Are we to submit to wicked leaders ? To this day, Christians continue to debate Romans 13:1-7 . In it, the Apostle Paul speaks of the Christian’s responsibility to submit to government authorities.
Here’s the passage:
Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. Consequently, whoever rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves. For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and you will be commended. For the one in authority is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for rulers do not bear the sword for no reason. They are God’s servants, agents of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer. Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also as a matter of conscience.
This is also why you pay taxes, for the authorities are God’s servants, who give their full time to governing. 7 Give to everyone what you owe them: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor.
Some Christians interpret this passage as meaning believers are literally to submit to all government authority, even if it is corrupt. Other Christians believe government corruption severs that requirement of submitting to compromised authority: especially when such governments exalt evil and denigrate good.
Which side is correct? To determine this we need to look at the context of when Paul wrote Romans 13.
Yes, it was during the reign of Nero, one the cruelest persecutors of Christians in history. How evil was Nero? Until the fifth century, many early Christians believed he was the antichrist.
This sadist had Christians crucified and had Christians dipped in tar and set on fire to light his gardens. Nero also ordered Christians to fight in gladiator matches or had them torn apart by lions or hungry dogs in the arena.
Many Christians , including myself, thought Nero’s emperorship was the context in which Romans 13:1-7 was written. We were partly right.
Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus ruled the Roman Empire from 54-68 AD . Surprisingly during his early reign, Nero was a just ruler who allowed the Christian faith to flourish. Many theologians believe this was the context Romans was written.
“…(T)he historical context of Rome prior to AD 62 shows that when Paul wrote Romans, Nero was an exceptionally good ruler who allowed Christianity to flourish, thus while Paul’s guidance in Romans applies when the government is just, the text does not address what to do when tyrannical governments persecute believers or others unjustly.”
Historians believe it was around 62 AD his reign became darkened. Paul wrote Romans around 57 AD before Nero’s reign of terror against the church. Therefore, it is highly likely Nero’s government held no terror for those who did right , but for those who did wrong.
However, the opposite would come about in Rome: terror for those who did right. Paul is believed to have been beheaded in Rome somewhere around 65 and 67 after Nero blamed Christians for the great Rome fire in 64 AD. Was the fire an accident or willful arson by Nero? You can read about that in more detail here.
Paul never wrote directly of Christian responsibility when government protects sin and becomes a terror for good. However, the Bible does cite examples of civil disobedience.
For those who believe Romans 13:1-7 calls for unquestioning loyalty and obedience to government, the Bible presents plenty of examples of God’s people resisting government authority. I touch upon this in my latest book , American Christian: A Treatise of Spiritual, Cultural and Political Discernment.
From the chapter, “On Government and Authority”:
Two of the earliest examples (of civil disobedience) were a pair of Hebrew midwives by the name of Shiprah and Puah. These two refused to obey Pharaoh’s order to kill all male Hebrew babies during their duties.
But the midwifes feared God , and did not do as the king of Egypt commanded them, but saved the male children alive.(Exodus 1:17)
Consider also Rahab, who ignored a command from the king of Jericho to turn in the Israelite spies …Rahab, a prostitute disobeyed the command and later lied to authorities about the spies whereabouts as she was hiding them under stalks of flax on her roof…
I also mentioned Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego who refused to bow before an idol of King Nebuchadnezzar . They were thrown into a fiery furnace where not one hair was singed thanks to the intervention of a being widely believed to be the pre-incarnate Christ. (Daniel 3:10-25)
There are also examples of biblical disobedience in the New Testament . Here’s an excerpt from Acts 4:18-20, but I recommend you start from the beginning of this chapter:
Then they ( the rulers, elders, scribes) called them in again and commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John replied, “Which is right in God’s eyes: to listen to you, or to him? You be the judges! As for us, we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard.”
Based on these examples, I don’t believe Romans 13:1-7 tells us to blindly submit to wicked government. Does this mean we should commit violence or torment revolution? No. However we are to speak boldly about Jesus and call out evil.
Oh, and one more thing. What makes America different from other governments in history is our founding documents, the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States .
The Declaration of Independence declares our rights are unalienable , in that they come from God. The Constitution lays out our form of limited government. But these are subjects for a future column.