Submit To Your Authorities - Romans 13:1-7 (Sermon)

 

WELCOME 

Good morning, it is Palm Sunday. I love this time of year.  We celebrate Jesus’s Triumphal Entry into the city of Jerusalem. The people waved palm branches and shouted, Hosanna in the Highest, quoting Psalm 118, “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord” (Psalm 118:26). That is why we bought these palm branches. So that we, too, can recall Jesus' arrival in Jerusalem in a visible way. Jesus rode into the city on a donkey, fulfilling a prophecy of a coming monarchy, which stated:

            Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion [which was another name for Israel]! 

      Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem! 

                  Behold, your king is coming to you; 

      righteous and having salvation is he, 

                  humble and mounted on a donkey, 

      on a colt, the foal of a donkey. (Zechariah 9:9, ESV)

The excitement of the day was like an electrical field buzzing under the power lines. The average Jewish person was excited, anticipating what Jesus would do. They had been waiting for God to reveal himself for generations. It was a celebratory time: Passover. Men from all over the Middle East made a pilgrimage to offer sacrifices to Yahweh. Jesus and his small band of followers joined in. 

PASSOVER

Passover commemorated the freedom God made for his people from the tyranny of a government that enslaved them for over four hundred years. God had given warnings to the oppressive tyrant of Egypt. God sent him ten plagues to get his attention. The final one was the death of all firstborn sons, from royalty to livestock. Pharaoh didn’t capitulate. So God did what he said he would do. He sent an angel of death bringing wrath and vengeance. Yet, he passed over Israel. Before that judgment, he told his people to sacrifice an unblemished lamb. To put the blood on their doorways to signify a substitute death covered them. And the angel spared them. In the wake of grief and loss, Pharaoh ordered God’s children to vacate the premises immediately. That meant that God’s people were finally free. And year after year, decade after decade, century after century, God instructed his people to remember this miraculous occasion with a Passover celebration. Jesus was intent on doing just that when he arrived in Jerusalem with his friends. 

SLAVERY

Let’s back up to the situation that God’s people were freed from. What would we do if our government forced us to do slave labor? How do we live under authority we don’t like? What if that government asks us to do things that contradict what God tells us? Is there a way to resist while still honoring God? Today, we are going to talk about this. Our topic derives directly from the book of Romans, which we are working through verse by verse. 

BIBLE 

If you have a Bible, open up to Romans, Chapter 13. Starting at verse 1. I am going to be having C. & M. H. / P.H. read for us. Would you please stand with me in honor of God’s Word? 

Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, for he is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God’s wrath on the wrongdoer. Therefore one must be in subjection, not only to avoid God’s wrath but also for the sake of conscience. For because of this you also pay taxes, for the authorities are ministers of God, attending to this very thing. Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed. (Romans 13:1–7, ESV). 

PRAYER 

Let’s pray. Heavenly Father, when we think of the government and politics, we can get all hot and bothered. It can cause loads of stress in our lives. The news fires us up. Sound bites, pundits, and headlines cause ulcers in our souls. We need you. Help us to honor your Word as we live in this world. Help us to understand you and your call for our lives. In Jesus’s name, we pray. Amen. You may be seated.

CONTEXT 

Paul wrote to the church in Rome. It was made up of Jewish and non-Jewish people. He argued that the gospel was the power of God for salvation for all who believe. For the religious people, that was a challenge to those who didn’t think they needed salvation because of their relative goodness, spirituality, or family history. For the non-religious, it was a hope if they were looking for it. The reality is, none of us is born right before God. All of us are infected with a congenital disease of sin, whether we admit it or not. Through the gospel, God’s mercies include freedom from the slavery of sin, forgiveness, love, the Holy Spirit, Jesus’s intercession, spiritual adoption, spiritual inheritance, and eternal life. Amid these blessings and more, Paul challenged his audience to live lives of praise to God and of love towards people. He talked about genuinely caring for those inside and outside the church. In our passage, he explored how Christians expressed their faith in relation to governing authorities. 

