Romans 13:1-7

"Give unto Caesar...Give unto God"

by Pastor Jim Lincoln on March 4, 2007

 

Jesus & Caesar

A common enemy can make for strange bedfellows. At His Triumphal entry Jesus was welcomed with "Hosannas" and received as the savior of the nation. The Pharisees quickly went into action. They met with the Herodians and made an unholy alliance to discredit Jesus before the people. The Herodians were a Jewish/Roman political party that favored Herod, Roman occupation and taxation. They were the "Live and let live party." The Pharisees, on the other hand, were very zealous for the state of Israel and extremely religious. They despised Roman occupation, honored the Maccabean Revolt and loathed paying taxes. These two parties were bitter political enemies. However, Jesus was a threat to both and they both wanted nothing better than to see him out of the way. So, the Pharisees arranged a meeting with the Herodians. Together they conspired to embarrass or discredit Jesus publicly.

So, here's what they did. They sent a combined delegation to Jesus. After some shameless flattery they asked for His opinion. "Tell us", they said, "Is it right to pay taxes to Caesar or not?" (Matt. 22:17) Now, the question was devious and designed to trap Jesus. If He answered, "Yes! Pay your taxes," it would alienate Him from the majority of the people who were patriotic and despised the heavy burden of taxation. If He said, "No." it would brand Him as a seditionist inspiring financial revolt against Rome. They thought they had forced Jesus into a lose/lose position.

At the time of the American Revolution Christian ministers faced a similar question. "Do you support the revolution?" If they supported the revolution they were accused of being unfaithful to Romans 13 and incurring on themselves and their followers the judgment of God mentioned at the end of verse two. Presbyterians like John Witherspoon supported the revolution. Much of the resistance literature was built on "the limits of resistance"¹ articulated by John Calvin, but went far beyond his work. On the other hand if they didn't support the revolution they were branded as unpatriotic to the fight for God given, transcendent and the inalienable rights of life, liberty and property. The Wesleyans who followed John Wesley didn't support the revolution. Do you see the dilemma?

I love Jesus' answer. But, I should warn you. If you are looking for a simple answer to a complex question don't come to Christianity. Jesus knew what they're up to and He didn't give them a simple "Yes" or "No" answer. He said, "You hypocrites, why are you trying to trap me? Show me the coin used for paying the tax". A hush came over the crowd as Jesus held the coin for all to see. Then He asked, "Whose image is on it?" They said, "Caesar's" Then He said, 'Give to Caesar what is Caesar's and to God what is God's'" (Mtt.22:20, 21).

Wow! Amazing! Wondrous! With this single sentence Jesus established the validity of human government, while at the same time setting its limits. It's perhaps the most profound political statement ever made. Caesar had his image on many things, and they rightly belonged to him. There's a proper domain and function for human government. However, God has also stamped His image on man. The coin was from the mint of the Roman Empire and it had a Godly purpose to which all were obligated to yield. However, we are also made in the image of God. And, from God's mint we are made to bear and submit to His image. The coin's use is determined by the image it bears and your use is determined by the image of God you bear. Is there a proper submission to the governing authorities? Yes! Is there a proper and supreme submission to God? Yes! With this one sentence Jesus established both of these things.²

How do Christians relate to their human governments?

Reasons FOR Rom.13:1-7

This morning I want to give a context in which Paul offers his teaching. I want to linger on the question, "Why does Paul bring this up?"

Five years before Paul wrote Romans the Jews had been expelled from Rome. From Acts 18:2 we know that it was over a dispute involving a certain, "Christus" or "Christ." Viewed as a sect of Judaism, many if not most Christians were also expelled by Claudius. When Paul wrote Romans they had been allowed to return. Nero was now ruling and in his early days that rule looked promising. Paul didn't want the revolutionary attitudes of the Jerusalem zealots about supplanting Rome to be adopted by the church. Anarchy was not the plan to advance the kingdom of God and the gospel.

