Romans 13 Unlocked
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John: Good afternoon everyone. I’m John Anderson, and
welcome to the Voice of Reason. I have a very special
program lined up today on Romans, Chapter 13. This is an area that causes
lots of confusion. What exactly is being said? We are supposed to be
studying God’s Word to learn the nature and character of God.
Unfortunately, most people allow others to tell them what the Bible says.
They never bother to check it out for themselves.
This issue of Romans 13 is one that I have meddled with for a number of
years. Today’s guest, Paul Revere, has helped me come to grips with what
was actually being taught in Romans 13.
Paul Revere, it is always good to have you on the program. It has been
a long time and I am grateful to have you back. How are you doing my
friend?
Paul: Thank you, John. I
really appreciate having the opportunity.
John: One of the things that caused me to start dealing
with Romans, Chapter 13, is that most people think these verses teach
unequivocally that all the governments are from God. Therefore, whatever
government you are under, you need to just go along with the program.
Well, is that really what Romans 13 is teaching?
When I started looking further at the various leaders in the world, I
started thinking, “If all of these governments are from God and everybody
is supposed to be obeying everything that all these governments say, then
it is almost like we’ve got God being schizophrenic.” Here we have an evil
dictator that is absolutely crushing people, and over there we have one
that is trying to promote God’s values. Wherever you go in the world, if
you look at the various governments and their leaders, it is really a
mess.
Today we are going to systematically walk through Romans, Chapter 13.
Most people believe this passage says, “No matter what government you are
under, you are under it because that government is put there by God.”
Higher Powers
Paul: Yes, most people
believe that Romans 13, verses 1 through 7, says to obey all the
governments you find around you.
John: Let’s start off in the very beginning here in Romans
13. It says, “Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there
is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God.”
Paul: If we take that
statement on its surface, it appears to be saying that we are subject to
all governments. “Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers.”
Why didn’t Apostle Paul just say, “Let every soul be subject unto the
powers”? But he didn’t say that. He said, “Be subject unto the higher
powers.” That verse recognizes that there is a chain of command.
Now the question we have to ask is, “Who wrote Romans 13? When was it
written? And why was it written?” We know the writer is Apostle Paul and
that he wrote it after he was converted. He used to be a Pharisee. He was
a Pharisee of the Pharisees. But then he was struck by light and blinded.
When he regained his sight, he was a new creature, born of God. He had a
new allegiance. He wrote Romans 13, not to promote Rome, but to promote
his new government, the Kingdom of God or the Kingdom of Heaven. He is a
champion for God, not Caesar.
Romans 13:1 says, “Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers.
For there is no power but of God.” Now that sounds like a definition to
me, “The powers that be are ordained of God.” The higher powers are the
ones that God has established or ordained. In the context of Romans 13,
Apostle Paul is a “higher power.”
Not every power has been set in place by God. Take a look at what God
spoke through His prophet Hosea at 8:4, “They have set up kings, but not
by me: they have made princes, and I knew it not.”
If we check out Romans, Chapter 13, verses 1 through 7, there is no
statement in the English or in the Greek that gives us even a clue that
Paul is talking about submitting to Rome. Why didn’t he just say outright,
“Let every soul be subject unto Caesar, since he is God?” That would be
clear and concise.
In the first chapter of Romans, Paul tells us whom he is addressing. He
is not writing to the people of Rome in general. He is writing
specifically to the “beloved of God, called to be saints” (verse
7). His letter is for the people who are called out, the ones who have
entered into the Kingdom of God.
John: If you look at Romans 12, Paul tells us not to be
conformed to the world. He talks about the members of the body having
different offices. One has the gift of prophecy, another of ministry,
another of exhortation. Why would Paul go from dealing with offices within
the congregation, to dealing with secular government for seven verses, and
then abruptly go back to exhorting the congregation for the rest of Romans
13?
Paul: Yes, that really caught
my eye as I continued reading Romans 13, verses 8, 9 and 10. Let’s say
Romans 13:1-7 is saying we are to obey Rome and the power of Rome. Why
then would Paul go on at verse 8 and say, “Owe no man any thing, but to
love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law”? And
then, check out verse 9: “For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou
shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness,
Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly
comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as
thyself.”
