What a title of oddly related things, but I plan to relate them all as I think through this. I’m struggling these days with Romans 13 (and by implication, 1 Peter 2:13 and following). I understand and have taught others the principles in these verses in Romans – there is no authority except that appointed by God, and we as believers are to obey authorities all the while looking through them to God’s sovereign authority in establishing them. To rebel against God’s appointed authorities is to rebel against God. A tyrannical dictator is better than societal chaos. No problem with that. Paul and Peter wrote these instructions to people who were at the time under extremely ungodly leaders.
We all know and say as believers that we obey authorities until they tell us to sin, then we must obey God rather than man. So now the question comes down to in any given situation is the government outside of its God-given role or asking us to sin. We often think that will be so cut-and-dried, so black and white; as if the government is going to come hold a gun to our head and say “Deny Christ!” I’d suggest it doesn’t occur that way and often the requirement to sin is ever so subtle. Thus we are required to tread carefully, think deeply, and act graciously towards other believers.
I’m thinking through this with the backdrop of a rather controversial issue in the church sphere from a while back: Grace Community Church and their response to California COVID policies. Several have become to one degree or another “anti-MacArthur” over this issue, so this is a real-life issue that drives me to reread and rethink Scripture. It’s one of those “I need to really think through why I believe what I believe” scenarios, and I need to do this to get clear on basic principles, not simply the specifics of that one church in that one state on this one issue. Now, right up front I admit I find the man to be a life-long, very faithful preacher; fearless in his preaching and an example of what freedom from the fear of man through fear of God actually looks like. One of the very few that will speak the unvarnished gospel truths to celebrities while on camera without hesitation. I wish I were more like him, but I have way too much ‘fear of man’ remaining in me. But I still want to hold him, me, and everything up to Scripture the best I can.
I understand Romans 13, and I certainly understand people who say “so what’s the big deal over masks and social distancing and why couldn’t they just comply? It shows love and concern for neighbor. They have harmed the church’s witness with their stand.” I have also listened and read at length to hear the heart of the matter in their particular circumstances and why they did what they did. I know they have approximately 50 elders that make their decisions, so this is not one man being ornery. There was actually a rather lengthy laundry list of demands from the state, which if you read them, it basically made it impossible for them to meet and worship. That was their point – this was not a simple thing. Critics of the church didn’t talk about the real complete list of the state’s demands, such as having people stationed every few feet across all parking lots to enforce social distancing while people walked outside in the parking lots. It would require masses of volunteers turned into a social distancing ‘police force’ across a huge campus to make sure people stayed socially distant in parking lots and even policing the same in all bathrooms. As they talked through the limitations, the church as a body could not assemble as the body. You don’t read about any of that in the media. The elders saw the deeper issue, the bigger picture. Caesar, in this case Gov. Newsom, was putting these restrictions on churches – but not on other public places.
But aren’t we to submit to the authorities, even if, and maybe especially if, it’s unfair? Nothing in all of history was more unfair than the mocked-up trial of Jesus Christ, based on lies and false witnesses, against the most innocent person to ever draw breath, and he fully submitted to it. He reminded Pilate plainly that all of his authority was granted authority from God, yet Jesus submitted to an unfair, unjust authority.
According to Scripture then, yes, we are to submit to the authority whether we find it fair and equitable or not. However, another part of my answer to that, after much thought, is this – the very first thing I have to get clear on is who or what IS the authority here in 21st century America?
That’s not a simple answer.
In biblical times, nations were all ruled by kings or Caesars; the authority clearly vested in an individual. But today in the USA, is any decision made by any of the literal thousands of elected officials ‘the’ authority? Or is the authority of this land, this nation, not a who but a what – the Constitution? That’s where I’ve landed – we do not have king or dictator or Caesar – we elect many individuals who then give a solemn oath of office to uphold the true authority; the Constitution, in a formal “swearing in” ceremony. They pledge to uphold THE authority of the Constitution. So as long as their decisions uphold their oath of office to support the Constitution of the nation and/or their state, then they are a legitimate authority. If not, then they are not the authority. That makes sense to me and helps me a lot.
That also helps me sort out this case of Grace Community Church and the COVID issue as since that little dust-up, a separate and co-equal office of authority also sworn to uphold the Constitution, namely the courts, came along after the fact and now the state of CA had to pay millions of dollars not only to GCC, but to other churches in CA as well over this matter. Not many realize this legal wrangling with churches by the state government went all the way to the US Supreme Court in Feb 2021 and was decided in favor of the churches.
https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/20pdf/20a136_bq7c.pdf
As Justice Gorsuch of the US Supreme Court wrote:
“As this crisis enters its second year— and hovers over a second Lent, a second Passover, and a second Ramadan—it is too late for the State to defend extreme measures with claims of temporary exigency, if it ever could,” Gorsuch added. “Drafting narrowly tailored regulations can be difficult. But if Hollywood may host a studio audience or film a singing competition while not a single soul may enter California’s churches, synagogues, and mosques, something has gone seriously awry.”