Also, let me ask this. Could Paul have written something earlier that could have confused these young Christians about the authority of Caesar? In Philippians 3:20 he wrote that we are citizens of heaven. He argued that Jesus is Lord. In 12:2 Paul told them not to be conformed to the pattern of this world. Jesus is the Christ, the rightful and anointed King of the world. Christians could easily have become confused about what this means in our daily life. In Gal.5:1 he wrote that "...for freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to the yoke of slavery."³ He wrote that Christians have been, "raised up with Christ, seated with Him in heavenly realms." He writes that we are, "no longer under the law." The statement, "Jesus is Lord" was a political statement. It got him killed. When they crucified Jesus the crowds cried out, "We have no king but Caesar." After His resurrection He said, "All authority has been given unto Me." That authority included the authority of Caesar and governments of the world. It would be easy for some to take these spiritual blessings and confuse them with a power and authority they have not yet been given.

A man once told me that because Paul said, "You are no longer under law but grace," he could run a person down with his car and he would be perfectly free to do so because he was now forgiven and free from the law in Christ.

Paul doesn't want these believers to think that because they are under the supreme authority of Christ they are no longer in any submissive relationship to human authorities. Even when they are grievously deceived and almost demonic, ruling authorities still have a certain level of divine authorization. We plan to talk about that authority next Sunday.

Let me offer one more reason why I think Paul calls them to submit to the governing authorities at this point in his letter. At the end of chapter 12, he instructed these Christians about how to handle personal offences. Paul said, "Bless those who persecute you... don't repay evil for evil... don't call down curses on your persecutors ... don't repay offence with vengeance and retaliation." He quotes Deut.32:35, "Vengeance is mine says the Lord." So, in these first few verses of chapter thirteen he answers a question those commands would raise.

"Paul, is that all you have to say about how wicked people are handled in the world? So, you want us to just forgive, bless and let the wicked people of the world get off with impunity?" Romans 13:1-7 responds to this. And he says, "No! There's more to say." And here it is. You don't resort to private, vigilante-justice, retribution when you are mistreated. Instead, you acknowledge this as God's business. And, at least in part, God goes about that through the governing authorities. The ruling authorities are what they are because God wants a measure of order in the present world. And He's not going to allow chaos and anarchy to enable the wickedly powerful, rich and the bully to come out on top all of the time. God desires, even in this present age, even in a world that has not yet confessed Jesus as Lord, that there should be a measure of justice and order. Justice is not served by private vengeance and mob rule. Individual Christians are not to take the law into their own hands. They are to trust the authorities to keep wickedness in check. Knowledge that the authorities are there to look after such matters is a strong incentive to hold back freelance attempts at justice.⁴ Tidal waves of injustice would break over the world if there were no civil authority to restrain wickedness.

Someday, "every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus is Lord." Until then, Christians should not become agents of anarchy by replacing the tyranny of the officially powerful with the tyranny of the unofficially powerful. The ultimate overthrow of pagan power comes by other means. Listen, Rome could handle ordinary revolutions well enough. However, as history bears out, she could not cope with a community of faith that owed its allegiance to the crucified and risen Jesus as the world's true Lord. And by 500 A.D., half the Roman Empire had become Christian without any Christian anarchy. That revearsal came about by the light of the credible witness early Christians brought to the dark world of Roman paganism. So, there's no place for Christians to become anarchist or private vigilantes who take the law into their own hands.

One more thing before we take a closer look at the passage. Paul doesn't give us a full treatment of church and state relations. He only gives us seven verses. He doesn't answer all the questions we might want him to. He doesn't tell us if a monarchy, aristocracy or democracy is the best form of government. He doesn't tell us what to do if the governments depart from the role God has given them. In the context, he presents submission as an absolute thing for emphasis following his remarks about private vengeance. He doesn't tell us here what to do when the persecutors are the same people as the governing authorities. He doesn't tell us what to do if a government makes a covenant with the people and calls the people to resist it when their governors violate their rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of lawful happiness. At the time of the American Revolution, many argued that British law and constitution not only gave the people the right to resist when their leaders become tyrants but that same law obligated them to do so. They argued that resistance was built into the law. Paul doesn't anticipate this. Instead, He's making a general statement about ruling authorities. It applies to all legitimate authorities all the time. It's base on the general belief in the desire of God for order and not chaos within all societies. So, what is needed in each circumstance is wisdom, discernment and not a simple rule. We'll have to live by what Jesus said holding that same tension in our hearts and heads, "Give to Caesar what is Caesar and to God what is God's"

