New York UBF - NY University Bible Fellowship

Romans Lesson 24 (2008)

SUBMISSION TO THE AUTHORITIES
(RESPONSIBLE CHRISTIAN CITIZENS)
Romans 13:1-7
Key Verse: 13:1

“Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God established. The authorities that exist have been established by God.”

Last week, on September 11th, two presidential candidates, Senators John McCain and Barack Obama visited both Ground Zero and Columbia University. Both of them have ties to Columbia University; Senator Obama is an alumnus of the Columbia University (1983) and Senator John McCain’s daughter graduated in 2007. While trying to invite students to Bible study, some of the Columbia fellowship members might have bumped into John McCain’s daughter.

The presidential election is just a little over 2 months ahead. On November 4th Americans will cast their votes to elect the nation’s 44th president. Have you decided whom to vote for? Do you think God is a Republican or a Democrat? What if the candidate you didn’t vote for is elected? Will you still support him as the president? I know many of us are against abortion. Is it right to refuse to pay taxes because you don’t want to support the government that allows women to abort their unborn babies? Our questions can be endless, and there are no simple answers to them. However, we do know that as Christians we cannot separate ourselves from politics. As someone mentioned, although religion and state should be separated, faith and politics cannot be separated. A Christian has dual citizenship, a heavenly citizenship and an earthly citizenship. We need to exercise our faith not only in spiritual matters but also in earthly matters. Let’s think about what the Bible says about our relationship with our government.

FIRST, THE SOURCE OF GOVERNING AUTHORITIES (1-2)

Look at verses 1-2. “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.” What is authority? The word “authority’ in Greek (exousia) means “right” or “privilege.” According to the Oxford English dictionary, authority is the power or right to give orders or a person or organization that have official power to make decisions that directly affect our lives. Last Thursday, I flew to Chicago to attend a funeral ceremony. These days, if we want to travel by airplane, we have to follow TSA regulations, standing on long lines at checkpoints. The TSA agents will ask you for a photo ID and a boarding pass. Whenever they looked at me and my documents, I didn’t necessarily feel good about it. It’s also a big hassle to take out my laptop computer out of my backpack, take off my watch, my wallet, belt, shoes, jacket, and put my shaving cream and tooth paste in that small plastic zip bag. And if you are really unlucky, an alarm will go off, and TSA agents will inspect your whole body with a metal detector while making you stretch your arms, in the form of crucifixion. Can you rebel against any of those agents? If you want to travel by airplane, you really can’t.

Whether we like it or not, our lives in this world are closely related to authorities. We are either “under authority” or “in authority.” For example, if you are a teacher, you’re the authority in your classroom. But you are also under the authority of your principal who is under the authority of the school board. We would rather be in authority than under authority. However, either way, Christians must have a right attitude toward authorities because all authorities come from God. In verses 1 and 2, Paul makes it very clear that all governing authorities are established by God. When Paul said this, he was speaking in general terms about all types of human government and rulers of the world. Does this include the authorities like Nero, Hitler, or Kim Jung Il in North Korea? Obviously, he didn’t exclude their authority either. For example, the Roman government and the Jewish Sanhedrin in Jesus’ time sentenced him to death and persecuted early Christians. Yet, it’s surprising to see that Paul didn’t encourage Christians to rebel against their authorities. Instead, Christians must submit themselves to all the governing authorities, including the Roman government, because all authorities come from God.

It’s also interesting to note that Paul used the word “submission” rather than the word “obedience.” What’s the difference between submission and obedience? Although submission and obedience are similar in meaning, they are not the same words. Obedience relates to outward performance while submission deals with the attitudes of the heart. In other words, Paul was saying that we don’t have to agree with our rulers or government about everything. We can have different opinions and even appeal to the authority while we submit ourselves to it. The important thing is the attitude of our hearts. We can submit ourselves to the governing authorities, believing that God has established them for a purpose and that He will accomplish His will even though we may not understand it. He will be the final judge over all the authorities. Therefore, to rebel against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves. (2) In fact, we don’t know who is going to be elected as our next president. Sometimes, we don’t like the elected officials. Yet, whoever is elected, we are to acknowledge that he or she is chosen by God and we are to submit ourselves to their authority.

SECOND, THE GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS ARE GOD’S SERVANTS (3-4)

Look at verse 4. “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.” In this verse, Paul says that secular rulers are also “God’s servants” two times. Of course, it does not mean that they are saved, like Christian leaders. But it means that God chose them to fulfill His purpose on earth. The NYPD officers who patrol our neighbor or the IRS agents who audit our income tax return may not know it, but they are God’s servants. Therefore, we should treat them with respect. Even though we may not agree with them and express our opinions, we should still show our respect for them.

Someone said that even bad government is better than no government at all. We need governing authorities to keep us safe and secure. Then what is the primary duty of governing authorities? First of all, it is to hold justice in our society by enforcing the law of justice through their given authority and power. Look at verse 3. “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.” In fact, there are many evil-doers who don’t care about others but try to harm them. For example, I heard that these days, since it’s hard to bring cocaine into the nation, a lot of drug dealers try to produce it here in the forest or remote places, like in the national parks. A few years ago, I went to Nigeria. I was all excited about this trip because it was my first time to be in Africa. But I found that it was terribly unsafe to go around in that country, even for Nigerian natives. The same is true in many parts of the world. We often complain about getting too many tickets in the city or police brutality. However, we can easily forget that unless the laws are enforced by the police department that captures criminals and law-breakers, there will be chaos and the city will be infested with all kinds of crime and gang activity. Isn’t it true that we feel safe living in the city because the police officers protect and serve our community through their power and authority? Some of them even lose their lives in the line of duty. We often take their sacrifices for granted. But we must not forget that they are God’s servants for His good purpose even though they may not be great evangelists.

