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Romans 13 "Governing Authorities"
We have been learning about how we should live as Christians in the body of Christ in chapter 12, now Paul turns his attention to how we should live as Christians in the world.
Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves. For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to evil. Do you want to be unafraid of the authority? Do what is good, and you will have praise from the same. For he is GodŐs minister, an avenger to execute wrath on him who practices evil. Therefore you must be subject, not only because of wrath but also for conscienceŐ sake. For because of this you also pay taxes, for they are GodŐs ministers attending continually to this very thing. Render therefore to all their due: taxes to whom taxes are due, customs to whom customs, fear to whom fear, honor to whom honor. (Romans 13:1-7)
Last week there was an election to see who would rule the city of Tokyo. I am not Japanese so I donŐt get to vote but if I could vote I wouldnŐt vote for anybody who rides around in a sound truck screaming at me. But nevertheless one of them succeeded in getting chosen by the people. But the Bible tells us that "there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God." So no matter how the man or woman got to the position that they are in, they are only there because God has allowed them to be there. There is only one true ruler. Only one true King. Father God is in control. He is the King of Kings. That means that He is the one who can even tell kings what to do, and He has a history of doing just that. We can start with Pharoah in Egypt. God hardened his heart so that the Hebrews would really know that God had saved them. How about the kings of Assyria and Babylon? Brutal, inhumane, they destroyed everything in their path, and yet they were simply tools in the hand of God to chastise Israel. The Caesars of Rome were following the plan that God had laid down long before and even Hitler, through the terrible holocaust, in a way made it possible for the modern day state of Israel to come into existence. Without the sympathy of the world the Jews could never have succeeded in getting their homeland back from the Muslims. Every power that is, is allowed to have that power from the Lord. And therefore we are called to subject ourselves to that power.
As Christians we cannot disobey the law of the land just because we
do not agree with it. Of course there are lots of things that the government
does that I do not agree with. One very good example is the orphanage
system in Japan. I heard from the director of Ai No Kesshin that the
government official in charge of orphanages in Japan was proud to say
that most of the orphans are never adopted but are raised to adulthood
in the system. I disagree with this policy extremely, but I am powerless
to change it. Instead we have to work within the system for good. If
we resist this manŐs authority we become the "bad guys" and
the power that he has will be turned on us. It is very frustrating but
I know that it is GodŐs will. There are hundreds of different examples
that I could give you of government policies that are bad, inefficient,
corrupt, or even downright evil but we are still told to subject ourselves
to the governing authorities. Remember that the governing authority
of PaulŐs time was no saint either. Nero would execute Paul and hundreds
of other Christians as well. And yet Paul says that this man is appointed
by God. In fact he is GodŐs minister. The basic purpose that God has
for government is this; to praise what is good and to execute wrath
on evil. This is the function that was given by God to government. The
only legitimate thing that we need government for is for law enforcement,
so that there is a strong deterrent to evil. Communities can take care
of everything else on their own. But why do have to obey a ruler who
is not even a Christian and laws that are bad? Because God uses the
authority that He gives to rulers to bless you.
One example of this is the issue of visas. When we came back from seminary
to pastor Horizon two of our best friends were Urs and Monica Phenninger.
They had become Christians here at Horizon. However there were some
things that they had done before they met Christ that they were ashamed
of. One thing they were able to resolve quickly. Although they were
living together without marriage, they had a Christian wedding soon
after they found the Lord. But there was another thing that was bothering
them. When they entered Japan to teach English they had lied on their
visa applications about their education. The Swiss system calls the
last years of high school by another name and so Urs let the immigration
officials believe that he had completed a university degree. The time
finally came when it caught up with them. Even though they wanted to
stay in Japan they were forced to move back to Switzerland. Just when
they were starting to make so much spiritual progress in their lives,
God was sending them away. And yet this turned out to be one of the
biggest blessings in their lives. When Urs and Monica returned to Switzerland
they started a Bible study in their house and they rejoiced that UrsŐ
mother came to receive Jesus Christ as her Lord. A few months earlier
we were praying and praying that there be some way that God could let
them stay. But God in His greater wisdom used the authorities to force
them to go home at the right time. God uses the authority of those in
power to bless us. He works through these things that we cannot get
away from to move us in the way that He wants us to go. There are two
reasons why we should obey the government. Because of the punishment
that will come down on us if we disobey, but also because we know that
God is leading us through it.
But what if the government asks me to do something that is truly evil?
ShouldnŐt I disobey then? Yes, but only if what they are asking you
to do is in direct disobedience to the written Word of God in the Bible.
God is the highest authority. What about taxes? Right now my tax dollars
are being used to bomb Belgrade, and at the same time children are dying
in schools because the government isnŐt doing the job that God designed
it to do, law enforcement. President Clinton made the remark on the
news that we need to send a message to our children once and for all
that violence is evil. Followed by the next story on the news about
Apache helicopters being the most destructive combat weapon every invented.
Should we pay taxes to a government that does these kinds of evil things?
What were PaulŐs taxes being used for? To support the Roman army that
was marching to Jerusalem to destroy the temple. To support the persecutions
of the Christians! The Bible does not allow us to get out of paying
taxes. Jesus paid taxes and Paul paid taxes. The Bible does not call
us to rise up against oppression and injustice. The Bible does not call
us to demonstrate or practice civil disobedience. The example of Jesus
and the disciples is something else.
Owe no one anything except to love one another, for he who loves another has fulfilled the law. For the commandments, "You shall not commit adultery," "You shall not murder," "You shall not steal," "You shall not bear false witness," "You shall not covet," And if there is any other commandment, are all summed up in this saying, namely, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." Love does no harm to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law. And do this, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed. The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light. Let us walk properly, as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in lewdness and lust, not in strife and envy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh to fulfill its lusts.@(Romans 13:8-14)
The example of our Lord is love. Paul says "Owe no one anything except to love one another," If you disobey the law in paying your taxes or in some aspect of your business or with your visa, then you owe the government something that is rightfully theirs and you will spend your life in fear that someday you will have to pay it back. I donŐt think that this is a commandment against taking a loan. Paul is talking about taxes and our relationship to the government. In my opinion our whole world financial system is overly based on loans and debt and obviously it is a major cause of the problems in Japan today. But a well thought out loan that you can pay back honestly on time is not displeasing to God. But more importantly, God calls us to love. We owe love to our neighbors. Unfortunately most people do not think this way. We donŐt think that we owe our neighbors anything. In fact we tend to think that the society at whole owes us something and we complain that we are not getting our fair share. We complain about the government and then try to change the government. But folks that is not our calling. We are called to love! Who? Our neighbors. I am not called to love the world, love the earth, love the children, love the Kosovos, or love those with AIDS. I am called specifically to love my neighbor. Why? Because it is very hard to do anything at all specific for all those others that live half way across the world, but I have chances each and every day to love the people that are around me. I think that rather than joining an organization that is "doing something" We need to "do something" ourselves. We need to love as Jesus loves. It is alright to give to a good cause, but donŐt use it just to soothe a guilty conscience. There is no joy in that kind of giving. Paul says, "Put on the Lord Jesus Christ." Jesus wants to work through you to love the people that He has put around you. He wants to use your hands and your mouth to let these people know that the salvation is near. LetŐs walk with Jesus on our faces, Jesus in our hearts, Jesus in our fingertips and Jesus on our lips.
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