Jan 12 (edited) • Hot topics
We Have To Make Room for Romans 13 in Our Theology
Here in America over the last week, there was a tragedy in Minnesota. A woman was shot while obstructing law enforcement/ICE operations. Although debated, it appears to me, whether intentional or not, she swiped an officer with her SUV. She was in the area specifically to obstruct law enforcement as well. That was her purpose. She lost her life as a result. There has been an uproar over what happened. While I grieve her loss of life, I also wonder as a society if we have forgotten Biblical teaching on the purpose of government.
As Christians, we can grieve her loss of life while also respecting and supporting authorities right to defend themselves and enforce laws. I fear our society is digressing into a state of lawlessness, where we don't not believe in any rule of law in the name of compassion and kindness. We must always remember that God is both the God of order/justice as well as the God of kindness/compassion.
I believe a lot of the confusion comes from a lack of reading of 2 key Scriptures where we learn what the biblical role of government is. These key passages are Romans 13:1-7 and 1 Peter 2:13-15.
"Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, for he is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God’s wrath on the wrongdoer. Therefore one must be in subjection, not only to avoid God’s wrath but also for the sake of conscience. For because of this you also pay taxes, for the authorities are ministers of God, attending to this very thing. Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed."
Romans 13:1-7
"Be subject for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme, or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good."
1 Peter 2:13-14
Here are a few of my observations of these passages:
-All government authorities are from God. When we resist authorities, we resist what God has appointed. The only exception to the rule here is when government would cause us to sin, and maybe if there is true oppression and wrongdoing being done on the part of the government, such as Shadrach Meshach and Abednego when King Nebuchadnezzar commanded them to worship his idol. They rightfully disobeyed because it would be against their faith. There are other examples of where unjust and oppressive governments were overthrown in the Old Testament. The key here is to understand when a government is truly acting oppressively/unjustly and when they are not.
-Rulers are meant to be a terror to bad conduct and promoters of good conduct. The Bible uses the word "terror" for a reason. It means we should be afraid if we are doing wrong. This protects the innocent and punishes the guilty.
-Rulers "carry out God's wrath on the wrongdoer". That is God ordained. Governments that punish wrongdoing are not lacking compassion or doing wrong. They are doing God's work.
-This does not mean that if a government is acting unjustly or wrongly, we are not to speak up. We see John the Baptist doing this with King Herod in the New Testament. Herod had taken his brothers wife and John the Baptist challenged him on it. Yet, we have to be guided by what Scripture calls right and wrong and we have to make sure we have a firm grasp on the facts of every situation. Sadly, the media often likes to stir up false narratives.
-These passages teach us to be respectful of government authorities (especially law enforcement of all kinds), appreciating the work God uses them to do (punish evil and promote what is good). A society that has a healthy fear of doing evil is a safer, stronger and healthier community.
-They teach us to have healthy fear of authorities because they curb evil in our society. We need to make sure we are doing right so as not to bring on their wrath.
-If and when government oversteps, we should prayerfully take appropriate steps to address the issue. But we should make sure that the government has truly done wrong first. Lest we resist what God is using to establish order and blessing in our society.
Feel free to add your own thoughts.
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We Have To Make Room for Romans 13 in Our Theology
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