Text for the Week: Living in the World

Scripture: Romans 13:1-10

 Let every person be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except from God, and those authorities that exist have been instituted by God. ² Therefore whoever resists authority resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. ³ For rulers are not a terror to good conduct but to bad. Do you wish to have no fear of the authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive its approval, ⁴ for it is God’s agent for your good. But if you do what is wrong, you should be afraid, for the authority does not bear the sword in vain! It is the agent of God to execute wrath on the wrongdoer. ⁵ Therefore one must be subject, not only because of wrath but also because of conscience. ⁶ For the same reason you also pay taxes, for the authorities are God’s agents, busy with this very thing. ⁷ Pay to all what is due them: taxes to whom taxes are due, revenue to whom revenue is due, respect to whom respect is due, honor to whom honor is due.

⁸ Owe no one anything, except to love one another, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. ⁹ The commandments, “You shall not commit adultery; you shall not murder; you shall not steal; you shall not covet,” and any other commandment, are summed up in this word, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” ¹⁰ Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore, love is the fulfilling of the law.

Questions

1. What is the relationship between the Roman Church and the government that Paul felt the need to provide this instruction?
2. How are we to understand the concept that there is no authority except that which comes from God, is this idea as straightforward as it might sound?
3. What does it mean for us to be subject to others based on conscience?
4. How are we meant to define the things due to others so that we know how best to give to everyone?

Background

Related Scriptures: Psalm 24; Matthew 5; Revelation 21

We do not know much about how early Christians related to the civil authority, but we do see considerable stress at points.

Emperor Claudius expelled Jews from Rome in AD 49-54 and this included Jewish Christians

Nero was the Roman emperor at the time Paul wrote this letter and it was entirely likely that Paul wrote this letter at the height of Nero’s attempts to reform the city’s tax laws that sparked civil unrest.

This passage seems to be more concerned with local government than the emperor per se, it seems that Paul’s advice is directed toward living at peace in the local community more than anything to do with what we call “the nation”.

Reflection

I wonder how the Christians in Rome, especially the Jewish Christians, responded when Phoebe read chapter 13 to them for the first time. Jews had been expelled from a decade before Paul wrote these words and had only been allowed back within the previous five years. There had been civil unrest due to taxes, and to cap it all off the infamous Nero was ruling the Empire. On top of these events in the city, these Christians lived in an environment that was committed to pagan ideals very different from theirs. In every way these Christians were a persecuted minority or at the very least a forgotten minority with no power. Paul comes into this reality with a message of submit and serve, do not worry so much about getting what you want, but simply try to be the best neighbors you can and in doing this show the world around you there is another way. Now, the  reality is that our modern society is structured completely differently from that which Paul was writing in and to. We today have far more potential responsibility within our civic system and this means we need to slow down as we read this passage, because a straightforward reading might simply leave one with the impression that we should simply back out of politics and take what comes no matter the consequences.

The first aspect of this passage that strikes me is the emphasis Paul places on good behavior; behavior that honors Jesus and our calling to live like him. Paul is probably thinking of the civil unrest that led to the Jewish banishment in AD49, and wants Christians to understand that such behavior only negatively impacts our witness. Instead he wants Christians to remember who they represent in the public sphere and not simply to speak for Christian values, but to live out Christian values as we are doing so. In today’s world this would mean that we can lobby for and support policies that promote our commitments to life, justice, and taking care of everyone. However, we must realize that when we attempt to promote these causes while showing anger, hostility, and contempt for others we are not witnessing to Christ, our commitment to Christian values matters, but not as much as how we present these values. In a world where the Roman empire is dead set against Christians Paul tells the Church to honor those people, to pray for them, to support them. Christians need to be easy to live with and show deference to those in authority because God has allowed them to hold those offices. In this Paul is building on Jesus’ words:

“But Jesus called them to him and said, “You know that the rulers of the gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones are tyrants over them.It will not be so among you, but whoever wishes to be great among you must be your servant,and whoever wishes to be first among you must be your slave,just as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve and to give his life a ransom for many.” Matthew 20:25-28

Paul is telling us to extend our ways of treating the family to the community around us so that we can demonstrate what life in Jesus’ kingdom is like. And in doing this if we are persecuted then we are persecuted for righteousness (Matt. 5:10-12), but if we are acting out in a way that discredits this ideal of service then of course the civil government does not bear the sword of punishment in vain, but they have the right because we have acted in a way that betrays our faith.

In all things we should, as far as it is possible be model citizens, supporting the community and our leaders, praying for them as we do for our leaders in the Church, hoping that they will listen to the moving of God. Paul wants the Church to recognize that the people outside our walls (and sometimes inside our walls) will see community differently, it isn’t important that all government is structured to fit our values, what is important is that even when, as in Rome, the government is either completely opposed to us or simply completely indifferent to our calling, we represent Jesus well. To do this we continue to show dignity and respect to others, even when they are not returning that kindness, we continue honor our duties and commitments, even when others are not using our resources they way we would like, we continue to supportively pray for those in authority even when they do not seem to care or to be trying to change. Our calling is to live as Christ lived, that means we can call out injustice in this world, however we must always recognize that we must do so in ways that bring honor to God and not lead people away from Christ.