OK. Let's look at these verses and see what we can see. I'll organize it around three headings. Let's take one each Sunday.

1. The COMMAND to yield to legitimate governing authorities (1-2)
2. The fundamental TASK of government (3-4)
3. The primary MOTIVATIONS for submission (5-7)

The COMMAND of Romans 13:1-2

"Every person must submit to the governing authorities..." (13:1)

The question was natural: How are they to think about Caesar and the civil authorities when Jesus is Lord? Literally, Paul writes, "Let every soul..." The word, 'soul,' points to our motivations and intentions and not just an outward compliance. He then gives the reason for our submission: "For there is no authority except from God and those that exist have been instituted by God."

Richard Halverson, a chaplain of the US Senate wrote,

"To be sure, men will abuse and misuse the institution of the state. Just as man because of sin has abused and misused every other institution in history including the Church...but this doesn't mean that the institution is bad or that it should be forsaken. It simply means that men are sinners and rebels in God's world, and this is the way they behave even with good institutions. As a matter of fact, it's because of this very sin that there must be human government to maintain order in history until the final and ultimate rule of Jesus Christ is established. Human government is better than anarchy."

Governments are a God thing. Human Government is a creation ordinance of God's common grace. It's is a divine institution. When Jehoshaphat brought revival to Israel he appointed judges in the land and in all the fortified cities of Judah. He said to the judges,

"Consider what you do, for you judge not for man but for the Lord. Now then let the fear of the Lord be upon you. Be careful what you do, for there is no injustice with the Lord our God, or partiality or taking bribes." (2Chron.19:4).

The first reason for this call to civil obedience is that the civil authorities are ordained by God. But, what about wicked rulers? Are they from God? From Scripture we know this includes wicked rulers as well as good ones. For example Jeroboam was one of the most wicked kings of Israel, and 1 Kings 12:15 describes his rise to power like this: "It was a turn of affairs brought about by the Lord."

Consider Nebuchadnezzar the pagan Babylonian king that destroyed Jerusalem. Listen to Jeremiah. God said, "Now I have given all these lands into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, My servant." (27:4-6) He calls this pagan ruler His "servant." It's the same term Paul used for the king in Romans 13:4. The king is, "the servant of God". Daniel told Nebuchadnezzar,

"Praise be to the name of God for ever and ever; wisdom and power are His. He changes times and seasons; he sets up kings and He deposes them." (Dan.2:20)

Later, Nebuchadnezzar himself acknowledged,

"...that the Most High God is sovereign over the kingdoms of men and sets over them anyone He wishes." (Dan.5:21)

And, what about Pilate, the ruler who above all other rulers did not reward good behavior but punished the only perfect man whoever lived? He said to Jesus, "Do you not know that I have authority to release you and authority to crucify you?" Jesus answered him, "You would have no authority over me at all unless it had been given you from above'" (John 19:10). Romans 13:1 includes Pilate. This means that it's God's will to govern the world of mankind through human civil authorities. This is God's plan. Man did not create government. God did. Man does not sustain it. God does. Civil authority is God's idea in this age and that He sets up and takes down who He wishes. So the reason we are to yield to the governing authorities is because God has placed them there (good ones and bad ones) for His purposes. This isn't an isolated command in the New Testament.

