Thoughts on Romans 13: Part II

I remember my first real confusion about authority as an 8th grader playing junior high volleyball.

Awkward, 13 year old me ran alongside my coach during a drill and we found ourselves in an epic battle of your-mama jokes. We were throwing back these horribly lame one-liners, when I launched my game winner… “your mama’s so dumb, she has to climb over a glass wall to see what's on the other side.” It was at that exact moment, when my awful, not-even-funny joke, reached my coach’s ears that his demeanor changed, his jog slowed, eyebrows furrowed, and I realized that I crossed a line, but I hadn’t realized I was even close to it. I received the most humiliating punishment for a goody-two-shoes student when he benched me for the next two games and I had to explain to my team that I had disrespected my authority. 

Like my 8th grade self, we are often confused how exactly to go about submitting to authorities.

The lines are blurred, relationships messy, and the world is full of sin and evil. It makes trusting non-Christian rulers to do even a little good seem near impossible.

So then, what exactly does Paul mean by submit?

Submit has a broader sense and scope than just merely obey. Submission called the Roman Christians to recognize they stood under the government in a scheme that God instituted for ruling the world—of which He is the ultimate hierarchal head.

This passage, and Peter’s parallel text in 2 Peter 2, use the word hupotass — an actual military term for arranging oneself in military fashion under a commander. It gives us a literal picture of subjecting ourselves under the command of a leader in war. Picture any battle scene from an epic war movie—the options of a soldier ignoring or rebelling against his commanding officer are both out of the question! If the soldier ignores his command and runs away, he'd be shamed or killed by his own army. And if the soldier actively rebels against the commander, he doesn't stand a shot! 

Completely contrary to the norm of ignoring or rebelling against authority, we are to put ourselves in an attitude of submission, arranging ourselves under the command of a leader.

But don't dance uncomfortably in your seat just yet. Such a call to put ourselves in an attitude of submission to authority sounded as impossible to the Roman Christians as it does to us. Not only was their culture pagan, it was completely hostile to Christianity. Christians were labeled as trouble makers, insurrectionists, theists, home-wreckers, cannibals, and worse. As such, they had grown accustomed to ignoring and rebelling against their authorities. And yet, Paul was calling the believers to an ethic that was not of this world. 

He calls them to submit to the authorities that persecuted them: to submit to the leaders that propagated a society dominated by violence and slavery—people that contributed to a culture where the abuse of women and the murder of children was common place, where sexual sin was rampant and homosexual acts seen as worship to the gods. The Roman Christians lived in a wretched, rotten, ungodly, and wicked society—one that sounds a lot like ours. 

And yet, Paul still called them to live in an attitude of submission

Why? Because God is sovereign over earthly authority.

As if Paul anticipates my own doubt and discomfort at the state of our world and the reputation and history of pagan authorities, he assures me of God's sovereignty with two pieces of evidence.

First, God is sovereign over earthly authority because he established the structure of government in creation.

Part of the creational view of the world is that God wanted the world to be ordered, not chaotic. Thus, human structures of power are the God-given means by which that end is accomplished. It is in this way that the governing authorities function as a servant of God as bearers of the sword (v. 4). The state is carrying out a function appointed by God and therefore mediates God’s judgment in history. Government—as it was intended—promotes the good of society. 

Second, God established the earthly authorities themselves.

God having ordained the governing authorities is not a new point, rather, it has been proven throughout the Bible. God’s providential rule over all of creation is specifically applied to the rise and fall of political leaders. 

• Isa. 45:1-7 - Persian King Cyrus who came to power seemingly by his own ability to use political and military machinations, when in reality, he was God’s anointed who God raised up to further his plan for history.
• Jeroboam, the evil king of the Judges who established idolatry, was appointed by God as king over ten tribes. 
• Nebuchadnezzar, the pagan Babylonian king himself who carried Judah captive was also used by God to do his work—and the oppressed Jews under him were not commanded to rebel or ignore his rule, they were commanded to pray for the peace of Babylon. 
• In the New Testament we see the God-given place of secular rulers, even of deeply flawed, sinful, self-serving, corrupt, and idolatrous rulers like Felix, Festus, and Herod Agrippa.
• Even Jesus recognizes the authority of Pontius Pilate when he says to him in John 19:11, “You would have no authority over me, unless it had been given you from above.”

There is proof of God’s sovereignty over authority because he both 1) created it as an order and 2) established the individuals in authority. But again, part of the tension of this text is our desire to qualify our submission to authority.