POINT / STRUCTURE 

The passage begins with a call to action and breaks down into three sections: 

1-4 Submit to the government because God put it there for your good

5-6 A repetition and application 

7 A poetic response

The main point Paul was making was to submit to the government because it is there by God for your good, submit to the government because it is there by God for your good. How do we do that? How do we feel about submitting? How do we feel about submitting? How do we feel about submitting our will to the government’s will? The United States was built on a rebellion against taxation without representation. Perhaps you have heard the Latin phrase “Sic semper tyrannis”? It is the state of Virginia’s motto, Thus always with tyrants. Which means that tyrants will be overthrown, like King George III’s rule over the thirteen colonies. Another motto from the revolutionary era is, “Don’t Tread on Me.” I saw a yellow flag with the motto and a rattlesnake flying on the back of a pickup yesterday at Lowe’s. Here in America, we love our freedom and liberty, our autonomy and rights. We prefer equality over hierarchy, and democracy over monarchy. But that is culture. What does the Bible say? 

SECTION 1: SUBMIT TO GOVERNMENT 

Turn with me to Romans 13, Verse 1: 

“Let every person be subject to the governing authorities” (Romans 13:1a, ESV).

Stop there. Every person. Is there anyone outside everyone? No. All of us, all of Paul’s audience, need to be subject to authority. Who are they? In Paul’s day, there was Caesar, the governors, the military, the Jewish council, and the High Priest. In our day, we have parents, bosses, and government officials. Verse 1 means we need to subject ourselves to them. That is doable when we are the parent, boss, or potentate, but it can be incredibly difficult when we are not. Right? 

WHY? 

Why did Paul write this? Keep reading: 

“Let every person be subject to the governing authorities for there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God” (Romans 13:1, ESV).

The reason we are subjecting ourselves to these authorities is twofold. First, God has the ultimate authority. Second, authorities have power by God’s decree. This means, when we follow the government, in a sense, we are submitting ourselves to God. We are placing our faith not in a human system or person, but in God.

GOD SETS UP LEADERS 

Hold on. Wait a minute. This means God is the one who put our president in power. [PAUSE] Some of you hear that and are like, “That is right. Preach it!” Others want to walk out. This text also means that God put the prior president in power as well. You see, whether it is Trump, Biden, Obama, Bush, or Clinton, they were all put there by God. Why do I say that? The Bible says it. The psalmist wrote: “God who executes judgment, putting down one and lifting up another” (Psalm 75:7, ESV). He was referring to rulers. Daniel wrote in Chapter 2 of his book, “He [God] removes kings and sets up kings” (Daniel 2:21, ESV). Jesus said to Pilate, “You would have no authority over me at all unless it had been given you from above” (John 19:11, ESV). God was, is, and always will be in control, so we can subject ourselves to evil dictators and beneficent prime ministers out of reverence for God, who is on the throne. 

VERSE 2

The corollary is true. Verse 2:

“Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment” (Romans 13:2, ESV).  

If we resist authorities that God puts in our lives, we resist God. And consequently, we will face judgment. How? That might mean we get pulled over for speeding. It might mean we get audited by the IRS for cheating. And if we escape the watchful eye of an imperfect system, God sees and judges. 

VERSE 3

Paul already laid out the motivation for obedience in chapters 1 through 12: the mercies of God. God loved us when we were unloving. He overcame our evil with his good. By following our government, we can express our faith in God and his Word. Will we trust him or not? Will we believe the Bible or not? Will we obey God or not? God’s mercy can be the engine for action. 

FUEL PLUS

And if it does not motivate, Paul gives us more fuel: 

“For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval” (Romans 13:3, ESV). 

In general, not always, but in general, we don’t have to be afraid of the government if we follow it.

D.M.

I was meeting with a businessman this week, and he told me he strives to comply with the laws of the land. He wants to be honest. And if he ever gets questioned, he doesn’t have to worry because, as far as he knows, he is doing right. He has no fear. You see, one of the benefits of following God is that we don’t have to fear being punished for wrongdoing, because we aren’t. 

SPEEDING

I think of it like this. If I am going to drive, I try to stick to the flow of traffic and the speed limit. If I do that, when I pass any of our officers like Justin, Will, Ronny, Ryan, or Chuck, I don’t have to sweat. And, if I am texting while driving, then I should be concerned. Thus, Paul ends verse 3 with a command, more forceful than before. Do what is good. Do what is lawful. 

