It is somewhat complex. I want to admit from the outset that, this point is not simplistic. “When does the Christian not submit to the state? Or is the Christian to universally, categorically in every instance submit to the state, such that to rebel against the state is in every case to sin against God?” Take that first question. According to the Bible, are there any instances in which Christians do not obey the state?

Usually, when I find myself discussing the same matters with numerous people in our congregation, I can tell that its time to preach on a subject. Last week I had this nearly identical discussion on two occasions within the span of two days. In a discussion with [Tom M.] last week, he asked me about Operation Rescue and some of the tactics of those who broke the law, even as an effort to protect innocent life. This church member asked me: “Is it alright to protest against a law that is not contrary to God’s revealed law?

Let me tell you how I tried to answer that from Romans 13. According to the Bible, Christians may express their disagreement with laws, and our society protects the right to freely express or protest such matters of conscience. I have to say that, indeed, it should be a matter for us to protest as our country routinely aborts human life. However, we also have a dual responsibility: we are simultaneously to obey the law. And in this case, as horrible as the law is which allows for the slaughter of the unborn, still no one in our country is legally bound to get an abortion. It would be a different question, if a law was passed (say as in China once) forbidding its citizens to have as many children as they wanted, with abortion being the mechanism to take that life.

So as we protest, or devise other means to seek to change the law, that is all fine, as long as we stay within the confines to the law. Even if we want the law changed, we must work within the law to have it changed, and there are legal-constitutional processes to affect that. So biblically, we may express our disagreement with aspects of our government, but we must be careful to do so peacefully and lawfully. We are not called by God to resort to, nor employ ungodly methods, even if attempting to correct ungodly parts of our state. The Christian, I told this member, is called to submit to the laws of the state, unless they mandate something which is opposite of God’s Word.

Then two days later I had the same issue raised in another Bible study from a different angle. This time, I was speaking about the role of the state in suppressing violence, when a mob recently prevented a Christian church from having its worship service—in a case this month, a group of homosexuals protested a church from having a speaker on family values and physically prevented worshippers from peacefully attending that service. Sadly, the police sat idly by, because it was not politically correct in this community to restrain homosexuals who expressed their opposition to Christian values. My point was that the state should protect the free worship of people.

And an astute student in a bible study group pointed out that if that was so, then Christians should not be involved in physically preventing others from having a legal abortion. I agree totally. The principle is the same, and if in fairness we expect the state to protect our civil rights, then we must respect others—even if they seek something which we know is self-destructive. Again, Christians may and should be involved and moved to compassion on behalf of the unborn. But we must make sure that our methods are within the bounds of Scripture. We must not resort to unbiblical means, even with a righteous end in sight. Christians are called to submit to the laws of the state.

You begin to see the relevance of these and other like questions. As I said last week, Romans 13 is one of the chapters in Scripture that is imperative for us to understand in our day. It will come into play again and again.

Last week, we considered the God-ordained role of the state. We saw that it was to be limited and not Messianic in its scope. It was to do only that which God had ordered it to do and recognize that God has also raised up other groups, like the home, the church, and private charity to take care of many things. The state was to be minimal, not maximal, and it is a creation of God, not human accident, nor even justified solely for administrative efficiency. I contend that if we have a proper view of the state, then it won’t be as difficult to know what our role is as individual Christians. This morning, we’ll focus on the role of the citizen.

This morning, I want to discuss with you what Scripture says are our clear duties as Christian citizens toward our state. These are clear, but at heart our problem, in this area as with other areas is “selective rebellion.” We love to trumpet the inerrancy of Scripture, when we agree with some portion of the Bible. However, when it cuts against us or confronts us, we don’t seem quite as happy with the Bible. Sometimes we even want to explain it away; and we rebel at select points.

It is a temptation to love our country and submit to the government if it is in the handsof one party or one group of leaders. Yet is is a challenge for many to obey this teaching when it goes against our grain. Let me say it this way: I heard virtually no evangelicals during the Reagan-Bush years cry out for defiance of the state. Now, after the Clinton election, I hear some. Let’s look at Scripture. Is that what Scripture commands? Let’s look at our duties.

DUTY #1 = to submit, as long as proper governmental operation.

Flowing from what we saw last week, about the God-given authority for the state, our corresponding duty is to submit. That is the very first duty of the Christian given here.