So you have an even higher authority saying the state authority was wrong. What one man in one office (i.e., governor) in a constitutional republic says is not THE authority today if he is going against the authority he swore to uphold in that office. If you say GCC and these churches should have obeyed the state governor “no questions asked” because of Romans 13, what do you do when a co-equal or even higher US Supreme Court authority comes in and says the governor was wrong and reverses it? You are in a Romans 13 dilemma. Our founding fathers were quite wise in putting authority (the rule of law) in a document and then having that document divide power and authority among co-equal branches with checks and balances. We shouldn’t be quite so fast to say “so-and-so individual elected official said X, therefore Christians must submit and do X.”
By the way, the state had to pay GCC $800,000 plus pay several other churches (several million dollars total). GCC donated all monies received to a foundation that helps other churches in similar struggles.
We need to slow down and consider things before we start discrediting faithful fellow members of the body of Christ over things like this. All of this made me look into this more. I found the Bible speaks far, far more about our treatment of EACH OTHER within the church than our treatment of those outside the church. Jesus said the world will know us by this – our love for EACH OTHER in the church. We forget that. We need to get clear on what Jesus is really saying in John 13:34-35 and the context of it – paying attention to Christ’s use of “one another” and “all people” in this passage he addresses specifically to believers:
34A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. 35 By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”
Our love for our own brethren in the church is the command and the true actual sign to the world (all people) of our belonging to Christ. We see this practically worked out in Acts 2:44-47; something unnatural to the unbelieving world. I have seen it proven out over and over that you can tell true believers by this – they will eventually show themselves by their love and devotion to the rather imperfect local church – Christ’s bride. They don’t attack, throw rocks at, ignore, or count as unimportant Christ’s bride; they love it – their life revolves around it. Those that don’t love Christ will eventually leave his bride, finding it unimportant and not a priority. I grow concerned when I see people, when some event happens, so rapidly join the world in criticism of Christ’s bride. When we turn from lifelong faithful brethren in the church because we or the world may not like their tone, we betray what our Lord actually said. We are seeing today how this sign of belonging to Christ is becoming ever clearer and more distinct as either a disdain or a love for the biblical church is becoming a rather clear fault line with a disappearing middle.
However, I do NOT want my position about obeying government authority to rest solely on some “USA form of government” type answer and court decisions. That is ultimately unsatisfying as a foundation for such a serious spiritual matter. I want a satisfying theological resolution to the matter. It helps me to arrive at a conclusion that the Constitution of our nation/states is the authority, but I want a deeper biblical stance.
The entire context of Romans 13 really makes me think. I have said and we often say that Paul wrote no exception clauses to Romans 13:1-2 – but is that true? His next two verses describe the type and role of the “authority” he is talking about:
3 For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, 4 for he is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God’s wrath on the wrongdoer.
So, what does one do with Romans 13:1-2 when, in verses 3-4, the authority IS a terror to good conduct; if you are in an increasingly “woe to those who call good evil and evil good” society? What about when you do NOT receive his approval for doing what is good, but receive punishment (such as obeying Hebrews 10 and gathering corporately to worship the living God)? What if he is NOT an avenger carrying out God’s wrath on the wrongdoer, but carries out wrath on the righteous? Paul says to obey the authority God has established SO THAT it will go well with you for doing good. But what if doing good according to God’s word is now the crime in an upside-down world?
Peter teaches the same as Paul in 1 Peter 2 and addresses the proper role of the ‘authority’ in vs 13-14:
13 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.
Now the question is – why did Peter not put a period after the word governors? The ‘as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good’ is not superfluous – it means something. It seems to describe the emperors or governors we are to be subject to – those that are in the proper role before God. What does the end of verse 14 mean if not this?
The same Paul that wrote Romans 13 wrote many of his letters from prison, and there is one extremely interesting section of Acts 16:35-37 which will really push against the typical Romans 13 interpretation of today:
35But when it was day, the magistrates sent the police, saying, “Let those men go.” 36 And the jailer reported these words to Paul, saying, “The magistrates have sent to let you go. Therefore come out now and go in peace.” 37 But Paul said to them, “They have beaten us publicly, uncondemned, men who are Roman citizens, and have thrown us into prison; and do they now throw us out secretly? No! Let them come themselves and take us out.”
