A Christian and his government . .

A Christian and his government.

A few months ago, a beloved Christian brother and I were debating the proper response of a Christian to corruption in government and the illegitimate activities it engages in.  In such discussions, the 13th chapter of Romans is often used as a general guide as to how believers should respond to their government.
Invariably, the chapter is used to justify general submission on the part of Christians to the evils of government, but such a conclusion is erroneous in the case of a corrupt government.  We have reached a point in our society that the failure to realize that we have been brought to the brink of collapse and tyranny by silly, wicked men and women and not respond in righteous anger - beginning with lists of grievances and finally ending, if necessary, in the taking up of arms - is inexcusable for any citizen, but especially for Christians who, among all people, should be the vanguard of protecting what God has graciously given us, vigorously protecting it as good stewards.  I am amazed and humiliated by the number of Christians who laud the Founding Fathers for the sacrifices they made and the fight they endured to preserve their freedoms from a government that was fractionally as oppressive as ours, but yet recoil in shock when such a thing is suggested now.  I’m tempted to say “God forgive us for our weakness” but why should He?  We haven’t repented of it yet . . .
Here we go with my response regarding the passage in Romans, and please take it as being written to everyone who comes across it.

I have indeed considered it at length, and as I have often found, the passage is generally misapplied for four reasons: one, the passage is not properly considered with other Scripture that deals with the subject, which is a violation of proper hermeneutics; two, the original meanings of the words are not carefully determined, part of which process is found under reason number one; three, the context, both Scripturally and historically, is not determined, and four, the passage is not subjected to critical thinking so that its application in our time can be accurately assessed.  I don’t claim to have done all of these as thoroughly as I might or should.  It took me forever to get this much done!
I still prefer the King James Version of the Bible, but for the sake of those not familiar with the flowing poetry style of the King James, here’s the passage as it reads in the New American Standard:

Romans 13:1-7
v. 1 Every person is to be in subjection to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God.
v. 2 Therefore whoever resists authority has opposed the ordinance of God; and they who have opposed will receive condemnation upon themselves.
v. 3 For rulers are not a cause of fear for good behavior, but for evil. Do you want to have no fear of authority? Do what is good and you will have praise from the same;
v. 4 for it is a minister of God to you for good. But if you do what is evil, be afraid; for it does not bear the sword for nothing; for it is a minister of God, an avenger who brings wrath on the one who practices evil.
v. 5 Therefore it is necessary to be in subjection, not only because of wrath, but also for conscience' sake.
v. 6 For because of this you also pay taxes, for rulers are servants of God, devoting themselves to this very thing.
v. 7 Render to all what is due them: tax to whom tax is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honor to whom honor.

The first thing we’re going to do is take a look at the most important word in the passage: authority, or authorities. Our objective is to find out what this word actually means. We’ll use two methods: a lexicon to find it’s meaning, and a concordance to determine how it is translated and used in other places.
The original Greek word found in the first clause of the first verse is “exousia” - ex-oo-see'-ah, if you want to know how it’s pronounced – and it means “the power to act”. Notice that carefully; the definition refers to an abstract concept, not a literal thing. It is a “power” – something that can be done, experienced, or be subjected to, but not something that can be seen or touched.

Now then, how is this word translated or used in other places in Scripture? For this we turn to Strong’s Concordance . . .

Example #1 – Matthew 21:23 “When he had come into the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to him as he was teaching, and said, ‘By what authority do you do these things? …’ This is our word, “exousia”.

Example #2 – Matthew 28:18 “Jesus came to them and spoke to them, saying, ‘All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth.’

Example #3 – Jude 1:25 “. . . to God our Savior, who alone is wise, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and forever. Amen.” The word “power” is our word “exousia”.

Now, I could go on with about 25 more examples, but you will see the same thing in all cases. The word “exousia” never refers to anything other than a concept, a characteristic, or a trait.

Our first conclusion: the word used for “authority” in Romans 13:1 never means a person. It means nothing more than its definition – the power to act.

Let’s take this knowledge and continue into the next clause of the first verse. “For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God.” We can cast this into our vernacular by saying it this way: There is no such thing as a power to act unless God is the One that gave it, so if there is a legitimate power to act, it came from God.
Now then, a question: Are you aware of any principles of life – or anything for which we are responsible before God - that God hasn’t told us about in His word?  If you believe there are, to where would you turn in order to convince me of their legitimacy? Sorry, but there is no such place.

If it is of God, it will be found in His word.

Our second conclusion: all legitimate power to act is found in Scripture; none exists that is not found therein.

The logical corollary is this: If God didn’t establish the power to act, no such power to act exists.  Given this and remembering the context which clearly establishes that it is government the Scripture is talking about in Romans 13:1-7, it follows that any individual or group in government exercising a power to act that is not given by God is acting fraudulently. Their supposed authority is in fact non-existent, and as such, carries no legitimate claim to submission on the part of others.

