Last time we spoke about how we submit to government. This week I want to touch a bit on the role of government and what it looks like when in an exception we must show a holy disobedience.
On the one hand do not expect too much from government. On the other hand, do not expect too little. In our secular age it tends to be the first. When God is left out of the picture Government tends to take its place, and all things become political.
As Christians we are called to hold them to account. WE submit not first to government, but first to Jesus. And we submit to government for Jesus' sake. Just as the prophets of the Old Testament called even foreign nations to account for their cruelty and oppression, so we are called to also be the prophetic voice of truth in this society. At the same time, we are not called to treat them as God. So, what do we expect from them. That’s the theme.
What to expect from government
- Expecting too little
- Excepting too much
- A response
Expecting too little
On the one had we can expect too little from the government. We read in our text that they appointed by God. Paul even calls the authorities “God’s servant” in verse 4 and a “minister of God” in verse 6. The Greek word is diákonos, from which we get our word deacon. Verse 6 calls these authorities “ministers of God.” The Greek word is leitourgos, from which we get our word liturgy. The civil magistrate is not an officer in the church, but his office in the world is a type of ministry.
As John Stott puts it, “Those who serve the state as legislators, civil servants, magistrates, police officers, social workers, even tax collectors, are just as much ministers of God as those who serve the church as pastors, teachers, evangelists, or administrators.” Od rules the world through these people. The governing authorities serve society by ministering on God’s behalf, just as elders and deacons are called to minister in the church on God’s behalf. Just as ministers as elder have a specific duty, so it is with the civil magistrates. It would not be right for the church officers to tell you what to eat, what to wear, where to work, exactly who to marry. Their authority is limited. So it is with the government.
They have been given this authority to resist evil and promote good. A godless world needs the order, and restraint that governments give. We confess, “we believe that, because of the depravity of mankind, our gracious God has ordained kings, princes and civil officers. He wants the world to be governed by laws and statues, in order that the lawlessness of men be restrained and that everything be conducted among them in good order.” As Abraham Kuyper the famous Dutch churchmen and prime minster stated, “Sin attacks God’s handiwork, Gods plan, Gods justice, Gods honor, as the supreme artificer and builder. Thus God, ordaining the powers that be, in order that…he might maintain his justice against the strivings of sin, therefore has given to the magistrate the terrible right of life and death.”
He goes on to say, “for a sinful humanity without law and government, and without ruling authority, would be a veritable hell on earth; or at least the repetition of that which existed on earth when God drowned the first degenerate race in the deluge.”
This is also clear in our text where we read, “For the 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.”
Our Lord Jesus Christ calls us to be the word of truth in society. To be in one sense the conscience of society. We should hold government accountable and call upon them to use this sword for to punish wrong and uphold that which is good. Call upon government to not take a bribe, to not favor the rich and oppress the poot, to jail murderers, to stand up against abortion, to protect women and children against abuse by making laws. To allow for worship to take place, and the word of God to be preached freely, as we read in the confession, “Their task of restraining and sustaining is not limited to the public order but includes the protection of the church and its ministry.”
You may say in general most laws government makes are to allow to function and restrain evil. If there were no laws on murder, rape, bribery, or corruption things would be even worse then they are! Thank God for government. If there were no speed limits, road rules, safety rules for buildings and roads, no laws on vehicle safety things would be a lot worse! Thank God for government. If there were no laws around private property, no laws protecting religion, and no laws protecting speech things would be a lot worse then they are! Thank God for government! O dear church we as the citizens of the kingdom of God must thank him for the authorities that he has placed over us. Are these laws perfect? No far from it, but the entire lack of all law and order and protection would be far worse. So, lets not expect too little from government. Lets use the right to vote. Lets speak up. But above all lets share the gospel. As paul did with so many in ruling positions. His first concern was they they would also be saved. Because that would transform them to submit to a high power above themselves.
Which brings us to our next point. We must not expect too much from Government.
Expecting too much
Today as society continues to grow more and more secular, government has taken on also a greater and greater role. In some places in the world everything has become a political battlefield from where one should go to the bathroom, to sports, to one’s gender. From sports, to sex, from childcare, to death everything is a political battle. As the understanding of Gods power grows dim, the powers that do exist in the world grow greater. Something must fill the gap, and more and more it seems like politics is doing that.
People may begin to look to the government as their source for wellbeing and satisfaction. We see this with the intensity with the political campaigns, we see this in how devastated people can be for a person when their political party part loses, as if life is coming to end. Dear church the government is not God – its role is limited, and time bound.
The reason for governments existence is limited to this sinful age. There will be a day when the rule of God will be all in all. Police, written laws, punishment, and prison are inconceivable in a world without sin. Sin alone has necessitated the institution of Government to restrain the sinfulness of humanity. It can only restrain. It can only deal with behavior, never with the heart. Government restrains, it does not save.
The government cannot save. Is not ultimate. As the Bibles reminds us, “Do not put your trust in princes, in human beings, who cannot save. When their spirit departs, they return to the ground; on that very day their plans come to nothing. Blessed are those whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord their God. He is the Maker of heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them— he remains faithful forever.
He upholds the cause of the oppressed and gives food to the hungry. The Lord sets prisoners free, the Lord gives sight to the blind, the Lord lifts up those who are bowed down, the Lord loves the righteous. The Lord watches over the foreigner and sustains the fatherless and the widow, but he frustrates the ways of the wicked. The Lord reigns forever, your God, O Zion, for all generations.” Some people in our society today may be tempted to say this about government.
