Romans 13:1-7

Christ-Centered Submission to Secular Powers

Paul's message is very clear and simple:  as Christians, we are to submit to all governing authorities AND whoever therefore resists those governing authorities is opposing the ordinance of God.

But because of his clarity and simplicity, Paul's commandment has caused great confusion throughout the ages of the history of the Church.  After all, is Paul commanding absolute obedience to every law of earthly, secular authorities?  Are there ever any reasons that a Christian may legitimately disobey their government and not be committing sin? 

Also, Paul has just told us in 12:2 that we are not to be conformed to the powers of this present age.  And in 13:11-14 he will remind us that the powers of this age are transitory and passing away.  So what is Paul commanding the believer who is not to be conformed to this present world, but to be transformed by the renewing of his mind?  How are we both to submit to earthly, temporary, secular powers AND at the same time not be conformed to this present world, but transformed according to our Heavenly citizenship in Christ? 

To understand Paul's imperative to you this morning, it would help first to review some of the historical background of Paul’s admonition.

There seems to be two false or heretical philosophies that Paul is countering here in our text this morning:  on the one hand, there was a group of radical Jews known as Zealots who were encouraging revolution against the Roman government and were already leading a tax resistance movement against the Roman government.  This movement started very early in the turn of the century by a Jew named Judas the Galilean and a Pharisee named Zaddok.  It reached it's climax around the time of Paul's writing of the book of Romans, especially after the recent expulsion of all the Jews from Rome.  They argued that for a Jew to submit to paying taxes was a denial of the Lordship of God.  God was their only authority and to submit to any other governing authority for a Jew was simply rebellion against God.  It seems that some of the Roman Christians were being tempted to follow some of the Jewish nationalists who were teaching resistance against Rome's tyranny.  This seems almost certainly to be the background of Paul's instructions (cf. vv. 6-7) AND the Roman historian Tacitus refers to a Tax Revolt in Rome around this time. 

But on the other hand, there was the possibility that the Roman Christians might misunderstand Paul's teaching about the transitory nature of this present world.  Paul has been telling them that they have been raised in Christ into the Kingdom of Heaven; the Kingdom that is not of this world.  Their true citizenship is in Heaven.  All old things have passed away; and all new things have come.  There were those in the church that perverted Paul’s teaching into saying that since we have already entered into a "new era"/"new creation" in Christ then we no longer have any ties to this present world.  One writer describes the nature of this view:

The old age has passed away; we are "a new creation in Christ" and belong to the transcendent, spiritual realm.  Surely we, who are even now reigning with Christ in his kingdom, need pay no attention to the secular authorities of this defunct age.

They would argue then that we are to reject every human, temporary institution, including the government and withdraw from society into a monastic life of seclusion from the world and be separate from the evil institutions of the world.

These are two extreme positions that Paul is confronting.  Both teach that it is the purpose of God's people to resist human authority and even to radically disobey all governing authorities.  However, on the one hand, there are the Jewish Zealots, and some of the Roman Christians who seemed to be following them, who are teaching that we are to resist secular powers through revolution, by taking up earthly powers against them.  We fight and struggle with these authorities by civil disobedience, tax evasion, social unrest, etc.  Here we see a melding together of the City of God and the city of man – using the powers of this age (the sword) to inaugurate and build the age to come. 

On the other hand, we see Christians who so stress the fact that this world is not our home; that we have been raised to Heaven with Christ; and that because we belong to the spiritual realm we are to no longer have ANYTHING (or at the very least – as little as possible) to do with this present world.  This world is evil and we are to be separate from it in every way so as not to be tainted or polluted by its Satanic powers.  They take the phrase "that we must be in the world, but not of the world" and speak as if we are not even be "in the world".  Here is a complete and total separation of the City of God and the city of man, where the church withdraws from, rather than engaging, the mission field to create their own little Christian monasteries safe and secure from all those sinners “out there.” 

In between these two extremes, Paul seeks a balance so that as Christians we are not conformed to this present world, but transformed by the renewing of our minds in how we interact with the world around us and especially to those who rule over us.  Here Paul echoes the teachings of our Lord when He prayed:  "Father . . . I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one.  They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world" (Jn 17:15-16).

