MPC 23rd July 2006.July 23 - Romans 13:1-7 - "Christian Citizen"
Garnet Swann MPC 23rd July 2006.
It was a cold night in Canberra when a young Garnet Swann and his mates decided to carry out a raid on Parliament House. This raid involved covert planning and perfect timing. We'd planned this raid for a while. We'd already done the scoping out. And we knew what we had to do. And so at midnight one evening - dressed in commando black - we drove up to parliament house - parked in an out-of-sight area. And just as we'd timed it - the sprinklers came on that water the grass that slopes across the top of the building. And so at that moment - we sprang into action - we ran through the car park, up the top of parliament house. There, we unrolled a long piece of plastic - squirted detergent along the length of the plastic… and proceeded to have water slides on top of the building where our federal parliament sits.
It didn't take too long for the security guards to swoop down on us. They had a bit of a chuckle, took our names and then told us to get on our way.
Now that was pre-September 11 so I wouldn't recommend doing it today - but it strikes me that our shenanigans at that moment revealed quite a unique interaction with our government and law enforcement. What I mean is - it was unique because how would it've turned out if an Iraqi tried some sort of stunt with their parliament? How would it've turned out if a Chinese person tried out some sort of joke with the building where their government sits? We got to take photos and have a good laugh about it.
But I raise that because I want us today to think about parliament, government and law enforcement and what it means to live as citizens, as citizens who are Christian.
Now from last week - with our look at Romans chapter 12, we saw that in view of God's mercy, we're to offer our bodies as living sacrifices. We're to offer our bodies, our whole selves and lives - over to service to God. And we're not to conform but be transformed in our mind. In response to God's mercy to us in Jesus - all our doing and all our thinking is changed and impacted in the Christian life. Last week we looked at a few different areas of Christian living that's impacted. And today as we come to Romans 13 - we continue to look at how we're to offer our bodies as living sacrifices - and this time it's in the area of being a citizen and how we respond to the governing authorities over us.
I do wonder if our interaction and thinking about government and authority can become one of those compartmentalized parts of the Christian life. We know of this division in our society between church and state. And so we're not sure how being a Christian has any big impact on living as a citizen within the state. You know, I understand how loving others, and sexual purity and using my gifts for the benefit of the church fits in - but just being a citizen in society? But this is what we're going to look at - how being a Christian, giving ourselves over as living sacrifices even impacts being a citizen.
Well, there are two big points we're going to look at today in terms of what it means to be a Christian citizen. They're there in your outline. Firstly - Christians challenge those in authority. And secondly Christians submit to those in authority. There's some sort of tension there between these two. We need to try to understand this. But the first thing I want us to be coming to grips with is - Christians challenge those in power and authority.
Now, you may not have thought this was something we'd be covering today given the passage we just read. But I actually - think the Christian worldview is to challenge and critique, even subvert authority - and this worldview forms the background to the passage in Romans 13.
You know, Paul in the introduction of this letter to the Christians in Rome, in the first couple of verses said of Jesus, He was descended from David and through the Spirit of holiness was declared with power to be the Son of God by his resurrection. He is Jesus Christ our Lord. Now that's a statement about the true King.
And I take it that all of this is a bit of a jibe against all human figures who'd call themselves King. See - there are lots of human figures who are seated in power. There are those who even think they are gods - many of the Roman emperors thought that. But Paul writes this subversive statement to Christians in Rome - at the centre of the great Roman empire where the Emperor lords it over all - Jesus is the Lord.
And when people accept this reality - that Jesus is Lord, the King over all - we realise our allegiance is to Him above all. Ultimately - it's to Jesus we're accountable. See, this can't help but bring about a worldview of, where necessary, challenging and critiquing, even subverting those human powers who would make claims over us. See, we don't simply conform to the powers that be.
Let me show you how this can work out in practice - in Acts chapter 4 - we read of the Jewish council who calls on the apostles to stop telling people about Jesus. Those pesky apostles are undermining the authority of the religious leaders. But Peter and John reply, 'Judge for yourselves whether it is right in God's sight to obey you rather than God'. And they keep on speaking.
As another example - in 156AD the Roman empire was calling for Christians to stop telling people about Jesus. And an 86 year old Christian man by the name of Polycarp was brought before one of the Roman governors. The governor said to Polycarp - "Have respect for your old age. Swear by the fortune of Caesar; repent, and say, Away with the Atheists." Funnily enough Christians were called atheists back then because they rejected the Roman state religion of many gods. The Christians were the atheists! The governor went on to say - "Swear against Christ and I will set you free" But Polycarp declared, "Eighty and six years have I served Him, and He never did me any injury: how then can I blaspheme my King and my Saviour?" And Polycarp was burned at the stake for refusing to comply with the governor's demand.
