Paul instructed believers living in Rome not to resist the government - its existence has been “arranged” by God – Romans 13:1-8.
What is truly exceptional is Paul’s instruction to show respect
and submission to “governing authorities” in an imperial system that was
anything but democratic, one ruled by an autocrat with absolute power. And at
the time, the empire was ruled by Nero, one of the most infamous of Rome’s emperors.
Yet despite the despotic nature of his regime, believers are summoned to accord
it respect and honor.
The existing powers have been “arranged” by God.
This translates the Greek verb tassō, meaning to “order, arrange,
set, appoint.” In other words, governing authorities exist at the “arrangement”
of God, whether we understand His reasons for the present arrangement or not.
In principle, this teaching was not new. Paul built his argument on
Old Testament precedents, including passages from Daniel. Near the start
of the Babylonian Captivity, Daniel declared that God rules over the affairs of
the nations - “He removes kings and sets up kings… He rules in the
kingdom of men, and gives it to whomever he pleases, and sets up over it even
the basest of men” - (Daniel 2:21, 4:17).
And because God has “arranged” the existing authorities, to
“resist” them is tantamount to resisting the “arrangement of God.”
For if He does give political authority to whomever He pleases, to oppose governing authorities is to
trespass upon His prerogative and challenge His sovereignty.
Over the centuries, church leaders have argued often that tyranny,
corruption, and incompetence constitute exceptions to Paul’s rule. In such
circumstances, Christian support for political and even violent revolution becomes
necessary, even justified. But that is an argument of expedience, not
principle, a form of the “end justifies the means.” Moreover, it
ignores the historical context of the Roman house churches.
First, Paul said nothing about exceptions to the rule.
Justifying insurrection and resistance based on the government’s repressive
policies or corruption is a loophole read into the text.
Second, Paul wrote to Christians living under a pagan,
authoritarian regime. The Roman Empire was anything but democratic
or just. Caesar held absolute power, and the government was notoriously corrupt
and brutal.
Third, at the time Paul wrote, Nero was Caesar,
a man so depraved that even by Roman standards he was beyond the pale. Among
other things, he murdered his half-brother and his mother. In a fit of rage, he
kicked his pregnant wife to death. Needing a scapegoat for the fires that
burned much of the city in A.D. 64, Nero blamed the conflagration on Christians,
thereby becoming the first emperor to persecute believers. And quite possibly,
Paul himself was executed in the ‘Neronian Persecution,’ the very same apostle
who ordered Christians not to resist the autocratic Roman State.
Considering New Testament principles and its apocalyptic perspective,
the teaching of Paul makes perfect sense. The disciple of Jesus is called to
give his total allegiance to Jesus and his Kingdom, a
political requirement that transcends all national, ethnic, social, cultural,
economic, and linguistic loyalties - (Galatians 3:28, Revelation 5:9-12,
7:9-17).
His disciple is a citizen of a realm that has no concept of “dual
citizenship.” Loyalty to Jesus must supersede all other allegiances, regardless
of the demands and expectations of family, employer, society, or the State. Moreover,
he tasked his church with proclaiming the gospel of the “kingdom of God”
to ALL nations, to summon all men to enter his domain and render
absolute allegiance to its king.
The only “revolution” that matters, and the only one that can
produce peace, hope, and life, is the kingdom of God. The day is coming when His
rule will replace ALL existing governments, and that day will coincide
with the “arrival” of Jesus in glory. That biblical declaration alone
tells us that no government in existence today will endure forever - (1 Corinthians 15:20-28).
In the interim, Christians are called to bear faithful witness to
that political reality while living in a fallen world. But
to work for change in the corrupt institutions of this age is to work for the “meat
that perishes,” and since the death and resurrection of Christ, the
institutions and “forms of this age have been in the process of passing away”
- (1 Corinthians 7:31).
The exhortation to obey even a despotic state like Rome ought to give us pause before immersing ourselves in the political process, let alone advocating rebellion against existing authorities. Any calls for Christians to disobey an unpopular government or officeholder must be rebuffed, if for no other reason because Scripture requires it.
Certainly, Paul was not naïve about the nature of the State, and
he certainly did not have an idealistic view of Rome. He had experienced
pressure, resistance, and persecution at the hands of Roman magistrates, among
others.
Christians are not to disengage from the world but to
engage it with the biblical means - faith, prayer, gospel witness,
acts of mercy, and above all, by emulating the self-sacrificial service of
Jesus for others.
We are NOT called to live our lives conformed to the
ideologies and values of this age. Yes, very often the State is unjust, even brutal,
which is precisely the point. Disciples of Jesus must not do evil so some
greater “good may come.” The ends do not justify the means! - (Romans
12:1-2).
The Cross of Christ is incompatible with any program or ideology
that calls for revolution, violence, or extra-legal activities against the
State. If the government persecutes Christians, they are called to persevere
through it while showing mercy and love to their persecutors. His disciples are
summoned to emulate him, and they are called to something far higher than the political
systems of this age, all of which are destined to disappear from the earth.
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