Romans 13:1-7

Paul gives his GENERAL COMMAND, follows it with TWO REASONS, and then closes with a SPECIFIC COMMAND.

GENERAL COMMAND -- "Every person is to be subject to the governing authorities" AND “whoever resists authority has opposed the ordinance of God” therefore, (cf. v. 5) “for conscience sake before God.”

Notice that Paul's command is NOT obey every order of those governing authorities.  Paul could have said "obey", but he chose rather "submit". 

To Submit is "to recognize one's subordinate place in a hierarchy;" "it is an attitude of willing submission."  As Christians, we are to acknowledge as a general rule that God has placed certain people or institutions over us and we are to generally do what those governing authorities tell us to do.

This includes even secular people or institutions.  Here Paul is writing to these Roman Christians to be subject to the earthly, secular powers of the godless government of the Roman Empire. 

Equally, note that Paul doesn’t say that we are to change or transform the secular government into a Christian institution or a Christian government.  We are not commanded to set the earthly powers aside as something holy unto the Lord as were the armies under Israel’s theocracy.  Nor does he command us to try to manipulate our political parties to get Christians elected to office.  Rather, the earthly government is a common ground institution made up of believers and unbelievers and we are to submit to the earthly, secular government, as it is – a secular institution of common grace. 

Paul’s admonition sounds very similar to Peter’s:

1 Peter 2:13-17  Submit yourselves for the Lord's sake to every human institution, whether to a king as the one in authority,  14 or to governors as sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and the praise of those who do right.  15 For such is the will of God that by doing right you may silence the ignorance of foolish men.  16 Act as free men, and do not use your freedom as a covering for evil, but use it as bondslaves of God.  17 Honor all people, love the brotherhood, fear God, honor the king.

Therefore, as Christians, we all find ourselves (in this present world) in submission to various authorities in our lives. 

However, before we move on, we must be reminded that while this is certainly true as a general rule, we must always remember that God is always our ultimate authority in life.  Paul is not commanding us to obey our civil authorities in every detail, at all times, without qualification.  Rather, he is commanding us to adopt an attitude of willing submission to them.

There may be those very rare times that we must follow Peter's example of obeying God rather than man.  In Acts 5:29 (4:18-20) where Peter is commanded to not teach in the name of Jesus Christ, Peter responds to the governing authorities, "We ought to obey God rather than man."  We also see the same example in Daniel and his three companions.  When commanded to not pray or to bow and worship an idol, they respectfully disobeyed their governing authorities and rather obeyed God.

While it is certainly true that in most cases, Christian submission to the earthly government will involve obeying what that government tells the Christian to do and we certainly don’t want to in any way water down what Paul is saying to us this morning.  Nevertheless, we need to remember that this is a broad, general command – And that our ultimate allegiance is always to God.  Generally, we are to submit to our government while always remembering that there are certainly those rare times in the life of the believer in Christ when we are unjustly commanded to disobey or are forbidden to obey God – and then, and only then, are we to obey God rather than man.

TWO REASONS

1.  They are appointed by God (1b-2).  Here is clearly an area where we are to be "transformed by the renewing of our mind" (12:2).  We are to see this present world from God's sovereign providence and control over all earthly powers.  No earthly ruler wields power without God's sovereign appointment (this is true of all earthly powers).  Daniel warned the proud pagan King Nebuchadnezzar that God, "the Most High rules in the kingdom of men, He gives it to whomever He will and sets over it the lowest of men" (Dan. 4:17). 

When Pilate mocked Christ and asked him, "Are you not speaking to me?  Do you not know that I have power to crucify You, and power to release You?"  Jesus Christ answered, "You could have no power at all against Me unless it had been given you from above" (Jn. 19:10-11).

From a man's viewpoint, earthly rulers come to power through force or heredity or popular choice, but our "transformed, heavenly minds" recognize that behind all such earthly powers is the hand of God Almighty.  All earthly powers have been put in their place by God.

