Serving God includes submitting to human government. As Christians represent the Lord s kingdom on earth, it is our duty to respect and obey our earthly leaders. The Sovereign Ruler of the universe has delegated to them certain authority to make and enforce laws which identify and punish evil. This ideally benefits the ministry of the Church. As Paul has been explaining, Christian service inevitably encounters the hostility of God s enemies. The believer s charge is to respond in a way that honors God by reflecting the character of Christ (12:17-21). Those in government are sometimes also aggressively opposed to the Gospel. However, human law and those who enforce it are still used by God to keep sin in check. This enables law-abiding Christians to live quiet and peaceable lives in all godliness and honesty (1 Tim. 2:1-4). The less opposition, the more freely we can engage in the work of the kingdom. The apostle first noted in Romans 13:1-2 that we have a responsibility to human authority whose position is by divine appointment (v. 1). Second, he emphasizes that disobeying that authority is tantamount to disobeying God. If we disobey, we should expect nothing less than punishment under that authority (v. 2). In the next five verses, he not only elaborates on the role of government, but he gives us specific reasons for obedience and our requirements for supporting it. 1
Serving God: Submission to Government - Part II (13:3-7) Role of Government (vv. 3-4) The role of human government is, as noted earlier, to regulate man s sinful behavior. It serves as a deterrent to the evil inclinations of fallen human nature by upholding God s moral absolutes. In short, the fear of punishment is a powerful motivator. Human rulers, says Paul, are not a terror to good works, but to evil (v. 3a). In other words, the very fact that government can punish evil motivates moral behavior. The desire of the human heart is naturally selfish and thus prone to mistreating others (Gen. 6:5; Jer. 17:9). However, this means that his natural tendency is also self-preservation. Therefore, if he fears unfavorable consequences for an action, he is less likely engage in that action. So the Lord ordained government to punish evil based on His righteous standards (Gen. 9:5, 6; cf. Rom. 13:8-10). As Paul noted in Romans 2:12-16, we have an innate sense of morality and a conscience to provide guilt when it is violated. Human authority is most effective when its laws are rooted in God s righteous principles. If not, then immoral behavior increases, and lawlessness ultimately abounds (Rom. 1:18-32). We are, however, still obligated to submit to human authorities. The only exception is when they demand that we directly disobey God. Then we must obey the Lord at all cost (Ex. 1:17; Dan. 3:16-18; 6:7-10; Acts 4:18-20). 2
History reflects a cycle of law leading to morality and then immorality leading to lawlessness. Even just laws are ultimately eroded by the incessant immoral desires of man. Society at every level then begins to crumble and inevitably goes into a moral free fall. Kings and kingdoms have risen and fallen based on this principle (e.g. Esther; Prov. 21:1-3; Dan. 2:20-4:36). But Paul is speaking from an idealistic perspective. If government operates as God intends, then society is predominantly peaceful and Christians benefit. Paul then asks, Do you want to be unafraid of the authority (v. 3b)? He is in essence saying, Here is how you submit. You should Do what is good, and you will have praise from the same (v. 3c). There is no reason to be afraid of doing what is right. If you are persecuted anyway, it is for the glory of God (1 Pet. 4:12-19). If a law is grounded in God s moral principles, then we who love God should willingly obey it. The reward (i.e. praise ) from the government is that your life is usually more peaceable. Obedience to human law strengthens society, and a moral society is much more favorable to us. Human authority is, in fact, God s minister to you for good (v. 4a). This means that God put it there to maintain a peaceful society, which allows you more freedom to serve Him. That is good for us, assuming that our service to God is bearing good fruit. If we are not busy doing His will, then we are wasting precious time, even if our activities are not inherently bad (1 Cor. 3:9-15). 3
However, the remainder of verse four addresses lawless behavior: But if you do evil, be afraid; for he does not bear the sword in vain; for he is God s minister, an avenger to execute wrath on him who practices evil. You see, if we violate human law, it will not be beneficial for us. We are subject to punishment just like everyone else -- even capital punishment if that matches the crime ( bear the sword ; Deut. 19:20-21; cf. Matt. 26:52; Acts 25:11). Human authorities have a God-ordained obligation to punish ( execute wrath ) all who break the law ( him who practices evil ). God makes no exceptions for His children. He commands us to be law-abiding citizens wherever we reside. Again, as verse two teaches, resisting human authority is rebellion against the Lord. He never take that lightly. Reasons for Obedience (v. 5) That is all the more reason to be obedient. Thus verse five calls us to obedience for two reasons: Therefore you must be subject, not only because of wrath but also for conscience sake. The first reason is to avoid punishment. If we disobey, then we deserve the appropriate punishment under the law. But this unnecessarily hinders our ability to serve God. We should not want to limit ourselves so foolishly. If we are punished for doing right, then it is for the glory of the Lord. But if it is for wrongdoing, then we simply got what we deserved (1 Pet. 2:18-20). 4