THIRD, WE SHOULD SUPPORT OUR GOVERNING AUTHORITIES (5-7)

In this section, Paul talks about why and how we as Christians should support our governing authorities. Look at verse 5. “Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also because of conscience.” It is right to support the governing authorities. There is a gentleman who drives very slow especially on the highways. Actually, he never exceeds the speed limits. We used to have our summer conference near Niagara falls. So we had to drive many hours. So even though this gentleman starts out earlier than anybody else, he always arrives last because he drives under the speed limits no matter what. So his impatient wife used to get angry at him, “Honey, you are too slow.” According to my experience, if we drive a little faster, maybe around 5-10 miles on the highway, you most likely won’t get pulled over. We all tend to drive faster than we are supposed to, sometimes 20 or 30 miles faster than the speed limit. But when people see police cars, they all slow down and start driving exactly at the speed limit because they don’t want to get tickets. We don’t call this hypocrisy. However, Paul said that we should submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also because of conscience. It means that it’s right thing to do. In fact, keeping the rules and regulations protects our lives. One man was pulled over and got a ticket for not putting his seatbelt on. He was angry at the police officer who gave him a ticket, yet he still didn’t buckle up. Guess what? A few minutes later he got into a car-accident and lost his life. Christians are not exempt from punishment or accident. Christians should be law-abiding citizens.

Verses 6 and 7 teaches us that we should be not only law-abiding but also be supportive of our government in all possible ways. Read verses 6-7. “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.” Some of us may feel that we are paying too many taxes, such as income tax, property tax, sales tax, federal, local, mortgage tax, and tolls. Yet, compared to some countries, like Germany and other European allies, we are not paying too much. Especially those who pay a lot of money for parking tickets may feel that they are throwing their money away. They can be endlessly grumpy about it. Yet, we can feel much better, knowing that we are supporting our government with the money we pay. That’s a right thing to do as responsible Christian citizens. We are called not just as citizens of heaven but also to be good and responsible citizens on earth.

However, as history proves, there have been terrible governments in the world and there is a constant conflict between heavenly kingdom and earthly kingdoms. What if the rulers and government demand us not to obey God’s truth? Shall we still go along with them? Shall we take matters into our own hands and fight for it? Well, according to the Bible, Christians are not supposed to be anti-government, but this does not mean that we should shut our mouths no matter what. We can raise our voices while still paying our respects to the governing authorities. In fact, Jesus acknowledged the authority of Roman government by saying “give to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.” (Mt 22:21) He also said to Pilate, the governor of Judea, “You would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above.” (Jn 19:11) We also know that when the Apostles were told not to preach in the name of Jesus by Jewish authority, they continued to preach the gospel, saying, “Judge for yourselves whether it is right in God’s sight to obey you rather than God.” Yet, the prophets in the Old Testament and the apostles in the New Testament were not anti-government. They basically supported any type of government, even the pagan government of the Babylonian, Persian and Roman empires. They encouraged their people to be good and responsible citizens wherever they were. Yet, when they were asked to disobey God’s truth, they didn’t submit to the order.

Daniel and his three friends who held high political positions in Babylon were good examples. When Daniel’s friends were told to bow down before the statue that King Nebuchadnezzar built, they refused to bow down even though they would be thrown into the fiery furnace. They were practicing civil disobedience and non-violence with all their respect to the authorities. We live in a democratic society where it seems many people are having difficulty to submit themselves to any form of authority. Winston Churchill once said that “democracy is the worst form of government until you consider the alternatives.” But who wants to live under a dictatorship? Some people do not submit to any authority simply because of their pride. These people have no excuse at all. They will be punished for their disobedience.

The governing authorities, both secular and spiritual, directly affect our lives. No matter what position we may be in, all human beings are under God’s supreme authority. It is God who exalts some and humbles the other. Therefore, we should fear God and submit to the governing authorities in obedience to God’s authority. Saint Paul urges us to support them in prayers. He said in 1 Timothy 2;1,2, which reads, ‘I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone - for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness.” We are to support the governing authorities and even pray for those who are in leadership positions.

We must also not forget that we are citizens not only of one country but also of the global community. This means we are interdependent. We are all facing the social, cultural, financial, political, environmental, and global crisis together. For example, if Russia goes back to under totalitarian leadership, it becomes a great threat to security globally. If China makes harmful products, it directly affects global health. If the New York Stock Market crashes, the global economy will collapse. We are interdependent. Therefore, we need to pray not only for the leadership of our country but also for the leadership of all nations.

What Paul is trying to tell us here is that God is the Sovereign ruler, who is in control over all things. We don’t know our nation’s future and the future of the world. Sometimes, we only see evil people and what they do. But it’s a great mistake if we fail to see God’s invisible and sovereign hands upon history and in our day-to-day life on earth. Jesus said in Matthew 10:28-30, “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell. Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.” Therefore, regardless of what seems to be happening in our country or in the world, we should remember that God is in control. He knows what He is doing, and He is doing it. He is the living God. Therefore, no matter what situation we may be in, we should never despair but put our ultimate hope in God’s sovereignty and remain as good and responsible citizens, praying for our leaders and continually proclaiming the good news of God’s salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.