We want to ask Paul, how can you mean to submit—when we can point to endless examples of those who have abused their power! People as evil as Hitler, Stalin, Bin Laden, Hussein, and Kim Jong Un—leaders whose heinous crimes against humanity are so clearly evil, we couldn’t possibly make a case for what we see in Rom. 13 as leaders being servants of God and using the sword for good. How can we ourselves, Christians today in the United States, not wonder about whether or not we’ll have to stand against the government when we hear the bigotry of Donald Trump towards other human beings.

We look at the condition of our country and of the world and any hope to “make America great again” seems lost. 

We hear talk of neighborhood blocks mobilizing plans in the case of civil unrest. As a worst-case scenario resort, a community could come together and share food, medicine, and trade skills. People are actually talking about what we’d do in a literal case of civil war. “It’s for preparation and protection,” they say. Yet, I feel far from assured. 

At some level, we’re beginning to recognize that the comfort we have experienced as Christian Americans may be drawing to an end.

Times when it is our faithful responsibility to heed John 5:29 and obey God rather than men are becoming a reality.

We look to the story of Bonhoeffer. We consider how deeply he considered his actions against the Nazi government and his participation in the attempt on Hitler’s life. When the attempt failed, however, Bonhoeffer accepted the consequences of the corrupt government and surrendered his life. Like the martyrs of the early church he didn't fight, barter, or retaliate. He submitted.

It is a humbling reality to remember our brothers and sisters elsewhere who face these conflicts on a different extreme. We remember the church in countries ruled by the Islamic State whose commitment to God and the decree of their rulers conflict on a day to day basis.

N.T. Wright hopes to make some sense of this when he writes, “The rulers of this age inevitably twist their God-given vocation to bring order to the world into the satanic possibility of tyranny. And yet the cross of Jesus enthroned as the true Son of God constitutes the paradoxical victory by which rulers’ idolatry and corruption are confronted and overthrown. And in some strange way are reconciled to bring God’s wise order to the world…whether or not they would see it like that.”

In his life on earth, Jesus had every reason to want to “fix” the political climate and rebel against the corrupt authorities. Yet even Christ learned obedience by the things he suffered. The Jews wanted him to rise up against Rome and overthrow political leaders, but he never did. Instead, he continued his work proclaiming the kingdom of God, healing the sick, and restoring the broken until he was put to death by those corrupt authorities.

Yet even in excruciating torture, Jesus did not ignore or rebel against the corrupt rulers and evil government.

Jesus Christ responded in submission. He willingly accepted death and trusted in the sovereignty of his Father, God. 

Imagine with me for a moment, what would it look like if our lives as Christians were characterized by submission? What would it look like right now if in our marriages, schools, workplaces, state, and country Christians came together in an attitude of submission of to the authorities that govern us? Would such a response not be so radically different than the way we usually respond in ignorance and rebellion?

Our response to authority reflects our belief in God's sovereignty.

Let's respond like Christ.

Thoughts on Romans 13: Part I

Most couples, after their first few years of marriage and before kids get dogs.

We, however, got chickens. Our 5 chickens, Monica, Chandler, Rachel, Ross, and Phoebe, are the joy of our lives. Our breakfasts have never been better and we have even gotten to know our neighbors through sharing farm fresh eggs. It’s a win for everyone. Everyone, that is, except the city of Littleton which only permits its citizens to have 4 chickens. And as I already shared…we have 5.

For those of you who excelled in elementary math, that leaves us with one too many hens. And we know it. Yet, it didn’t matter how stupid we thought the Littleton chicken population laws were, and it didn’t matter that we honestly thought we would lose a chicken or two and end up with four. Jake and I knew what was expected of us— as conscientious, neighborly, good-natured citizens—and we disregarded the system and the council, because to us, their rule was dumb. 

We all have stories like this.

How many of us go 10 over on the highway and quickly press the brakes when we see a cop car in the median? Or log on to a friend’s Netflix account? Whatever the situation—we know the rules; we subconsciously weigh if we think those rules are fair and whether or not the people who came up with them deserve our respect. When we choose to disregard the standards, we justify our deviance.

We know in our hearts that authorities are ordained by God and that we’re called to submission, but we’re caught between a rock and a hard place when doing what they say contradicts what we want to or should do.

It’s part of what makes a text like Romans 13.1-7 so hard to swallow. 

“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. Consequently, whoever rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves. 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. 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. Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also as a matter of conscience. This is also why you pay taxes, for the authorities are God’s servants, who give their full time to governing. 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.”

— Romans 13:1-7

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It goes without saying that at this time of an election year, the tension this text produces in its readers, or even those of us who know the reference is almost unbearable. With the weight of the election lingering we’re all either terrified or fed up, and its easier to pretend this text isn’t in the Bible than engage it thoughtfully, theologically, and practically. 

