You can listen to this sermon here: https://youtu.be/_2LkEyKYb_0

Our text today comes from Romans 13 – one of the most abused texts in the history of the Church. What do I mean by that statement, “one of the most abused texts”? Dictators, tyrants and despots have rushed – and continue to do so – to lift this chapter completely out of context and use it as a club to beat Biblically illiterate Christians into submission to their evil.

Here is the text. I am sure many of you are familiar with it:

“Every person is to be in subjection to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God. Therefore whoever resists authority has opposed the ordinance of God; and they who have opposed will receive condemnation upon themselves.” Romans 13:1-2

Surely, these first five verses of Romans 13 sounds like a pretty straightforward command of God to submit to their rulers as if submitting themselves to God Himself. But let’s now look more closely at the CONTEXT of that text to uncover what God is ACTUALLY telling us through St. Paul’s pen. Remember, a text out of context is a pretext for error. So we must always look at the surrounding verses of the text in question, the chapter in which we find the text, the book in which it is written, the testament in which it is found – Old or New Testament, and then the entire Bible itself.

Let’s then look at these first five verses of chapter 13 in Romans. First: There is no authority except from God. Certainly, this is true. God is sovereign. No one can take their next breath unless their Creator authorized it. But what does this text tell us about the REASON God established government? Well, it’s right here in verses three and four: 3 For rulers are not a cause of fear for good behavior, but for evil. Do you want to have no fear of authority? Do what is good and you will have praise from the same; 4 for it is a minister of God to you for good. But if you do what is evil, be afraid; for it does not bear the sword for nothing; for it is a minister of God, an avenger who brings wrath on the one who practices evil.

Listen, God knows we live in a fallen and sin-drenched world. Even a cursory glance at the history of humanity is evidence that humanity rejects a theocracy – that being a government ruled by God Himself. You might remember what Israel said to the prophet Samuel. They did not want God to rule over them, so they said to Samuel – Give us a king so that we will be like the other nations. You’ll find that in 1 Samuel 8:5. Now listen to God’s response in 1 Samuel 8:7 “Listen to the voice of the people in regard to all that they say to you, for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected Me from being king over them.”

And so, because fallen and sinful humanity rejects God’s direct rule over them, in His mercy, He set up human governments so humanity would not devolve into anarchy.

Scripture gives us abundant examples of such anarchy when people do what is right in their own eyes. If it has been a while since you have read the book of Judges, especially the last several chapters of Judges, I urge you to read it soon.

But his text in Romans 13 was never intended by God to be a carte blanche to fallen men and women whom God placed into positions of authority to do with His creation – you and me – whatever they chose to do simply because they are ‘in charge.’

Look again at that text in Romans. Here is the next verse, verse four: “For [governmental rulers are] a minister of God to you for good. But if you do what is evil, be afraid.”

Despots and dictators conveniently omit verse four and the rest of the chapter when they invoke the first verses of chapter 13 to ‘guilt’ their Biblically illiterate populace into submission, submission even to their evil.

For example, as Adolf Hitler’s power grew, he ordered church leaders – both Catholic and Protestant – to preach unconditional submission to his authority. And as is the case WHENEVER the people in the pews are too lazy or too indifferent to study the Scriptures themselves, they trusted their church leadership to tell them what to do.

When Hitler wanted to disarm German citizens, church leadership appealed to Romans 13 to seduce their biblically illiterate congregations to obey Hitler’s government. When the Nazi leader began rounding up those who disagreed with his laws, Christians remained silent because of church leaders appealed again to Romans 13. When Jews and Catholics and others were sent to death camps, Christians remained silent because of what their complicit church leaders taught them regarding Romans 13.

The Nazi’s government churches quickly became a perverted version of biblical Christianity. It became ‘government’ centered, focused on man’s rules instead of Christ centered and focused on God’s rules.

However, and this is important to note, during this growing evil of the Nazi government, a movement began within the Church to resist Hitler and his demonic government. The so-called ‘Confessing Church’ rose from within the lapdog ‘government’ churches to resist Hitler’s government.

Members of the confessing church, such as Karl Barth, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, and Martin Niemoller – who himself was a former Hitler supporter – rejected the Nazi government’s perverted use of Romans 13. It was Niemoller who wrote the now famous and instructive poem you might have read or heard before:

“They came first for the Communists, and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Communist. Then they came for the Jews, and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Jew. Then they came for the trade unionists, and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a trade unionist. Then they came for the Catholics, and I didn't speak up because I was a Protestant. Then they came for me, and by that time no one was left to speak up.”

The Confessing Church rejected blind allegiance to Hitler and his government. For them, the bottom line was what Peter and the other apostles said to their own godless leadership: "We must obey God rather than any human authority" (Acts 3:16ff).

Niemoller, Bonhoeffer, and the others did exactly what the WHOLE context of Scripture enjoins us to do – resist evil, refuse to participate in godlessness and to stand against anti-Christ government rules and their laws.

But that was Nazi Europe. What does that have to do with us in America?

Well, the US government has ruled that a woman has the right to have an abortion for any reason or for no reason. But don’t think for a moment that true and God-fearing Christians support, endorse, and vote for such evil. The same can be said for a host of other anti-Christ governmental laws forced on American churches.

