Godliness and Government
We live in strange times.[1] With each passing year, America’s laws and leaders move further from the Judeo-Christian tradition as their moral compass. Roe v. Wade (1973) stands in infamy for declaring a woman’s legal right to an abortion. Last year, United States v. Windsor (2013) struck down the Defense of Marriage Act’s definition of marriage as the legal union between one man and one woman. Similar examples litter our landscape.
As Christians, what are we to do? We know that Scripture commands our submission to governing authorities. But does God expect our absolute obedience to American government, or does He allow room for exceptions? What do we do when His laws and our nation’s laws conflict? No doubt these are difficult questions. Fortunately, they are not without answers. For this, we turn to Romans 13.
Learning Biblical Submission
Above all else, the book of Romans centers on the righteousness of God. It is revealed through the Gospel of Jesus Christ (1:1-17), requires judgment for all sin (1:18-3:20), offers salvation through Abraham-like faith in Christ (3:21-4:25), inspires hope to all Christians over sin’s power (5:1-8:39), and is revealed to Jews and Gentiles alike (9:1-11:36). Then in chapter 12, Paul begins applying this doctrine, reminding us that God’s imputed righteousness to believers will translate into sacrifice, transformation, humility, liberty, and love. With this foundation in place, Paul moves to discuss our relationship to governing authorities in chapter 13.
a. God’s Sovereignty (Rom. 13:1-2)
The first truth that Paul offers is this: God Himself has instituted governing authorities. Therefore, we should submit to them. “To submit” means “to obey” (1 Pet. 3:5-6), and our failure to do so will result in judgment. Although Paul’s statements are pretty straightforward, such a blanket rule can be difficult to apply in 21st century America. However, it was difficult in first century Rome too. And still, Paul’s instruction is clear.
In these verses, Paul reminds us of God’s sovereignty. Undoubtedly, this doctrine is difficult to swallow when times are tough. But it’s during these times that we especially need this reminder all the more. Paul had stated previously that God causes all things to work according to His purposes (Rom. 8:28). This includes even the sinful actions of nations, governments, and leaders (e.g., Gen. 50:20; Dan. 2:21). This does not mean that God causes such sinful actions; only that He is powerful and wise enough to use them in His providence.
b. Civil Disobedience (Rom. 13:3-5)
Despite knowing that God calls us to obey the governing authorities He has instituted, we still wonder what we should do when America’s laws conflict with God’s. Does Paul’s teaching hold even then? Such questions move us into verses 3-5, where Paul explains that governing authorities are supposed to punish evil behavior. Significantly, they should not punish good behavior. Thus the reason why we should submit to such authorities is to avoid punishment and to obey our consciences. Paul goes on to describe these authorities as God’s “ministers” or “servants.” This is the same Greek root from which we derive the word deacon (e.g., Phil. 1:1; 1 Tim. 3:8-13). In other words, government leaders and church leaders serve a similar function.
However, just as God doesn’t call us to follow church leaders into sin, He doesn’t call us to follow government leaders into sin either. Now we begin to consider some of the tough questions at hand. Although Paul doesn’t explicitly consider the question of civil disobedience in this passage, its implications are clear: We obey governing authorities because they punish evil. When governments fail in this function, such as not punishing evil conduct, and stifling or even punishing righteous conduct, God doesn’t expect us to disobey Him in the name of obeying our government.
Infused into Paul’s implications is his background. Although he would have believed this general “submission” principle, he would have recognized that God sometimes calls His children to disobey governing authorities. As a well-educated Jew, he would have known the stories of old: of the Hebrew midwives’ disobedience of Pharaoh (Exod. 1:17, 21; Heb. 11:23); of Shadrach’s, Meshach’s, and Abednego’s disobedience of Nebuchadnezzar (Dan. 3:8-18); of Daniel’s disobedience of Darius (6:1-15); and of others.
