Yesterday, we saw the basis for Christian living being to offer ourselves as a living sacrifice to God. Then Paul talked about what God's will is for Christians living in community with one another. Today, he talks about how Christians should interact with the hostile culture they lived in.
The historical context here is really important. In 49 AD emperor Claudius kicked the Jews out of Rome because of controversy revolving around Jesus Christ—the Jews were likely arguing about Jesus being the Messiah and getting unruly. Nero then allowed the Jews to return to Rome, but you can imagine the animosity the Jews and Jewish Christians felt toward the Roman authorities. Imagine being uprooted from your home, your job, and your friendships and forced by the government to leave. Then, upon your return, you were expected to pay heavy taxes! The Roman historian, Tacitus tells us that in AD 57 or 58 Nero considered repealing indirect taxes on goods because the people were complaining about the exorbitant amount. He ultimately decided against it which, I'm sure, made the people even more angry.
Romans 12:14-13:14
14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. 15 Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. 16 Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited.
17 Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. 18 If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. 19 Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord. 20 On the contrary: “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.” 21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
1 Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. 2 Consequently, whoever rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves. 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 you will be commended. 4 For the one in authority is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for rulers do not bear the sword for no reason. They are God’s servants, agents of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer. 5 Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also as a matter of conscience.
6 This is also why you pay taxes, for the authorities are God’s servants, who give their full time to governing. 7 Give to everyone what you owe them: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor.
8 Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for whoever loves others has fulfilled the law. 9 The commandments, “You shall not commit adultery,” “You shall not murder,” “You shall not steal,” “You shall not covet,” and whatever other command there may be, are summed up in this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” 10 Love does no harm to a neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.
11 And do this, understanding the present time: The hour has already come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. 12 The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. 13 Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy. 14 Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the flesh.
The first thing we must do when we approach Romans 13, and any text for that matter, is consider the historical and textual context in which this passage was written. Romans 13:1-7, which is the longest and most specific teaching in the NT on how Christians ought to interact with the state, is not an isolated thesis on the church's relationship to the state. It is part of the broader context of how Christians should interact with the culture they live in—which is characterized by peacemaking (12:14-21) and love (13:8-10).
The general structure of this text is as follows.
- General call to bless, be humble and pursue peace (12:14-21)
- Be subject to governing authorities and pay taxes (13:1-7)
- Only owe one another love because it is the fulfillment of the law (13:8-10)
In the historical context, it is clear that the church was wrestling with whether or not they should obey the state, specifically whether or not they should pay taxes. Remember, they were expelled from Rome and later allowed to return and in returning, expected to pay a heavy tax. Paul's response is for them to pay their taxes, all of them, and submit to the governing authorities. Some see here a simply pragmatic approach, that is, Paul's only reason for requiring obedience is because the Romans would crush the fledgling Jesus movement if they were too much of a problem. This, however, seems to more rooted in wishful thinking and attempts to justify positions external to biblical theology. The basis for the church's submission to governing authorities is found in the truth that God has given them authority.
The case for civil obedience (and disobedience, for that matter) is found in Paul's basis for his argument. His basis for submitting to governing authorities is ultimately found in God. Those governments and leaders ultimately have authority because God, as the sovereign authority of the universe, has given it to them. Not that they will always do what He wants, punish evil and reward good, but He has willed them to come to power when He could have done otherwise.
Since God is the ultimate authority and the governing authorities have their authority rooted in God's will, we should submit to them. However, since God is the ultimate authority, we serve a higher authority in God's law. Therefore, in cases where the governing authorities are demanding Christians disobey the law of God, Christians can be justified in civil disobedience. So, if our government passes a law that requires us to violate the dignity of another image bearer of God, Christians are justified in civil disobedience. Or, as is the case with Paul, if the governing officials arrest you for preaching Jesus in obedience to the command of Jesus, Christians are not obligated to comply (Acts 5:29). But, as is the case in the context at Rome during Paul's writing, high taxes are not a cause for civil disobedience. High taxes do not violate the law of God in any way, so Christians are obligated to comply.
Interestingly, in v. 5 Paul makes the argument that this mindset of Christians is not merely a matter of avoiding consequences ("not only to avoid God's wrath") but as a matter of conscience. So submitting to governing authorities is not just a pragmatic thing. Paul believes submitting to governing authorities should be a matter of conscience for Christians—that is it is the right thing to do.
In this passage, we see principles that have been very applicable to today, especially this year. The pandemic and government responses to the pandemic have brought about many accusations of government overreach and justifications for civil disobedience. I wrestled with this a good bit at the beginning of the pandemic, but have since concluded that Christians are only justified in civil disobedience when the government is requiring us to do something that is contrary to the clear teachings of Scripture. That statement taken broadly by itself as a principle is likely one that few Christians would disagree with, but when applied in practice, Christians have struggled to live out the truth of this principle.
When I preached on this text a few weeks back, many people were not happy with me. Not with my interpretation of the text. I received no challenges to that, just to how we should live and act now. You likely know where I'm going with this, but I'm going let you think through this principal and apply it.
I think this topic represents a symptom of a much deeper issue in the soul of the Christian church. If Scripture is truly our source for truth and practice, we must conform our thinking and living to what we see in Scripture, even when we don't like it and when it goes against another more secondary ideology that we hold. Truth and morality are absolute, and they are primarily found in Scripture. When the truth of Scripture clashes with our thinking or behavior, which one bends? For Christians, who have offered themselves as a living sacrifice and been transformed by the renewing of their minds to know God's will, it is their thinking and behavior that must bend to the Word of God. Anything else is indicative of being conformed to the pattern of this world.
Additional Content
Reflection
How do you approach the reading of Scripture? Do you view it as an encouragement to what you are already doing? Or do you view it as a standard to challenge your thinking and behavior? Do you look to Scripture just to prove what you are already thinking and doing is right? When was the last time you were confronted with a truth of Scripture that required you to change your behavior or thinking? Scripture should both encourage us and challenge us. We should constantly be wrestling with the truth of Scripture and seeking to conform our lives to the truth we find there.