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The Fifth Commandment II
Honoring the Civil Authority
An exposition of the commandment to honor our mother and father, extended to consider that honor which we should render toward the civil authority.
Last week we looked at the Fifth Commandment, which reads
"Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the LORD your God is giving you.
I commented then that the Fifth Commandment had both a vertical and horizontal element, that it stands in between those commandments that deal directly with our relationship with God and those that deal with our relationship with people.
It is a natural to include in our exposition of the Ten Commandments other areas of life where we must deal with God-ordained authority. I mentioned in the little handout last week that one reason it is important for a child to honor parents is that this teaches a habit of thought and mind which will carry over in the child’s relationship to other authority structures -- to civil authority, vocational authority, and church authority to name a few.
There are two opposite ways we can train a child not to get along well with authority. First we can be overly permissive and allow disrespect toward parents and other adults. Second, we can be too hard and exasperate our children and create resentment which carries over in attitudes toward other authorities. In either case we are allowing a frame of mind to develop that will cause that child unending problems in his life as an adult.
There is another reason it is important to address those areas of life where the Christians must relate to those in authority. Children need to be shown by example how to honor authority in their lives. How can we expect children to honor us as parents in their actions, attitudes, and speech, if we do not show proper honor to our parents, or to civil, vocational, and church authorities in the same ways? We as Christian adults should set an example for our children. We should model the way for them. They are watching and they are learning from us.
One area of in which we model the way for our children is in our relationship as Christians to the civil authority, to those offices, people, and structures that make and enforce laws. This was a very important issue for the apostles. It comes up over and over in key places. There is more teaching about this than there is say about marriage or vocation.
Before I go on to look at a couple of the key passages that have to do with our relationship with governmental authority, let me first define a few boundaries.
We are talking now about how the Christian individual as an individual relates to civil authority. We are not today talking directly about how the Church as an institution relates to the State as an institution. We are talking about how we as Christian citizens , and non citizens I guess too, conduct ourselves with respect to civil authority.
I need to make a very important point here. Ultimately we are under the authority of God Himself who has revealed himself to us in the Scriptures. The word of Jesus is of greater authority than the word of the King, the word of the Constitution, of greater weight than the Federalist Papers, greater importance than the party line. The inspired words of the apostles are of greater authority than all the learned political science discourses we may read. And as we go to the Scripture to determine God’s will for us as to how we relate to civil authority, we must humbly accept that which is clear, and acknowledge that which isn’t.
So let us look at a few pretty clear and straightforward New Testament passages. First of all, let us turn to Romans 13:1-7:
Everyone must submit himself 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, he who 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 he will commend you. For he is God's servant to do you good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword for nothing. He is God's servant, an agent 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 because of conscience. This is also why you pay taxes, for the authorities are God's servants, who give their full time to governing. Give everyone what you owe him: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor.
As Christians we are part of a kingdom which is not of this world. One day the kingdoms of this world will be the kingdom of the Lord Jesus, but not yet, not now. We still live and walk in a fallen world, a sinful world. God has ordained civil authority as a way of keeping order in a fallen world. The civil authority is God’s servant for our good. God appoints magistrates for the preservation of mankind through the preservation of order. To dishonor the civil authority is to dishonor God’s servant, which is to dishonor God himself.
Let me be specific. President Clinton is God’s ordained servant. Senator Jesse Helms is God’s ordained servant. Jim Hunt, Howard Coble, councilmen Robbie Perkins, Earl Jones – these are all God’s ordained servants, as are Prime Minister John Major, President Yeltsin, King Assad, and President Mandela.
And although we may not always like the kind of order various kings and other public officials have brought, it is better than the disorder of anarchy. There may never have been a ruler yet, no matter how vile, whose reign was altogether worse than total anarchy. The reason if given the choice that people choose totalitarian governments over anarchy, is that anarchy is a worse evil. In a fallen world anarchy leads to chaos, death, and yes, even genocide.
So, we are to live in a spirit of submission to not only the king and highest authorities, but also to local authorities, even those whom we know personally perhaps to be corrupt and evil.
The fact that civil authority does not always live up to its calling is no more reason to despise it than we should despise our parents for not living up to their calling, or that we should despise one another for not living up to our calling as Christians.
We are simply not free to say, “He is a good ruler, therefore he is appointed by God. he is a bad ruler, he is not appointed by God.” We honor the office holder because of his office, not because of his character or effectiveness.
Yes, it is true that the office holder is given a job by God to do. He is God’s servant for a particular task, he is called to punish the one who does evil and to commend the one who does good. He is called to provide stability and order. It is very possible that a king or governor or congressman means well but isn’t very good at his work. It is possible that he doesn’t mean well at all. He may even seem to punish the one who does good and commend the one who does evil.
