Notes on Romans 13

Obedience to civil authority was a recurring theme in Paul's writings, and for that reason something that God is concerned about. Even though government is godless in its motivation and action, it still exists only at God's pleasure. In a fallen world, it fulfills his purpose of providing order and security that otherwise would come from obedience to him. Human institutions are pale reflections of God's plan for the ordering of the world, but the alternative in our fallen state is utter chaos and confusion. God's desire for us, as Christians, is that we be good citizens, obeying the laws of the land and doing our share in paying taxes. In practical terms, that means we should obey the speed limits, not cheat on our tax returns, and exercise our right to vote for the officials who rule over us.

Our obligation ends, though, where civil law conflicts with, or contradicts, God's commandments as recorded in scripture. Where that line is drawn is a matter of dispute, but if we are compelled to act, or refrain from acting, in ways that run contrary to the clear guidance of scripture, our obligation to obey ends. We have for too long allowed a small group of demon-directed lawyers and politicians tell us when we can pray, how we witness of our faith, and what behavior we must countenance. Schools can teach that homosexuality is an acceptable "alternative lifestyle", but not the moral standards contained in the Bible. In California, churches who receive any form of government benefits, such as those under the federal Faith Initiative, can no longer "discriminate" in hiring on the basis of sexual preference. Some states and cities already have laws and ordinances on the books, or are considering such laws, that make witnessing of our faith a "hate crime"; a man in Pennsylvania was sent to prison for doing just that. Some of our children are faced with expulsion from school for telling their classmates about Christ. If we continue to placidly allow this erosion of our freedom to worship to continue, the day will come when just being a Christian will be a crime, as it is in many nations already. We must actively support candidates committed to the protection of our religious freedom, oppose those who aren't, and support organizations like the Christian Law Association who are defending that freedom in the legal arena.

The divine law, the one that overrides all others, is the law of love. Just as society's laws govern our relationships with one another, so does God's law. For most of its history, our country's laws have stood on the divine law as recorded in the Bible, but this is less and less the case. Nonetheless, our obligation as Christians is to treat those around us, even those who hate us and our faith, with the same concern, kindness, and compassion that Christ shows toward us. However we react to what other people do, our obligation to them as people does not change. We are to pray for them regardless of what they do or say to us, and, when occasion permits, minister to their needs, physical or spiritual. It is hard to ask God to bless the attorneys of the ACLU, or the directors of Planned Parenthood, but that is exactly what God expects us to do. Like Paul when he appeared before the Roman authorities, we must insist on and defend our rights, but we should never stop trying to win even our enemies to the cause of Christ.

If we act like the world, talk like the world, and think like the world, we are of no use to God. The church is a divided body, and it is small wonder that we have so little power when so many professing Christians embrace the lifestyle and attitudes of those around them. Not all who name the name of Jesus, and probably very few, actually know him as Savior and Lord, but even those who do know him don't really stand for him. We prefer to continue in our comfortable lifestyle, or a pursuit of such a lifestyle, and keep our faith in a box bounded by the four walls of a church building. Even in a good fundamental church like mine, members spend much of their time together talking about sports, cars, jobs, and houses, not about the Lord. Apart from a higher moral standard, there is little to distinguish our daily lives from those of our social and economic counterparts in the world. Some of us pray and read the Bible regularly, but there is little power in our daily witness. Our congregation is a closed club, and few from the outside world try to break into it. We love one another, we support missions generously, and we have a Christian school ministry that is second to none. As churches go, ours is alive and thriving, yet we do so little to reach out to the lost world around us. Our soul winning efforts are confined to those same faithful few who keep the other ministries of the church going, while the majority could seemingly care less. The sad thing is that our church is high on the scale of churches committed to ministry; the vast majority of even fundamental churches do far less. We really have not "put on Christ" in most cases, and the state of the church and Christianity in our society certainly reflects that. Instead of bewailing the fact, though, and complaining about others whom we cannot change, each of us needs to take what steps we can to allow Christ free reign in our own lives. Our responsibility ends there.