Romans 13:1
Paul in Romans chapter 12-16 of his letter to the home church in Rome gives the believer a description of how we are to conduct ourselves in the world in which we live. What our conduct is to be among other believers, among non believers, who may be antagonistic towards our faith and the most controversial in the church today, our conduct towards the governmental authority under which we live. Before we read Paul’s Holy Spirit directed response as Christians to the authority under which we live we must as believers have a clear understanding of the God who created us and who saved us so that we recognize that every governmental authority is under the God of all creation. It is easy to lose proper perspective as a believer because of the fallen nature of all governments we see and read about on daily basics. In some parts of the world the government is hostile towards the Christian faith. Even in this country (Russia) not so many years ago this section of scripture would be hard to except because of the nature of the government against the Christian faith. And so it helps that as a believer we first look at what God says about Himself in His word the Bible so we have the proper perspective of the government of God and the government of man. The very first verse in the Bible says it all! Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
Deuteronomy 4:39 "Therefore know this day, and consider it in your heart, that the LORD Himself is God in heaven above and on the earth beneath; there is no other.
Psalm 147:4 He counts the number of the stars; He calls them all by name. Most high God, almighty God, Everlasting God, The Lord our maker! Awesome God! This and much, much more is who the true and living God is…Clearly from Genesis to Revelation, Our God is over everything and it is important for every believer to have this understanding of who our Creator is, and once we do will can never look at government, the president, prime minister, the miliztia, the police, the mayor, our boss, or any person in authority over us.
So Paul now gives the follower of Jesus Christ advice on how we as believers are to conduct ourselves under the systems of government He has placed us under.
Romans 13:1 Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God.
Paul begins by making it clear that our God is the highest authority on this earth and that every leader over people, God puts into power, and removes them from power. So Paul as a spokesman for God tells every believer that we are to summit to the authority in which we live because our God is a Mighty God. No matter where we are living, even under harshest rule we as His followers are to submit to those who are above us because it is God who is over them. Understandingly for some believers that are living under very dangerous regimes, this verse may be a bit troubling especially if they are under a government that is atheistic or Islamic.
But consider that Paul and the believers he is writing to at the time,
both Jew and gentile were under the authority of the mighty Roman empire. Nero was the Cesar and he was a monster of a leader, executing killing both his Mother and step brother. For sport he would have Christians sewn up in animal skins and have the attacked by wild animal, or cover the believers in tar and light them on fire to light up his out door parties. Nero in a few years from Paul writing this letter to the Christians in Rome would turn his wrath against the Christians. Understandingly we can see that it was very temping for the early church believers to fight against such an oppressive government.Many in the fellowship in Rome were Jews who had received the Messiah. They were particularly venerable to fighting against Rome and Paul understood it all to well. The Nation of Israel for years fought against the Roman authority that had ocuppied their land and they caused the Roman government much grief. Matter of fact their continued rebellion would lead to the demise of Jerusalem in 70 ad when Roman said enough of the rebelliousness of the Jewish nation and literally crushed them in a bloody horrifyingly slaughter of the Jews in Jerusalem where over a million Jews were killed , and the great temple was totally destroyed. So Paul knew the history of His people the Jews and the rebellion against the pagan Roman empire.He knew that the Nation of Israel was called to be a witness to the lost pagan world and their rebellion was a bad witness, and certainly was not God’s best for His chosen people. God’s best for those who are follows of His Son is first to recognize His authority over all the heavens and the earth. Second that we are not to fight against government,but be a model citizen as witness that there is a God! Of course when the laws of man over ride the laws of God, we as believers are to submit ourselves to the Laws of God.In the Book of Daniel we have the poplar account of the three Jewish boys that were taken into captivity in Babylon and they were indoctrinated into the culture, with the schooling and the language and even having their Jewish names taken away and given Babylonian names. They submitted to all what the government imposed upon them, but when it came to worshiping the gold image, they had a higher Law and that of God and they refused to obey even under threat of death. Da 3:16-17 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego answered and said to the king, "O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter.17 "If that is the case, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O king.
18 "But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up."
It is so important for us as believers never to forget who we are in Jesus Christ and that we belong to a different kingdom. We are no longer citizens of this world, but that our citizenship is in heaven
Php 3:20 For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. We have the promises of God, we have received every mercy from Him. We as believers remain in this world by the will of God to bring attention to His name which is above all names! To be light to the lost, to guide them to the source of the light Jesus Christ. So that the world in which Jesus Christ came into to save the sinner may know that salvation is a free gift that the mercy of God is for all men. That Jesus came to tell us about an eternal citizenship. We as believers are a part of that work. We as believers live under the same government that non believers live under, but they do not have the same hope and promises that we as believers have. So it is important that they see a different citizenship that is not from man but from God. They suffer in many cases just the same as Christians under dictatorial regimes but they do not have the perspective that we are provided with. As a believer it is important that we show that our God is over all the governments and that we possess a peace from God that surpasses human understanding even when the authority over us may be difficult and even dangerous. This is the "peace" the lost world in which we live needs to see. We as followers of Christ are to be a witness of the confidence that Our God is over all governments of the earth. If as believers we find ourselves fighting, complaining and resisting the authorities above us, We portray a lack of confidence in the One we claim to be God over the entire universe and we can send the wrong message to someone God is trying to draw close to Him. We are to represent Christ and so our faith is never to be in the government but in the true and living God. It is perhaps one of the reasons that the earlier church spread throughout the world within 30 years. The pagan world saw a peace and confidence in the early Christians. Historians recorded about this group of people they called Christians and it was said they were model citizens that got the notice of even the Roman Empire because their submission to their authority. It was that witness under the influence of the Holy Spirit that the world was changed.