Our third conclusion:  A Christian, or any citizen for that matter, is under no obligation to obey any law unless it is issued by a legitimate authority, and all legitimate authority is found in Scripture.
Remember this conclusion, for it is critical in your understanding of your Scriptural relationship to authority.

Next, verse 2 tells us: “Therefore whoever resists authority has opposed the ordinance of God; and they who have opposed will receive condemnation upon themselves.”
The apostle uses “exousia” for authority in the first clause as he expands upon the first verse. We may say it like this: If you fight against a legitimate power to act, you’re saying you reject God’s sovereign decisions.
The second clause makes it clear that there are negative consequences for such a decision. This is not the same thing as saying God will actively punish the one who does. His action in such a case is not necessary; violation of life’s principles carries consequences, much the same as dropping a hammer on your bare foot carries consequences. It is not necessary that God push the hammer down to your toe; the principle of gravity which He established will do the job without any further involvement on His part. And so it is when we resist a legitimate power to act - consistently barreling down the Interstate at 84 miles an hour with an entitlement attitude will likely result in your practice being condemned by the local constabulary, and rightly so. The authority to do this is found in the obligation of the government to protect the property rights of the citizenry.  Later – much later – like in another note - we will find this to be its only legitimate obligation. Such driving behavior presents a clear and present danger to the health and well being of other drivers, as well as the condition of their vehicles, neither of which are yours to endanger as you please.

Verse 3 introduces a new element to the discussion – a “ruler”.  “For rulers are not a cause of fear for good behavior, but for evil.”  We turn once again to the methods of determining what this word means. The word is “archontes”, the plural form of “archon”. It is this word that introduces the human element into the principle of government. Variously translated as “authorities”, “chief”, “rulers”, it refers to the person who holds the office in which a legitimate power to act has been vested. A proper illustration would be a judge in a courtroom setting. It is here that we have to dwell for a time because the relationship between “exousia” and “archon” must be made clear. The power to act is found in an office, such as a judgeship or office of police commissioner; the person who occupies that office is the ruler. The ruler has absolutely no power to act apart from that which he or she exercises in the course of discharging the duties of the office. Let me illustrate . . .

For one reason or another - none ever pleasant - I have had occasions to be in a courtroom. At the beginning of the proceedings, the bailiff calls out "All rise..." and everybody stands as the judge – let’s call him Frank Smythe - walks in.
Suppose Mr. Smythe walked into the Golden Corral later that night - is the lady behind the counter going to bellow "All rise, the Honorable Frank Smythe will now be eating dinner" with the result of everyone standing up? Of course not. Why not? Because he's not there in his office, and apart from his office, he’s just some guy, with absolutely nothing to set him apart from any other man in the building.  Imagine the absurdity if Judge Smythe walked over to his favorite table and, seeing it occupied, pulled a gavel out of his back pocket and started banging away while intoning “I find you guilty of sitting at my favorite table. I sentence you to go sit somewhere else for the duration of your dinner. Case closed!”  Judge Smythe, rightfully, wouldn’t be taken very seriously from then on – in court or out – because he would be attempting to apply the authority vested in him apart from his office.  It’s one thing to acknowledge his appointment to an important office by referring to him as “Judge Smythe” while he’s not in the courtroom; this is a legitimate form of respect.  It is another thing entirely for Judge Smith to think he has any power over anyone when he’s not wearing the robe.

Our fourth conclusion: a ruler has the power to act only so far as the office he or she occupies dictates.  Any excursion of power beyond that is unauthorized by God and is not only null and void, but also a usurpation upon the property of others, and proper cause for disciplinary action up to an including removal from the office, for “He that ruleth over men must be just, ruling in the fear of the LORD” – 2 Samuel 23:3.

Verse 3 also give us some common sense advice for living under authority.  “Do you want to have no fear of authority? Do what is good and you will have praise from the same;”   Now, in order to have a valid understanding of this verse, you must keep in mind our third conclusion: all legitimate power to act comes from God alone, and will be found in Scripture.  If you live in a society that is blessed with legitimate authority, then staying out of trouble and actually being held up as a model citizen is simply a matter of not doing wrong. Not hard to grasp, is it? When God-ordained authority is in place, this promise is a source of great comfort and security. But, this promise has no application when authority has been corrupted, and sadly, our authorities have been corrupt for generations.  As a result, it is quite common in our society for people who are doing no wrong to find themselves regarded as criminals.

So then, our fifth conclusion:  When people in a society are doing no wrong, and these people are the victims of government sanctions of any kind, it is absolute and undeniable proof that the individuals responsible for the sanctions are acting illegitimately, and their pronouncements are void and irrelevant, and place no burden of submission on anyone.