Romans 13:1 in its proper context says government is to uphold good (meaning, godly) behavior and punish bad (13:3). We're to honor this authority, but there are, as I have said already, limits beyond which the Christian MUST NOT go.

Paul tells us two chapters later in Romans 15:4 “For whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, so that through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.

So, what does the whole of Scripture tell us regarding allegiance to governments?

Let’s look first at Exodus chapter one. You might remember the story of the Jewish midwives who refused to obey the king’s decree to kill all the male babies as they were being born. Pharaoh had made a political decision to have them killed because he was afraid the boys would grow up and become part of an army that would lead Israel to freedom.

But the midwives feared God, and did not do as the king of Egypt had commanded them, but let the boys live. (Exodus 1:17)

Then there is the history of the three young men spoken of in Daniel chapter three. The Babylonian king commanded everyone to fall before a statue he’d constructed. Those who refused would be thrown alive into a fiery furnace. And yet, despite the governmental law, Shadrach (Hananiah), Meshach (Mishael) and Abed-nego (Azariah) replied to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar . . .let it be known to you, O king, that we are not going to serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.” (Daniel 3:16-18)

What do you think they would say to those who blindly and perversely apply Romans 13:1 to every rule of every government throughout time?

Then there is the story of 90-year-old Eleazar the Jewish scribe. He lived during the time of the Maccabees – some 150 years before Christ. The Jews were living under Greek rule and were ordered to give up their religious practices. Eleazar refused to even make a pretense of obeying the godless demand. Listen to what he said to the governmental officers:

“At our age it would be unbecoming to make such a pretense; many of the young would think the ninety-year-old Eleazar had gone over to an alien religion. If I dissemble to gain a brief moment of life, they would be led astray by me, while I would bring defilement and dishonor on my old age. Even if, for the time being, I avoid human punishment, I shall never, whether alive or dead, escape the hand of the Almighty. Therefore, by bravely giving up life now, I will prove myself worthy of my old age, and I will leave to the young a noble example of how to die willingly and nobly for the revered and holy laws.” (2 Maccabees 6:24-28)

For the sake of time, let’s look at only one more Biblical example of godly followers of the King of kings who refused to obey ungodly governmental laws. You’ll find this vignette in Acts 4. The religious government in Jerusalem commanded the disciples to cease and desist talking about Jesus.

“But Peter and John answered and said to them, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to give heed to you rather than to God, you be the judge; for we cannot stop speaking about what we have seen and heard.” (Acts 4:19-20)

Listen, my fellow Christians, you who follow our Lord Jesus Christ: A time is coming, and may be at the door, when those – like in Nazi Europe – when those who THINK they are Christians, who THINK they are obeying the Scriptures, will end up persecuting and betraying true Christians to the government. This is not simply my opinion pulled out of thin air. Listen to Jesus in Luke 21:12ff

“But before all these things, they will lay their hands on you and will persecute you, delivering you to the synagogues and prisons, bringing you before kings and governors for My name’s sake . . . But you will be betrayed even by parents and brothers and relatives and friends, and they will put some of you to death, and you will be hated by all because of My name.

And this is not as far-fetched in America as some of us might hope.

During his reelection campaign in 2009 Barack Obama created a website which urged supporters to turn in people who opposed the President’s health plan. Here is a part of his webpage:

“Rumors often travel just below the surface via chain emails or through casual conversation. Since we can’t keep track of all of them here at the White House, we’re asking for your help.

The web page then lists an email address for tattle-telling. But did you catch that? He wanted to be informed about CASUAL CONVERSATIONS among friends, neighbors, and so forth.

That’s not all. Just last month, in July 2021, Breitbart news published this report, stating the “Biden Administration Asks Americans to Report ‘Potentially’ Radicalized Friends and Family.”

Potentially? In whose eyes will someone in this room be ‘potentially’ radicalized? And whose definition of radicalized are we going to use?

Do not doubt for a moment that true Christians WILL BE at the top of the list of those who either this government or some future American government will consider enemies of the state.

What will we do if our government and some of our churches pervert Romans 13 to force our compliance with a godless government?

Let me close this message this way: The devil is lying to some of you right now as you listen to me. He is telling you one of two lies – maybe even both lies.

First, he is telling you to be afraid of him and what he is doing. BUT Almighty God tells you this: “You shall not fear what the people fear. You shall not be in dread of what they dread. It is the Lord of hosts whom you shall regard as holy. He should be your fear. He should be your dread. And THEN He will become your sanctuary.” You will find that text from Isaiah 8:12-14.

Satan might also be telling some of you right now that it is too late to start knowing the Bible. And to that I say on the basis of the whole of Scripture, “Nonsense!”

Our God is supernatural. And He knows what you will face tomorrow and what you will need tomorrow. He knows that as clearly as He knows what you faced yesterday and what you needed yesterday.

So, if you are not yet doing so, start reading the scriptures every day. Set a specific time and a specific place to read it. Make it a daily appointment with God the Holy Spirit.

Just as you make appointments with doctors to meet at a specific place and time – and you do not willingly break that appointment – so also set a daily appointment to meet with the Great Physician. If you do that, if you start even today to make a daily rendezvous with your supernatural God, then TRUST HIM to bring to your remembrance what you’ve read when you need to remember it.

After all, He is God. He does whatever He pleases. Nothing is impossible for Him. But we have to do our part. We all make time to do things we consider important. How important is daily Bible reading going to be for you?