Our Relationship To Government (Part 1)

Romans 13:1-7
As we come to chapter 13, we still are talking about the service of the sons of God. We are going to see that the believer has citizenship in heaven, but he also is a citizen in the world down here, which gives him a twofold responsibility. If there is a conflict between the two, always our first responsibility is to our Lord in heaven.

The Lord Jesus made it very clear that we have a responsibility to human government. You remember that He was asked by His enemies, "Is it lawful to pay tribute to Caesar, or no?" He asked them to show Him a coin. He asked them whose superscription and whose image was on that coin. They said, "Caesar's." Then He made this significant statement, "Render therefore unto Caesar the things which be Caesar's, and unto God the things which be God's" (Luke 20:25).

Governments are ordained of God, and He gave them certain authority. We live in a day when evil is called good, and good is called evil. However, believers have responsibility to human government. In fact, Paul said to a young preacher, "I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; for kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceful life in all godliness and honesty. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour (I Timothy 2:1-3). By the way, we are to pray for those in authority, not leave it to the preacher on Sunday morning.

The duty of the believer as a citizen of heaven is spiritual. The duty of a believer as a citizen under a government is secular. These two are separate functions, and to combine them is to fail to keep church and state separate and distinct.

The Jew in Paul's day was reluctant to bow before the proud Roman state. Jewry had fomented disturbances in the city of Rome, and as the result Claudius had banished them on one occasion. The proud Pharisees rejected the Roman authorities in Palestine in their desire to restore the government to the nation of Israel; it was they who masterminded the encounter with Jesus and raised the issue, "Is it lawful to give tribute unto Caesar, or not?" The implications smacked of revolution, as you can see. It is well to remember that the authorities in Paul's day were mad and murderous. Nero was on the throne of Rome, and there was Pilate and Herod --all a bunch of rascals, yet he said that believers were to obey those in authority.

Romans, Volume II, J Vernon McGee