1 Obey the government, for God is the one who put it there. All governments have been placed in power by God. 2 So those who refuse to obey the laws of the land are refusing to obey God, and punishment will follow. 3 For the authorities do not frighten people who are doing right, but they frighten those who do wrong. So do what they say, and you will get along well. 4 The authorities are sent by God to help you. But if you are doing something wrong, of course you should be afraid, for you will be punished. The authorities are established by God for that very purpose, to punish those who do wrong. 5 So you must obey the government for two reasons: to keep from being punished and to keep a clear conscience.
6 Pay your taxes, too, for these same reasons. For the government workers need to be paid so they can keep on doing the work God intended them to do. 7 Give to everyone what you owe them: Pay your taxes and import duties, and give respect and honor to all to whom it is due.
8 Pay all your debts, except the debt of love for others. You can never finish paying that! If you love your neighbor, you will fulfill all the requirements of God’s law. 9 For the commandments against adultery and murder and steeling and coveting – and any other commandment – are all summed up in this one commandment: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” 10 Love does no wrong to anyone, so love satisfies all of God’s requirements.
11 Another reason for right living is that you know how late it is; time is running out. Wake up, for the coming of our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. 12 The night is almost gone; the day of salvation will soon be here. So don’t live in darkness. Get rid of you evil deeds. Shed them like dirty clothes. Clothe yourself with the armor of right living, as those who live in the light. 13 We should be decent and true in everything we do, so that everyone can approve of our behavior. Don’t participate in wild parties and getting drunk, or in adultery and immoral living, or fighting and jealousy. 14 But let the Lord Jesus Christ take control of you, and don’t think of ways to indulge your evil desires.
Paul begins chapter 13 with a general respect of authority. Paul is painting this picture with some very broad brush strokes. Because God is sovereign over all things, we know that these governments were put in place by God’s will – otherwise, they wouldn’t be there. And, in that view, if we refuse to obey the laws of the land we are truly disobeying God. This makes perfect sense as long as the laws of the land are in alignment with God’s law.
If we look at the lives of the apostles, we see that they never disobeyed the government for personal reasons. On the few occasions that they did go against the government, it was in order to follow God’s moral standard. God’s law trumps any government law simply because God is the final authority.
As Christians, we strive to live by God’s moral standard, and if we do, there should be no conflict with the laws of society. Unfortunately, we don’t live in a perfect world, so it is a constant struggle to keep our balance between the two.
Some Christians believe that the government is so corrupt that they won’t have anything to do with it. Although they remain good citizens, they refuse to work for the government, serve in the military, or vote in elections.
Others believe that God gave them the Church and the State as two separate entities that have two completely separate purposes. One as the moral authority, and one as the civil authority. Each performs their own tasks, but never mix together. They compliment each other, but do not support each other.
The last view are those who believe that the Church and State should work together for the good of all of the people.
No matter which view you embrace, none advocate a rebellion against the government. We are to follow the laws of the country we live in unless the government passes a law that clearly goes against God’s moral standard.
Most of us will never be persecuted individually, but if it happens, what will you do? In Revelation 13, John wrote of “the Mark of the Beast”. In the last days, the government will pass a law that no one will be able to buy or sell anything unless they have the mark that shows their allegiance to the Anti-Christ. Will you be able to refuse the mark and suffer starvation and ultimately death?
I find it interesting that Paul wrote this letter to the Christians in the Church of Rome, at a time when they were being hunted down, tortured and killed at the hands of the Emperor Nero. We know from his letters that Paul always had an eternal perspective on life. He spoke of us being foreigners on our way home, and citizens of heaven. He spoke of his persecution as only temporary – He would either survive and continue on with his mission, or he would die and be with Christ. Either choice was good with Paul. Although we should, not all of us have the same resolve as Paul.
Paul was a lover of mankind. He segued through the topic of paying our fiscal debts in verses 6 & 7, to the debt of love for one another in verse 8, which can never be paid. God is love, and if we love we fulfill all of God’s laws.
And, that is the essence of the Christian faith. Jesus said that the world will know we are His followers by the love that we show one another. Love does no wrong to anyone. We should be different than the world, because the world doesn’t know how to love. Paul wrote, “Love is patient, love is kind. Love is not jealous, proud, boastful or rude. Love does not demand its own way. Love is not irritable, and it keeps no record of when it has been wronged. It is never glad about injustice but rejoices whenever truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.” (1Corinthians 13:4-7 NLT) That’s the kind of love that Jesus was talking about.
In verse 11, Paul warned that the end is near. Every day that goes by puts us closer to the day of Christ’s return. So, we should be prepared. Paul commanded that we not live in the darkness of our sin. Throw it off like a dirty shirt. Instead, clothe ourselves with the Armor of Right Living. Some translations call it the Armor of Light, because we are the ones who live in the light.
In our last session, Paul warned us not to be conformed to the world, but to be transformed into the person that God designed us to be. He drives that point home again here in verses 13 & 14. The NKJV says we should “put on the Lord Jesus Christ.” We are nothing without Him, but with Him, we can do all things through Christ who gives us strength (Philippians 4:13). We need to intentionally put on Jesus Christ every day. Like a soldier’s uniform that, not only provides us protection, but also identifies us with our Commander.
We are called to be the light of Christ that shines out into this dark world. We are to be a beacon that guides the lost to safety.
Study Questions
What is you view of the relationship between Church and State?
This is a hot-topic issue in the U.S.A. United States
Do they know you are a Christian by your love?
At least in the eyes of the media, Christians today are portrayed mostly as loud mouthed bigots that stand against a long list of moral issues. We do need to stand against what is wrong. But, how much better would it be if the world could see what we stand for, instead? If we truly did our jobs as Christians, the world would see the love of Christ shining through us. Take Paul’s love test from 1 Corinthians 13:4-7. How many points did you score?
How is your love?
- Patient
- Kind
- Not jealous
- Not boastful
- Not proud
- Not rude
- Not demanding
- Not irritable
- Keeps no record of wrong
- Never glad at injustice
- Happy when truth wins
- Never gives up
- Never loses faith
- Is always hopeful
- Endures through every circumstance
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