See - in those two examples notice this - for Christian people - our allegiance is to Jesus the Son of God - the Christ our King. We're accountable - not to the governing authorities - to follow along with all their commands. We don't conform. We answer to Jesus. And like these examples - it will mean saying 'No' to those authorities if they judge we should not speak about Him.
Christians challenge those in authority and power. We shouldn't conform. We critique them. Can I say - because Christian people have their allegiance to Jesus their King - I think we're called to critique and challenge authority in all sorts of ways.
You know, - in the late 1700s William Wilberforce was a Christian and British politician who challenged the common thinking within the culture and govt of the day that trading in African slaves was a respectable part of the economy. He led the fight to end slavery in the British colonies. That's critiquing and challenging those in authority.
You know, in the 1930s - a bunch of German Christians who couldn't support Nazi ideology got together to form what was known as the Confessing Church. It was an illegal act to form this non state-sponsored church. But it was a resistance movement and it helped hide 1000s of Jews. That's critiquing and challenging those in authority.
See it seems to me our allegiance is to another - and so it's only right to challenge those in power over us.
So on this - can I say as Christian people - we're not to be passive robots who follow along unthinkingly with whatever the those in authority have to say. The government is not some monolithic institution that is above challenge. Christian people follow Jesus as Lord and King. And that allegiance will mean we think reflectively and critically about our culture and government. So it seems to me - as Christian citizens in our society - it is right and proper to engage within the normal political process to bring about change and reform. If need be, there's also a place for activism against the political process. There's a place for protest. There's a place for outright refusing to conform.
Our world view is that Jesus is the Christ, the Lord of all. Perhaps living in comfortable modern democratic Australian society we don't feel the radicalness of this - but the Christians living at the very centre of the pagan Roman empire would know - they challenge those in authority.
Well, we now come to have a look at the passage of Romans 13 itself. And remember - this chapter is all about expanding on what it means to offer our whole lives as living sacrifices. And I think we should see these verses as a balance, a check against what we've just seen. For while the Christian worldview is that our allegiance is to Jesus our King and we challenge those in power, we just don't conform - we can take that way of thinking too far and totally disregard the government and its right to rule. See, we're also called to submit to those in power and authority.
See, if we just keep running with the 'challenge-authority' way of thinking - well, who needs governments anyway? Who needs their laws? What honour do we need to give to them? Our allegiance is to Christ - he's our King, Premier, Prime Minister and President. The government has no claim over me. It's possible that the Roman Chrisitians - knowing the pressures that were upon them from the governing authorities - could want to go either one or two ways. Either drop out of society - live in their own Christian bubble world and forget about the government of the day. Or maybe take the opposite approach - take up arms and try to overthrow the government of the day.
But, no, it's very clear in this passage - v1 and v5 - we're to submit to those in authority. And let's not think Paul was naïve about how bad governments can get. Paul was very aware of the many-gods state religion of Rome. He was aware of Rome's flair for brutality. In Luke 13 - we're told of how Pilate the Roman Governor within Palestine, put down a rebellion by massacring a group of Jews and mixing their blood with their religious sacrifices.
So even for Paul with this worldview of being able to challenge those in power - there's also the need to submit to those in power.
See, it's an amazing thing that the reality of God's supremacy over all powers shapes our worldview - that these powers are not above challenge. But that same reality - God's supremacy over all powers - shapes our worldview that we should submit to these powers. Because God in his supremacy established them.
We see this there in v1 - there is no authority except that which God has established. But also in v4 and 6 where the governing authority is described as God's servant. See, we're to submit - because the government is under God, established by God - God's means of governing the world.
That means the Labor government in Queensland is in power only because God has given that position to them. That means the coalition government in Canberra is in power only because God has given that position to them. Now depending on your political persuasion - one or the other might be a bit hard to swallow. But just to make it even more radical than that, let me put it this way. Forget about nice modern democratically elected governments. Every king and queen is in power only because God has given that position to them. Every tribal eldership is in power only because God has given that position to them. Every communist party is in power only because God has given that position to them. Every dictator is in power only because God has given that position to them. Every single government is in place only because God has given that position to them. We see something of this in Jesus words - where he's before Pilate - Pilate's about to do the unjust and cowardly thing of handing Jesus over to execution - knowing that he's done nothing wrong. Pilate's not a model leader. But Jesus says - "You would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above" [John 19:11]
And so we should submit to authorities - Romans 13 tells us.
I've mentioned a bit about the authority of the Roman empire which is the context for this letter. I've mentioned a bit about the authority that governments all around the world exercise. And as we think about the quality of government around the world and the sort of rule they give to their citizens, there are complex issues there. We should think deeply about the how governments rule their people - and how we should respond to that.
But I do want us to think about us as citizens in Australia. This is where we live! And for Christian people here - this word about submitting is very applicable. And I want us to think about what it means to submit in a few attitude areas.
