Romans 13:1-7 Every Christian must be a Good Citizen (part 2)

(part 2)

 In the Bible, we discover three institutions that God has ordained. These three are a) the home, b) the church, and c) the state or government. These three have separate areas of authority and operations under God on earth. Romans 13 is in the practical application section of the book of Romans. This section instructs genuine believers who understand the gospel of God and the doctrines of salvation on what their duties are now that they have embraced Jesus by faith, repentance, and surrender. The home, state, and church must only function in their proper spheres.

I.       God has given duties and responsibilities to the state/government. vs. 1, 3-4, 6

    A. The state’s authority was established and granted by God. vs. 1

    B. The state was ordained by God vs. 2

    C. The state is not to be resisted when it is functioning biblically. vs. 2

    D. The state functions as a substitute for God in certain areas; thus, to rebel against biblically lawful mandates is a sin punishable on earth and at the judgment. vs. 2

    E. The state is to punish evildoers and praise those who do good works. vs. 3-4

1. This punishment includes death for certain crimes (Gen 9:4-6; Exod 21; Deut 17).

2. Swift justice serves as a fearful deterrent to crime (Eccl 8:11).

3. When the state is operating properly, only evil men will be afraid of its actions.

    F. The state is to serve God by providing certain things for its citizens’ welfare. vs. 4, 6

1. It is to protect its citizens against unwarranted harm.

2. It is to punish those who practice evil.

    G. The state is to preserve law and order. vs. 4

    H. The state is to provide for its services by taxation. vs. 6

 

II.      God has given duties and responsibilities to the believer concerning the state. vs. 2, 5 -7

    A. We are normally to submit to the state/government. vs. 2

1. The federal government on interstate matters.

2. The state and local governments on local matters.

3. The institutions and employers we contract to join or serve (colleges, Wal-Mart).

    B. We must realize that opposing biblically lawful mandates of the state is to oppose God. vs. 2

    C. We must submit to lawful orders to maintain a clear conscience. vs. 5

1. Lawful orders are laws, or rules that do not contradict God’s righteous standards in the Bible.

2. Unlawful orders are ones that contradict the Bible’s clear commands.

    D. We must realize that God asks us to be the best citizens in the land. vs. 5

    E. We must not evade our tax obligations (taking legitimate exemptions is wise). vs. 6-7

    F. Application.

1. Are we submitting to God by believing on His Son, Jesus the Messiah for salvation? Are we submitting to God by obeying the lawful orders of those in authority over us?

2. Are we submitting to the state in every area required, including traffic laws?

3. Are we willing to obey in the little things as well as the big things?

4. Are we willing to adjust our attitudes towards God, other believers, our enemies, and the state (Romans 12 and 13)?

    G. We must disobey the state (or church or home), however, when they mandate in areas in which they are not ordained to serve and when a law or order is clearly not biblical.

1. If the state forbids what God requires (Daniel 6 prayer; Acts 5:29 witnessing).

2. If the state requires what God forbids (Exod 1:15-21 murder; Daniel 3 idolatry).

3. The same disobedience is required for the church and the home if they do (1. or 2.).

    H. Test cases.

1. A pastor calling a sitting president by a pejorative term (Paul and the High Priest)

2. A disruptive person in a church service—they are throwing things, using profanity, endangering the welfare of the church body. Three deacons approach this person. What should they do and not do?

3. A well-liked lawyer who is a Sunday School teacher gets caught in the act of molesting a 9-year-old girl during Sunday School. He is 48 yrs. old, married with children, a deacon, and a respected leader in the community. Only a few church leaders know about this act, which is a felony. What should they do? Can they just choose to forgive him and look the other way?

4. You work for a lawyer, and he tells you a government inspector is coming, so you must start shredding documents that he hands you to cover up the firm’s illegal activities. Should you obey your employer?

5. A teenager witnesses a parent commit a felony. The parents ordered them to tell no one, as their authority in the home. What should they do?

I. The magisterial reformers (Luther, Calvin) operated in a state church that blended two of God’s separate institutions too closely, so that the state wrongly executed heretics.

J. The Anabaptist doctrine of two worlds/kingdoms also contradicts Rom 13:1-7:

III.    God has given the duty and responsibility to believers to stop owing anyone any late debts. vs. 8a

IV.   God has given the duty and responsibility to believers to start loving each other. vs. 8b-10

V.     God has given the duty and responsibility to the believer to replace ungodliness with Christlikeness using God’s strategy. vs. 11-14

[Outline modified from George W. Anderson, class substitute lecture for Richard Belcher]

 

Romans 13:1-14: Christian duties to the state, humanity, and godliness (part 1)

 Romans 13 (part 1)

