Submit to Authorities

Posted on by korgrocker

“For the Lord’s sake, submit to all human authority—whether the king as head of state, or the officials he has appointed. For the king has sent them to punish those who do wrong and to honour those who do right.”
1 Peter 2:12-14 NLT

That’s all right, I hear some say. We don’t have a “head of state” who is a king. So these two verses perhaps don’t apply to us here in the UK.  However, we need to remember that although King Charles is our purely constitutional head of state, the ability to make and pass legislation resides with an elected parliament, whose members sit in our House of Commons after a democratic process. A better attitude to this verse is to consider that all government, whether involving a king or otherwise, must be submitted to. So we need to interpret the spirit behind Peter’s entreaty.

The government of our land passes laws that are supposed to be for the benefit of the citizens, and those who break the laws are doing wrong, thus inviting punishment for their lack of submission. Those who do right are honoured in a way that lets them get on with their lives without state interference. 

But then we think of those countries that have a malevolent government. Totalitarian rulers who want to control the behaviour of the inhabitants, and who severely restrict the citizen’s activities. And then there are governments riven by corruption with leaders who divert the country’s wealth into their own pockets.

But regardless of where we live and what our government is like, Peter wrote, “submit to all human authority”. We have an obligation to observe and follow the laws of the land in which we live, regardless of whether we like them or not. The only conflict that will arise is if the law we object to contravenes the law of God. He is the higher authority. Such an issue occurred for the early Apostles, as we read in Acts 4:18-20, “So they called the apostles back in and commanded them never again to speak or teach in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John replied, “Do you think God wants us to obey you rather than him? We cannot stop telling about everything we have seen and heard””. 

Laws have been passed here in the Uk that subvert the law of God. Probably the most high profile is the one that was passed in 1967, applicable to abortion. We Bible-believing Christians know that this directly contravenes the sanctity of life from the point of conception, as we read in Psalm 139:13-16, “You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb. Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvellous—how well I know it. You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion, as I was woven together in the dark of the womb. You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed”. Faced with such a conflict, we know which is the right choice. Also, the Scottish Government passed a law in 2022 allowing 16-year olds to change their gender by signing a declaration, again a law that offends God’s Word, which declares there are only two genders – male and female (Genesis 1:27). 

But Peter adds a sweetener to his submission verse – “for the Lord’s sake”. We obey the authorities willingly and submissively because Jesus wants us to. That’s enough for me. And if a conflict emerges between to laws of the societies in which we live and God’s laws, we pray for wisdom. The Holy Spirit will lead us in the right way.

Dear Father God. We Thank You for Your wisdom and blessings. We worship You today. Amen.

Rebellion

Posted on by korgrocker

“So anyone who rebels against authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and they will be punished. For the authorities do not strike fear in people who are doing right, but in those who are doing wrong. Would you like to live without fear of the authorities? Do what is right, and they will honour you.
Romans 13:2-3 NLT

Paul continues in his theme of being obedient to the civil authorities because God put them in place. But these days it is fashionable to rebel against our leaders and lawmakers. Not us Christians of course – we tend to be passive and stoical people. Mostly putting up with injustices that take place against us and what we believe. Although that in part reflects the teaching of Jesus, to love our enemies, to go the second mile, we tend to be afraid to stick our collective heads over the parapets, preferring to leave any dissent with the civil authorities to our leaders. But even then, Christians don’t rebel against  the authorities that “God has instituted”. 

Those in our society who are the rebellious ones tend not to be Christians, although there are exceptions. In the UK just now, many disagree with government policy on oil and gas exploration and a very small minority are causing inordinate amounts of disruption in London. Is that rebellion against the authorities, or a legitimate form of protest? There is also a minority who are trying to change society’s attitude to gender and related matters around sexual ethics, to the extent that it is almost becoming a new religion. That is rebellion against Bible-based morality, but rebellion against the authorities? Probably not, unless they behave in a way that is outside the law. In other parts of the world though, totalitarian and authoritarian regimes are very proactive in stifling the least hint of what could become a threat to state’s existence. Christians suffer unjustly in such nations, and their very act of continuing to worship God is considered rebellion.