APPROVAL

And not only do we gain freedom from fear, but we have another motivation: approval. Follow the rules, and you will receive approval. Whose? The governments, God’s? Maybe both. For sure God’s. May he say of us on Judgment Day, “well done good and faithful servant… enter into the joy of your master (Matthew 25:21).” Let us obey authorities out of our faith for the ultimate authority.  

WHY 4

Turn to verse 4. Listen once more to Paul’s rationale: 

“For he [the governing authority] is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God’s wrath on the wrongdoer” (Romans 13:4, ESV). 

This verse tells us that God has appointed leadership to bring his judgment on the wrongdoer. And we often see that. People go to jail for crimes. They pay restitution for theft. In our church constitution, we recognize the important roles of church and state. We don’t want to confuse the two. They are different. They bear different authority. 

PETER CONFUSED THEM 

On the night that Jesus was betrayed, Peter grabbed a sword and cut off Malchus’s ear when Jesus was being arrested. Jesus rebuked Peter for taking matters into his own hands and resisting the governing authorities. He said he who lives by the sword will die by it (Matthew 26:52). There is a cost to vigilante justice. The sword was given to the state, not the church. The church has a different role, and Jesus knew this, instructing Peter about it. Our job, as a church, is to communicate God’s grace, mercy, and love through Jesus in the power of the Spirit. We are not to take revenge. God settles matters, in part through the state, and if not through the state, on Judgment Day. Justice will be served. You don’t need to worry about that.  

VERSES 5 AND 6

In the next section, Paul repeated himself and made an application. Look at verse 5: 

“Therefore one must be in subjection, not only to avoid God’s wrath but also for the sake of conscience. For because of this you also pay taxes, for the authorities are ministers of God, attending to this very thing” (Romans 13:5–6, ESV).

So why obey? To avoid God’s wrath and to keep your conscience clean. There is a way that if we do good, we don’t have to feel the prick of guilt. We don’t have to look in the rearview mirror as we pass an officer to see if his lights are on, or wonder if he is following us. We pay taxes to support the government’s law and order. And in a sense, we are funding a ministry, a ministry of justice. We call these governing authorities public servants. Even if they may not think of it that way, God calls our officers ministers and servants of his will. Friends, God can use Pharaoh, Nebuchadnezzar, and even a crazy tyrant to advance his divine agenda. God can and will bring good out of evil when he so chooses. 

PAUL’S CONCLUSION

Paul concluded, 

“Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed” (Romans 13:7, ESV). 

Poetically, Paul gives four obligations: taxes, revenue, respect, and honor to whom it is owed. Pay what you owe. 

FAMILY MEMBER OBJECTION

Have you ever met anyone who was so upset that they didn’t pay? I have. He was a distant relative. And what does the government do in such cases? They garnish wages. They take what is owed. Was it okay for my relation not to pay taxes? How would that fit with Romans 13:7? What would happen if all of us refused to pay? Our country would break apart, roads would get worse, our parks would be unkept, our public schools would close, and crimes would multiply. Friends, our government is not perfect, but it is a blessing. 

JESUS’S CAESAR 

Do you remember what Jesus said about taxes? He said, 

Show me the coin for the tax.” And they brought him a denarius. And Jesus said to them, “Whose likeness and inscription is this?” They said, “Caesar’s.” Then he said to them, “Therefore render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” (Matthew 22:19–21, ESV)

Friends, render to the United States what is the United States, and render to God what is God’s. If you don’t like how they spend your money, vote, run for office, or defect, but don’t not pay taxes. 

RESPECT AND HONOR 

What about respect and honor? Some politicians don’t seem to deserve it? Was Paul giving us an out? 

PETER

Let’s look at another passage and a contemporary of Paul, the apostle Peter. 1 Peter, Chapter 2:

Be subject for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme, or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good. For this is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people. Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God. Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor. (1 Peter 2:13–17, ESV)

Peter wrote to honor everyone, including the emperor. Who was he? The same as Paul’s: Nero. Who was he? Well, he liked playing the instrument called the lyre, racing chariots, and attending plays. That’s nice. But he also killed much of his family and burned down Rome, blamed Christians, and then killed them. He crucified Peter upside down and beheaded Paul because they followed Jesus’s teachings and talked about it (https://www.worldhistory.org/Nero/ ). Nero was a wicked autocrat. How then could Peter write, “Honor everyone…. Honor the emperor?” Was he wrong? Would he disagree, now that he is in heaven? I believe Peter and Paul would hold to what they wrote. How can we reconcile this call to honor dishonorable people? We can honor the office, not their behavior. We can honor the God who is sovereign over the principalities. We can honor the one who lifts and tears down. We can be respectful without agreement. 

