Submit to Our Governing Authorities?

Romans 13:1 says, “Let everyone submit to the governing authorities…”

Watching the election coverage over the last few months, it seems apparent that many people have become afraid of where our leaders on both sides are taking our country. And as a Christian, maybe you’re wondering if Christians even have a voice anymore. Maybe you’re wondering how bad things are going to get for us.

Now, I don’t want to belittle the fears we might have, but let’s think about the context of Paul’s letter to the Roman church. These seven words probably shocked them. “Let everyone submit to the governing authorities.” They were living under one of the most wicked and cruel emperors to ever govern the Mediterranean world. Nero took pleasure in killing Christians. He burned Christians as torches to light up his garden parties. He brought Christians by the hundreds into his coliseum as thousands watched them be mulled by lions. How could they just go along with the laws of the land? How could they place themselves under the authority of the people who were killing Christians for sport? How could they submit to a governing authority they didn’t trust?

How can we?

We must understand that even though we elected our governing authorities, God appointed them.

God put them in their places of authority – from our local law enforcement officials, city council members, and mayors all the way up to the President of the United States. God put them in their positions.

Look at the rest of verse 1. Paul writes, “Let everyone submit to the governing authorities, since there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are instituted by God.”

We place ourselves under their authority because God put them there. God’s been doing this from the beginning of time. God placed Adam and Eve in the garden to care for it and to multiply on the earth. God used Noah to save him and his family through a flood. God called Abraham to be the father of many nations. God raised Moses to lead a nation out of Egypt and establish the Law. God used judges in Israel to lead his people back to him and anointed kings over Israel to lead their country. And throughout all of history, no nation has existed without God establishing some type of government.

I wonder if we’re a nation that has forgotten God. That’s not a new thought. President Abraham Lincoln said the following words when he assumed leadership over a nation on the brink of Civil War on March 30, 1863.

We have been the recipients of the choicest bounties of heaven…But we have forgotten God. We have forgotten the gracious hand, which preserved us in peace and multiplied and enriched and strengthened us; and we have vainly imagined, in the deceitfulness of our hearts, that all these blessings were produced by some superior wisdom and virtue of our own. Intoxicated with unbroken success, we have become too self-sufficient to feel the necessity of redeeming and preserving grace, too proud to pray to the God that made us. It behooves us then, to humble ourselves before the offended power, to confess our national sins, and to pray for clemency and forgiveness.

If I were to write an open letter to the President, our Senators, our Congressmen, our Governor, and our city leaders, I couldn’t think of any more poignant words to use than those from Abraham Lincoln almost 162 years ago. Perhaps our nation has forgotten God. Our church family has not. And we must realize that God’s got a plan in the government he has established, under which we must submit because there is benefit in doing so. Let me give you just two benefits that we discover here in Romans 13.

1. They restrain evil.

2. They reward good.

Romans 13:2-5 says, “So then, the one who resists the authority is opposing God’s command, and those who oppose it will bring judgment on themselves. For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Do you want to be unafraid of the one in authority? Do what is good, and you will have its approval. For it is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, because it does not carry the sword for no reason. For it is God’s servant, an avenger that brings wrath on the one who does wrong. Therefore, you must submit, not only because of wrath but also because of your conscience.”

We expect criminals to be held accountable for their wrongdoings. Murderers, rapists, thieves, and lawbreakers ought to be brought to justice. Our government provides the authority to handle that. If you get caught breaking the law, you expect to be punished. If you get caught speeding down the highway, you expect to get a ticket. God has established our government to keep our people safe.

But what happens when the government forgets God? Let’s take a walk through history for a moment. When God wanted to take his people out of oppression and slavery in Egypt, he broke the will of a hardhearted Pharaoh with ten plagues and a stuttering Moses. When Israel rebelled against God by worshiping idols, he sent the Assyrians and Babylonians to destroy Israel. When Israel repented of their ways and returned to the Lord, he used Cyrus, the king of the Medes and Persians, to set his people free and return them to the Promised Land. When God was ready for Mary to give birth to Jesus, he put in charge a guy named Caesar Augustus, along with a guy named Quirinius, who issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world.

Galatians 4:4 says, “But when the right time came, the time God decided on, he sent his Son, born of a woman, born as a Jew,” (TLB).

It wasn’t just happenstance that the good news about Jesus’ victory over sin was sent out at a time when the world had the best roads in history, an efficient postal service, safe travel, and law and order. God had a plan.

Now, maybe you’re thinking, “That’s great, Jeremy. But what about the wicked rulers of the world?” What about the communists who tried to snuff out the Gospel? What about Hitler? What about Saddam Hussein? Osama Bin Laden? Al Queda? Isis? Yes, God established the authority of all those leaders. But the fact that they, as sinful human beings, abused that authority is their responsibility. It’s not God’s fault they did the evil things they did. The same is true about our immoral, corrupt, and crooked politicians in our own government. God established their authority. But ultimately, they’re responsible for their actions. And our job is to submit to their authority because they are established by God. It’ll be up to God how he will handle them.

Now, maybe you’ve never received a reward for obeying the law. So, how do they reward me for being good”. I like to say that there are blessings from God through government. Our government provides us with highways, libraries, schools, police and fire departments, and justice systems. They allow us to worship and practice our religion. They ensure free trade and fair business practices. They maintain our armed forces.

We might not like everything the government does, but God uses authorities to bless us.

Romans 13:6-7 says, “And for this reason you pay taxes, since the authorities are God’s servants, continually attending to these tasks. Pay your obligations to everyone: taxes to those you owe taxes, tolls to those you owe tolls, respect to those you owe respect, and honor to those you owe honor.”

Maybe you heard about the letter that came into the IRS one time that said, “I did not pay the taxes I should have this past year, and I have been unable to sleep. Enclosed is $150. If I still have trouble sleeping, then I will send the rest.”

God calls us to submit to our governing authorities.

That means I must meet my OBLIGATIONS to them.

Mark 12:17 says, “Jesus told them, ‘Give to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.’ …”

Let’s have an attitude toward our governing authorities that pleases God. Let’s obey the law, pay our taxes, and respect our authorities.

What could you do this week?

• Pray for them.

• Pray for their families.

• If you see a police officer or firefighter, take a moment to thank them.

• Write a letter to your state representatives, thanking them for what they do for you.

• Love everyone.

Let’s not get wrapped up in hate speech or anything like that. We’re called to love everyone.