The Christian and the Government

The Christian and the Government Peter wrote: Submit yourselves ... to the king. God cares about how we relate to our government. We are to submit to authority and to honor government officials because of their position. Paul expressed these ideas in Romans 13. Verse one says, Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. We may struggle with this as we see many evil rulers in the past and present. However, Paul wrote this when Nero, who would later kill Paul, ruled Rome. God has often used evil men to judge other evil men. No government comes to power unless God allows it. Paul repeatedly calls government officials servants of God. Verse 4 says, He is God's servant to do you good. Later in that verse, Paul writes, He is God's servant, and agent of wrath to bring punishment of the wrongdoer. Then in verse 6, he says you pay taxes, for the authorities are God's servants, who give their full time to governing. Christians must honor a government official as God's servant. We must submit to all valid authority. To refuse to submit is to rebel against God Himself. We are to submit to please God, not just to avoid trouble. We are to go beyond submission and honor our rulers. We must show respect to the position even when the person is dishonorable. We also must pay our taxes. When we pay tax, we are paying God's servants. So, pay them all, taxes, tolls, tariffs, duty, and permit fees. Jesus taught that since government provides the monetary system, it has the right to tax it. Tax evasion is not only a crime; it is a sin. The lottery, however, is gambling, not a tax, and can and should be avoided. The Bible does show a place for civil disobedience. The midwives in Egypt are one example. Pharaoh gave clear, direct orders to them to kill all male babies. The midwives of Israel chose to fear God and disobey the king's immoral order. God honored them and rewarded this civil disobedience. Daniel and his three friends sought to obey the government that held them as captives. They sought and received permission to not eat food contrary to God's law. The three later defied the order to worship an image of the king, accepting the punishment, but God delivered them. Daniel prayed in defiance of an order not to do so, and God delivered him. The local authorities ordered the apostles not to teach Jesus. They defied this order and were arrested, flogged, and again ordered to cease preaching Jesus. However, they never stopped proclaiming the good news because they knew it was God's will. When is civil disobedience proper? It is when we are ordered to disobey God's will. It is when we are forbidden to do what God has commanded. When we choose to disobey, we must be willing to pay the penalty. We must not disobey any law just because we dislike it or disagree with it. On the other hand, as citizens, we should exercise our rights. Paul did so as a Roman citizen. At Philippi, he demanded and received respect from the authorities. At Jerusalem, he avoided a flogging by declaring his citizen rights. At Caesarea, he avoided being murdered in the same way. We should exercise our rights. Christians should vote wisely and prayerfully. We should petition our representatives on current issues. As God leads, we should run for office and volunteer for appointed positions. We should exercise our free speech rights by speaking prophetically and by proclaiming the gospel boldly. One right stands above the others. It is the God-given right to approach God in prayer. Paul told Timothy that we should pray for those in authority. Let us pray for our President and other leaders. Pray for them, not just about them. Ask for guidance and wisdom for them. Pray that God will give them strength and courage to do right. Ask God to meet their personal needs and give them health, salvation, and spiritual growth. Pray with a purpose, that we may live quiet lives in order to pursue God's work and His glory. Pray that many would come to salvation. Let us submit to our government viewing our leaders as God's servants. Let us resist the government only when it acts contrary to God's revealed will. Let us influence our government to do right by exercising our rights. Let us pray for our leaders, influencing them in the Spirit. Let us pray for God's will to be done in Washington, Jefferson City, and locally.