We aren’t commanded merely to honor the good king. We aren’t called to honor the king because he is a good king, but because he is king, because it is fundamentally right to honor him. We honor the office holder because of his office, not because of his character or effectiveness.
We honor the authorities by being obedient to laws and regulations, by paying taxes, by being civic minded etc. We also honor civil authorities in our speech. I think Christians in America today need a little more work in this area. I confess that I have not always been respectful in the way I have spoken of our leaders, and I am much convicted to do better. So much political discourse today is uncivil and, in my judgment, displeasing to God. I have felt ashamed at things said by Christian candidates in television ads against their incumbent opponents. For the record, I have heard enough jokes about the President and First Lady, enough biting and snide remarks about Senator Helms, enough cracks about the former City Manager.
These are God’s servants, whether we like them or not, and to dishonor them is to dishonor God Himself. So the next time you are tempted to say something about your council member, president, senator or whomever, ask yourself this. Does your speech reflect obedience to God’s revealed will that you honor those in authority over you?
We must remember that the authorities who ruled when Paul and Peter wrote these words were no goody goody two shoes, no Sunday School teachers. They were despots and autocrats. They were involved in political maneuvering and plots. They took bribes. Many of them hated Christians and persecuted the church. Almost all of them were not followers of Jesus. But they were the sorts of folk for whom Jesus died. And we are to honor them. Actually we are to do more than merely honor them, we are to pray for them.
You know, we don’t have a whole lot of commandments about exactly what sorts of things we are to do when we are together as a body of believers. But here is one, and it is crystal clear, from 1 Timothy 2:1-4:
I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone--for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.
The real point of this passage is that all sorts of prayers be made for everyone -- that is, for all sorts of people. Jesus is the one mediator between God and man. He has died as a ransom for all, and Paul is an apostle and herald of the gospel to the Gentiles.
Prayers for everyone include prayers for kings and all those in civil authority, even those who may be persecuting Christians and whom Christians may be most inclined to hate. Jesus said bless those who persecute you; pray for those who persecute you. We as a church are to offer all kinds of prayers when we gather. We don’t come together primarily merely to get needs met, but to worship our Lord and Savior and to do the work of the kingdom together, which includes the work of intercessory prayer.
In a little while we will gather in a circle and have a time of corporate intercessory prayer. We will do this as an official act of the body of Christ. This is a good and a right thing to do. And when we pray, we will pray in all kinds of ways for all sorts of folk, particularly that the gospel would bear fruit and many would be saved. We will pray for all sorts of people to be saved, to be brought from darkness to light, to see the truth of the Lord Jesus. The gospel is for everyone, for all sorts and all kinds of people. The church isn’t a private club. It is meant to include people of all sorts. It is not for one ethnic group, one racial group, one income group, one nationality, one political party, one political ideology, one sort of person. God indeed desires that all sorts of people be saved and come to a knowledge of the truth. This includes kings and governors and presidents and senators, and yes, even the likes of us.
There is another reason we pray for rulers and kings. We also pray for that they do their job as rulers and kings well, praying not in a tone that suggests they aren’t doing their job well, but sincerely for their good and for our good, praying that they in fact would be able to keep peace and maintain order. Theirs’ is not an easy job. They face limited resources. They face difficult problems. They face competing priorities. Authorities at every level face manifold temptations. Power has a corrupting influence, even upon the most well intentioned. We pray for their strengthening, we pray for their salvation. We pray for their work. We pray for their well being.
But we pray not only for their sakes, and for the sakes of all who must live under them. We desire the good of people and so we pray for the authorities that they could discharge their duties well for the people’s sake. But we pray also for the authorities for the sake of the gospel itself. What does praying for the king have to do with the gospel? Well first, when there is order and peace the gospel goes forth more freely. Second, when the king or magistrate is sympathetic to the gospel, he will be less willing to kill, persecute and imprison Christians who live and proclaim the gospel. Third, we pray for authorities so that we as Christians can freely live out our faith in all walks of life before the onlooking eyes of outsiders.
One of the ways we live out lives of godliness before the watching eye of those outside the faith is in the way we honor and respect the civil authority. Notice how this is put in the verse we read from Titus 3:1-2:
Remind the people to be subject to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready to do whatever is good, to slander no one, to be peaceable and considerate, and to show true humility toward all men.
The context of this verse is a section in Titus which has to do with our relationship as Christians towards outsiders. There were those in the churches who were stirring up trouble against the church and bringing it to disrepute. But Christians are to show true humility toward all men, being peaceable , law abiding, and considerate, slandering no one, respectful of those in authority. We are to be ready to do what is good; that is, showing a good and healthy public spirit, being a part of things in a positive way.