The tension we feel hearing this text is a result of our own experiences (our dealings with a chauvinistic boss, non-Christian spouse, retiring pastor, or marijuana-supporting state government), the anxiety produced by this year’s presidential election, and because we can all point to examples of astronomical, oppressive governmental evil.

How can we even begin to reconcile what this text is exhorting us to do with the evil authorities at work in history through the Holocaust of Nazi Germany, apartheid in South Africa, and the mass murders presently in Korea.

All of this contributes to the tension we feel with this text—and as a result, we approach this text looking for an exception.

We bring our fears and experiences to this text and can only assume that Paul had to have meant something else than what it seems to say. Like we do with other challenging texts in Scripture, we latch on to theories that seem to make the message easier to stomach. But in looking for an exception, we approach the text irresponsibly. We forget, that at least here, in these seven verses, Paul is not concerned with an exception to the rule.

He simply makes a general exhortation reminding the Christians in Rome and Christians today, our response to authority reflects our belief in God’s sovereignty. 

Let that sink in. 

Our response to authority reflects our belief in God’s sovereignty. 

Yikes. 

Our response matters. I don’t think we intentionally question the sovereignty of God every time we complain about a teacher, undermine the decisions of a boss, or express fear at the state of our country,  but we forget what Rom. 13:1 reminds, “there is no authority except that which God has established.” And yet—I’d be lying if I said there wasn’t a part of me that does sometimes wonder if God knows what is going on. CNN notifications continually pop up in the right hand corner of my mac updating me on the major political issues from euthanasia, gun control, issues of gender and sex, global debt, not to mention the presidential election, and I feel downright helpless. But this helplessness, this fear, this anger at the governing authorities is not new.

It is not a surprise to God. 

Remember Paul’s audience in this passage? The Roman Christians. Like us, this group of Christians was influenced by a growing discontent with the power of government, the unrest of broader culture, resistance towards taxes, and their own world renouncing theology. Many expected Jesus to come back within their lifetimes, if not by the end of the week, and thus they subsequently believed wholeheartedly that every institution of the world, particularly the unbelieving authority, was to be ignored or rebelled against for the sake of Christ.

We, like the Roman Christians, tend to respond to authority in the same two ways.

First, we respond by “ignoring.”  

We ignore by running away. Take, for example, our friends that bought property out in the boonies of Oregon where they plan to have a self-sustaining farm in case everything goes to, you know where. In Jesus and Paul’s day, the Essenes were these type of people. They refused to engage the authorities and sought seclusion in the desert where they wouldn’t have to deal with the corrupt power.

We can ignore by remaining disillusioned and ignorant, all while subtly reaping the benefits of living within a system. These are the Pharisees. They claimed they were against the government, but they didn’t actually do anything about it. They continued in their work, their responsibilities, and lived within the system. I know I’m inclined to ignore in this way—educating myself takes work, and often, it’s easier to pretend like the decisions and policies the government makes won’t ever affect me, and if it does, there’s nothing I can do to change it. The reality, is that most Christians are ignorant of the government all together. We want separation of church and state and essentially pretend like the government doesn’t matter; we forget it is an institution ordained by God himself. 

But Paul has something to say to those who ignore. He urges us not to run away, not to claim ignorance. He corrects our thinking by reminding us the authorities are servants of God and have been established by God, thus they ought not be ignored.

Second, we see those that respond by “rebelling.” 

We rebel by doing the opposite of what is expected of us; we rebel by disregarding laws and purposefully ignoring rules. We convince ourselves that we’re doing what’s right, while really, it’s what is most beneficial to us: we justify our decisions to not get a construction permit, speed on the way to work, or own too many chickens. Our attempts at “sticking it to the man,” are our active rebellion against the authorities God has put in place. 

In other cases, however, we see people, like the zealots of the early church, rebelling against authority and moral standards because it can be morally justified. Such was the case with the Planned Parenthood shooting last November in Colorado Springs. Often Christians, wanting to take the situation into their own hands, attempt to fix it for God, and up caught in the midst of rebellion. Paul wrote to these folks in chapter 12 when he reminds them to live peaceably rather than pursue vengeance. It’s in these cases that the government is the means God has instituted to carry out his judgment in the world. 

And so, Paul sees these two natural responses—ignoring and rebelling against authority— and deliberately focuses on only one side of the issue regarding how to respond to the government. In Romans 13, he is not giving a carefully balanced teaching about the state. 

He writes only on the positive side of government. He affirms there is more at stake in how the believers choose to respond to the authority because of what it communicates about their belief in the sovereignty of God.