Word of Salvation – Vol. 30 No. 32 – Aug 1985
Church And State
Sermon by Rev. S. Voorwinde on Romans 13: 1-7
(Read also: Belgic Confession Art. 36).
I have heard it said that “a gentleman does not converse about religion or politics.” So what I am about to do is a very ungentlemanly thing, in fact a very hazardous thing, and that is to preach to you about the relationship between religion and politics and to scale the high wall that separates church and state in the minds of so many people.
In this sermon we are dealing with the second last article of the Belgic Confession. It’s the article about Civil Government, and Eugene Osterhaven is putting it mildly when he has this to say:
“The article before us is the most difficult and disputed in the Confession. The reason for the difficulty is the inability of Christians to pull together their own thinking on the subject and to find agreement with others.” (p.190).
In other words, when it comes to church and state, religion and politics, Christians haven’t got their act together; they haven’t done their homework.
So what does the Bible teach? What are its abiding principles and how do they apply to our situation? What is our responsibility as Christian citizens in Australia today? To give as fair an answer as possible to these questions, I want to simply explain and apply the first seven verses of Romans 13. This is where we have the gist of the Bible’s teaching on this very crucial subject. So let’s just take it a verse at a time.
Verse 1: “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.”
The simple truth here is that all human authority is delegated authority. It has been delegated by God. He alone has absolute power. In democratic countries we say that governments rule by the will of the people. But that is true only in a secondary sense. First and foremost governments rule by the will of God. There would be no government in power, whether it be democratic, or communist, or totalitarian in some other way, if God in His providence did not allow it and even will it. God alone is sovereign. He is Lord. He alone has absolute authority and “the authorities that exist have been established by God.” Finally, they must all give account to Him of the ways in which they used or abused their power.
I remember the time when Mr. Brezhnev was reviewing Soviet troops in Red Square on the anniversary of the Bolshevik Revolution. What he saw parading before him is perhaps the most powerful army that has ever marched on the face of the earth. After the parade he boasted that any aggressor would be repelled by a crushing retaliatory strike. Several days later the man died.
It reminded me of the conversation between Jesus and Pontius Pilate: “Don’t you realize I have power either to free you or to crucify you?” To which Jesus answered: “You would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above.” (John 19:10,11).
So whether we are thinking of ancient Rome, or of present day Washington or Moscow or Peking, what Paul said to the Romans is still true: “There is no authority except that which God has established,” Sometimes we can accept that without any problem. At other times it is a great statement of our faith in the sovereignty of God. And such it must have been for the apostle Paul. He penned these words during the infamous reign of Nero in which Paul himself was to die as a martyr. Admittedly this letter to the Romans was written in the early years before the reign of terror burst out into the open. This Nero turned out to be a beast of a man. He is most remembered for his persecution of Christians, but he committed other crimes which were just as gruesome. He tried to have his mother drowned and when that didn’t work she was killed by his soldiers. He kicked his pregnant wife in the stomach and he wiped out almost the entire Roman nobility. When he died he left Rome in chaos.
It was in that city that Paul died and it was to Christians in that city that Paul had written that “there is no authority except that which God has established.” Even Nero was the Roman emperor by divine appointment. He had been placed there by God. That’s the force of our text and I honestly can’t see any other way around it. As Christians it is part of our confession that Jesus Christ is Lord. That’s not just some vague spiritual concept, but it has direct bearing on the here and now.
When Jesus had conquered death and was about to send His disciples out into the hard, cruel world He reminded them: “All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth.” “All authority…” – not just spiritual authority, but also political authority; not just heavenly authority, but also authority on earth.
Now let’s not soft-pedal that or explain it away. Rulers may abuse the authority he has given them. Let Him take care of that. Let Him take care of Adolf Hitler and Josef Stalin and Chairman Mao and all the rest. That’s His business. It’s our business to have faith and believe that He is in fact Lord over all the earth. That kept Paul going and that can also be a source of comfort for believers under the Ayatollah Khomeini or in Vietnam or Cuba or Albania.
Jesus Christ is Lord! Abraham Kuyper once said: “There is not one square inch in this entire universe of which Jesus cannot say: ‘This is mine!’” And He can say that because He died and was raised from the dead. That’s one thing that even the most boastful tyrant on earth has never managed to do. Therefore there is no authority on earth that exists outside of, or apart from, the sovereignty of God and of Christ.
This brings us to…
Verse 2: “Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves.”
This is a very logical conclusion from the first verse. A rebellion, a revolution, an attempt to overthrow an established government by force, is not just an act against men, it is also an act against God. For the Roman Christians to plot against Nero’s life, no matter how cruel he may have been, was not an option that was open to them.
