Governing Authorities and Christians

Photo by David Renken

“Let every person be subject to the governing authorities; for there is no authority except from God, and those authorities that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore whoever resists authority resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment” (Romans 13:1–2 NRSV).

A potentially troubling text to anyone concerned about the dangers of tyranny, Romans 13:1–7 has been the subject of much debate (see also Titus 3:1). On the surface, the apostle Paul who authored it seems to be suggesting something akin to the “divine right of kings,” in which the absolute rule of monarchs are granted to them by God and legitimized on the basis of God’s supreme authority. In other words, whatever rulers decide for those under their rule is to be accepted as if God himself had made such a ruling. Submission to the king means submission to God and vice versa.

So is Paul really telling Christ followers that they must fully comply to the will of the Roman Empire, its Emperor and other governing officials, as an inherent part of their commitment to Jesus Christ and the God of Israel? Are Christians not to resist even the most evil and tyrannical leaders to whom they may find themselves subject?

Well, before answering this question directly, let’s first consider the greater context of Romans 13:1–7. At multiple points throughout the preceding portion of the letter, Paul affirms God’s unconditional love for the Christ community (see, for example, Romans 1:7; 5:8; 8:19, 37–39). In response to God’s love for them, Paul then urges the community in Romans 12:1–10 to be wholly devoted to God, which will necessarily entail a loving commitment and mutual obligation to each other.

Paul elaborates further in chapter 12 that the community is to (1) “bless those who persecute [them]” (verse 14); (2) “not repay anyone evil for evil, but take thought for what is noble in the sight of all” (verse 17); (3) (to the extent possible) “live peaceably with all” (verse 18); and (4) refrain from vengeance, and “overcome evil with good” (verses 19–21).

In all, these first twelve chapters of the letter to the Romans indicate that the Christ community’s identity is to be foremost defined by love—God’s love for them, as well as their love for God (see Romans 8:28), each other, and indeed the rest of the world. They are to seek, then, the highest good for both those inside and outside of the community, even if at their own expense.  

It is in this light that he exhorts the members of the community in Romans 13:1–2 to submit themselves to Roman civic authorities. In portraying the Empire as being given its authority by God, Paul immediately diminishes its power. That is, Rome’s power is not to be understood as absolute, but rather contingent upon and liable to God. The implicit point Paul is making is that the Empire is to be obeyed, but only to the extent that its dictates do not contradict the commands of God to the community.

Read in this way, the overarching idea in the passage is no longer obscured. It has nothing to do with subjection to governing authorities for its own sake, but rather with the appropriate exercise of the divinely commanded love the community is to express toward the rest of the world. This is made explicit in Romans 13:8–10, where Paul presses the primacy of God’s command to “love your neighbor as yourself.”

Integral to this idea, what is additionally important about Romans 13:1–7 is that while Paul portrays the Christ community as having been set apart by God through their allegiance to Jesus Christ and the sort of lifestyle that such allegiance demands, the passage demonstrates Paul’s “non-sectarian” view of Christian identity. In other words, being a Christian does not therefore indicate that all other social identities one may possess, however transformed and lower in importance they may become, are ultimately dissolved.

Thus, the Christ followers Paul is addressing in Rome are still Romans and they must conduct themselves accordingly to the extent their commitment to Jesus Christ and the God of Israel allows. They are God’s agents of love to the rest of the world, and this agency necessitates that they remain properly engaged in the world (see 1 Corinthians 5:9–10; 1 Timothy 2:1–2; 1 Peter 2:17; and similarly Jeremiah 29:7).

By extension, Christians in America are still Americans, and Christians from other nations are still members of those nations. To the extent that the respective laws of these countries do not interfere with the commands of God to Christians, they should be obeyed. But if the dictates of the powers that be would force Christians to violate God’s commands, then they must be resisted in harmony with the guidelines Paul lays out in Romans 12:14–21 (see Acts 5:27–32; and similarly Daniel 3:1-16; 6:1–10).

It should be observed, however, that making the determination as to whether following the dictates of civic authorities would cause one to transgress God’s higher will for his people is not always entirely clear. A host of contextual factors often need to be considered in order to know what the most loving response is, including, for example, what best serves the cause of justice and peace. In such instances, prayer and reliance on God’s Spirit for discernment become especially critical.    

Of course, further complicating matters for at least American Christians is the fact that we live in a constitutional republic. For Americans, the U. S. Constitution represents the highest civic authority in the land. If the constitution is violated by lesser authorities (be they federal, state, or local), whether American Christians should obey them or not is another question. Unfortunately, easy answers to such questions cannot be found in this passage. 

In any case, Romans 13:1–7 does not offer a “blank check” to would-be tyrants to do as they will, having been given their right to rule from God. To the contrary, this passage places limits on the authority of human leaders—at least in terms of any submissive response to them that God requires from his people. Above all, it demands that Christian practice be motivated by love regardless of the cost.