The Seventh Sunday after Pentecost
July 3, 2016
Romans 13:1-7
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”
Who can tell me where these words are from? Of course! They are from our country’s Declaration of Independence. For 240 years these words have been part of the founding principles on which our great country has been built.
I have only been to three other countries in my entire life (Antigua, the Bahamas and China), but I am convinced that the United States of America is the greatest country on the face of the earth. There is no place I would rather live than right here in the good ‘ol U.S of A. But I am concerned, my friends. When I look at all of the changes that our country has made in just the past few years and when I listen to the tone of the current presidential campaigns, I cannot help but lift up my eyes to the God of heaven and pray, “Lord, have mercy on us!” Did you know that the two presumptive candidates for president are “the most disliked candidates in history”? According to a May 24, 2016 article in the Bakersfield Californian, “A new CBS/New York Times poll shows that…more than 57 percent of Americans view Trump unfavorably, and 52 percent don’t think Clinton is any better.” Another article in the New York Times (May 10, 2016) states, “We have an explosive environment with two extremely negative candidates. This is going to be a race to the bottom. It’s who can drive up the negatives the most.”
Since this is the weekend that we celebrate our country’s independence and since in my opinion we are at a very precarious time in our country’s history I thought that today would be a very good time for us to look at what God’s Word has to say on the subject of government. For that reason let’s focus our attention this morning on the words of the apostle Paul recorded for us in Romans 13:1-7. Under the inspiration of God the Holy Spirit the apostle Paul says to God’s people of old and he says to us, God’s people today, “Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves. For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and he will commend you. For he is God’s servant to do you good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword for nothing. He is God’s servant, an agent of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer. Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also because of conscience. This is also why you pay taxes, for the authorities are God’s servants, who give their full time to governing. Give everyone what you owe him: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor.” As we study these words on this Fourth of July weekend let’s study them under the theme: The Authorities that Exist Have Been Established by God. There are two points we want to emphasize. First, let’s look at the God-given purpose of government. Then let’s look at the God-given responsibilities of God’s people.
As Christians who believe in the inspiration of the Bible, we cannot simply brush aside the words, “The authorities that exist have been established by God.” For 240 years God has blessed us with a form of government that has brought us many advantages— advantages that billions of people in other parts of the world simply do not have. By the grace of God we live in a nation that has been founded on the guiding principles of freedom of religion, freedom of speech, freedom of the press and those God-given “unalienable Rights…Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” By the grace of God we live in a nation where if we don’t like the individuals who are governing us— whether on a local level or a national level— we can vote them out of office and they have to leave. Why God has chosen to establish other forms of government in other nations we can’t say. What we can say is exactly what Paul says here in our text. Whether they realize it or not every government has been “established by God.” Therefore, whether they realize it or not every government is “God’s servant.” Look back over the course of history, my friends. Even pagan governments and God-less empires such as Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Greece and Rome (the empire under which the people who originally read these words were living) all played a role in God’s Plan to establish the glorious eternal Kingdom of His Son! (Pointing to the cross)
“The authorities that exist have been established by God.” What does that teach us when it comes to the God-given purpose of a government? Paul answers that question by highlighting two sides of the same coin. Look once again at verses three and four of our text. Paul writes, “For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and he will commend you. For he is God’s servant to do you good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword for nothing. He is God’s servant, an agent of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer.”
The overriding God-given purpose of human government is to maintain peace and order in society. This means that when we the people are striving to do what is good we should not have to “fear” our government. In fact, when we the people are striving to do what is good we should expect our government to “commend” us— whether that takes the form of allowing us to live our life in peace or whether it takes the form of helping us in our old age through various social programs or whether it takes the form of being there to help us and defend us when we are in trouble.
At the same time, however, the government is also to be “God’s servant, an agent of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoers.” When someone breaks the law, when someone “does wrong,” we the people can expect that our government will fulfill its God-given duty to “punish” them. That’s why Paul reminds God’s people in Rome that a Roman soldier “does not bear (this word can also be translated as “wear”) the sword for nothing.” Today we might say that a law enforcement officer does not wear a weapon as a fashion accessory. They wear that weapon to protect the innocent and if necessary to “punish” the “wrongdoer.”