It is crucial to remember from the outset that God is the Creator of Government in general, and governments in particular. Verse 1 gives the rather categorical command that everyone (not some or a few, but all)—must submit to the governing authorities. We must slow down to take this a portion at a time.

– “Everyone must submit himself.”—This is something that Christians are to do. For those asking, what practical duties can I do, this is among the clearest, “Submit yourself to the governing authorities.” That is a practical application too clear to miss, and it is an action called for by God.

– “Submit.” There are few words in modern vocabulary which are more hated, especially in America. People don’t like to submit. Submission is not the favorite pastime of Americans, nor a virtue quickly associated with our people. Children don’t enjoy it, teenagers hate it, and adults like it even less. Yet, the unbending reality is that God has created the world with certain inbuilt structures that we can neither get around, nor break. He calls us to submit to those things which he has made. But rebellious sinners, don’t like this and don’t want to. In our pride—and that is what is at the heart of non-submission—we all are prone to think we know better, and that we should be obeyed rather than the leaders God has appointed.

Wives don’t want to submit to their husband BY NATURE.

Children don’t want to submit to their parents BY NATURE.

Employees don’t want to submit to their employers BY NATURE.

Church Members don’t want to submit to their elders BY NATURE.

Citizens don’t want to submit to their civil rulers By NATURE.

We all by nature, following Adam, want to be our own Sovereigns—we lust to be king, we choose, if permitted to enthrone ourselves, and seek to erect our own petty fiefdoms. By Nature.

Submission is difficult, and we might be better off to admit that our sinful human nature does not enjoy submission. It requires a maturity of perspective, a heart that knows God’s ways of working are larger than our ways. It requires patience, the fruit of the spirit, and a deep trust that God’s ways are best. Submission is directly and ultimately tied to our amount of trust in God. If we can ever get through our heads, that he is just as he says he is in Scripture, and that he does just as he says he does in Scripture, then we can submit. But until we can grow in trust to that point, many will have difficulty submitting.

In modern times, there are few words more onerous than submission. There have been attempts to lessen its import and dilute its meaning. It is one of those parts of biblical teaching, like “Thou shalt not commit adultery,” which just cannot be toned down, without perjuring its meaning. “Thou shall not commit adultery” can—if we allow the text to be tampered with—really be manipulated to “Thou shalt not have sexual immorality except under certain conditions.” By thus relativizing that command, we have destroyed the command and turned it into a servant of human lust. Sure, we can pervert the meanings of biblical terminology and re-craft it after our own image to make it more suitable to our native notions, but in so doing we prostitute the Word of God.

The same is true with submission. People can so transform it by slight of hand, as to render it opposed to what it originally meant. I’ve watched, e. g., feminists try to weaken its meaning, by translating “mutually submit,” so as to not really be required to submit to their husbands. Sure, that trick can be played, and a rationalization created, but that’s not faithful to what the text truly says. People do this with that hated word submission. I’ve worked with teenagers who selfishly tried to limit the biblical teaching on submission to parents. I’ve counseled workers who seek to overturn the biblical teaching on our respect for employers, because at heart they do not like to submit to anyone else. Why I’ve even known church members who thought submission was OK, until the Elders made a decision that they did not like.

Proper submission is a teaching of God’s whole counsel, and we cannot get around it by changing the meaning of the term. It was originally a military term and most literally means “to fall into rank,” indicating that God has for us certain places, certain ranks, and orders to observe. And we’re not all called to the same place of service. It is sinful to try to overthrow those orders, which God has created for us, assuming that our authorities are God ordained. It is sinful for the wife to not submit to her husband. It is sinful and consequential for children not to submit to parents. It is sinful for church members not to submit to Elders. And God calls us here to submit to the governing authorities. God is a God of order, not anarchy. Unless (and this is a big unless), they have ceased to fit in with God’s order (forfeiture), then to rebel against them is to rebel against God.

This is taught elsewhere. Look at another place with me in I Pet. 2:13 ff., which says: “Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every authority instituted among men: [It gets more specific] whether to the king, as supreme authority, or to governors, who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right,” This is one way of silencing critics and spreading the gospel, according to v. 15 in that chapter. The paragraph concludes: “Show proper respect to everyone; Love the brotherhood of believers, fear God, honor the King.” So it is not just Romans 13 which teaches this but the consistent biblical witness. And God does not command to overthrow the king and establish a democracy.

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