We see this same principle at work in 1 Peter 2:13-17
Submit yourselves for the Lord's sake to every authority instituted among men: whether to the king, as the supreme authority, or to governors, who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right. For it is God's will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish men. Live as free men, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as servants of God. Show proper respect to everyone: Love the brotherhood of believers, fear God, honor the king.
The book of First Peter is written to a persecuted church, to men and women who more than most had what seemed to be a right to slander and defy the civil authorities. But there is one thing more important than our freedom, more important than our rights. more important than our comfort and peace. That thing is the cause of the gospel of Jesus Christ. We are called in this life to live in such a way that promotes the spread of the gospel. We are told to be wise in the way we act toward outsiders, making the most of every opportunity that God may bring to us, looking out for and seeking these opportunities. Elders are called to have a good reputation toward outsiders so as not to fall into disgrace. We are all to be diligent in our daily work so as to win the respect of outsiders. We are to let our light shine before all men so that they will see our good deeds and glorify our Father in heaven.
When we exhibit a spirit of humility, civic mindedness, respect and obedience towards civil authority it increases the effectiveness of our witness to Christ. Our humility and our good deeds in the world generally silence the talk of those who would slander us, and increases the respect of those who are watching. We used to be enslaved to anger and malice, to pleasures and passions, hating and being hated, slandering and vilifying those in authority over us.
But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life. This is a trustworthy saying. And I want you to stress these things, so that those who have trusted in God may be careful to devote themselves to doing what is good. These things are excellent and profitable for everyone.
We are now free in Christ. We are free from bondage to sin. We are free from bondage to anger. We are free from bondage to our rights. We are free now to live as servants of King Jesus, and to choose to live in a way that advances His kingdom and the cause of the gospel of Jesus Christ. We are free now to live in humility and respect towards all men.
Will doing good always bring good our way? No it won’t. Listen to what the apostle Peter goes on to say about that this in 1 Peter 3:13-16:
Who is going to harm you if you are eager to do good? But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. "Do not fear what they fear ; do not be frightened." But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander. It is better, if it is God's will, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil.
Life isn’t going to be just and fair. Sometimes we will be slandered and hated for doing good. If so, we are to bless those who persecute us, and pray for them and their good. This is hard, but this is our calling.
And we, that is us who live in an open and participative democracy, we are free to be engaged in the political process in a way that the readers of the letters of Paul and Peter were not. I believe that our opportunity puts us under some obligation to participate in the process.
Remember, we have the constitutional freedom to say and do way more than we have the moral freedom to say and do. Our involvement in civil affairs should be constructive and not merely critical. There should be a foundation of seeking the public good. Indeed, we should find ways to seek the public good in ways that outsiders would recognize as seeking the public good. If we run for office or if we help others in a campaign, our speech must be characterized by civility and respect. If we are arguing for change, we should target policies and not personalities.
When we talk together as Christians about public matters, remember that the Bible just doesn't tell us definitively how a society is to be structured. Two informed God-fearing thinking Christians might disagree on a public policy matter just as they might disagree on the best way to handle a problem child or a property dispute. The Bible does not tell us how big a government should be, what the tax rate should be, what responsibility the government has in dealing with environmental problems, how many tanks it should own, etc. We are not told to what degree governmental authority and power should be centralized or distributed to sub-governments. We are not told many things, and must make our way with humility and wisdom and civility, toward everyone, and toward one another.
And remember, we must leave our party affiliations and badges and candidate preferences at the church door. The Church of Jesus Christ is not an ethnic group, not a party, not a coalition. The gospel is for all sorts of people, people of all stripes, people of all incomes, all colors, all nationalities, all parties.
In here as we worship the Lord Jesus together, and out there as we labor in Him together, we do so all as sons of God through faith in Christ. We are neither Jew nor Gentile, American nor Russian nor Canadian, black nor white nor Hispanic, Republican nor Democrat, but Christ is all and in all.
This is why we guard against appearing to be a political organization. This has nothing whatsoever to do with the Internal Revenue Service. If God called us to push candidates and take on party colors, we would do it no matter what the Internal Revenue Service said or didn’t say. We would disagree respectfully, and we would take our lumps submissively, but we would obey the word implicitly.
The reason we guard against has to do with protecting the very nature of the gospel itself. The good news of Jesus Christ is for all kinds of people. the people of God are to be united in Christ across all kinds of natural human divisions. Because, in all due respect to any present day kings or office holders, our King is King Jesus, and His kingdom is not of this world. Our citizenship is in heaven, and we will wait patiently for that day when he returns and sets up His kingdom in a New Heaven and New Earth
We are called to freedom, freedom form sin and its dominion. Let us walk in freedom. And let us now walk in obedience to the word as we join together to pray as the Lord has called us to pray, for everyone, and especially for kings and those in authority over us.
Amen
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