Now, are these the laws that Rome made up or did we hear this from some
other source?
John: I think it is very obvious, Paul is dealing
straightforward with the Ten Commandments and he is writing to believers.
He is not writing to the secular world. So as we start looking at Romans
13 in a more intelligent, systematic order, we can see what Apostle Paul
was intending. And it has nothing to do with civil or secular authority.
Paul: Notice verse 9 says
that “if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in
this saying, namely: Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.” No other
laws are needed. Verse 10 goes on: “Love worketh no ill to his neighbour;
therefore, love is the fulfilling of the law.” Now why didn’t he say,
“Obey Caesar and you have fulfilled the law”? Why didn’t he recite Roman
statutes? Why didn’t he come right out and say, “Submit to the revised
statutes of Rome”?
No, first he tells us to submit to the higher powers. Then he quotes
the law of the higher powers, concluding that love is the fulfilling of
the law. This is Kingdom of Heaven talk. It has nothing to do with secular
statutes.
Cost of Citizenship
If you take the book of Acts and march all the way down through
Revelation, theologians call this the “Church Age.” This is where the
government of God is being promoted. Now why would Paul, after being
blinded by the light and then having his sight restored, go back to the
ordinances of Rome? Yes, in a weak moment he tried to claim Roman
citizenship, but he eventually works out his own salvation with fear and
trembling. He comes to the conclusion that, “Our citizenship is in Heaven”
(Philippians 3:20).
Paul writes to the called-out ones who have been raised up as
Roman citizens. Now that Jesus has handed down the Government of God, they
are given the choice to change their allegiance. And thousands gladly
choose God’s government and are baptized. But there is a cost for this new
allegiance - persecution. Many members of this holy nation are mocked,
scourged, imprisoned and stoned.
Paul himself, who wrote Romans, was persecuted for his citizenship. At
one point, he was lowered in a basket down a wall and escaped from the
hands of the governor (2 Corinthians 11:32-33). Ultimately, the Roman
government beheaded him. With Paul being beaten, imprisoned and stoned for
preaching the Kingdom of God, he was no friend to the powers of the world.
Are Police Sent by God?
If we go to chapter 13, verse 4, Paul says, “he is the minister
of God to thee for good.” If you take a look at the word translated “minister,”
it is the same word that is translated “deacon” in other verses. A
deacon is an officer within the Church. So it is the “deacon” who
is looking out after your soul.
If you read this verse in a secular bible, such as the Living Bible
paraphrase, it says, “The policeman is sent by God to help you.” How in
the world did they take the word “minister” or “deacon” and
come up with an American “policeman”? They used a secular term. You
can’t do that. That is not an accurate translation. It is not what the
Scripture says.
John: The Greek word translated minister is “diakonos,”
which, literally translated, as you are pointing out, would be a “deacon.”
I would find extreme difficulty in believing that the secular world would
have “deacons.” This is an ecclesiastical term.
Paul: Yes, very much so. Rome
did not have any deacons in their body politic.
Paul would be a hypocrite if he were saying to obey the secular
authorities in Romans 13. It is inconsistent with his other writings. For
instance, in Romans 12:2, Paul tells us, “Be not conformed to this world.”
Obeying the secular authorities certainly means conforming to this world.
In 2 Corinthians chapter 6:14-17, Paul says, “Be ye not unequally yoked
together with unbelievers.” Of course Rome is made up of nothing but
unbelievers. “For what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness?
And what communion hath light with darkness? . . . Come out from among
them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing;
and I will receive you.”
We cannot cut our ties with the world and still be subject to them. And
of course at Acts 5:29, is the famous statement, “We ought to obey God
rather than men.”
John: Folks, I’m not telling people to go out and rebel
against governments, that’s not the idea. What I’m endeavoring to do is
bring to light an understanding of the scripture. Let’s quit trying to
make scripture say something that it was never intended to say in the
first place.
Reading Bible without Secular Bias
Paul: For many years the
Bible didn’t make sense to me. Of course I was raised in the world like
everyone else and I was in confusion. Secular schools taught me and
everything around me was part of the world system. Even the churches were
corporations of the state. When I tried to read the Bible, I viewed it
from a worldly standpoint, because that was all I knew.