In that sense the gospel is subversive to all earthly governments and puts our political passion and nationalistic tendencies in perspective. South Africa will not last. Your identity as a citizen of Gods kingdom will outlast this nation, or the Dutch nation. And your Christlikeness is deeper than any ethnicity. This government is not eternal. Neither is the United States, or Europe, or China.
if you are looking to the government for a future, to raise your children, to provide for you and your family, to give you satisfaction, and happiness in life. If you are expecting government to protect you from all harm, and to watch over your life, to watch over your coming in and your going out, you are asking from the government what only God can give. God is your ultimate Protector.
Not only are you asking from them too much, but you are also giving to the government what does not belong to them. You are entrusting them with your life, your family. And this is what Jesus means when he says, give to Caesar what is Caesar and to God what is Gods. Not all that belongs to God belongs to Caesar. I am not saying they cannot make a law to protect citizens, but the citizens must not TRUST them to protect.
The mightiest empires will fall and be preplaced – by another God appointed government. We cannot give to the government or to the country what alone belongs to God. And in fact, the Bible shows us that many of these governments are wicked and evil throughout history. But even to the evilest wicked governments God has apportioned their authority.
We see this in revelation 13 when John sees a vision of a beast who makes war on the saints and conquer them, and at the beginning of that chapter we read om verse 5, “and the beast was allowed to exercise authority for forty-two months.” You see, we cannot look to government to be perfect, in fact often they may be downright evil, but we can have the confidence that God is in control and continue to honor him as God.
In this way we obey our Lord Jesus when he says, give to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God. Or in the words of the apostle, “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 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.”
As one commentary notes, Balance is needed. On the one hand,… Government is more than a nuisance to be put up with; it is an institution established by God to accomplish some of his purposes on earth (see vv. 3-4). On the other hand, we must not read Rom. 13:1-7 out of its broad NT context and put government in a position relative to the Christian that only God can hold. Christians should give thanks for government as an institution of God; we should pray regularly for our leaders (cf. 1 Tim. 2:1-2); and we should be prepared to follow the orders of our government. But we should also refuse to give to government any absolute rights and should evaluate all its demands in the light of the gospel.”
Our Response
So what should our response be? Well, there a number of steps one pastor suggests we can take. Many of these steps are not in order, and can be taken simultaneously. Many depend on the situation in which Christians also find themselves when they are under authority.
- We should always approach them as God appointed representatives with respect, honor and an attitude of submissiveness. We should tend toward obedience with anything that is not against Gods holy Word as our confession states. Anything that God commands government may not forbid. And anything God forbids government may not command.
- We pray. 1 timothy says, “I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people— for kings and all those in authority.” If God guides the heart of the king like a river, he is the best person to ask to change the course of government. This is why the government is regularly mentioned in our prayer calendar.
- we show them that we love the Lord by example. 1 Peter 3 says, “Likewise, wives, be subject to your own husbands, so that even if some do not obey the word, they may be won without a word by the conduct of their wives,” Now you may say we are not going to win the government over by saying nothing. I agree, but neither are we going to win them for Christ by acting with a rebellious spirit. Holy disobedience takes place with holy humility.
- We appeal and we plead with government. There are several examples given in Scripture. We can think of Moses with Pharaoh who appeals to him to let the people God. or Daniel who asks not to eat the food. You will notice he does not go up to him and say, “I am a stubborn Jew, and never going to listen to you, I am never going to eat that stuff.” He makes an appeal and puts a test before them. You can think in the New Testament of Paul’s appeal to Felix, or the widow to the unjust judge, who appeals for so long the judge gets tired and hears her.
- We confront when they are doing something God forbids or forbid what God commands.. No, this is about God’s honor – not ours. We see confrontation with authority in scripture when Nathan confronts David. Or Daniel confronts Belshazzar, or John when he accuses Herod of sin.
- Sometimes we are called to defy authority. Simply say no. We can think of the Hebrew midwives. Or Shadrach Meshach and Abednego when threatened with the fiery furnace, or Peter when after being put in prison and released by an angel because they preached the word. They then go to the most public place, and keep preaching. When the government demands children the right to raise and teach children we say no – God has given that place to parents.
when we must disobey them we do so not because it is our right, or because we have a grand vision of changing South Africa, but because we are subject to Christ, and we desire all men to be saved. As a persecuted pastor in China wrote, “…my personal disobedience and the disobedience of the church is not in any sense “fighting for rights” or political activism in the form of civil disobedience, because I do not have the intention of changing any institutions or laws. As a pastor, the only thing I care about is the disruption of man’s sinful nature by this faithful disobedience and the testimony it bears for the cross of Christ. Christ’s great commission requires of us great disobedience. The goal of disobedience is not to change the world but to testify about another world.
I would like to call this a holy disobedience. Was it or is it called for in this time of COVID? that is something churches must wrestle with. And We continue to wrestle with it. We are not afraid of the truth; in fact, we seek it whole heartedly in prayer. Christ is king, we swear total allegiance to him, and desire to please him in all things. Also, when it comes to how act in this time.
Even if and when we come to this last stage we do so in submission to authority giving them the authority to punish us even for doing right. As the persecuted pastor in China later comments, “For this reason, I am joyfully willing to submit myself to their enforcement of the law as though submitting to the discipline and training of the Lord….As a pastor of a Christian church, I must denounce this wickedness openly and severely. My Savior Christ also requires me to joyfully bear all costs for disobeying wicked laws”
We must be able to receive gladly and humbly whatever consequence is required. In the bible Daniels three friends are readily thrown into the furnace or Daniel is readily thrown into a lion’s den, or disciples consider it a oy to suffer for the name. If we suffer under authority let it be unjustly. And let us do so in submission to God as the one who gave them the sword. Let us fight back, not with the sword of the world, but the sword of the word. Jesus says, “put away the sword, whoever lives by the sword will also die by the sord. Whoever picks up the sword they will die by the sword.”
Amen.