As a child, I loved going on vacation. Those trips every summer are some of my favorite childhood memories. One year, when I was just a young boy, I was given the assignment of making sure that all of the appliances in the house were unplugged before we left on the trip. All went well until I came to the family stereo, and I was too short to reach the plug behind the stereo. Rather than moving one of the speakers and my mom’s ceramic vase, I retrieved a flathead screwdriver from the next room. Then I simply reached over the stereo and attempted to use the screwdriver to pry the plug from the socket.
Most people reading this can anticipate what happened next, but to a boy who did not really understand complicated subjects like electricity and conductivity, it was literally quite a shock when the sparks began flying. Though it is funny now, my lack of understanding about how to unplug the stereo could have seriously injured me and caused a major disaster in our home. My failure to understand a few basic principles had lessened my ability to make a good decision.
Many times our attempts to properly apply the Scriptures to aspects of our everyday lives are similar to my early experience with electricity. Our decisions can be affected by simply not understanding a few basic rules or principles. Take the issue of politics, for example. The Bible does not spend a lot of time instructing the believer about his or her role in government, yet ignoring what Biblical instruction there is could lead one to make a poor decision in this arena.
There are several passages in the Scriptures that speak to the role of the Christian in response to government. Chief among these passages is Romans 13:1-7. Understanding a few basic principles from these verses in Romans 13 enables believers to do far more than just decide who to vote for; it enables one to make good decisions about ways to be involved in politics. There are two specific ways that Romans 13 impacts how I participate in politics. First, the passage dictates that I obey governmental authorities. If this is true, then as an American citizen with the right to vote I should be informed and I should cast my vote. Second, the passage states that rulers are God’s servants. If this is true, then I should respect authorities no matter who they are, and even if my particular candidate of choice loses, then God is still sovereign and in control.
I Must Obey Rulers
Romans 13 repeatedly affirms the idea that the life of the believer should exist in accordance with the laws of the land. The passage begins with the phrase “everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities.” Paul obviously had no intention of keeping secret his purpose for writing this passage in the book of Romans.
Much is different between our world and the world of the original recipients of the letter to the Romans. When Paul first penned these words, the Emperor Nero was in the middle of his fourteen-year reign over the Roman Empire. At this point in his rule Nero had not yet digressed to the depths of derangement that he would reach during his persecution of Christians toward the end of his reign. Still, by the time that the church in Rome first read these inspired words, Emperor Nero had allegedly been responsible for the murder of a rival to the throne, as well as his own mother. Comparatively speaking, the political situation of the United States seems downright civil.
Throughout history many people have approached these verses with one question in mind, “When is it okay to disobey governmental authority?” Though the Apostle does not give a list of exceptions here, sometimes in approaching this passage one must consider the actions of the Apostle Peter and the Apostle John in Acts 4 when they stated that they must obey God rather than men. Most circumstances in our everyday lives, however, do not ask us to make this decision.
So if Romans 13 teaches that a believer is to obey government authorities, then what does that mean for me? There are two specific implications for this that impact how I participate in politics.
First, given that the Bible teaches that I must obey, and given that those in the United States of America have the right to have a voice in their government, it is imperative that I am informed about the issues and the candidate’s stances on those issues.
In the passage in Romans the Apostle Paul uses the dreaded task of paying taxes as his example. Much like the teaching of Jesus in the gospels (Matthew 22, Mark 12, and Luke 20), Paul teaches that it is right for the Christian to pay taxes. Taxes were no more popular then than they are now. In the 2008 election many candidates are pledging to change how Americans pay taxes. This is a perfect example of why my duty to obey government necessitates being an informed citizen. It will be my duty to pay taxes, but by being informed I can make a good choice about my decision, and also possibly affect my taxes.
Second, given that the Bible teaches that I must obey, Romans 13 impacts how I participate in politics by compelling me to vote. The right to vote is not God-given, it is a privilege that I possess as a twenty-first century American citizen. The prophet Isaiah did not have the right to vote, the Apostle Peter did not have the right to vote, yet today in this country we do.
God expects us to obey the government that is ruling over us. In 2009 that may be the same political party or it might be a different one than it is today. The country’s next president may be a woman, an African-American man, a Mormon, or an evangelical Christian, but no matter who it is we must obey their governance of this country, unless it contradicts clear instruction from Scripture. This is the reason I must vote.
