The Epistle to the Romans was written to Christians residing in the city of Rome. Rome was the center of the Empire and was ethnically diverse. In the first century AD it had a population of around one million people in an area less than ten square miles. Of this large population, it is estimated that there were between 40,000 and 50,000 Jews in the city. The Jewish population dates back to the second century BC as part of the Diaspora. In AD 64 there was a large fire in Rome that led Nero to expel the Jews. This also resulted in the first major persecution of the Church.
The passage that we are examining was written in the context of Nero’s tyrannical rule; Romans 13:1-7 NIV: “Let everyone be subject 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, whoever rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves. For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and you will be commended. For the one in authority is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for rulers do not bear the sword for no reason. They are God’s servants, agents of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer. Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also as a matter of conscience. This is also why you pay taxes, for the authorities are God’s servants, who give their full time to governing. Give to everyone what you owe them: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor.”
There are a few ways to grapple with this question. One side of the argument says rebellion isn’t justifiable at all. This passage is about submission to authorities in government, submission to masters, and all of this is in the context of suffering. When people look at Christians, they shouldn’t find those who are slandering their leaders or starting riots to overthrow government, even in the case of injustice, such as persecution or slavery. In this context Nero is on the throne and Christians are being thrown to the lions and burned at the stake. It seems like an ideal time to fight back, but that is not what Peter teaches the Christians to do. He tells them to submit to the unjust authorities in leadership. In this passage, we will learn why Christians should submit even to unjust authorities and see how they should be known for their submission. They should not be known for complaining, arguing, or starting protests, but by the beauty of this submission. Afterall, 1 Peter 2:13 reads, “Submit yourselves for the LORD’s sake to every human authority: whether to the emperor, as the supreme authority” They would say that 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. Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves.
I have a few problems with this argument. There are a substantial number of cases in history of tyrannical governments that are in place who are in direct opposition to the will of the Lord. In the context of Nero, he was torturing and persecuting the early church; burning Christians alive. In this situation I see the merit of their argument. God will call us into situations where we suffer for the glory of the kingdom.
John 15:20 20 “Remember what I told you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also.”
However, early Christians in this situation were not wholly submissive to the government authority. If they were, they would have entirely dismissed their gospel spreading efforts in order to appease the government’s rules.
In recent history we have a plethora of examples of government’s that contradict or command Christians to stop their faith. In light of this, should Christians submit? Are these legitimate God-placed authorities? To me this is a none-nonsensical question. God would not tell us to abandon our faith for supposed governments that lack his authority at all. Paul was writing to the Romans, who were not ignorant of evil government, but the context of this passage is to avoid persecution through the means of Christian peace and love. The purpose of government is to restrain anarchy and Paul’s message is actually subversive, considering the time period.
Where this argumentation is correct is in where the government does not clearly and indistinguishably interfere with the written scriptures and the conscience of the church. We must recognize wrong, but the manner in which we do it makes all the difference in the world. My favorite example of this is Bonhoeffer. Bonhoeffer was a German pastor, theologian, anti- Nazi dissident, and key founding member of the Confessing Church. He fought for the oppressed and championed the church in a time of tyrannical government. Was he wrong to do so? Absolutely not.
The message I think we should get from Paul’s words here is that government is necessary for civility and righteous authority should be adhered to. Not listening to the government’s set speed limits is not justifiable because a government does something completely unrelated that upsets you. There is a right time and place and a mature Christian should always refer to the text of the Bible to understand what is appropriate. The rest of the Bible teaches cases where it is right to disobey human government. Paul writes that we should submit to the government for our conscience’s sake.
So, to plainly answer the question, yes, we should submit to the government and yes there are times to overthrow the government but, in all things, seek wisdom and discretion from scripture and prayer.
Works Cited
Embassy of Heaven . (n.d.). Understanding Romans 13:1-7. Retrieved April 16, 2020, from http://romans13.embassyofheaven.com/understanding.php
Evidence Unseen. (2020). Are we supposed to submit to evil governments? Retrieved April 17, 2020, from http://www.evidenceunseen.com/bible-difficulties-2/nt-difficulties/romans-2/rom-131-7-are-we-supposed-to-submit-to-evil-governments/