Around Memorial Day, we sometimes talk
about how great it is to be a citizen of this nation. Being a citizen of the United States is great! People from other countries also believe that it is great to be a
citizen here. Many of those who have moved here have become “Americanized.”
They have learned English and adopted the customs. Our national values have
rubbed off on them.
The Bible reminds Christians that we are
citizens of Heaven. Heaven’s values ought to be rubbing off onto each of us. As
a matter of fact, we should be more like Heaven than we are American. We should
be speaking the language and adopting the values of heaven. We should represent
our homeland. We should live under the authority of our Lord and Savior!
We are a citizen of two worlds. We have a
responsibility to serve God. We also have a responsibility to live under the
authorities God has placed in our lives. Christians are not to possess an
attitude of rebellion. We recognize that God has put authorities here to
exercise judgment against those who do wrong. Peter shared this in 1 Peter,
chapter 2.
1 Peter 2:13-17 Be subject
for the Lord's sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as
supreme, 14 or to governors as sent by
him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good. 15 For this is the will of God, that by doing good
you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people. 16 Live as people who are free, not using your
freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God. 17 Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God.
Honor the emperor.
1. God ordains authorities, and we must honor them.
“Be subject” is a military word meaning to
arrange “in a military fashion under the
commander.[1] The lines of authority have been drawn and we must recognize them. For
instance, when you are on the highway, you are expected to choose a lane to
drive in, though there may be other lanes to your left or right. You are expected to stay in your lane and avoid
swerving into a neighboring lane. If you move out of your lane, an accident may
occur.
God places authority in our lives to help us stay in our lane. We
stay in our lane so that we may honor God and avoid unnecessary pain.
God is our ultimate authority. He created
the universe and gave us life. Any human power is allowed by God; leaders in human
government may do things that displease God. However, government, in general,
is God’s way of carrying out his purposes among people. Followers of Jesus
Christ are called to obey the authorities God has put in leadership for the
glory of God and the good of the Kingdom. Paul understood this.
Romans 13:1 Let every person be subject to
the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that
exist have been instituted by God.
2.
God is the supreme authority, and we
acknowledge him above all.
Is it possible to be subject to the “institution” of leaders
while objecting to certain laws? Yes. Christians
are called to live in obedience to all the institutions of civil and social
order. This includes the federal government, state government, the
police, and judges. Only when the government tries to force a Christian to
disobey God’s law explicitly stated in Scripture should a believer refuse to
obey.
For example, Daniel and his three friends could not follow the king’s dietary laws because they
believed those laws were against God’s instructions. Daniel and the three
Israelites were not rebels; they were
respectful in their disagreement.
Daniel 1:8-9 But Daniel resolved that he would not defile
himself with the king's food, or with the wine that he drank. Therefore he asked the chief of the eunuchs to
allow him not to defile himself. 9 And God gave Daniel favor and compassion in
the sight of the chief of the eunuchs.
Peter and the Apostles were in a similar predicament as they
began to share the Gospel story. The Jewish council ordered them to stop
teaching in the name of Jesus, but this was a command that Peter could not
obey. Peter and the Apostles did not show disrespect to the council. They
respected the institution of the council’s
authority, but could not obey that particular command. The Apostles recognized
Jesus’ higher power in that case. They
did not hide their allegiance to Jesus Christ.
We always have to submit to the higher authority. The higher
authority is always God. Recognizing this
now will save you from trouble in the future.
A Navy captain was sailing and came upon a big light. He
thought it was a ship coming toward him. He was the highest-ranking officer in
the area. So, he got on a big bullhorn and said to the ship behind the light,
“Move ten degrees south, or we’re going
to crash!” It said, “I shall not move! You move
ten degrees north, so you don’t crash!”
The captain was getting irritated. He said, “Don’t you know
who I am? I am a captain in the United States Navy. I say, ‘You move ten
degrees north so that you don’t crash!” The captain got back on the speaker and
said, “Did you hear me say that I am captain in the United States Navy?” The
voice came back, “Yes, but I am the lighthouse!”
God must always be the authority for the life of the
believer who is living with a kingdom perspective.[2]
3.
Christians are called to be citizens of two worlds.
Christians are citizens of two worlds. We
have responsibilities that relate to our heavenly citizenship. Also, we have
responsibilities that impact our relationship to government. For example,
Christians are instructed to pay appropriate taxes and live according to the
laws.
Mark 12:14 And they came and said to him,
“Teacher, we know that you are true and do not care about anyone's opinion. For
you are not swayed by appearances, but truly teach the way of God. Is it lawful
to pay taxes to Caesar, or not? Should we pay them, or should we not?”