When they say you can’t pray in their schools that ought to be a clue
that maybe we don’t belong there. Over and over we are told we live in the
freest country in the world. Many even believe we are a Christian nation.
But that is all a deception. Even Billy Graham admits, “This is not a
Christian country. This is a secular country, by the Constitution. It is a
place where Christians can live and where Christians have a voice, but,
no, this is not a Christian country.”
If you believe that this is a Christian nation, then you would need to
“obey them that have the rule over you” (Hebrews 13:17). Hebrews 13 sounds
similar to Romans 13, but it states even more clearly that the rulers
referred to are officers in the congregation, not worldly officials: “Obey
them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch
for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with
joy, and not with grief: for that is unprofitable for you.”
How can we put aside our worldly bias when reading the Bible? First of
all, we need to pick a Bible that is an accurate translation, not a
paraphrase. A Bible paraphrase rewords the text using secular terms. For
example, the Good News Bible, a paraphrase, says at Romans 13: 1:
“Everyone must obey the state authorities, because no authority exists
without God’s permission, and the existing authorities have been put there
by God.” This is a gross distortion of the original.
Once we have a decent Bible to read, then we need to understand that it
is a book dealing with a particular people, a holy nation. These people
have separated from the world. They have been called out.
When most people sit down with the Bible they read the words from a
secular viewpoint. They really don’t know what is being promoted or why
the gospel is good news. Oh, they may be glad that Jesus came to save
their souls. But they really don’t understand how Jesus saves us from this
present evil world.
.
John: I call that the “half-Gospel.” Yes, Christ came and
died for our sins. That is an absolutely true statement. But that is only
the first half. The other half is that He brought us His Kingdom. At Mark
1:14-15 it says, “Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the
kingdom of God, And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God
is at hand; repent ye, and believe the gospel.”
Jesus Born to be King
Paul: Jesus Himself told
Pilate the reason that He came into the world:
Pilate therefore said unto him, Art thou a king then? Jesus answered,
Thou sayest that I am a king. To this end was I born, and for
this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the
truth. Everyone that is of the truth heareth my voice. (John 18:37)
Here is Jesus declaring that He is a King and that is the reason He
came into the world. What is he King of? A country? A nation? He is King
of the government of God, also know as the Kingdom of God or the Kingdom
of Heaven. It is a government with no earthly boundaries.
Constitutional Convention
John: This is where your book, Kingdom of Heaven
Unlocked comes in.
Paul: Yes, it brings into
focus and gathers up the Scriptures for you so you don’t have to look them
up yourself. The book shows how the Kingdom was handed over to the
Apostles at Luke 22:29, “I appoint unto you a kingdom, as my Father hath
appointed unto me.” This happened at what is commonly called the “Last
Supper.” Theologians focus on what they were eating and drinking, but miss
what was taking place while they were dining. Jesus and the
Apostles were holding a Constitutional Convention, specifically a
Constitutional Convention for the Kingdom of Heaven.
Jesus was “passing the baton,” of God’s government, to the Elect. These
are the men who stood by Him in His trials and tribulations. And later
these men were also going to die similar deaths as Jesus. And for what
cause? For evil-doing? No. For promoting God’s government. And the world
“hateth” them because He brought God’s government to earth - the very
government which we have today.
People Want a King
John: When you go back to 1 Samuel, Chapter 8, you see the
people coming to Samuel and saying, “We want a king like everyone else.”
The people were no longer content to have Jehovah God rule over them.
Samuel was displeased that they cried out for a king and he took it before
the Lord. The Lord said unto Samuel, “Hearken unto the voice of the people
in all that they say unto thee: for they have not rejected thee, but they
have rejected me, that I should not reign over them” (1 Samuel 8:6,7).
The Lord’s response gives us insight as to what the people today are
professing. When the children of Israel asked for a physical king, it
meant they were in open rebellion against Jehovah God. As long as a
physical, literal king was sitting on the throne, it meant the people were
in rebellion.
Paul: I’m really glad you
brought up 1 Samuel, because this brings the Kingdom into focus. In the
time of Samuel, the Israelites, by their own freewill, rejected God’s
government. They said to Samuel, “Make us a king to judge us like all the
nations”(1 Samuel 8:5).