Wow! Is Paul sinning here? Some facts to pull from this – the magistrates (authority) sent the police (authority) who, in conjunction with the jailer (authority) told Paul to leave the prison in peace. All he had to do to submit to these authorities was walk out. They are absolutely NOT requiring Paul to sin – there is no command of God to stay in prison when told to please leave. Three levels of authority are ordering him to simply leave the prison. What does the inspired author of Romans 13 do? Defiantly tells them “No!” and then he outright challenges those in authority. Whatever you want to call this, it is not submission to the authority – an authority that was in the wrong. As I think about this, standing up like this is love for neighbor. Standing up against an authority in the wrong is love for all others under that same authority. So much to consider here in Paul’s example. It’s not black and white.
I find another satisfying biblical example in Daniel. Daniel and COVID issues, who would have thought? Daniel is one of the extremely few people that the Bible says nothing negative about. Even his enemies who wanted to take him down said this in Daniel 6:4:
4 Then the high officials and the satraps sought to find a ground for complaint against Daniel with regard to the kingdom, but they could find no ground for complaint or any fault, because he was faithful, and no error or fault was found in him.
So what do they do? They come up with a simple, quite temporary government request – as verse 7 states – they ask for a literal, only 30 day ‘temporary ordinance’ of no prayer (except to the king of course).
Now other than some “pray without ceasing” NT verses, I don’t know of any specific commands in Scripture as to the absolute required periodicity of formal prayers to God (Psalm 55:17 mentions non-prescriptively the psalmist praying morning, noon, and night). In today’s view of Romans 13, people would be saying “C’mon Daniel – its only 30 days and besides, you can quietly do it in your mind anyway. You don’t have to make a spectacle out of formal prayer for a very short period of time. Don’t make a big deal out of this; submit to the authority.”
But the Scripture says this in Daniel 6:10:
10 When Daniel knew that the document had been signed, he went to his house where he had windows in his upper chamber open toward Jerusalem. He got down on his knees three times a day and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as he had done previously.
Oh God, make me a Daniel.
What are the principles here for us today?
- “When Daniel knew that the document had been signed” – Daniel knew the unquestionable authority of his nation had signed this into law…and he went to his house and disobeyed. Not in some proud, arrogant, brash “they can’t tell me what to do!” mentality at all, but in settled submission to His God. This ordinance had an actual death penalty attached, but that did not deter Daniel.
- “He went to his house where he had windows in his upper chamber open” – He did this in a public way for any and all to see. No fear of man in Daniel. This was an open and public disobedience. Verse 11 shows us those trying to trap him could easily see his disobedience; it was open and public.
- “He got down on his knees three times a day” – I don’t know of any specific command in Scripture to pray towards Jerusalem three times a day and make it obvious by kneeling. You can hear some today bringing that up – “C’mon Daniel, just do what the government says for 30 days – there is no scriptural command here and you are disobeying the authority publicly THREE times a day! You are hurting our witness to our mission field! #TheWorldIsWatching!” What the world outside his window thinks and their reaction is quite clearly NOT Daniel’s concern.
- “as he had done previously” – This is key. Daniel openly ignored the authority and just kept doing what he’d always been doing. He simply remained faithful to his normal practice of worship. He didn’t change based on an ordinance from the unquestioned government authority when it came to this. I don’t think he could point to a verse that said he had to do this in an open window 3 times a day, but he stood on principle and did not submit.
And what was the principle?
No earthly authority can tell the people of God when and how to worship and pray to God.
From what I can tell, THAT is exactly the principle MacArthur and GCC used. No earthly government can tell the church when and how to obey Hebrews 10 and corporately assemble to worship God. Pharaoh had to learn this the hard way in the plagues as God killed all their firstborn children and then drowned all the army because the authority (Pharaoh) would not let the people of God freely assemble and worship Him as God commanded. The point of the entire universe is the worship of God. Woe to those earthly authorities that would stand in between Christ and His bride and their corporate worship. Every member of our own church stands in front of hundreds of witnesses and publicly makes a solemn covenant before God that we will regularly attend the corporate worship of the church. We need to take our covenants made before God VERY seriously, as He clearly does. As MacArthur stated many times, all they did was continue to meet in their building with just a few folks and livestream the service, but they didn’t lock the doors…and people started showing up to corporately worship as commanded by the living God of their own accord. A few dozen, then a few hundred, then a few thousand…Daniels. The church did not send out “Come worship anyway in defiance of the state of CA” emails; people just showed up because they want to obey their King by obeying the command to corporately worship as a body. To SING hymns together as a body as commanded by Scripture. I think they, as I, know that if God is going to kill them with a virus for obeying him and gathering and singing and worshipping, then they will die obedient to Christ above all earthly powers. If we want to disparage GCC or MacArthur, we actually need to be mad instead at a few thousand individual Daniels who individually decided to start showing up and singing and obeying their King against their governor.
“King of kings” means something.
Again, to disparage fellow Christians in the church is a quite serious matter. We tend to put the opinion of the lost world over and above our brethren within the body, mainly because we struggle with the sin of the fear of man, often couching it in terms of ‘harming our witness.’
It never harms our witness to obey our God.