Mark 12:17 Jesus said to them, “Render to
Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's.” And
they marveled at him.
Jesus did not want believers caught up in
self-destructive revolutions. Rather, Christians are to be examples of good
citizenship. The believer’s obligation to God brings with it an obligation to those God allows to be in authority. Peter
developed this thought in chapter 2.
As a church, we do not believe the government has any right
to control what we teach or how we minister. However, we acknowledge that the
government has requirements about safety and operation that are for the good of
all citizens. We should obey those laws as good citizens. There are times when
we should set aside our own privileges as
citizens. On the other hand, the circumstances may demand that we use our
citizenship for the greater good. For example, even Paul, when he was arrested on false charges, used his
citizenship to insist on a fair trial.
In Peter’s day, the believers were reminded that they must
respect the “emperor.” In our form of government, we have a president. Whatever
the office, believers are called upon to silence the critics of the faith by
doing good. Fearing God and honoring the emperor go together since the
authorities are put into place by God.
During election season, the faceoff intensifies between the
political parties. Each side competes in
the arena of the media and the news cycle for votes. The spin doctors and
pontificates are in high swing as voters sift through the information to find truth. Posters,
Facebook ads, and bumper stickers push agendas.
In the style salons, ballparks, and church foyers, people
talk about what is going on in the pre-election season. People make commitments
to a party or an individual or philosophy. Some try to persuade others.
As important as the face-off in the presidential election
is, it does not compare to the spiritual conflict going on in our nation. Two
kingdoms stand in opposition. Christians are called to be unashamed and to
share the hope of the Gospel. The kingdom of the evil one stands against the truth. Each
believer is to be a spokesperson for Jesus Christ. We are to persuade others
that Jesus is the name above all other names. We are called to let our voices be heard. We are citizens of two worlds, but
our ultimate allegiance rests with Jesus Christ.
You honor your nation
best when you advance the mission of the Gospel.
I grew up in a school in which I would begin the school day
saying, “I pledge allegiance to the flag
of the United States of America.” The teachers would lead us in this daily
reminder of the privileges we have and the loyalties we share. I played
baseball as a kid. Before sporting events, we would often sing “The
Star-Spangled Banner.” This was a
reminder to us of our commitment to our nation. These customs were ingrained in
me and helped to develop me into a citizen.
Jesus has asked us to make a pledge of our commitment to
him. We are to identify with him and proclaim our loyalty to him publically. We
are to make it known that we are followers of Jesus Christ. Jesus has called on
us to name him as our Savior and Lord publically and to be representatives of
him. We are not called to be undercover, secret-agent Christians.
For the most part, I am thankful for the authority to which
I am subject to in the United States of America. I am a blessed man. I had no
say with my Creator about where and when I would be born. In God’s plan, he put
me here for such a time as this. I have this great freedom to preach and live
out the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I am grateful for this incredible privilege!
Why did God allow us the freedoms we have as citizens in
this country? We have it for the Gospel. What good is freedom of religion if we
don’t take advantage of it? We are here to shape the culture by telling the
story of Jesus Christ to our neighbors. We help the weak and helpless. We stand for justice.
How do we honor our authorities? We live as ambassadors for
the Kingdom. We are charged to share a message from Jesus Christ, the One who sent us out. We are to say what he told
us to say. We say it lovingly. We say it gently. However, we say it boldly.
Some people are not going to like it.
“When Jesus went to Zacchaeus the tax collector’s house, he
no doubt incurred the wrath of those who would argue that the morality of their
embezzling and defrauding for the Roman government was none of his business.
But he also caused the grumbling of those who said, ‘He has gone in to be the
guest of a man who is a sinner’ (Luke 19:7). They wondered what sort of
‘signal’ Jesus was sending. Jesus seems placidly unperturbed by such things. If
you’re not drawing fire from both Pharisees and Sadducees, you are probably
saying something other than what Jesus said. And if your message is not drawing both tax collectors (Roman
collaborators) and zealots (anti-Roman insurrectionists) to repentance, you are
probably speaking with a different voice than does he. Jesus wasn’t
inconsistent. He saw the Roman Empire, despite all its pretensions to
preeminence both in its own mind and in
the mind of its opponents, as a temporary
obstacle, not the defining point of his agenda. We stand and we speak, with reconciliation in view. We see, therefore,
even our most passionate critic not as an argument to be vaporized but as a
neighbor to be evangelized. This doesn’t
mean that we back down one iota from the truth. But we proclaim the whole
gospel of truth and grace, never backing down from either.” [3]
