1 Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God.
2 Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment.
3 For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval,
4 for he is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God’s wrath on the wrongdoer.
5 Therefore one must be in subjection, not only to avoid God’s wrath but also for the sake of conscience.
6 For because of this you also pay taxes, for the authorities are ministers of God, attending to this very thing.
7 Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honour to whom honour is owed.
This is the 24th sermon in our series on the book of Romans, and I must confess that this has been the most challenging of all to prepare so far. Everyone struggles with authority, whether it be as a toddler coming to terms with the reality that you can’t just do whatever you want, a teenager sullenly insisting “it’s my life” when it actually isn’t, or the rest of us who see the goings on in the political sphere and wonder why on earth we have to pay our taxes.
Adam and Eve rebelled against authority, and this is a pattern which has continued throughout history. Each generation may face uniquely different challenges, but the basic premise is the same: We don’t like being told what we can and can’t do, especially when we don’t agree with those in authority over us.
There is a lot of wisdom in the old saying that if you are pointing at someone else, you should remember there are three fingers pointing back at you, and that is certainly true for me today. So if you do feel a little uneasy as we explore the first half of Romans 13, please could I ask for your sympathy, because I am just as guilty as you!
As we begin, we must remember that Paul is writing to the Church. The instructions he is giving us here apply specifically to Christians. Those who have been justified by faith are obligated to be subject to human government. This applies to everyone of course, but Paul is concerned especially with believers here. God established human government after the Great Flood when He said in Genesis 9:6, “Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed.”
This declaration by God gave authority to men to judge criminal matters and to punish offenders. Every society needs authority and submission to that authority, because if we didn’t have rules, or if everyone simply ignored them, we would have anarchy. We might not agree with some of the rules, but that does not give us the right to pick and choose which we will obey and which we will ignore.
This is why God has given us the institution of human government, and no government exists apart from His will. Now of course, human history is littered with unjust, cruel and oppressive governments, and the Bible is clear that God does not approve of all that human rulers do. He certainly does not approve of corruption, brutality and tyranny, but the fact remains that the authorities that exist are appointed by God.
No human government ever has been or ever will be perfect, because they are made up by sinners, just like each of us.
There is a lot of frustration, and yes, even anger in our situation in South Africa today, but understanding the context of Paul’s letter to the Roman Church might make us stop and think the next time we throw up our hands in despair, because trust me, things could be a lot worse.
Paul wrote this letter sometime between AD 55 and 57, during the tyrannical reign of Nero. Those were dark days indeed for Christians. Nero blamed them for a fire which destroyed half of Rome in AD 64, and there were suspicions that Nero himself may have ordered the fire to be started. As part of his “punishment” of the Christians, some were dipped in tar, then set alight while still alive as flaming torches to provide light for Nero’s orgies and other wild parties. Others were sewn up in animal skins, then thrown to dogs to be torn to pieces.
This is the kind of world Paul lived in when he wrote, “Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment.” (Romans 13:1-2)
Anyone who disobeys or rebels against the government is disobeying and rebelling against what God has ordained. Whoever resists lawful authority earns and deserves punishment. There is an exception, of course. A Christian is not required to obey if the government orders him to sin or to compromise his loyalty to Jesus Christ.
There are a couple of Biblical examples we can look at.
During the days when the Israelites were exiled in Babylon, the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar made a golden statue some 30 metres high, and commanded that when the musicians started playing, everyone was to bow down in worship before the statue. Three Jewish men, who had actually been appointed as civil leaders by Nebuchadnezzar refused. We pick up the story in Daniel 3:14-18. “Nebuchadnezzar answered and said to them, ‘Is it true, O Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, that you do not serve my gods or worship the golden image that I have set up? Now if you are ready when you hear the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, bagpipe, and every kind of music, to fall down and worship the image that I have made, well and good. But if you do not worship, you shall immediately be cast into a burning fiery furnace. And who is the god who will deliver you out of my hands?’ Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered and said to the king, ‘O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. If this be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us out of your hand, O king. But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.’”