Then the Lord advised Samuel to show the people what it would be like
if they had a king like the other nations:
This will be the manner of the king that shall reign over you: He
will take your sons, and appoint them for himself, for his chariots, and
to be his horsemen; and some shall run before his chariots. And he will
appoint him captains over thousands, and captains over fifties; and will
set them to ear his ground, and to reap his harvest, and to make his
instruments of war, and instruments of his chariots.
And he will take your daughters to be confectionaries, and to be
cooks, and to be bakers. And he will take your fields, and your
vineyards, and your oliveyards, even the best of them, and give them to
his servants. And he will take the tenth of your seed, and of your
vineyards, and give to his officers, and to his servants.
And he will take your menservants, and your maidservants, and your
goodliest young men, and your asses, and put them to his work. He will
take the tenth of your sheep: and ye shall be his servants. And ye shall
cry out in that day because of your king which ye shall have chosen you;
and the LORD will not hear you in that day (1 Samuel 8:11-18).
Nevertheless the people refused to obey the voice of Samuel; and they
said, Nay; but we will have a king over us; That we also may be like all
the nations; and that our king may judge us, and go out before us, and
fight our battles” 1 Samuel 8:19-20).
By their own free will the Israelites rejected God’s government so they
could have an earthly king. They wanted to be like the other nations.
Finally, Jesus arrives on the scene and opens the door again. By our free
will, we choose God’s government. Jesus says, “Hey,
the doors have been opened back up for you. I’m going to throw out a life
raft. Here, grab onto it and we’ll pull you out. By baptism you will be a
new creature. You will be in the government of God by your choice.”
John: So during the time of Samuel, we had a Theocracy
where God was leading and directing His people through the priest. Yet,
the people didn’t think that was good enough. And today, God is working
through His “priests” if you will. I am not talking about Roman Catholic
priests. I am using the word “priest” in the context of the New Testament,
that is, ministers of God. And he uses these priests to try to wake His
people up and to help them understand that the Kingdom of Heaven is
within, that it is an inside job.
Fulfilling the Law
If we actually went with what Jesus said, “Love the Lord your God with
all your heart and all your soul, and your neighbor as yourself,” you
would fulfill the law. And if you are operating in that context, you are
not going to want to go out and steal. You are not going to want to go out
and kill and do all those things that go along with it. You understand
that you are not of this world, that you are simply passing through it.
Unfortunately, so many people do not understand that simple point. What
is it going to take for us to wake up and realize that we are of the
Kingdom of God. Those that have been regenerated, or born again, have been
married to the Creator of the universe, and that forms a new creation. And
that new creature is to work for the spreading and betterment of the
Kingdom of God. This is so important to understand. I think Paul Revere
has done the best job of anyone to help us understand. Folks, the Bible is
not a secular book. It is a spiritual book. Jesus said, “My words are
spirit.” Imagine that. And you worship God in Spirit and in Truth.
Paul: What is the entire
Bible really about? From the beginning of Genesis all the way to the end
of Revelation it is about God’s government and God’s people in rebellion.
It is God trying to recapture his people. And to this very day, God’s
people are stiff-necked and chasing after foreign gods. There is a place
in the Scripture where it says, “There be gods many; and lords many, But
to us there is but one God” (1 Corinthians 8:5).
Who is your Authority?
John, Chapter 10, deals with knowing who is the stranger and who is the
shepherd. Who do you follow? A stranger and a shepherd could both be an
authority. And yet only one is your authority – the other one is not.
Let’s take a child. Someone says, “Obey your dad!” There are many dads but
for that child there is only one Dad. John, Chapter 10, gives us the
definition of the One we are to obey. Jesus Himself says, “All that ever
came before me are thieves and robbers” (verse 8). So Jesus came to give
us life, and He came to give it more abundantly.
Again, in what context is this happening? When I say we are “under the
government of God,” does that mean we are “lawless”? Does that mean we are
anarchists because we can’t obey another master? No! In fact, the law can
never require the impossible. The law cannot require that I obey two
masters. That is an impossibility. Therefore, if I recognize my Father in
Heaven, and come under His government, then I expect to be held
accountable to His law. I would be in anarchy if I disobeyed the
government that I am under.
Many are still waiting for Christ to return to set up His government.