RESIST

In fact, hear this, we can respectfully disobey governing authorities. What? Why do I say that, after all we talked about and read? Yes, we don’t always have to obey our authorities. Consider a situation in which Paul commanded one thing, while the governing authorities commanded the opposite. Whom should we obey? Who is the greater authority? Last week, Joe shared about Corrie Ten Boom, who and her family saved 800 Jewish people in World War II, even though it was against the law. Were they right to do that? Absolutely. Why do I say that? Well, let’s go back to the Bible. We have examples of God’s people rebelling against evil authorities and their commands, and God praised them for it. For example, 

• The Hebrew midwives in Egypt were told to kill the baby boys at birth. They rebelled. God commended them. 

• Moses’s parents were supposed to throw their baby boy into the Nile River to drown, but they put him in a reed basket. God commended them. 

• The household keeper of the Queen of Israel, Obadiah, hid one hundred and fifty prophets against the Queen’s wishes. God commended him. 

• Daniel kept praying to God, even though it was outlawed, and he was thrown into a lion’s den. Daniel was right in God’s eyes, and he commended him. 

ACTS 

And even Peter, the Apostle, rebelled against the rulers and authorities without being a hypocrite or two-faced. Look here:

And when they had brought them [Peter and the apostles], they set them before the council. And the high priest questioned them, saying, “We strictly charged you not to teach in this name [Jesus], yet here you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching, and you intend to bring this man’s blood upon us.” But Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than men. The God of our fathers raised Jesus, whom you killed by hanging him on a tree. God exalted him at his right hand as Leader and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins. And we are witnesses to these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him.” (Acts 5:27–32, ESV)

So, there is a way to respectfully resist authority that seeks to turn our allegiance from God. Yes, we are to seek to follow the laws of the land. However, if those same laws run counter to Scripture, then we defy the decrees and accept the consequences. 

FIERY FURNACE

Daniel 3 is a perfect example: 

Nebuchadnezzar in furious rage commanded that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego be brought. So they brought these men before the king. Nebuchadnezzar answered and said to them, “Is it true, O Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, that you do not serve my gods or worship the golden image that I have set up? Now if you are ready when you hear the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, bagpipe, and every kind of music, to fall down and worship the image that I have made, well and good. But if you do not worship, you shall immediately be cast into a burning fiery furnace. And who is the god who will deliver you out of my hands?” 

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered and said to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. If this be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king. But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.” (Daniel 3:13–18, ESV)

Friends, if they kill us, we go to heaven. If they keep us alive, we can continue to spread the good news about Jesus, our risen Messiah, the hope of the nations. We are the victors either way. God is our King of kings and Lord of lords. Let us live like we truly believe it. Our citizenship is in heaven, and by the power of the gospel, we can obey this teaching even in the darkest days for his great name. 

APPLICATION QUESTIONS 

So, what is our takeaway? 

1. What is your posture toward those in authority? 

2. What do you think it means that God has put them there? 

3. Are there ways that you rebel or resist obedience to the laws of the land? 

4. How might your posture toward those laws and lawgivers express your faith or doubt?

5. How can you show respect and honor to these authorities in your life this week? 

PRAYER

Let’s pray. Heavenly Father, thank you for your Word. I know in my heart of hearts, if I don’t like a rule, I don’t want to follow it. Help me to be honorable and respectful to those in authority. Sometimes I am not. At the same time, help our leaders, from President Trump to Governor Whitmer, from our judges on the Supreme Court to Berrien County Court, From our Congressmen and women. Help our military and law enforcement officers, our elected officials who attend our church. We ask that you will give them wisdom and win their hearts to submit themselves to your rule and reign in their lives. Help them to legislate and execute justice. And even when they don’t, help us to trust in you. You are final authority and good. You are wise and just. We put our hope and faith in you, in Jesus’s name, we pray. Amen. 

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