In Acts 5, Peter and the other apostles were arrested and imprisoned for preaching the Gospel. When they were miraculously freed, they continued to proclaim Christ, so they were brought before the authorities once more. “When they had brought them, they set them before the council. And the high priest questioned them, saying, ‘We strictly charged you not to teach in this name, yet here you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching, and you intend to bring this man’s blood upon us.’ But Peter and the apostles answered, ‘We must obey God rather than men. The God of our fathers raised Jesus, whom you killed by hanging Him on a tree. God exalted Him at His right hand as Leader and Saviour, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins. And we are witnesses to these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey Him.” (Acts 5:27-32)
So there are times when a believer must, by obeying God, incur the wrath of man, but we need to know that that will cost us. God spared Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego when they were thrown into the furnace, but with the one exception of John, all of the apostles were murdered for their faith. By God’s grace, the worst persecution we have faced so far for faith in Jesus Christ is ridicule or maybe the loss of a few friendships, but it is going to become harder, not easier to be a faithful follower of Jesus Christ in this country.
The hatred of Jesus and His Gospel in South Africa is gaining momentum, and there are some extremely influential people behind this agenda. These people already are or soon will be in positions of authority, and they are going to systematically and increasingly pass laws which will oppose the Word of God, and we will need to make some very difficult decisions in the years to come. But we must remember who we serve, and what He has done for us. If you ever doubt God’s love for you, or if you ever think the price of faithfulness to Christ is too high, look to the cross. We may well be thrown into a fiery furnace (literally or figuratively), but these people don’t know just who they are messing with.
The American pastor Nate Pickowicz wrote on Twitter this week, “When people attack the Church, I get really scared. Not for us, but for them. Because they have no idea Who defends us and what He has sworn to do.”
We must remember Jesus’ words in John 15:18. “If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you.”
So there may well come a time when we will need to make some hard choices, but this is only when we are being forced to contradict the Word of God. Otherwise we are to submit to the authorities that God has placed over us. There was no such thing as democracy in Paul’s day, but the one place where we can peacefully protest is at the ballot box. Under no circumstances though should a Christian rebel against the government or join in an attempt to overthrow it.
Paul says in verse 3 that rulers are not a terror to good conduct. This means that those who do what is right have no need to fear the authorities. It is only those who break the law who have to fear punishment. The logic here is simple. It not only makes common sense, but it also glorifies God when we are law-abiding citizens.
Paul continues in the next verse when he writes of the authorities in government, “he is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God’s wrath on the wrongdoer.”
The ruler is a minister of God in the sense that he is a servant and representative of the Lord. He may not know God personally, but he is still the man the Lord has appointed. This is an important point. Not all political leaders are Christians. Some are, and we need to be praying that God would raise up more Godly leaders, but those who reject Him are still in those positions by the sovereign will of God. Jesus Christ is not only the Lord of the Church. He is the Lord of everything, including politics.
Colossians 1:16-17 says of Jesus, “By Him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities - all things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.” Don’t miss what Paul is getting at here. People like Nero, Adolf Hitler, Joseph Stalin and Idi Amin (and there are many others), are among the most despicable people in human history, but they held their positions of authority by the sovereign will of God.
The words, “God is in control” roll off the lips of Christians very easily, but when we consider the evil perpetrated by world leaders throughout history, those words tend to get caught in the throat. But God is sovereign. He is in control.
In the Old Testament David repeatedly referred to the wicked King Saul as the Lord’s anointed. David was a huge threat to Saul, so Saul tried to have him put to death, and when David finally had the opportunity to kill Saul, he refused. David was quite literally running for his life. He was hiding in a cave from Saul, when Saul went into the cave alone to relieve himself. Finally, this was David’s chance.
We read from 1 Samuel 24, “He came to the sheepfolds by the way, where there was a cave, and Saul went in to relieve himself. Now David and his men were sitting in the innermost parts of the cave. And the men of David said to him, ‘Here is the day of which the Lord said to you, ‘Behold, I will give your enemy into your hand, and you shall do to him as it shall seem good to you.’ ” Then David arose and stealthily cut off a corner of Saul’s robe. And afterward David’s heart struck him, because he had cut off a corner of Saul’s robe. He said to his men, ‘The Lord forbid that I should do this thing to my lord, the Lord’s anointed, to put out my hand against him, seeing he is the Lord’s anointed.’ So David persuaded his men with these words and did not permit them to attack Saul. And Saul rose up and left the cave and went on his way. Afterward David also arose and went out of the cave, and called after Saul, ‘My lord the king!’ And when Saul looked behind him, David bowed with his face to the earth and paid homage. And David said to Saul, ‘Why do you listen to the words of men who say, ‘Behold, David seeks your harm’? Behold, this day your eyes have seen how the Lord gave you today into my hand in the cave. And some told me to kill you, but I spared you. I said, ‘I will not put out my hand against my lord, for he is the Lord’s anointed.’” (1 Samuel 24:3-10)
In spite of Saul’s repeated attempts to kill David, David stopped his men from attacking Saul. Why? Because Saul was the king, appointed by God.