The second reason is to avoid a guilty conscience. When Christians sin, our conscience should be so sensitive that we cannot go forward until we confess and repent. The thought of disappointing God truly pains His children. Although we may, in the weakness of the flesh, disobey Him, it is not the desire of our spirit (Rom. 7:15-25). Confession and repentance restores fellowship with God and strengthens us to continue (1 Jn. 1:9). Our sense of obligation to God should make obeying human authority a non-issue. Knowing that it is His will to submit should be enough to vanquish any thoughts of rebellious behavior. Paul was always careful to set an example of good citizenship. In Second Corinthians he writes: For our boasting is this: the testimony of our conscience that we conducted ourselves in the world in simplicity and godly sincerity, not with fleshly wisdom but by the grace of God, and more abundantly toward you (1:12). His conscience was clear, because he knew that, by the grace of God, his behavior in the world aligned with the Lord s will. He realized that this only bolstered His ministry in the Church. Unbelievers may obey human authority in order to avoid experiencing guilt, but they have no true desire to obey God. Their primary motivation is to avoid physical judgment and limitations to their freedoms to do as they please. For the Christian, however, submission to human authority has the added incentive of a clear conscience before God. 5
Requirements for Believers (vv. 6-7) Finally, Paul teaches us that submission to government also means supporting it financially. This certainly cuts across the grain of man s selfish nature, but it only makes sense. Laws cannot be made and enforced if citizens do not respect the authorities and provide the resources necessary to carry out their responsibilities. Government certainly becomes tainted by man s sin, and we all know that taxation is often excessive (Lk. 19:1-10). God nonetheless establishes the precedent for both. For instance, the tithe established for Israel under the Mosaic covenant was to support its form of government. Most provided for the Levitical priesthood which administered the Law, maintained temple worship and distributed to the poor and needy. Free will offerings were voluntary, but the tithe (roughly 23% - a cumulative total) was required (cf. Lev. 27:30; Deut. 14:22, 28, 29; 26:12), and their kings likewise imposed taxes to support their rule (cf. 1 Sam. 8:10-18; 17:25). We find nothing contradictory in the New Testament Scripture. Jesus commanded His disciples to pay tax to authorities -- even corrupt authorities -- and taught them to do so by example (Matt. 17:24-27; 22:15-22; cf. Matt. 23:1-3). 6
Since God has established human government and delegated authority to it, Christians are obligated to support it. For because of this, says Paul, you also pay taxes, for they [i.e. human authorities] are God s ministers, attending continually to this very thing (v. 6). Their responsibility is ongoing, and God calls for the appropriate funding of government by the citizenry. The first part of verse seven gives us the scope of that taxation: Render therefore to all their due: taxes to whom taxes are due, customs to whom customs... Here we see several things: 1) Tax is not voluntary...it is owed ( due ). There is no option for us. 2) Tax must be paid to all authorities who require it. If it is required of us, then God will provide, and we should allot for that (Matt. 17:27; cf. Matt. 6:19-34). 3) We must pay tax for various things, even when it is burdensome. The word taxes describes tax paid specifically by individuals living under the rule of a conquering ruler. In New Testament times, it was typically a combined property and income tax. The word, customs, is a reference to taxes and tolls on goods. Obviously, if there is a legal, ethical loophole, then we can take advantage of that. However, we are to maintain integrity in all such matters. The way we handle our taxes definitely reflects Christian character. 7
Paul likewise commands respect for human authority. Submission requires that we recognize their rule as delegated by God. We must Render [i.e. give]...fear to whom fear, honor to whom honor (v. 7b). Again, this is their due. This means that we genuinely respect their position. We may not like them or trust them personally, but we are to respect their authority. We know that God has placed them there. If they are dishonest and unjust, then we should pray for God to rebuke them (Jude 9) and bring them to repentance and faith (1 Tim. 2:1-4). A Christian s service to God requires submission to human government. We have a responsibility to obey, and we will be punished if we do not. By God s design, their role is to punish evil and reward good. We should obey, not only to avoid punishment but to maintain a clear conscience before God. And we are required by the Lord to be respectful of our leaders and to pay the taxes we owe. If we are the Lord s servants -- justified by His grace through faith in His Son Jesus Christ -- then this should not be a burdensome thing. As someone has said, we have not been set free from sin to live as we please. Rather, we are set free to do His will -- to live a righteous life. Such a life requires that we represent the Lord faithfully as His ambassadors to the world (2 Cor. 5:20-21). 8