In this last post we will look at the implied limitation in Romans 13:1-7 to our submission to governing authorities and we will also look at the bearing this entire body of teaching has upon our paying taxes and honoring government leaders.
4. THE IMPLIED LIMITATION WITHIN PAUL’S EXHORTATION IN VERSES 3-4 TO
SUBMIT TO GOVERNMENT.
When we look closely at this text (and especially understand it in the light of the rest of the Bible), we discover there is implied limitation to our government submission. To understand this text and to make sure we don’t make it say more about the submission than Paul intended for it, we need to look at this evidence.
There’s
Something “Fishy” Going On Here
The best way to see this is to understand that if Paul were advocating absolute obedience or submission to governing authorities, he would have been better off to leave out vv. 3-4. After all, that is the “fishy” part of the text that gives to it an unrealistic ring when we try and make it absolute.
Now some of you might say, “Ahh, Tom, that is where we have you. You see, in Titus 3:1 Paul does simply say, “…be submissive to rulers and authorities….” And you would be mostly right. But I purposefully left out the first part of Paul’s exhortation there: “Remind them to be submissive to rulers and authorities….” In other words, they had been taught on this previously and knew about it. It is likely Paul gave a fuller teaching earlier, similar to Romans 13, and was merely giving the reminder in Titus 3.
You see, Paul knew of plenty of examples in his own life (how authorities dealt with Jesus; how they had dealt with him, etc.) in which governing authorities did the opposite of what he says in vv. 3-4.
Six or seven years prior to writing this epistle Paul experienced a beating and imprisonment at the hands of Roman magistrates in Philippi (see Acts 16:19-24). Paul clearly knew that the ideal he has set forth in this paragraph does not always happen. Prior to the incident in Philippi he was also stoned and almost killed in Lystra (Acts 14:19). See also 2 Cor. 11 and all that Paul had suffered—much of which was at the hands of government officials!
It is true that when Paul wrote the epistle to the Romans the emperor Nero was not that bad an emperor yet. But certainly, by the time Paul wrote Titus and by the time Peter wrote 1 Peter (see Peter’s admonitions in chapter 2 that are similar to Romans 13), Nero had displayed his evil side and had turned upside-down the very teaching of Paul here in vv. 3-4.
This first bit of evidence suggests Paul is affirming a general principle about governments, he is affirming how God intends for them to function, he is affirming government is better than no government, and he is teaching the starting point and the main relationship a citizen should have to government, esp. a Christian citizen. He is not giving an exhaustive and absolute treatment of the subject.
God
Intends For Government Officials To Defend, Protect, And Approve Of Law-Abiding
Citizens And To Punish Those Who Are Law Breakers
Consider the treatment of George Floyd in Minneapolis by the police officer who murdered him. That was a case of one who was in the position in which he was to be a minister of God that served law and order, yet he became a serious law breaker. We all recognize that the three other officers should have intervened. Their passivity was not good, even though it could be construed as absolute submission to authority. No, we all understand there comes a time when justice is turned upside-down, i.e. when government officials need to be opposed and even removed from their positions.
What colonial America did in the 18th century, when they fought for their freedom, was to oppose a government that had turned God’s justice upside-down and was no longer rewarding the law-abiding or penalizing the law-breaker.
Yet, at the same time, if we are to abide by this text, we should see armed and violent removal as only a last resort. We first seek to oppose and remove unjust government officials through law and order and through the ballot box. This is why the founders of this country, in following the wisdom of biblically-saturated leaders and thinkers who had gone before them, wanted a constitutional republic, i.e. a form of government in which there are checks-and-balances and accountability by the people, who could peacefully remove bad leaders in favor of those who would operate according to the wisdom and justice of God.
Government
Ministers Are To Carry Out God’s Wrath On Those Things God Opposes
In other words, Paul is affirming that ideally government leaders are to represent justice as defined by God. The implication is that when the government leaders themselves become the law breakers they are to be removed and punished. As such, their continued leadership should be opposed by citizens and their punishment should be supported. At that point citizens are no longer submitting to those government leaders—and rightly so!
The
Use Of The Verbs Translated “Resists” In Verse Two
This implies that the government is to carry out God’s will and that when a person opposes or resists such government, they are opposing the will and justice of God himself in rebellion.
Yet, when citizens oppose the unjust taking of life, sexual sin, theft, lying, etc., are they opposing God? The answer is a resounding, “No!” Yet, Paul does say we are opposing and rebelling against God when we resist governing authorities who are doing even a reasonable job of bringing law and order to society.
This carries with it an implication that a time can arise when government leaders need to be opposed and/or removed from office.
Paul’s statement on conscience in v. 5 suggests that the submission to government is not absolute and does not include submission to outright injustice and/or that which opposes the commands of God (cf. Acts 5:29). In that event it would violate the Christian’s conscience to continue to submit.
The
Testimony Of The Rest Of Scripture
This teaching in Romans 13:1-7 does not imply that we should think of everything a ruler does as good! “John the Baptist rebuked Herod ‘for the evil things that Herod had done’ (Luke 3:19). Daniel told Nebuchadnezzar, ‘Break off your sins by practicing righteousness’ (Dan. 4:27). Old Testament history contains many stories of kings who ‘did what was evil in the sight of the LORD’ (1 Kings 11:6, et al.). Therefore we should say that governmental rulers do ‘good’ when they carry out their responsibilities in a just…way, following God’s principles for government.”[1]
Keep in mind that simply because God has ordained government for the overall good of society and that in his providence he allows leaders to come to power (Dan. 2:20-21), does not mean he places his stamp of (moral) approval on every leader, nor that he opposes the removal of unjust leaders.
Mere
Imperfection Is Not A Warrant To Disobey Or Remove A Government
It is just as equally important and necessary that we quickly affirm imperfect governments are not in and of themselves a rational for the implied exception. After all, the governing authorities under whom the Romans lived were very imperfect. There is a strong difference between a government that seeks to be guided by rule of law, but does it imperfectly and one in which the governing authorities have become a law to themselves and have turned upside down the purpose of government and/or are commanding people to go against the will of God and/or have thrown out justice altogether. Jesus modeled this principle as the perfect one submitting to those not perfect (Lk. 2:50-51).
So, there does come a time when the citizen (even Christian citizen) can and should seek to remove governing authorities in a manner that honors both the command in v. 1 and the implied exception of vv. 3-4. We must honor both the call to obey government and the implied obligation to remove unjust governments or government officials.
Much damage is done to the church, her testimony, and to society itself when pastors and teachers are careless with this text—either ignoring it and teaching anarchy (or rebellion) or in suggesting it calls for absolute submission. This text, then, is an example of why we need pastor-theologians in the pulpit and classroom.
IV. THE MAIN COMMAND IS ALSO AT THE HEART OF WHY WE OWE TAXES AND
HONOR TO GOVERNMENTS AND GOVERNMENT LEADERS. 6-7
Finally, we discover in verses 6-7 that since reasonably good and just government is a good thing, we should pay taxes to support it in its limited purposes and we should also give such leaders proper honor. Without further comment, here is what Paul writes: “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.”
[1] Wayne Grudem,
Politics
According To The Bible, 80-81.
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