Two years ago, before COVID19, I started preaching through the Belgic Confession, not really having thought too much about the relationship of the Christian citizen with the government. Now because of COVID19, it has become one of the most talked about issues. I have not spent much time on social media, but I hear from my wife the discussion is raging around the world.
there are thousands of sermons out there, more articles, each with their own opinion.
But here we are…And the question becomes, “Who am I to think that I can add anything?” Well, I can’t. No one can. But God can. I am not here to convince you of a certain position. I am here to preach God’s word. What stands there.
Now a few points to start out with.
- You cannot place the text that we have before us as the final word on our relationship with government. The word must be compared with the word. And we must be careful to elevate one text above another, as if there could ever be disagreement in the word.
- You may think, “What does politics have to do with anything?” Afterall, are we not born again – belonging to the kingdom of God. What does the kingdom of man have to do with the kingdom of God? In Paul’s day there might have been that temptation too – which is why Paul adds this section. John Calvin wrote on this in the institutes he said, “For although this subject seems from its nature to be unconnected from the spiritual doctrine of faith which I have undertaken to treat, it will appear as we proceed that I have properly connected them, nay that I am under the necessity of doing so.
- Because of the nature of this topic, I have decided to spend two weeks on this topic.
Finally, before we continue one more quote that I think sums up our time. This one come from John Calvin “on the one hand frantic and barbarous men are furiously endeavoring to overturn the order established by God. And on the other the flatterers of princes extolling their power without measure hesitate not to oppose it to the government of God. Lest we meet both extremes the purity of the faith perishes.” Lest we meet both extremes the purity of our faith perishes. So, lets meet both extremes with the truth of Scripture.
Overemphasizes and under emphasizes. So enamored with state authority that they put it above the government of God. So dismissive of authority that you only submit when you feel like it – which is really no submission at all. With that in our minds let get started.
“Let every person be subject to the governing authorities.”
- God is the source of all Human authority
- What this means
God is the source of all Human Authority
“Let every person be subject to the governing authorities.” Be Subject. We simply cannot avoid that word. And a sinner we generally do not like that word. Submission is what happens when someone tells you to do what you don’t want to do, and you obey anyway. Have you ever done anything that you did not want to do because of authority? If not, you have never felt the weight of this clause. From the beginning it has been our desire to be free from all law all restraint. Free from Gods law. By nature, we are rebels. That is what the sinner is. But until we are subject to God’s reign, we will never be free. Freedom is not a lack of all restraints. True freedom is willingly placing yourself under authority for the sake of Christ. The theologian was right when he said, "The first duty of every soul is to find not its freedom but its Master.”
To be subject is something that every human is called to from the beginning of their life because that is how God has ordered all of human society. The word “subject” is the same word that is used when the church is called to be subject to elders, or children when they are called to be subject to parents, or slaves when they are called to be subject to masters, or wives when they are called to be subject to their husbands. It is even used of Jesus when he was subject to his parents. Or of Jesus when he is putting all things in subjection under him. To be human is to be subject.
“Let every person be subject to the governing authorities.”. Every person. There is no exception. The Greek uses emphatic language here. Our temptation in the modern age of rugged individualism with the luxury of democratic governments is to drown this command in a thousand qualifications. And exempt ourselves as much as possible. Our temptation is right away to go, “Yes, but…” We want to quickly gloss over this and talk about the extent of government authority, so that we can find out whether we should obey or not. We will get there. But not so fast. Why? Because that is not where Paul starts, that is not the starting point of scripture, and that will not be our starting point.
verse 1, “For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God.” God in his word shows us that he has ordered society in this way – and he is the source of all authority., “now wait a minute, you say, “would that not only be authority that meets certain requirements and qualifications.” Indeed, certain theologians argue that, but I do not see it in the plain reading of this text, or more generally in scripture. Look at all the kings of Israel that murdered their predecessor, and yet the Bible still calls them kings, and counts them among the kings, even though they ascended to power wickedly.