Perhaps the most spectacular Biblical example is David. He was persecuted. He was harassed. His life was endangered by King Saul again and again. Yet even when Saul was at David’s mercy – asleep in a cave – he would not lay hands on him because he was the Lord’s anointed. He was still exercising an authority that had been established by God. Far be it from David then to tamper with that situation!
If we listen to what the Bible is saying here then we quickly discover that violent revolution is always wrong. Revolution and blood-shed have never advanced the cause of Christ, nor even the cause of freedom for that matter. The Russians revolted against the Czar in 1917 only to get landed with Stalin, perhaps the most ruthless dictator of all time.
Back in 1789 the French held a revolution for brotherhood, equality and liberty only to become the victims of Napoleon. A century before that the Protestants in Southern France rebelled against the Catholic authorities. As a result they were further suppressed and never grew. The Covenanters, a strict Presbyterian group, experienced the same fate in Scotland in the 1600’s. Marauding bands roamed the countryside. Attempts were made to assassinate the rulers from London. They were unsuccessful. Or think of the situation in Ireland. How different the situation could be if down the centuries both Protestants and Catholics had heeded the principles laid down in this passage – that rebellion against established authority is wrong, and that those who do so will bring judgement on themselves.
But there’s also a positive side to this, that God has often greatly blessed Christians who refused to rebel and counter violence with violence. Even though humanly speaking it seemed more than justified, they refused to resort to violence. The early Christians were discriminated against, persecuted and martyred. They never led a revolution. Yet their cause flourished and in the 4th century the whole empire embraced Christianity.
In 1965 there was a Communist coup to overthrow the government in Indonesia. It failed. The Christians did not join in, but when the Communists were attacked it was the Christians who offered them shelter and safety. At the time there were 3 million Christians. A few years later there were 9 million. There’s a similar story with Communist China. In spite of terrible persecution and loss of life the church refused to die. Now China has more Christians and a stronger church than it did before the Communist takeover in 1949.
If you like history you may find all of these examples rather interesting. But for most of us the whole question of revolution is a rather theoretical issue. We’re not planning to overthrow the government. We’re neither rebels nor revolutionaries and yet this verse also has a message for us. It has something to say about everyday issues and not just about armed revolt. The word “rebel” can also be translated “resist”, and so even the free translation of the “Living Bible” is very much to the point: “Those who refuse to obey the laws of the land are refusing to obey God.” Rebellion does not only come in the form of revolution, but also in the form of breaking the law. For the Christian the laws of the land are also the laws of God. So this brings this verse right into the realm of everyday life.
If smoking marijuana is illegal then it’s also wrong in the sight of God. If the speed limit is 60 kmh then to go faster is breaking the law of God. And the same applies to paying taxes or wagging school or following the directions of a police officer: “Those who refuse to obey the laws of the land are refusing to obey God.” No doubt you can think of many more examples yourself. The Christian is called upon to be a law-abiding citizen. But having said that, we immediately need to make some qualifications:-
(i) Firstly, when Paul says that “everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities”, then that does of course not include those occasions when the authorities tell us to do something that would be contrary to the law of God.
When Peter and the other apostles were told by the Sanhedrin not to preach in the name of Jesus, they could confidently reply: “We must obey God rather than man”.
When Roman officials told Christians to say “Caesar is Lord” and offer incense at a statue of the emperor, they courageously refused, and often paid dearly for it.
When Christian parents in Communist countries are told not to teach their children the Christian faith, then they have the right and in fact the duty to disobey such an order. Also the smuggling of Bibles into countries where Bible reading is restricted or forbidden is acceptable.
So there are exceptions. Submitting to the authorities takes second place to submitting to the higher authority of God.
(ii) But in our time and in our society we can also make a second qualification to what Paul is saying here. True, we must submit and we must not rebel. But does that mean a smug complacency with the status quo? Can’t we question? Can’t we challenge? Can’t we Christians function as the conscience of our society? How can we be complacent when we live in an imperfect society made up of imperfect people? Have we nothing to say about the ills plaguing our society? Surely we can make use of our democratic rights to speak out against pornography, injustice, abortion and poverty! (How many of you have written to the Premier about sex shops in Tasmania? How many of you will have written a week from now?) Let’s not complain about slipping moral standards if we’re not prepared even to do such a simple thing as this. We are not helpless. We can stand up and be counted.
Back in the early 70’s the pornographic musical “Oh Calcutta!” was touring Australia. It had already played in Sydney and Melbourne, but in Adelaide the Christian community protested and the musical never came to town. Their action made history and it shows we don’t have to take these things lying down. Thank God, we still live in a society where our voice can be heard and sometimes it’s even listened to. Paul didn’t write the first paragraph of Romans 13 so that today’s Christians could sit back and do nothing.
