THOUGHTS FROM ROMANS 13

THOUGHTS FROM ROMANS 13

“Everyone must submit himself 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, he who 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 he will commend you. For he is God’s servant to do you good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword for nothing. He is God’s servant, an agent 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 because of conscience. This is also why you pay taxes, for the authorities are God’s servants, who give their full time to governing. Give everyone what you owe him: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor. Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for he who loves his fellowman has fulfilled the law. The commandments, ‘Do not commit adultery,’ ‘Do not murder,’ ‘Do not steal,’ ‘Do not covet,’ and whatever other commandment there may be, are summed up in this one rule: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ Love does no harm to its neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law. And do this, understanding the present time. The hour has come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy. Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature." Romans 13- NIV

In speaking to his fellow Roman citizens, both Jew and Gentile believers, Paul has already assumed that they are fellow believers in and followers of the Lord Jesus Christ, yet he urges them to submit to the earthly authorities. Why is this so important? The answer is found in the second sentence, “The authorities that exist have been established by God.” And if they are established by God, who are we to question or disobey them? God is well able to establish leaders who are useful to Him and to remove those who have outlived their usefulness. What about leaders who from our Christian perspective fall short of what leadership demands? We are to obey them, speak well of them, (insofar as this is possible), and put the most charitable construction on all they do, pray for them and grow in patience and love for them and our fellowman. In so doing, we fulfill the demands of the law, grow in grace and favor with those in authority, and in so doing, advance the Kingdom of God in their midst. This seems to be contrary to the way that the Church has behaved towards the government in recent years, with the result being certain prejudices against people of faith. There are those within government who are unwilling to cooperate with Church leadership when there is Christian consensus which requires governmental approval for passage of key legislative bills. Christians can accomplish much greater ends when they work together with the government and create a lasting impression that we are loyal and obedient citizens, than when we fight tooth-and-nail for our “Christian rights.” As our pro-life hopes begin to fade in the face of opposition from government leadership, we need to remember that God is still in charge and is still watching over His people. We must faithfully persist in our defense of the unborn, while assisting the government in upholding the rule of law. Furthermore, as children of the Light, we are called to uphold God’s standards of decency and morality, even when our nation and the world around us goes their own way. All the rules of the law have been summarized in the commandment to “Love our neighbors as ourselves.” This assumes that we are no longer slaves to sin, and have submitted ourselves not only to the authority of Christ, but to our nation and fellowman as well.

Mark Overt Skilbred