As servants of God, rulers are expected to promote the good of the people, and lawbreakers - those who threaten the safety and welfare of their fellow citizens can expect to pay for it, because the government has the authority to enforce the law. Of course, our leaders are also citizens, and they are not above the law. This is a sensitive and topical issue in our country today, which is another reason we should be praying for those in authority.
As we move into verses 6 and 7, things become even more challenging. “Because of this you also pay taxes, for the authorities are ministers of God, attending to this very thing. Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honour to whom honour is owed.”
The Westminster Confession of Faith says, “It is the duty of people to pray for magistrates, to honour their persons, to pay them tribute or other dues, to obey their lawful commands, and to be subject to their authority, for conscience’sake.” (Westminster Confession of Faith 24:4)
We owe the government not only obedience but financial support by paying our taxes. Godly government officials give their time and talents to carry out God’s will for the maintenance of a stable society, so they are entitled to oursupport. So what are we to do when they are not doing as they should? What about corrupt, ungodly governments?
Let’s allow Jesus to answer those questions. “‘Tell us, then, what you think. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?’ But Jesus, aware of their malice, said, ‘Why put me to the test, you hypocrites? Show me the coin for the tax.’ And they brought Him a denarius. And Jesus said to them, ‘Whose likeness and inscription is this?’ They said, ‘Caesar’s.’ Then He said to them, ‘Therefore render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.’” (Matthew 22:17-21)
Again, what are we to do when they are not doing as they should? What about corrupt, ungodly governments such as ours? We are to pay our taxes and pray that God would convict their hearts to do right. This is extremely hard for us, but we are commanded by Christ to do so.
Let’s bring it closer to home and make it even more uncomfortable. There are ongoing discussions in many towns across the country (including Howick) to boycott rates payments and to set up private enterprises to fund services which the municipalities are failing to deliver. My opinion on this is irrelevant, but I can tell you what the Bible says about it. It is illegal, and Christ-followers should have no part in it. We are to pay our rates and taxes in full.
The fact that we are citizens of heaven does not exempt us from our responsibility to the leaders God has placed over us. We are to honour and respect the authority they have over us, even if we cannot always respect their personal lives or the lack of integrity that so many leaders unfortunately display.
I told you that today would be a challenge, but no-one ever said that Christianity is easy. From the Westminster Confession of Faith again: “God, the supreme Lord and King of all the world, hath ordained civil magistrates, to be under Him, over the people, for His own glory, and the public good: and to this end, hath armed them with the power of the sword, for the defence and encouragement of them that are good, and for the punishment of evil doers.” (Westminster Confession of Faith 23:1)
Last week we considered the challenge of loving and praying for our enemies and not seeking revenge. Today we’ve looked at our obligation to submit to, honour and obey even corrupt and evil authorities over us. The way we do it is the same:
In and through the Cross of Jesus Christ. The power of the Gospel has transformed us in ways we simply cannot comprehend. We are part of the family of God, and we now live by a whole new standard because of Christ. Is it possible to live Godly lives as described in Romans 13:1-7? Absolutely! And we know this because of the promise we see in 8:11. “If the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.” It’s all about Him.
Homegroup Study Notes
Read Romans 13:1-7
Please try to avoid getting into a political debate, but how do we understand the first two verses in particular, when we consider the corruption and mismanagement we see every day in local and national governments?
How would you have answered this if you were living in say, Nazi Germany, in the days of Nero (or even apartheid South Africa!)
Why is it so important for us to pray for those in authority over us?
Read Daniel 3:14-18 and Acts 5:27-32
Discuss the Biblical mandate we have to obey God when civil laws oppose Scripture.
There are some people who want the Bible banned in South Africa because they believe it contains hate speech.
How, as the Church should we be dealing with this kind of challenge?
Read Matthew 22:17-21
Now read Romans 13:6 again. Should Christians participate in rates and taxes boycotts? Why, or why not?
What has challenged you most in the section of Scripture we have looked at today?