The early leaders were always at pains to show, in response to various misconceptions about the church, that Christians make good productive citizens. They wanted to convince the Romans authorities that though Christians would not worship their gods, they would nevertheless be an asset to society. That is why Paul commands the Roman church here to submit to the governing authorities. But he also recognises a divine order here that we must respect, even if those in power abuse their authority. That idea may seem ludicrous to you. You might cite our government’s faults to justify your civil disobedience. But Paul is not making this command conditional on the government being good or even just. When Paul wrote this, Nero was Caesar of Rome, and Nero was a murderous tyrant. This is the application of Jesus’ command to the Jews under the tyranny of Rome: “If anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also…And if anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles” (Matthew 5:39,41). Jesus was saying this to Jews who regularly suffered these kinds of injustices under Roman occupation and who wanted to rise up against their occupiers. Jesus and Paul are telling us that we should obey our leaders, for the sake of a greater purpose, even if they are corrupt. The point is to not allow any other cause to take away from our gospel mission. We change the world, through grace and service, from the inside out. We are not to rise up against the world, but to sacrifice ourselves for it. That’s the way of Christ.
Think about how you can be a positive influence in your community.
Read Romans 13:1-7