God is the one that set ups kings and rulers. In Exodus 9:16 God says to Pharoah, an evil tyrant, “But for this purpose I have raised you up, to show you my power, so that my name may be proclaimed in all the earth.” God made Pharoah king. Daniel 2:21, “He changes times and seasons; he removes kings and sets up kings; he gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding;” And this is response to an answer on nebuchadnezzars dream, where he is about to tell the king the geopolitical future of the world. Why? Because God ordained it so. Every kingdom. Every ruler. He grants them authority. As Psalm 75 says, “but it is God who executes judgment, putting down one and lifting up another.” All authority on earth is derived.
Proverbs 21:1 says, “The king's heart is a stream of water in the hand of the Lord; he turns it wherever he will.” Does it just say certain kings, or kings that acknowledge God’s authority? NO! All kings! Jesus says to Pilate, “you would have no authority if it had not been given you from above” In other words Jesus confesses that Pilate – the wicked, scheming, self-centered ruler had real derived authority for a time from God to condemn Jesus, the son of God, to death. The man standing before him, was giving him the authority to stand there! It was a misuse and abuse of authority, but it was nonetheless real authority.
“There is no authority except from God – and those that exist have been instituted by God.”
Dear church it is not the vote of the people that give authority to Cyril Ramaphosa, Alan Winde, Don Plato, or national and provincial legislators. Those are the means he used to put them in authority, but not the reason for their authority. It is not the constitution that give authority – it is sovereign almighty God in whose hand is their heart. And he directs them where he wills. He has placed them in authority over those who are living in this land. And they are accountable to God.
What this Means
First let’s talk about what it would have meant for the authorities of that age, and secondly what it means for us. It is clear from this passage that we see God is the supreme authority. The only one with absolute authority, who demands unquestioning, immediate, and absolute obedience. There is no authority outside of him. This is a wakeup call to political authority in every age. In the age where Caesar is Lord this statement comes as a clear rebuke. No, he is NOT! God has given Caesar power to rule for a time and for a season. God gives authority and God can strip it in a day. Because it is all in his hand. God needs no permission. Needs no voting in. He is an absolute monarch. This would have been a shock to the roman world who saw the Caesar as the absolute monarch.
Wright writes, “If Caesar is giving himself divine honors, Paul will remind the early Christians that he is not in fact divine, but that he receives his power from…the one true God …The passage constitutes a severe demotion of Caesar and his pretensions, not a charter for him to do as he pleases.” Dear church from Pharoah to David, from Nebuchadnezzar to Julius Caesar, from Stalin to Hitler, to Trump, to Biden, to the queen, to P.G. Botha, to Ramaphosa. All of them are answerable to Almighty GOD who placed them there for his own purposes. All of them are answerable for the use and at times terrible abuse of the authority that they had been given.
What does this mean for us? Look at verse 2 with me, “Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgement
This word for “resist” is a present verb meaning this person is an ongoing state of resistance. It means that a person is in a state of rebellion in his attitude and actions. And this should not be the ongoing all-encompassing state of a Christian. No. the Christian is characterized by submission. And submission to authority is submission to God. Just like resisting unnecessarily parents, elders, or master is being in a resisting state against God.
We show our submission to God by submitting to those God has placed in authority over us. Children to parents, slaves to masters, members to elders, wives to husbands, citizens to authority. “Therefore, whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgement.”
What are our expectations of our children? That they obey, right? If the first question our children ask is whether they can be disobedient, they are starting at the wrong place. Or ask for ten reasons why they should obey.
As one theologian says “Our disposition should not be, prove to me that I have to be obedient. If an authority needs to show itself worthy of authority before you submit, you will never submit to anyone. For no one is worthy of your submission.” At the end of the day only Jesus is worthy of the authority. And it is because of him that we are subject. Not because the government is so worthy.
That is not to say we must always obey. We are going to get into that next week. For now, we can say simply, If God is the highest authority. If his will is supreme. Then you must not submit to your parents when they require of you what God forbids, or forbid what God requires. You must not submit to the elders if they require of you what God forbids or forbid what God requires. And you must not submit to government when they require of you what God forbids or forbid what God requires.
Yet even if we have to response to authority in a matter contrary to government, we do so with a disposition of being submissive.
In this we follow Jesus. He came to this earth in submission to the highest authority – His Father whose authority was delegated to the roman empire to crucify Jesus. So, “Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.” Thankfully it did not end there. We read on, “Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
Amen