How Shall We Serve?

Romans 12:17–13:7 ESV

Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. For 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. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God’s wrath on the wrongdoer. Therefore one must be in subjection, not only to avoid God’s wrath but also for the sake of conscience. 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 to 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.

Scripture: Romans 12:17-13:7

Belgic Confession Article 36

Message: How Shall We Serve?

Back on January 21, I told those of you at the afternoon service that I was starting a series within a series, and it was unofficially titled, “Being the Church.” Articles 27 to 35 have taken us on a trip from who and what the church is and is not to the leadership and order of the church to finally the sacraments. That’s not to say what unfolds in the articles before and after these is not church-related, but what we think about with the institution of the church is in those articles. 

We are now down to the last 2 articles of the Belgic Confession. This message on Article 36 is what I had intended to preach at the Memorial Day combined service before I got sick, and so I’ve reworked it a little bit for tonight. I appreciate that Pastor Gary filled in for me on such short notice, and some of this he may have shared; that’s okay. Article 36 is unique. More major changes have been done to it than I think any other in the Confession since 1561. That’s fine, the confessions are “historic Reformed expressions of the Christian faith.” They guide us in understanding Scripture but are not infallible or of the same inspiration as the Bible, so they may be changed at times. 

           We’re going to read from Romans 12 and 13, and then I’ll invite you to join me in reading Article 36 out loud. You can note a significant change has been made when you see asterisks. A single asterisk marks a paragraph which the CRC has gotten rid of and the RCA has said “was written within a historical context which may not accurately describe the situation that pertains today.” Where there are two asterisks, the CRC has written something new to replace what used to be there and what we think can be said about today’s situation. If you’re interested in what was originally there, you can find it online or check out the back of a Psalter hymnal.

           Brothers and sisters in Christ, I’ve heard before that religion and politics are not topics to be openly discussed, especially the mixing of them. Yet that is where Article 36 and especially the beginning of Romans 13 lead us tonight. I’m not sure if it’s a Midwest thing or if it’s a Reformed thing, probably a little of both, I think we’re okay with talking about these topics. 

           As I’ve lived in South Dakota and Iowa for most of 7 years, I’ve seen passion for our country, our leaders, and our military. It’s a level of passion for patriotism that is not guaranteed to be the same everywhere in America. Looking at things from an outside perspective, when most people throughout rural Midwest celebrate civic holidays like Memorial Day, the 4th of July, and Veteran’s Day, you tend to especially remember those who have served this country and whose service has included the giving of their lives. Part of what makes these holidays so important is that many people from here have served, including some of you, and there is great pride. These days can also be difficult because of the memories they bring up. This is true for soldiers and their families; but too, as citizens of this country, most of us are taught that we can remember and be thankful for those who have served through a history of revolutions for freedom involving war.

           We’re not going to tackle every single facet of what it means to be a Christian citizen of a nation tonight, but I do want us to have in mind that when we bring up the topic of government today, a lot comes along with it. Political views, thoughts on policy, thoughts on politicians and candidates, party affiliations and thoughts about those who differ from us, patriotism, military, and more. If I can zero in on something to move us forward though, leading up to Memorial Day, another pastor who is also a military chaplain posted on his Facebook page the Latin phrase, “Pro Deo et Patria,” which is the motto for army chaplains. In English those words mean, “For God and Country.” If I had to guess, a lot of us think life should be lived through that lens. Whether we’re in the military or working as politicians or simply as citizens, God comes first and then it’s our country; maybe family can squeeze in between them. 

A lot of rural Midwestern folks, who are also Christian, have a high desire to serve and see specifically the United States of America prosper. We have no issue saying that we yield allegiance to this land. Taking that approach, the question before us, the question I find rising out of the Belgic Confession and being answered in Romans and elsewhere in Scripture is “How Shall We Serve?” It’s a question that gets at our motivations. It digs deep, causing us to examine, who is the absolute authority and what has he told us. If it wasn’t for our faith, then we could absolutely choose whoever and however we would yield allegiance. We could yield to the country or state, we could give allegiance to a particular set of beliefs of our choosing, or we could just live for self. 

The Christian faith changes everything, though. By faith, by yielding allegiance to God first and foremost, everything else should follow from his decree. Our citizenship here in America is important, and what we have the freedom and ability to do is different from people in certain other parts of the world. But we cannot look at our call as citizens of this nation or any other nation without looking first at what God desires of us. What if we were Chinese, or Hungarian, or Brazilian, Australian, Ghanaian, Iraqi, but also Christian, how has God called us to live and serve?

Our starting point as we consider this for our lives is sin, and if you’re looking for a first point, here it is: governments or authorities are part of God’s answer to the reality of sin. We cannot live our lives properly as individuals or as citizens of faith without recognizing there is right and wrong. What is wrong or evil or sinful is not just that people make poor or horrible decisions every now and again, but sin is part of our life in this world. Paul wrote about not repaying evil to someone who has done evil to you and to not carry out revenge against someone who is an enemy. We are not to be overcome by evil. He’s talking about sin—it must not have a grip on our lives. Chapter 13 verse 4 states how a government factors into this. Governing authorities are God’s servants to do good to law-abiding citizens, but also God’s servants as agents of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer. 

