Peace and Mutual Edification Pt. 2

Romans 13 and 14 are written as the beginning of a new thought for Paul in his letter to the church in Rome. This is important to note, as sometimes we as modern readers get lost in "chapter and verse" and forget that Paul was writing a single document to an intended audience. He worked in "paragraph and sentence" not in chapter and verse. In context then, we see that these two chapters come on the heels of a profound conclusion from Paul: Love everybody. Bless those who persecute you and live in harmony with those around you. This reminder of the core of Jesus' Sermon on the Mount is the foundation for the next two chapters.

Chapter 13 begins with instructions about dealing with civil authorities. Paul is crystal clear in this regard: We are to honor and respect those place in civil authority, as they are suffered to be there by God. This includes paying taxes and submitting to government authority. Now plenty has been written on this subject, not the least being the works of Martin Luther King, Jr. It is easy to excuse this passage by justifying rebellion against "unjust" civil authorities. We need to keep mind, however, that the civil authorities Paul is writing about here make Bull Connor look like Mother Theresa. If indeed, as is generally accepted, Paul is writing this letter during the reign of Nero, this admonition to honor those in civil authority is quite a weighty command.

Why then, would Paul instruct us to endure tyranny and injustice? The answer follows in what is the third full paragraph of Chapter 13:

"...whatever other commandment(s) there may be, are summed up in this one rule: Love your neighbor as yourself. Love does no harm to its neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law" (v.9b-10 NIV)

This is the heart of the matter. There are many times that we feel righteous in our anger and rebellion, particularly against civil government. There is no question that we see injustice on a daily basis. We, however, are operation on imperfect knowledge, as Paul reminded the Corinthian church. Justice is not ours to dispense, or even to pursue (see 13:1-5) I would contend that Dr. King's policy of non-violent disobedience COULD fit into this mold. It is possible to resist the government without showing dishonor (see Daniel, Shadrach, et al).

I do think we need to think long and hard about how we as Christians react to the civil authorities. The unbelieving world is watching. Sadly, too many times, they see Christians acting not unlike themselves, engaging in petty politics and personal attacks. This is clearly what Paul was proscribing.

Tomorrow, we'll take a look at how we're to respond to community living.