In verse 4 we read “for it (authority) is a minister of God to you for good. But if you do what is evil, be afraid; for it does not bear the sword for nothing; for it is a minister of God, an avenger who brings wrath on the one who practices evil.
In the first clause, we find another defining characteristic for legitimate authority – it causes the proper interests of the citizenry to be advanced.  For example, one of the legitimate authorities that exist as a specific result of this passage of Scripture is the police.  When performing their duties properly, their presence inhibits criminal behavior which is a benefit to all members of society, even the criminals themselves.

Our sixth conclusion: Authority that is behaving in a Scriptural manner causes good things to happen to the citizenry.
The obvious corollary is that authority behaving un-Scripturally will result in bad things happening to the citizenry.
In the final clauses of verse 4 we find the actual context of the passage, and we can determine what kind of authority is actually being legitimized.  We are told that if we do evil, we should be afraid of authority, because its job is to punish evil.  Now, the word for evil here is “kokos” – a generalized word for evil that refers to rotten moral character.  At this point, the apostle has yet to reveal exactly what kinds of crime this authority is to deal with; that occurs when he warns that the authority doesn’t bear the sword for nothing.  This word – machaira – refers to a dagger; specifically, a killing weapon.  We now know that Romans 13 is the legitimizing passage for civil authority that deals with crimes against another’s life.  At this point, the historical context of Romans is important to consider.  To put it bluntly, people killed each other a lot during this time and in this society, both the citizenry and the government.  Life simply wasn’t looked at the way we look at it now; the people of this time were far more callous about death and killing.  The Holy Spirit, speaking through the inspiration of the apostle, was bringing about a change of thinking as He began to exert more influence through an increasing number of believers in the population.
Capital punishment is the ultimate measure that protects the most precious property an individual possesses: his life.  That this passage does not legitimize other, equally valid forms of authority is found in the seriousness of the potential punishment.  God forbids punishment that is more serious than the crime when He says “eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot” in Exodus 21.  Not at all a call for retribution, this passage requires the punishment to fit the crime and no more.  The use of a killing weapon would only be called for when dealing with a capital crime.

Our seventh conclusion:  Romans 13 reiterates universal Biblical principles regarding the proper structure, role, responsibilities, requirements, and restrictions of authority and the Christian’s obligation to it, something the Holy Spirit deemed necessary as a precursor to the serious warnings about capital crimes and their punishment.  It is not a generalized legitimization of every form of government authority.  For other Scripturally sanctioned forms of authority, you must look elsewhere, remembering that if God doesn’t ordain it, it has no moral or legal power.

Verse 5 serves as a reinforcement for the “rightness” of obeying authorities when it comes to the protection of life, first of all because of the high price to be paid for failure to do so, but also for the sake our own conscience.

Verse 6 is gives us the only form of legitimate, non-voluntary taxation – taxes paid to provide protection from and punishment for capital crimes.  I wish to point out, however, that there are other principles regarding taxation that I’m not getting into here.  This thing is long enough as it is . . .

In verse 7, Paul admonishes us to have a proper attitude toward proper authority.  His words should not be considered a command regarding illegitimate authority, which is to be called out, rejected, and condemned publicly, for “we ought to obey God rather than men” and when we submit to illegitimate authority and rulers, we violate this principle.

In summary, Romans 13:1-7 tells us that authority never rests in a person or group of people, but in an office occupied
by a ruler – our word would be “official”.
The power of such officials is strictly limited to the capacity of the office they hold, and outside of that office, they are mere citizens like everyone else, and who are bound to the same laws those legitimate authorities pass down.
Any office or official that is acting outside the power given specifically by Scripture has no legitimacy as long as it does so, and any pronouncements, rules, laws, or any such thing they proclaim in such cases are of no effect or concern to the citizen.
The legitimacy of an authority, ruler, or law is readily and absolutely determined by two evidences.  First, does it punish those who do no wrong or those who do wrong?  If it punishes those who are not doing wrong, it is illegitimate, and is to be rejected.  Second, what is its effect on the welfare of society?  When it results in the protection of a person’s property and welfare, it is legitimate.  If it doesn’t, it is likewise to be rejected.
We are warned of the horrible consequences that come from a legitimate authority if we violate the sanctity of life, and are in no position to argue against them if we do.
We are further commanded to pay taxes to pay the wages of those who provide this protection and punishment, and to do so with a proper and respectful attitude.

Romans 13, apart from the general principles it reiterates regarding authority, has little to do with the problems we face in our society.  There are plenty of passages that do, but to use this one as an excuse to avoid our responsibilities as Christian citizens is shameful and disgraceful.  The fact is, we have a very serious fight on our hands.  It’s long past the time when we need to start acting like the men and women we praise, instead of those who bowed the knee to a false god in the form of a corrupt government that would replace Him as our Provider.