I. Be Subject To Governing Authorities Vs. 1, 2
A. Be Subject
1. Subject- hupotasso- when soldiers put themselves under the authority of someone.
2. This is the first attitude that the Christian should have regarding government.
3. This is repeated in verse 5. . 5Therefore you must be subject…
4. The over-arching mindset of the Christian ought to be that they willingly put themselves under the leadership of the government where they live.
5. That is the starting place, and the default setting. That needs to be our first attitude.
6. Mark 12:17 “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”
a. The Christian is responsible to both God and the government.
7. Being “in subjection to” doesn’t always mean obeying, but obedience is where we start.
B. Governing Authorities Are Appointed By God
1. God has ordained that there be governments, or else anarchy would come upon us.
2. Paul speaks of the ideal, not the exceptions. God ordains the design and existence of human government. Human
government is God’s idea, and he establishes it.
3. To resist government because of a rebellious spirit is to rebel against God. Some people don’t want anyone ever telling them what to do. They resist authority of any kind. That is a rebellious spirit, and that is rebellion against God.
4. The State is a divine institution with divine authority.
5. John 19:11 “You could have no power at all against Me unless it had been given you from above”.
a. Pilate misused his God given authority against Jesus.
b. God does not condone the misuse of the authority that He gives to man.
6. The common attitude of Christians should not be rebellious or subversive.
C. The Obvious Exceptions Of This Command
1. Paul is writing about God’s ideal for government, and why it exists.
2. He is writing about God’s ideal for citizens, and what their default attitude ought to be.
3. He is not talking about exceptions. He is not discussing when civil disobedience is right
4. The Bible both commands civil disobedience at times, and gives examples of it.
a. Exodus 1-The Hebrew midwives in Egypt, disobeyed Pharaoh’s command.
Exodus 1:17, 20, 21 But the midwives feared God, and did not do as the king of Egypt commanded them, but saved the male children
alive.
20Therefore God dealt well with the midwives, and the people multiplied and grew very mighty.
21And so it was, because the midwives
feared God, that He provided households for them.
b. Daniel 3- King Nebuchadnezzar issue a law that all people should bow before a Golden image, but Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego disobeyed. He threw them into the fiery furnace, but saved them. The King was impressed and protected and promoted the three boys, and punished those who opposed them.
c. Daniel 6– King Darius made a rule that no one should pray to anyone but him, but Daniel disobeyed. Daniel was thrown into the lion’s den, but God protected him. Darius promoted Daniel, and executed his enemies.
d. Acts 4– The Sanhedrin commanded that no one should preach in the name of Jesus.
Acts 4:18-20 So they called them and commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus. 19But Peter and John answered and said to them, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you more than to God, you judge. 20For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.”
e. Dietrich Bonhoeffer- German Lutheran pastor, author of “The Cost Of Discipleship”. He resisted the Nazi dictatorship of WWII, and the euthanasia program and genocide of the Jews. He joined a group that sought to assassinate Hitler, but was discovered and executed 23 days before the Germans surrendered.
D. When Is Civil Disobedience Right For The Christian?
1. Charles Colson– When one decides to “demonstrate their submissiveness to God, not their defiance of government”.
2. John Stott- “We are to submit right up to the point where obedience to the State would entail disobedience to God. But if the State commands what God forbids, or forbids what God commands, then our plain Christian duty is to resist, not to submit, to disobey the State in order to obey God”.
3. This is very different than disobeying the State for personal reasons, or because of dislike or disagreement on non-Biblical issues.
II. The Purpose Of Governing Authorities Vs.3-5
A. To Maintain Order In Society
1. Remember that Paul is speaking about God’s ideal, and not every human reality.
2. They are God’s ministers (servants). V. 4
3. They exist to restrain and punish evil. They bear the sword and execute wrath.
4. They also are supposed to give praise to those who do good. V. 3
B. Why We Obey The Governing Authorities
1. To avoid their terror, sword and wrath against our evil works. V. 3
2. To not have to live in fear. V. 3
3. To have a clear conscience.
III. Why We Pay Taxes Vs. 6, 7
A. We Support God’s Ministers
1. They are God’s ministers. They are in place by His design, and we need them.
2. We pay taxes so that they can serve us full time. They are to “attend continually”.
3. Unfortunately, sometimes these servants of God use our tax money to enrich themselves and finance useless or evil efforts both at home and abroad.
4. We need to do our best to hold government officials accountable for how they spend.
B. Therefore, Follow Through
1. Render- pay and give what you are responsible to pay and give.
2. Pay your taxes and customs so that government might function uninterruptedly.
3. Fear and respect those who have the God ordained power to punish your wrong doing.
4. Give honor to those whom God has ordained to serve Him and you.
IV. Closing Thoughts
A. Pray For Our Government
1 Timothy 2:1-4 1Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men,
2forkings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence. 3For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior,
4who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.
B. If You Disagree
1. Do so after much prayer, and then do so respectfully, and not for personal gain.
2. If you disagree, let it be for the sake of God’s Kingdom.
3. If you are concerned with God’s Kingdom, make sure you are submitting now.