So was Paul promoting a passive Christianity that would comply with all laws and governments, even if they are unrighteous? Such circumstances introduce difficulties for Christians because there is a higher Power, God Himself. We pilgrims have to constantly be on our guard, always weighing up the society and its laws with the principles and precepts of God’s Kingdom. We of course abide by the laws introduced for the benefit of our society, and even, as was the case in Paul’s day, we do our best to live in a society that may not fit in with our ideals. Here in the UK, society is now largely secular. People are saying we live in a post-Christian world, and the moral compass provided by the Bible and underpinned by centuries of Christian doctrine and customs is being abandoned and replaced by a new morality that doesn’t look as though it will end well. 

But we pilgrims obey our authorities, as Paul taught, because by doing what is right in accordance with the established laws and regulations, we will be allowed to live in peace. We mustn’t get caught up with the rebellious people in our midst, as we read in Proverbs 24:21-22, “My child, fear the Lord and the king. Don’t associate with rebels, for disaster will hit them suddenly. Who knows what punishment will come from the Lord and the king?”

Paul ended the verse today with the thought that if we do what is right we will be honoured by the authorities. For most people this will not be public recognition, but just the opportunity to continue to live our lives in peace. Honour enough for me!

Father God. Thank You that You have appointed and ordained our secular leaders. We pray for them today, that Your will and purposes will be worked out through them. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Government

Posted on by korgrocker

“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.”
Romans 13:1 NIVUK

The page turns, the subject matter changes. A new chapter emerges. Paul now looks outside of the bubble that surrounds the Roman Christians towards the government of their day. The governing authorities in place within the Roman Empire were not renowned for their kindness and compassion. They brutally suppressed any form of dissent, and Christians were sometimes perceived as a threat to their rule. So Paul would not have been very popular when he said that everyone “should be subject to the governing authorities”. He made things potentially worse when he wrote that “The authorities that exist have been established by God”. I can imagine those early Christians wondering if Paul really knew what they had to endure. Could God really be behind the civil persecutions?

In those early days, and with a number of Jews, now Christians, in their midst, there would still perhaps have been a belief that there was no ruler except God Himself, and because of that they would be released from an obligation to be under the authority of the local civic rulers. The local government set the laws that provided cohesion in the society of that time. So thieves would face punishment if caught. Civil unrest would be dealt with. All the usual safeguards would have been in place to prevent the society descending into anarchy. The early Christians may have not liked the situation all that much, certainly from the perspective from how they were treated, but Paul told them to get over it and move on in their faith.

But there would have been those in Paul’s day who rejected this earthly kingdom and its laws, the society in which they lived, and it was to those that Paul was directing his teaching. We mustn’t forget that just a few verses earlier, Paul had written to the members of the church in Rome advising them to “Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone” (Romans 12:18). So the early Christians had to really work out their role of being in the world but not of it.

What about today? Are we pilgrims subject to our “governing authorities”? Do we cherry pick the laws and customs that we want to follow and reject the rest? It is easier to follow laws that are in harmony with what we believe and what the Bible sets out. But what about those customs and laws that are in direct contradiction to Biblical teaching? In our Western societies, the legislators have brought in laws that must upset God deeply. Laws, for example, that legalise abortion or allow same sex marriage. But as we read just a few verses ago, God will deal with such evil in the fullness of time. However, at the present time, there is no law that forces a Christian to make a choice between God’s way and society’s way, causing them to personally disobey the authorities, but the trend is ominous. Though Christians can worship today without breaking the law, there is legislation being discussed that would make it illegal for pastors to pray with, or for, anyone around issues such as gender. Such a law has already been passed in Australia. How can we be subject to such a law that flies directly in the face of what God has ordained?

There will come a time when Christians in the West will be subject to the same draconian suppression that can be found in places like North Korea, where Christians are locked up, mistreated and even killed for their faith. Christians there are subject to the governing authorities and suffer the consequences if they choose to have faith in God. But God knows what they are suffering, and one day they will receive a reward for their faith. 

We pilgrims pray, and continue to be obedient to both God and the authorities. But when there is a conflict, God is the higher power. The authorities have been established by God, but when they go against His Word and will, there will be consequences. Paul wrote in the previous chapter in Romans, “Dear friends, never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God. For the Scriptures say, “I will take revenge; I will pay them back,” says the Lord” (Romans 12:19).

We can choose to be subject to the government, a choice made easier because that is what God wants us to do. So the next time we see a politician on TV and feel rebellious thoughts arise, we must remember that, objectionable that they may be, God put them there. Hmmm…

Father God. You have blessed those of us who live in the West with stable societies. They are not perfect we know, but You have ordained them, for which we thank You. Please help us to remain in Your will, honouring and obeying those You have placed in authority over us. Amen.