"Remind them to be submissive to the rulers and authorities to obey magistrates." (Tit.3:1)

"Submit yourselves to every human institution ordained for people for the Lord's sake." (1Pe. 2:13)

"Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also because of conscience. (Rom 13:5-7)

"This is also why you pay taxes, for the authorities are God's servants, who give their full time to governing." (Rom.13:6)

"Servants, be subject to your masters with all respect, not only to the good and gentle but also to the unjust. For this is a gracious thing when mindful of God one endures sorrows while suffering unjustly." (1Pe.2:18)

The command to submit to rulers is based on the truth that they have been instituted by God and he says "therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed and those who resist what God has appointed will incur judgment." God will not tolerate a spirit of anarchy, sedition, and a spirit of autonomous rebellion against authorities without judgment. Christians aren't anarchists. We are called and commanded to submit with deep respect and reverence because we see God's hand and common grace behind the civil authorities He has established. It's God's way of establishing order and peace in the world instead of chaos, anarchy and survival of the fittest or the bullies.

Authentic Worship

I believe Paul is still writing about authentic worship which he began in 12:1. There he says to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice to God...which is your reasonable worship. When you are obeying the speed limit you're worshipping God. When you pay your taxes you're worshipping God. When you get involved in politics and advance the cause of justice you are worshipping God. When you put good people in office, politic for good laws and campaign for good judges... when you obey the building codes, the fire codes, submit to traffic lights, report your income honestly you are worshipping God. Each time you stop at a stop sign, refuse to cheat on a test, fill out your time card accurately, make an insurance claim, play by the rules in sports, fasten your seat belt and thousand ways you're called to submit to authorities that I can't think of now... you're submitting to God who stands behind the authorities He has set up for our common good, peace, justice and well being. This is true worship.

Exceptions?

Are there exceptions to this general rule? Yes! Pharaohs commanded the Hebrew midwives to kill the Jewish baby boys as they were being born. They refused. When Jeroboam called Israel to worship the golden calves God chastised Israel for obeying him. Remember God put Jeroboam in office. When Peter and John were arrested the Sadducees ordered them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. Peter said, "Judge for yourselves whether it is right in God's sight to obey you rather than God. For we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard" (Acts 4:18-20). After John and Peter had been released a second time they said, "We must obey God rather than men." When Corrie Ten Boom hid Jews in her home against Nazis orders she was honoring God as supreme. In the middle of sixteenth century England it was a capital crime to translate the Bible into plain English. Along with many others William Tyndale was burned at the stake for doing just that.

Our submission to God-ordained institutions is always as unto the Lord. No human authority has the right to supplant God's authority over our lives. And at the same time we are called to resist anarchy, private vengeance, and vigilante justice with all our strength. Listen to Jesus, "Give unto Caesar what is Caesar and unto God what is God's."

And as we pray and act for justice and seek discernment and wisdom about these things don't be anxious even when your rights get abused or violated. It happened to Jesus. Why would we think it wouldn't happen to us? Our greatest and most fundamental hope is not in the goodness of governments. It's in Christ our Lord who loves and defends us. We should work for the best government we can. We should work for justice and peace. We should remind our leaders that the only authority they have has been given to them by God. We should work to pass the best laws we can. Yet, let's not act as if this world is our home. Let's not act as if this is all there is and our deep happiness hangs on this world. Even if we are abused and mistreated by our governments our joy and peace is in God and the gospel. Faithful believers did this in the Bible.

"For you showed sympathy to the prisoners, and accepted joyfully the seizure of your property, knowing that you have for yourselves a better possession and an abiding one. 35 Therefore, do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward. 36 For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God, you may receive what was promised." Heb 10:34-36 NAS

No matter what anyone does God's word of promise never changes. "If He did not spare His only Son will He not give you all things (all things good, best and necessary)?"

So, beloved,

Submit to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves.

And remember that, Jesus is the risen Lord who is King of kings and to whom all authority in heaven and earth has been given. And this King gave His life so that sinners like us can have peace with God. May we be a submissive, grateful and a respectful people. May He make us faithful to God above all things. Thank you, Jesus, for the cross!