When confronted with the choice of God or government, we should choose God every time. However, in those instances when civil disobedience is appropriate, it must be characterized by Christian love (as we’ll consider momentarily). Like Peter and the apostles, our allegiance lies with God rather than men (Acts 5:29). But let’s also remember that these examples are exceptions.
Generally, God calls us to obey the governing authorities He has instituted. By our faithful obedience, we further serve as a witness to an unbelieving world. The exceptions are not excuses for us to disobey our government whenever it happens to suit us. Romans 13 mustn’t become a pretext for us to do as we please (cf., 1 Pet. 2:16). Civil disobedience is not a question of convenience, but of conscience. This is the difference between a civil disobedience that is biblically-based and one that is not.
c. The Law of Love (Rom. 13:6-10)
Finally, underlining all of this is the law of love. As Paul concludes the passage, he remarks that we should respect and honor governing authorities (13:7). This is further illustrated by the broader context. It is no accident that Romans 13:1-7 is sandwiched between two passages concerning Christian love (12:9-21; 13:8-10). As it regards submission to governing authorities then, love is a guiding principle. This is the bottom line—the capstone to Pauline teaching on the Christian and government.
Applying Biblical Submission
a. A Case Study: The Apostle Paul
Admittedly, much of Paul’s teaching is tough, especially in this day and age. However, Paul also wrestled with these tensions. Consider his context: As a Jew trained in the Old Testament, Paul would have learned that Israel was God’s chosen nation. And he would have had a difficult time submitting to pagan authorities. Without question, Rome was pagan. To add injury to insult, the emperor Claudius had expelled all Jews from Rome in ad 49 for causing riots (Acts 18:2). As if this wasn’t difficult enough, the cruel and infamous emperor Nero assumed the Roman throne in ad 54.
Yet it was into this context that Paul under the Holy Spirit’s inspiration wrote his letter to the Romans in the mid-to-late 50s. Despite Rome’s thoroughgoing paganism, his peoples’ difficulties with their emperors, and his multiple imprisonments, Paul tells the Roman church to submit to its governing authorities. Under the Holy Spirit’s inspiration, he tells us to do the same in our context.
b. Biblical Submission & the 21st Century
Once upon a time, America took Christian morality seriously. However, today we live in an America that legally permits (and even incentivizes) sinful behavior, and increasingly limits religious liberty—although the recent Burwell v. Hobby Lobby (2014) stands as a notable exception and encouragement to this rule.[2] Nevertheless, the point stands that the fairytale is over. Similar to Paul, we find ourselves living amongst pagans. What should we to do when difficulties arise?
Above all else, we must maintain biblical integrity. As it concerns issues like the sanctity of life and marriage, we must obey God rather than men.[3] However, barring a choose-God-or-choose-government scenario, God calls us through His servant Paul to obey the governing authorities that He has instituted. He has also called us to honor, respect, and love them. This means we shouldn’t speak ill of our government or its leaders in an unnecessary or gratuitous manner. To the extent that we speak critically of it, we should do so with compassion and grace.
Biblical submission also means that we pray for our leaders—and most of all for President Obama, or whoever the President happens to be (1 Tim. 2:1-3). For some Christians, this may even mean pursuing politics as a career and speaking Christian truth into American government. Whatever we do though, may we remember that the law of love is paramount, and that we can trust a sovereign God to guide us through the difficult landscape of civic life.
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[1] An earlier version of this article first appeared in FUSION, December, January, February 2013-14: 66-69.
[2] See Al Mohler’s excellent summation on this important case: Al Mohler, “The Hobby Lobby Decision: A Big Win for Religious Liberty—and a Very Revealing Divide n the Court,” Albert Mohler, June 30, 2014, accessed June 30, 2014, http://www.albertmohler.com/2014/06/30/the-hobby-lobby-decision-a-big-win-for-religious-liberty-and-a-very-revealing-divide-on-the-court/.
[3] For further work in these areas, explore the “Manhattan Declaration” here.
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