Today in many countries around the world Christians are subject to persecution and they have no opportunity to change the government that oppresses them. By virtue of the fact that my faith necessitates my obedience to government I will be voting to choose that government. There will be no perfect candidate which I can choose. Many have expressed the idea that making a selection between today’s candidates could be choosing a “lesser of the evils.” I am not sure that that assessment is 100% accurate, but even if it is, given the teaching of this passage is it not incumbent upon the Christian to choose the lesser of those evils?
Rulers Serve God
Another concept Romans 13 makes very clear is that governmental authorities are in reality God’s servants. This is true no matter the spiritual condition of the ruler. Early in the history of America, John Jay, one of the founding fathers and the first Supreme Court Justice stated in a personal letter, “Providence has given to our people the choice of their rulers, and it is the duty, as well as the privilege and interest of our Christian nation to select and prefer Christians for their rulers.” Many today hold Jay’s position, while others, such as popular Christian theologian Wayne Grudem, hold that qualifications and positions consistent with the Scriptures are more important than whether or not a particular candidate claims to be an evangelical Christian. Indeed, over the last few elections we have seen two professing Southern Baptists, Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton, who were understandably very unpopular with conservative voters. We have also been told that the wife of the man most often regarded as the most conservative president in recent history, Ronald Reagan, often relied on astrology when giving advice to her husband.
No matter one’s opinion on the Presidencies or personalities of Carter, Clinton, or Reagan, the Scripture is very clear, all of these men were viewed by God as His servants. Romans 13 states regarding rulers, “authorities that exist have been established by God,” and twice that “he [government leader] is God’s servant.” Being referred to as God’s servants does not mean that every act by governmental authorities is ordained by God, nor does it mean that those leaders are not in need of accountability. What it does mean is that God is sovereign over all government circumstances, whether they are the frequent assassinations and immorality of the first century Roman government or the twenty-first century elections by the United States.
So if Romans 13 teaches that government authorities are the servants of God, then what does that mean for me? There are two specific implications for this that impact how I participate in politics.
First, given that those ruling over us are God’s servants, then I should respect them, even candidates with whom I may vehemently disagree. In the event that a candidate that I did not vote for wins, my attitude toward them is still to reflect the reality that God is not worried and can use anyone, no matter how liberal or conservative, to accomplish His purposes. Sometimes, as Americans, we approach criticizing and complaining as if it were our national pastime. Nothing in Scripture says that I cannot exercise my right to free speech, but the tone of my free speech should not be what is typical in the political arena. This is not always an easy truth for me to digest, but it is one that I must acknowledge.
Second, if I understand that government authorities are God’s servants, then I will realize that it is not the end of the world if my candidate loses. The election matters and who I vote for matters, but no matter who wins, God maintains control. In 1 Timothy 2 Paul urges believers to pray for “kings and all those in authority.” There is no suggestion in this passage that believers should pray for the removal or untimely demise of Nero, but rather that they should petition God on behalf of their deranged leader. The teaching of Romans 13 echoes that of Proverbs 21:1, which says, “The king’s heart is in the hand of the LORD; He directs it like a watercourse wherever He pleases.” Ultimately God’s will is fulfilled no matter which candidate is chosen. I may not like the elected candidate, but as an imperfect human being I also may not like God’s perfect will, either.
Aside from the hours that my father spent separating the screwdriver and plug that had been welded together, there were no enduring consequences from my first adventure with electricity. The knowledge that was gained from the experience has served my decision-making well for over twenty-five years. Romans 13 will impact my political decision-making the same way.
Sources
• John Jay quote
October 12, 1816. The Correspondence and Public Papers of John Jay, Henry P. Johnston, ed., (New York: Burt Franklin, 1970), Vol. IV, p. 393
• Wayne Grudem on a Christian’s Vote
Article on townhall.com 10/18/2007 by Wayne Grudem Why Evangelicals Should Support Mitt Romney
• Reagans and astrology
Time Magazine article 5/16/1988 by Barrett Seaman Good Heavens! An astrologer dictating the President’s schedule? So says former White House Chief of Staff Donald Regan in an explosive book
Filed under: New Testament Articles