Firstly - I want us to think about submitting and having an attitude of being thankful for the authorities over us.
See - how often do we complain about politicians? How often do we whinge about taxes? I think there's general cynicism when it comes to those in authority. Yet we should have a mindset of being thankful to God for our governments. Through our governments law and order is maintained, education is supplied, the arts are promoted, the environment is given protection, and services are provided for the weak and vulnerable.
Every-time you drive down the road, turn on the tap, get cheaper prescriptions from the chemist - watch your favourite show on the ABC - it's because of our governments.
We can complain forever and a day that they're not doing as good a job as we want. But as verse 7 says - we should owe them our taxes, our revenue, our respect, our honour. Let's esteem those who are in positions of authority. They are God's servants in the world. Let's be thankful for them.
That's the attitude of being thankful. Secondly - I want us to think about submitting and the whole idea of authorities punishing those who do wrong.
Now this is right through this section. Just about every verse here makes that clear. But have a look at v3 - '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'. We should submit to the authorities because if we don't we'll get punished. That's a pretty good reason to submit.
See we know that governments are there to punish those who break the law. Rob a bank: go to jail. Steal cars: go to jail. This guy who's been attacking women on bike paths around the area, that's been in the news lately. We all hope he gets caught - and he goes to jail.
But let this understanding of the punishing role of government keep influencing you and me to submit to the government in all sorts of ways. Let's not speed - we can get busted and it's only right they fine us or eventually take our license off us. Let's not wash our cars with a hose and have water gushing everyway. We can get busted and it's only right they fine us. Let's appreciate this punishing role of authorities. If we do break a law and cop some sort of punishment - it's actually a reminder that God's servants in the world are at work.
We should have a response of thankfulness to governing authorities. We should appreciate the role governing authorities have to punish those who do wrong. And thirdly, I want us to think about submitting and the fact that we do it as a matter of Christian conscience.
We see it there in v5 - 'Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also because of conscience.'
See, we're to submit to governing authorities not only because it's the best way to avoid punishment, but we're also to submit, because - knowing that they are God's servants in the world - it is just the godly thing to do. We're to submit because it's the right thing to do. Our Holy Spirit-directed conscience tells us that.
And this really is for a lot of the time going to be the only motivation. We all know there are times that when we don't submit to the authorities, there's no chance of getting caught.
We drive over the speed limit through some back suburban streets, knowing that the police never bother setting up a speed trap around there.
We don't declare some extra income on our tax return because it was cash in hand and no one's ever going to find out.
We download music and get pirated DVD movies - understanding that it's a crime no one's ever going to police it.
In those situations - the fear of punishment is not very real. Punishment is never going to eventuate. But how about doing what's right because the laws come from God's governing servants. And how about doing what's right - because we realise to rebel against these laws is to rebel against God.
You know, there's all sorts of excuses we can use to break the laws that will never be punished. "Everyone's doin' it anyway". "It doesn't hurt anyone". But let's admit it - we break these laws for our own benefit - for our own comfort. With these copyright laws - we purchase or make illegal copies simply to give us a bit of extra entertainment. But is a bit of extra entertainment really worth not living up to the God's mercy that he's poured out to us in Jesus Christ? Is it worth denying God for a 90 minute movie? In response to God's mercy - we're called to offer our whole bodies, our whole selves, as living sacrifices. And knowing how much God has done for us in Jesus - it even means submitting to the authorities when no-one's going to know about it.
As Chrsitian citizens, we're called to submit to those in power. Submitting means being thankful for governments for they are God's servants on earth. It means recognizing their role to punish wrong. And it means submitting as a matter of conscience even when there's no chance of getting punished. I think for all of us - you and me - there'll be areas in our lives that we need to think about, and ask God for the strength and the desire to change.
Each one of us are citizens. Each one of us has governing authorities over us. Government and legislation and law enforcement is very much part of our lives. And if our response to God's mercy is to present our bodies as living sacrifices - holy and pleasing to God - and if we're not to conform - but be transformed in the renewing of our minds - we can't compartmentalize our Christianity so that it doesn't impact on being a citizen. Being a Christian changes the sort of citizen we are.
We know the Lordship of Jesus. He is the Christ. He is our King. We know that he is supreme over all. Our allegiance is to Him. We don't simply conform to those in power. We challenge. But by the fact that we know that he's supreme over all - we know that he establishes all those in power. And so we submit to them. We challenge those is power. But we need to keep that in check. We're called to submit.
There'll be some loose ends still in our thinking - how does it work out in every situation? Well, I think we need to be very thoughtful and humble as we seek to apply God's word. But for the situation that you are in - how should you respond? We're to live as living sacrifices. We're to give our lives over to God. When should you challenge power? But also - where should you submit to authority? Those in authority are God's servants in the world.