Now, we could easily spend hours discussing and debating whether or not our government has either gone way past its God-given role of maintaining peace and order in society or is failing to fulfill its most basic God-given responsibility. But since we don’t have hours to discuss that issue and since that issue is not the focus of this text, let’s turn to the second point we need to emphasize from this portion of Scripture: our God-given responsibilities when it comes to the government that God has established for us. I see two basic responsibilities that God has given to you and to me.
The first responsibility is found in these words, “Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities…he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves.” As Christians we don’t have the option of deciding whether or not we are going to “submit” to the governing authorities that God has placed over us. Remember— these word were originally written to Christians who were living in the completely pagan imperialistic Empire of Rome! And yet, God the Holy Spirit had the apostle Paul tell God’s people that they are to “submit” to the governing authorities. “Rebelling” against the authorities that God Himself has “established” is “rebelling” against God and will bring the appropriate “judgment.”
Crucial to understanding this God-given responsibility is understanding the word that is translated as “submit.” Very literally this word means “to place oneself under” the authority of someone else. It does not mean to “blindly obey” them. Our “submission” to the “governing authorities” that God has placed over us means that we will follow the law— not just the laws that we like but even the laws that we don’t like. While we can use the political process at our disposal to change or repeal the laws we don’t like we will not be vigilantes. We will not be anarchists. We will not be a part of or give any support to organizations such as BAMN (By Any Means Necessary). That’s the group that organized a counter protest in Sacramento last week and started a riot. As Christians we will strive to set the bar for what it means to be a law-abiding citizen of this great land— unless! Unless our government requires something of us that clearly contradicts God’s will as it is revealed to us here in His holy Word! In that scenario we follow the example of Peter and the other apostles. When the religious authorities among God’s people gave them “strict orders not to teach in this name” (i.e. Jesus’ name), Peter and the other apostles replied, “We must obey God rather than men!” (Acts 5:29) So while we will strive to be law-abiding citizens, if our own government demands that we do something (or not do something), that we believe something (or not believe something), that we accept something (or not accept something) that violates the Word of our God we must say, “No!”— no matter what the consequences might be!
“Submitting” to the “governing authorities that God has established” over us also means that it is our God-given responsibility to “give everyone what you owe him.” Look at the closing words of our text. Paul writes, “This is also why you pay taxes, for the authorities are God’s servants who give their full time to governing. Give everyone what you owe him: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor.”
There may be times when we look at how our government spends our tax dollars and we might say to ourselves, “I wouldn’t feel bad about cheating on my taxes because ‘they’ waste so much money or ‘they’ use my money for things I don’t support, or….” If that thought ever crosses our mind or if we have ever committed that sin, then we need to turn to the God who gave us these words of our text and ask Him to forgive us! Then we need to remember that since the “governing authorities” are God’s “servants” whether they realize it or not, one day they will be held accountable by God for how they fulfilled the role and carried out the responsibilities that He has given to them.
Then there are those words, “If you owe… respect, then (give) respect; if honor, then (give) honor.” Maybe it’s just me, but it seems as though honor and respect are on the verge of extinction. You listen to politicians on both sides of the aisle, you listen to the supporters of both the presumptive presidential candidates and it seems as though honor and respect are foreign concepts! As Christians we cannot fall into that same mud pit. Even if the person we vote for does not win the election we still remember what Paul says here in our text, “the authorities that exist have been established by God.” Even if the person we vote for does not win the election we still need to conduct ourselves in a way that is worthy of the One whose Name we bear! (Pointing to the cross)
Most of us would probably agree that our country is not perfect. After all, it is both run by and filled with imperfect, mortal, sinful human beings just like you and me. At the same time most of us would probably agree that there is no other place we would rather live. As we celebrate our nation’s 240th birthday this weekend, let’s take this opportunity to rededicate ourselves to what our God says to us concerning the “governing authorities” that He Himself has “established” over us. Remembering what God says to us here in Romans 13 will lead us to understand and appreciate the God-given purpose of government. Remembering what God says to us here in Romans 13 will lead us to understand and strive to fulfill the responsibilities that the God of heaven has given to us as His children and as Christian citizens of this great land.
To God be the glory!
Amen