Article 36 sums this up in the opening sentences, “We believe that because of the depravity of the human race, our good God has ordained kings, princes, and civil officers. God wants the world to be governed by laws and policies so that human lawlessness may be restrained.” When we think about our lives in service to God or in service to our country, and again, this being true not only of Christian American citizens but citizens of any country who are Christian, is that how we think of our government officials? It’s because of sin, that we humans do wrong, that God has seen fit to put people in roles of governing and restraining, of policing and even punishing.

That’s incredibly important for us to grasp. In a world without sin, there seems to be no need for any authority but God himself. But in this world of rebellious sinners, us included, God has seen fit to put governments in place to manage things here and now. We may not like them. We may not always or often agree with them or their policies. They may seem unwise to us. If we look at other countries, we might easier see governments that lack justice and mercilessly persecute their citizens. But according to Scripture, God has been intentional. We may think that certain people, even our founding fathers, they just of their own thinking made decisions to form and establish government. Governments just exists, they’re just part of how things work. But Scripture teaches us that God established authorities, and his reason for doing so is to address and lead and order our lives in the midst of sin. 

That is why authorities are in place. We are to recognize God’s hand even if we don’t comprehend it. Now let’s turn more towards the question of how do we serve. Our second point, we as citizens, who believe in God, are to submit to the authorities. Paul repeated this several times in the beginning of chapter 13. Verse 1, “Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities.” Verse 5, “Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also because of conscience.” As we look at verse 7, he lists actions of submitting, “Give everyone what you owe him: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor.” 

As Christians, we are called to practice humility not only to God and not only in general terms, but specifically to those who are in power over us too. As we are able, while remaining obedient to God, we are to submit to them. We are to locate ourselves under what they declare and decide and rule. It’s important to bear in mind that Paul was writing this to Christians in Rome, to people that were not under a God-fearing government, not a nation that thought of itself as under the Christian God. Christian citizens were likely in the minority. The call to submit is for us, many of whom think of our country as a Christian nation in its founding and Christianity as the religion of the majority, but Paul’s words was initially for people in a different situation. It’s also helpful to see the Greek word used here for “submit” in terms of submission to authorities, is the same one we find in Ephesians 5:24, instructing how the church submits to Christ. 

Part of our submission involves recognizing that God’s word teaches the government not only is over us, but it also bears the sword. Christians come to different conclusions when understanding this and understanding the use of force in general. Some take a very strong stance of serving their country. Given that the state has authority from God to punish with weapons those doing wrong, they are willing to take up arms and fight for their country. Other Christians see the future imagery in places like Isaiah 2:4 and Joel 3:10 of swords and spears being made into tools, and prophecies of nations no longer warring against each other or training for war, and they seek to put that into practice now. These Christians seek lives of non-violence and pacifism. 

Whatever our stance is, passages like this indicate that God gives the use of some force in carrying out just punishment. We have to keep in mind, though, that our duty and service is to God first. Our lives as citizens are directly influenced by that. So, not every war, not every act of military force by any nation is always just. But those conflicts we join, are we joining them to seek what God determines is good and to put an end to wrong-doing and injustice and oppression? We are to submit to the authorities, but we must do so under God first.

That brings us to our final point tonight, a believer’s first response, whether as citizen or in a governing position, ought to seek peace. In serving God with our whole lives, we must take seriously the command of Romans 12 verse 18, “If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.” It’s that command that influences what we find in verse 20, a reminder of Proverbs 25, “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink.” Don’t starve him. Don’t prohibit him from receiving food. Don’t leave her parched. Don’t dangle water in front of her, don’t prohibit your enemy from getting access to those resources, which would nourish and bless them. “In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.”    

This command, especially heading into a passage speaking about the use of force, roots believers in their primary calling to imitate Christ and to love. These words remind us of what Jesus says in Matthew 5 verses 43 to 45, “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.”

By the power of the Holy Spirit, our first reaction to something that has been done to hurt us as individuals or even as a nation should not be to inflict pain. The first thought should not be revenge or doing evil. Our old self, the unsanctified or less sanctified self might thirst for war and bloodshed and getting even. But brothers and sisters, if at all possible, this should not be. Martin Luther King Jr. once said, “Hate begets hate; violence begets violence; toughness begets a greater toughness. We must meet the forces of hate with the power of love.” The nature of being hostile, the nature of building hatred and wanting to avenge a wrong that’s been done to us simply by attacking that person or hurting people that would cause that person pain accomplishes nothing good. It does not reflect the love of Christ that has been shown to us, the one who laid down his life for those who at that time were his enemies, who had sinned against him, and caused him pain. 

That doesn’t mean there’s never a time for war or for punishments that cause pain, but for us as individuals, are there other things we can do to show the love of Christ? John Calvin on this part of Romans 12 comments that we are not to be so peaceable that we give up everything refusing to be hated for Christ; and also, we should not be so courteous unto compliance, flattering men’s vices for the sake of peace. If wrongs and sins and pains will continue to accumulate by not doing anything, that is not necessarily the right or godly course of action. Punishment and war may be the right path to seeking peace.   

So, what can we do? Considering the reason why governments have been established, considering our call as Christian citizens to submit to authorities, and considering our first response ought to be seeking peace, what can we do? One thing we can do is pray for our government, our leaders, and others in control. And not just to pray for their well-being, their safety, and in general about their decision-making, but that leaders here and around the world would be given wisdom from God against wrongdoing and sin. When evil rises up to so great a degree that it should require a harsher response, then we trust that God has an answer through that. But let us also pray for peace, for freedom from wrong-doing, for an end to wars, and an end to weak, broken leaders and the ushering in of our perfect King. Amen.