When I think of God’s servants, I think of great people like Moses, the disciples, pastors, and you! However, the Apostle Paul adds to the list of God’s servants, civil leaders. But Paul doesn’t stop at calling political, governmental leaders God’s servants. He also calls believers to honor them, pray for them, and submit to them (Romans 13:1-7; 1 Tim. 2:1-3). That all sounds good when you agree with them, but what about when you don’t? Do we get a pass on this when they aren’t the person we voted for? When their decisions make us uncomfortable?
Everyone must submit to governing authorities. For all authority comes from God, and those in positions of authority have been placed there by God. So anyone who rebels against authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and they will be punished. The authorities are God’s servants, sent for your good. Give to everyone what you owe them: Pay your taxes and government fees to those who collect them, and give respect and honor to those who are in authority. –Romans 13:1-2, 4, 7
How do we respect and honor those who are in authority?
1) Submit to them. I imagine the first readers of Romans saying, “Wait? Submit to Roman authority? But they are ungodly. The emperor thinks he is a god and should be worshipped! Look what these leaders do; they are known for perversion, brutality, and murder!” Paul knew that submitting to Roman authority was not an easy ask and would go against everything a believer’s flesh wanted to do. Side note: Submitting doesn’t imply agreeing as much as obeying.
2) Pray for them (1 Tim. 2:1-2). The command is not to pray for those you agree with or the ones you think are godly leaders. I sometimes wonder what could happen if we would spend more time praying for our leaders instead of talking about them. More can be accomplished in minutes of prayer than years of criticizing. In a culture that is known for speaking out against our leaders, I find it very interesting that as evil as the Roman leaders were known for, Paul didn’t feel the need to point that out. It seems he was more interested in exposing them to the Kingdom than exposing their sins. The call from the Scriptures is clear: Pray for your leaders!
When is civil disobedience ok?
Is there a time when enough is enough, and we are forced to choose to obey God rather than obey man? Sure, of course, there is, when government leaders command what God forbids. When Peter and the apostles were ordered not to teach in the name of Jesus, Peter and the apostles said, “We must obey God rather than any human authority” (Acts 5:29). When Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were ordered to worship the statue of Nebuchadnezzar or be burned to death, they said, “If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God whom we serve is able to save us. He will rescue us from your power, Your Majesty. But even if he doesn’t, we want to make it clear to you, Your Majesty, that we will never serve your gods or worship the gold statue you have set up” (Daniel 3:17-18). Then of course there was the time that the law of the land decreed that no one could pray to anyone except to King Darius. But Daniel did what he always did, and prayed to his God (Daniel 6:10).
While I believe that the gathering of believers is absolutely essential (Hebrews 10:25), the temporary restriction on gatherings, as a result of COVID-19, is just that – temporary. Let there be no doubt, there is a line that can be crossed which biblically requires a response of civil disobedience; that is not the moment we are in right now. We are in a temporary situation, not a permanent condition. I’m eager to resume meeting once again, and we are in the process of prayerfully and strategically planning our comeback. For right now, let me remind you that the Church of Jesus Christ has always been unstoppable. The cause of Christ is simply too great to stop. When the Church was not able to gather because of persecution, they did not take a vacation, they did not pause; instead they went out boldly proclaiming the gospel, leading people to Jesus, healing the sick, and the Church flourished (Acts 8). So instead of slowing down, let’s together ramp up our efforts to saturate this region with the hope we have in Christ. I’m believing God for another Great Awakening in America!
Prior to laying out the call to respect and honor governmental authority, Paul said, “Rejoice in hope, be patient in trouble, and keep on praying. Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good” (Romans 12:12, 21). May you rejoice in the hope you have in Jesus! May you have the grace to be patient in trouble. Let’s keep on praying, and let’s overcome evil not by lashing out, not by responding to evil with evil, but with goodness.
Kevin Berry