But that means that Jesus failed in accomplishing what He said He would
do. If Jesus is God, then it is a major indictment against God if he
“failed” in His mission. No, He succeeded in His mission. The reason we
can’t see it is because we are looking for something physical, not for
something spiritual. All government is spiritual. There is no government
that is physical. Even Caesar’s is not physical. Governments exist in the
hearts and minds of men and women.
Back on Romans 13, if Paul had been writing about submitting to Rome,
then Rome would have had no cause against him. He went before Caesar and
appealed to Caesar. Do you know the final outcome? He was beheaded by
Rome. Just like Jesus, Paul was accused of sedition. He was killed, as was
Jesus, for going against the Roman government.
Today we continue to be persecuted for our loyalty and allegiance to
the original inventor of government, which is God Himself.
Founding Fathers Obeyed God not
Men
John: You made a comment on a program we did several
months ago that I have used at different times because it strikes a nerve
and makes sense. You started by asking, “Can you name our founding
fathers?” As Christians, who are our founding fathers? Was it Thomas
Jefferson, or George Washington, or Benjamin Franklin? Those are the guys
that we automatically think of as our founding fathers. But no, our
founding fathers are called Peter, James, John, Paul, Bartholomew – the
list goes on. With the exception of Apostle John, they died horrible
deaths because they obeyed God, period.
You see, folks, if we are obeying God, if we are living our lives for
Him, we don’t have to worry about the rest of the stuff out there. You are
going to be living a life where God’s laws have been written on your
heart, and on your mind. As He said in Jeremiah 31, “I will make a new
covenant . . . I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in
their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people” (verses
31-34). As one of His children, you know the direction to go. Nobody has
to tell you what’s right or wrong. You know it. That is the difference.
Why do you see laws out there for the secular world, for example,
capital punishment? It is because you have people today that are not part
of God’s world in any shape, form, or fashion. They are simply “brute
beasts” as Peter calls them. Jude calls them the same thing. They have to
be regulated because they are going to do exactly what their own carnal
appetites want. As Jesus said, “Those things which proceed out of the
mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man. For out of the
heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts,
false witness, blasphemies; These are the things which defile a man”
(Matthew 15:18-20).
There is a big difference here in the way God’s children operate and
why. It is because God is working in them. It is no wonder the secular
world has all the rules and regulations that go along with it. They don’t
know God, nor do they understand the things of God. Furthermore, they are
not interested.
Paul: Yes, the people in
general have been handed over to a reprobate mind. They cannot see the
truth and the truth is not in them. Basically, they have gotten exactly
what they deserve. If you go back to Samuel, Chapter 8, you’ll see that
today the plagues that Samuel predicted have come upon the people who
chose to have an earthly king.
Enemies Crown Jesus
Let’s take a look at the crowning of our King. John, Chapter 19, is
where Pilate took Jesus and scourged him. Pilate was acting in an official
capacity for Rome. The Roman soldiers placed a crown of thorns on his head
and dressed him in a purple robe. Then they said, “Hail, King of the
Jews!” (verse 3) Yes, Rome did this mockingly and even struck Him with
their hands. But do you know what took place? Rome crowned our King. Jesus
was crowned by His enemies.
Pilate brought Jesus forth and said unto the Jews, “Behold your King!”
But the crowd cried out to crucify Him. Pilate asked, “Shall I crucify
your King?” The chief priests answered, “We have no king but Caesar”
(verses 14-15).
Even though Pilate sought to release Him, Jesus was delivered up to be
crucified. And as an official act of Rome, Pilate wrote a title and put it
on the cross. And the writing was, JESUS OF NAZARETH THE KING OF THE JEWS
(verse 19).
The chief priests were upset that the sign declared Jesus was King of
the Jews. They told Pilate, “Write not, The King of the Jews; but that he
said, I am King of the Jews” (verse 21).
But Pilate would not be persuaded and answered, “What I have written I
have written” (verse 22). In so doing, Pilate, as Rome’s official
representative, confirmed the Kingship of Jesus.
John: But the Jews said they had no King but Caesar.
Paul: That’s correct.
John: Paul Revere, thank you so much for taking time out
of your day to be with us on the Voice of Reason. We always enjoy
it, and thank you so much. In the meantime, ladies and gentlemen, may the
Peace of Jesus Christ reign in your hearts.
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