Romans 13:1-2 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. 2 Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment.
These are challenging verses in our present day. To what degree should we be “subject”? Paul was a Roman citizen writing to inhabitants of the city of Rome. Is there any political bias involved in his thoughts here? Part of the answer must come by studying the context and flow of thought of the entire section. Sometimes chapter divisions are unfortunate. Paul does take up a new topic here, but this comes on the heals of thoughts of transformation, love in community, and not taking revenge. Paul’s motive appears to be harmony in society. The job of governing authorities is to preserve social harmony by insuring the safety and security of the population. But these authorities come under the higher authority of God and God’s word as revealed in the Bible. Christians should follow governing authorities in as much as they agree with God’s revelation. The Bible is very broad and exhaustive on many matter, and many of these have to be carefully interpreted. Not everyone agrees on what the Bible says about issues that concern government.
God set up social orders so that there might peace and harmony. Behind these verses lies Paul’s conviction about God’s total sovereignty. God is ultimately in control and guides the affairs of humanity. That does not mean that every human institution or government leader is divinely approved. Paul did not live in a day of democracy, although many places had forms of elections. People in that day, especially at the high levels, jockeyed for position through political intrigue and coercion. But back then and today, there is still human input into how people come into power. We can see this even in the Old Testament, especially in the northern kingdom of Israel where the family dynasties often changed according to who could gain the most power. A nation can go in the wrong direction by choosing the wrong leaders. God will not stop a nation from this. We end up with a conundrum and mystery in this matter. Does God ordain systems and even individual leaders, or does God somehow allows certain people into power who match the heart of a nation (evil rulers come to power in nations with evil hearts)?
Paul does not seem to be considering these matters, although the mind of a thoughtful reader may journey over to consider these topics. Rather, Paul seems to be telling the Romans Christians to be good citizens, not rebellious. Christians ought to be model citizens and honor their leaders. But this honoring cannot violate God’s revelation in the Bible. We follow a higher law. If the laws of a nation violate the laws of God, then we must resist. And that is the early Christians did. Even Paul eventually did this by proclaiming Jesus is Lord and not Caesar, and he lost his life. There comes a point where we must resist. That is difficult to determine, and every person must come to a personal conviction about that, and of course, we can have a group conviction also.
For older posts, click here.