Now let’s move on to…
Verses 3 & 4: “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 he will commend you. For He is God’s servant to do you good. But if you do wrong be afraid, for he does not bear the sword for nothing. He is God’s servant, an agent of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer.”
If anything, in these verses Paul is even more positive and more complimentary towards secular authorities. Even if your favourite political party is in power could you always say that the ruler is God’s servant to do you good? Before you think that’s being a bit unrealistic, I want you to try and imagine a situation where there are no rulers, no authorities and no law enforcement. Once you begin to think in those terms you will see that the authorities are there for your good. Even the bad and incompetent ones are far better than no authority at all. The situation I asked you to imagine, once had its beginnings in Australia, and I’d like to illustrate this from an episode in Australian history that few of you may be aware of.
It happened in November 1923 in Melbourne. It was Australia’s only police mutiny and it brought mob rule immediately. The event was remembered in a special article in the “Sydney Morning Herald” in October 1976. You can trust a Sydney paper to recall an ugly event in Melbourne more than 50 years later! Anyway, this is what the article said:
“With only a handful of loyal officers on duty, a criminal rabble took control of the centre of the city, shops were looted, their windows were shattered, and brawling was widespread.
Some 630 policemen had deserted their posts, and as a result pickpockets had a field day, ordinary citizens were bashed, and one young man was kicked to death and robbed near Princes Bridge. Finally, a counter-attack, consisting of 500 volunteers armed with batons and pick-handles, was launched against the rioting mobs. In squads of about 30, they smashed their way into the heart of Bourke Street, but not before 237 people had been taken into hospital, 85 looters were in custody, and the city’s streets were littered with the shattered glass of 88 stoned shop windows.”
At the time the editorial of a Melbourne newspaper reflected the general mood of shock when it said: “Few people would have thought that an orderly city could so rapidly be captured by its criminal and semi-criminal elements.”
Perhaps even more to the point are the Confession’s words on the subject: “We believe that our gracious God, because of the depravity of mankind, has appointed kings, princes and magistrates; willing that the world should be governed by certain laws and policies; to the end that the dissoluteness (looseness) of men might be restrained, and all things carried on among them with good order and decency..!!
The events in Melbourne showed how disorderly and indecent a civilized city can quickly become when the restraints are taken away. The ruler does not bear the sword for nothing and he is God’s servant to do you good. Without that authority you soon see human nature for what it is in its total depravity.
We move on to…
Verse 5: “Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment, but also because of conscience.”
As a Christian you submit for two reasons to the powers that be:
(i) The first reason is practical – you want to avoid punishment,
being fined or thrown in gaol or worse.
(ii) The second reason is principle – for conscience sake.
If you rebel against the authorities you’re rebelling against God.
Then finally…
Verses 6 & 7: “This is also why you pay taxes, for the authorities are God’s servants, who give their full time to governing. Give everyone what you owe him. If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honour, then honour.”
Once again, the authorities are referred to as God’s servants. You could say from the context that the kind of service they render is rather negative – they restrain evil, they punish crime and violence. But even for this they need money and that’s why you pay tax. And if you complain about how much tax you have to pay think back to those violent mobs in Melbourne in 1923. Just one weekend of that is enough of a reminder to make people realize how much they would be willing to pay for their personal safety and protection.
Again let me say that even the most oppressive regimes in the world offer that service to their people. In that sense at least they are God’s servants for good.
I won’t ask you whether you were honest in filling out your tax return this year. They should have been in months ago. Yet when Christians are caught out here, what a stumbling-block it can be and has been to other people. What a disgrace it can bring to the name of Christ, and what a shame it would be if there were Christian people caught up in “bottom of the harbour” schemes. How careful we must be in these delicate areas where the world watches and where we must submit to the government “not only because of possible punishment but also because of conscience.”
But Paul not only mentions taxes and revenue, but also respect and honour. How easily we overlook that. Officially we refer to the Premier as the “honourable” Mr. (…..), but that’s often where his honour stops. Politicians are not the most honoured people in our society. Sometimes they are booed and hassled and jostled, and few of us would like to take their place. But if they are God’s servants for our good they deserve our respect whether we voted for them or not, whether we agree with them or not, whether we like them or not. And how can we show them our respect?
In conclusion, let me answer by quoting Paul’s instructions to Timothy: “I urge, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good and pleases God our Saviour.” (1Tim.2:1-3).
Unless we do that we have not fulfilled our responsibility as Christian citizens. How often do you pray for the Premier of (………), the Prime Minister of Australia, the President of the United States, the leaders of the Soviet Union? Paul urges that we do so, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives. Let’s not ignore what he says.
Amen.