Therefore, Paul says further because God sets up all earthly kingdoms by His own sovereign appointment, to resist such secular powers is ultimately to resist the very hand of God (v. 2).  This means that to be in a state of rebellion against secular powers, except in those rare cases mentioned earlier, is to rebel against God Himself.  Resistance to earthly governors is ultimately a refusal to acknowledge God’s own authority in granting the earthly leaders that power. 

Paul then says that those who oppose God in this way can be sure that they will receive their just punishment either directly from God Himself or indirectly through the power of the sword which God has given to those governing authorities.  

2.  Secular powers are God's ministers/servants to reward good and punish evil (3-4).  Not only has God appointed such rulers, but He has entrusted them within the realm of common grace the important role of maintaining peace and order within society.  “By punishing those who do wrong and rewarding those who do good, secular rulers are carrying out God’s purposes in the world” (Moo, 800).

Whether an earthly ruler is aware of it or not, God uses such governing authorities for His own service.  Ultimately God uses them to maintain a structured and orderly environment so that His own elect people within that society will live a "quiet and peaceable life" and that they may flourish in "all godliness and reverence" (1 Tim. 2:1-2). 

Because of this purpose, God appoints earthly rulers so that they might encourage good, orderly behavior, and by the use of force, discourage evil behavior.

Therefore, as v. 5 says we are not only to submit to earthly, governing authorities out of fear of suffering punishment for doing evil, but also out of conscience sake knowing that God requires us to submit to His own ordinances. 

So Paul's admonition that we must "not be conformed to this present world" does not mean that we are to renounce all common grace institutions such as marriage & government, but rather we are to see that God has given such institutions to all men as His means of providentially ordering society for our good and His glory.

SPECIFIC COMMAND

The universal expression of submission to the state is the paying of taxes.  Paul himself follows the teachings of Jesus who said, "Render to Caesar what is Caesar's and to God what is God's (Mk 12:13-17).

Esp. in light of those Christians who were tempted to follow the Jewish Zealots in tax resistance against the Roman government, Paul commands Christians to pay their taxes.  But as Christians we see our paying of taxes not simply as the world sees such things.  We pay our taxes not simply out of fear of the wrath of the governing authorities, but because God has appointed such rulers for our common good.  Therefore, to pay our taxes is not simply obeying secular powers, but more importantly, obeying God. 

Notice that according to vv. 6-7, that the paying of our taxes is not something we begrudgingly do out of compulsion by the state, but rather we do so with an attitude of submission and a changed conscience in Christ.  We not only give them our taxes, we also our indirect taxes such as customs, and our reverence and honor of their authority.   

Conclusion

Paul understands that we live in two worlds.  We have been raised with Christ and this world is no longer our own.  Our citizenship is in Heaven where Christ is seated.  Ours is a Kingdom not of Palestine, America or anywhere else in this world.  Our Kingdom is a Heavenly Kingdom, a transcendent Kingdom.  Jesus said, "My Kingdom is not of this world.  If my Kingdom were of this world, then my servants would be fighting that I might not be delivered up to the Jews.  But as it is, my Kingdom is not from here" (Jn. 18:36).  Thus we do not need to war against the kingdoms of this world, nor do we need to resist their authority.  The Kingdom of Christ will not be built through the means of political maneuvering.  Rather, the Kingdom is built through the proclamation of the gospel of Jesus Christ.  Christ's Kingdom grows each time His Lordship is established in the heart of His elect. 

We must also understand that God has ordained the secular powers of this age for His own common grace purposes and that because they are ordained by Him, we must submit to them.  We do not need to fanatically resist secular governments that God has established in this present age to be His servants of common grace for the good of society.  Even though the nations of this world do not look to Jesus Christ as their Lord, our God still reigns in perfect majesty and sovereignty over them.   Since our hope is in Heaven with Christ, we need not resist God's ordained means of order, but rather we should submit to them, pay our taxes, give them honor and reverence, knowing that Christ is using them ultimately for our common good and His glory. 

We submit to them, not simply out of fear of their wrath upon us, but because this is the Christian's reasonable worship and because such submission is ultimately submission to Jesus Christ our true King who ordains all things that we might glorify and enjoy Him forever. 

Amen.  +SDG+