is the word used to describe God's action against the proud.
   E. "...resists the ordinance of God,..." the resister sets himself in a battle array against God's commanded order creating chaos and confusion
   F. "...will bring judgment on themselves." It looks from this verse that God does not have to intervene because their judgment they bring upon themselves - their actions themselves bring judgment
   G. "For rulers are not...but to..." Contrast describing why God has put authorities here - to be a deterrent (1iterally a "terror") to evil not to good works. God wants good works performed as He ordained them beforehand (Eph 2:10) and intended them to be done by all people everywhere. When this is not done His goodness is resisted. "Terror" is the word from which we get phobia, fear. If we do not want this fear operating in our lives then we have to
   H. "Do what is good, and you will have praise from the same." This shows that those who do not resist authority but instead seek to serve them through good works our Lord has already taught us (1ove one another, love our neighbor's as ourselves, doing unto others as we would have them do to us, serving others while loving God) we would have the praise of those in authority.
   I. "For he is God's minister..." Literally he is God's deacon to do good. The only time we need to be afraid is when we are doing evil.
   J. "...does not bear the sword in vain..." He has been given the "sword", a weapon with which to kill and conquer enemies. It is God who has given it to him along with the authority/power to use it; it was given to avenge by executing wrath on the ones practicing evil.
   K. "Therefore you must be subject,... wrath...conscience sake." Two good reasons are given to motivate us to submission:
   1. To avoid the wrath of the king and therefore the wrath of God
   2. To keep a clear conscience with God - it is His ordinance and you must keep a clear conscience with the One who redeemed you.
   L. "For because of this you...taxes...God's ministers..." We show our submission by willingly paying the taxes necessary to give him his living wage for his continual ministry (liturgy) to us on behalf of God.
   M. "Render therefore to all their due:..." literally, a debt or what is owed.
      Taxes or tribute to whom they are owed
      Customs to whom customs - completing the service you promised or were obligated to complete
      Fear to whom fear - both respect and an honest analysis of their power to destroy you
      Honor to whom honor - respect of position or worth

II. APPLYING THE TEXT
   A. The believer must always have at the forefront of his thinking, pleasing God, God's sovereignty over all and His will at work in accomplishing his pre-announced plan for the ages
   B. He must meet this with humility and faith (trust in God's wisdom and goodness)
   C. He then must be grateful that God is His infinite wisdom does not want the earth in chaos and confusion so He has delegated or appointed authority by men, over men
   D. As a result of his careful consideration of the working of God he puts himself in submission to the authorities over him in order to accomplish the work of the "team" God has ordained. God is always advancing the kingdom and the believer must look for the way in which God is advancing it each time and work with it.
   E. He must carefully consider that both the freedom to act unrestrained and the power to do his plan are given to the
authority by God. Because of God's arrangement, both the subject and the ruler are accountable to God for their actions individually.
      F. Since it is God that has given it, resistance to the authority must be carefully considered by the believer as resistance to God.
G. If the authority does that which the believer simply cannot do because it violates the law of God he must determine if he is to obey God or man. If he concludes he must obey God and there is a conflict with the authority he must willingly accept his judgment and face the authority. He may make appeal but the authority will decide whether to listen to the appeal or to carry out his judgment against the ruler. Think of Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego as well as our Lord Jesus Christ and the apostle Paul.
   H. In the context of our representative republic, the United States of America, the authority established is found in law. That law is the U.S. Constitution; all American citizens regardless of position are subject to that law. Powers of the authorities are laid out in that document; believers as well as unbelievers are under its protection. We must all become familiar with it to the point that we know what resistance is.
   I. We are not resisting when
   1. We seek to change laws through the legislative process laid
out for us.
   2. When we vote against or for a candidate
   3. When we criticize a policy, law or even legislator, executive
or judge for not living up to the constitution or the Holy
Scriptures
   4. When we peacefully assemble to let our disagreement be known; consider Mordecai, Ezra or Ezekiel
   5. When we petition our government with our grievances
   6. When we seek to help those who have been oppressed by unjust laws

When are we resisting? When would resistance or civil disobedience be right or would it ever? Does it resist the ordinance of God when we refuse to obey an unjust law (consider Corrie ten Boom or those who resisted Hitler; while you are at it consider Rahab the harlot, Daniel and praying, the three friends of Daniel and bowing before the golden image)? What about refusing to performing an abortion, or refusing to stop preaching about the sin of homosexuality (and the 10 commandments)from the pulpit?