This chapter must be studied along with Exodus 1:17, 2:3; Joshua 2:3-17; Daniel (1:1-21, 3:1-30, 6:1-28; Acts 4:1-23, 5:17-42, 12:1-19; Matthew 5:44, 21:23-27, 22:21; Titus 3:1; and 1 Peter 2:13-17 to not be mis-applied. The state is to be obeyed when it requires biblical ethics (do not murder) and biblical principles (provide safety for your neighbor on your property) and on indifferent matters (release a caught flounder under 14”). Taxes are to be paid, and respect is to be given. However, whenever the state orders a believer to disobey the Bible, the state is to be humbly resisted with no compromise (Exd 10:24-26). We must obey God over man every time (Acts 4:19-20, 5:29, Matt 22:21) when the two are in conflict (e.g., do not sacrifice, do not pray, do not share Jesus, do not sing, do not meet). God is the higher authority; the government only has delegated authority from God that is to be resisted when it defies the God who delegated the authority to it.

I. The believer’s duty to the state and those in authority. vs. 1-7

A. The government’s authority in certain limited areas is from God. vs. 1-7

1.       All human authority is delegated by the Creator, the God of the Bible.

2.       God ordained three institutions: the family, the government, and the church. God alone is over all three. Each has a limited sphere of influence.

3.       Each institution must submit to God and remain only in its allotted domain.

4.       The Christian is to submit to leaders in all three institutions when they can.

5.       There is a difference between blind obedience and submission. Subordinates only submit to lawful orders and humbly accept the consequences of refusing to obey unlawful ones.

6.       The concepts of government, law and order, and natural order are all God’s ideas. He ordained these things (in general) for the earth.

a.    There is no divine right of kings here.

b.    Allowing bad rulers is part of God’s wrath on a sinful people. God allowed Saul to be king, but actively chose David to be king.

c.     A Christian who follows the Bible is the best ruler.

7.       The state is responsible for warning and punishing evildoers and promoting the well-being of all its citizens, keeping order and peace.

8.       The state is to be the servant of humanity, not its master. “The moment, therefore, the state turns itself into a master and into a tyrant, it is disobeying the law of God that brought it into being and it must itself be punished; and the form the punishment takes is that the Government is thrown out and replaced by one that is prepared to abide by the teaching of Romans 13:1-7.” D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Romans 13: Life in two Kingdoms (2021: Carlisle, PA: Banner of Truth), 46.

B. The taxes and tolls are to be paid on time by the believer. vs.6-7

C. Appropriate honor and respect are to be paid to those in positions of authority.   vs. 7

D. When the state contradicts God’s word, we must always obey God instead and take the punishment humbly in faith. vs. 4

1.       “It is quite clear in the Scriptures that if the state ever comes between me and my relationship to God, then I must not obey it.” (Lloyd-Jones 2021: 52)

2.       A fiery furnace and a den of lions for obeying God (Daniel chapters 3 and 6)

3.       Beatings and a command not to preach (Acts chapters 4 and 5) “We must obey God rather than men.”

4.       Love and pray for your enemies who persecute you. (Matt 5:44)

5.       The early Christians would not say, ‘Caesar is Lord’ and worship him. Jesus was their Lord, and they were martyred obeying King Jesus.

6.       The Particular Baptist John Bunyan was put in jail for 12 years because he obeyed his call to preach when he did not have a license to preach from the state church. He wrote The Pilgrim’s Progress in jail.

E. When the state orders us to violate our consciences, we must obey God’s word and maintain our fellowship with God, accepting the punishment for keeping our consciences pure. (Luther at the Diet of Worms)

F. The state and the church are not one. The church is not above the state. The state is not over the church. The two institutions are separate realms, and both are to be equally under God with different domains and duties. Jesus is Lord of the church, not Caesar.

II. The believer’s duty to love other individual humans. vs. 8-10

A. Avoid being in debt to others. It changes the relationship. vs. 8

B. The primary Christian duty is to love. vs. 8, 9 (Matt 5:43-48)

C. Biblical neighbor love fulfills the moral law concerning humans. These are repeated for Gentile Christians. vs. 9

1.       Do not commit adultery. (Exd 20:14; Deu 5:18; Matt 5:27-30)

2.       Do not murder. (Exd 20:13; Deu 5:17; Matt 5:21-22; Jam 2:11)

3.       Do not steal. (Exd 20:15; Deu 5:19; Luke 18:20)

4.       Do not covet. (Exd 20:17; Deu 5:21; Rom 7:7-8)

5.       All the additional (commandments, mitsvah) moral laws.

III. The believer’s duty to live a godly life. vs. 11-14

A. Be alert, awake, and vigilant vs.11

B. Stop living in the dark; rather, put on the armor of light. vs.12

C. Live a holy life, forsaking wild parties (orgies), drunkenness, sexual impurity, promiscuity (lustful indulgence), quarreling (arguing), and jealousy. vs. 13

D. Instead, put on the Lord Jesus Christ and make no plans to satisfy these fleshly desires. vs. 13