The Christian and Civil Government

A sermon on Romans 13:1–7 preached by Ps Phil Hunt

Click here to listen to the sermon.

We are going to look together at God’s Word in the passage Brother Jerry just read for us: Romans chapter 13, verses one through seven. In our study through the Epistle of Paul to the Romans, we have come to chapter 13, and I want to speak to you this morning on this subject: the Christian and civil government. Or, to put it another way: what is the Christian’s responsibility to civil government?

Three different people who have been part of our church, or who have attended our church, have told me this year of their experiences at the passport office. It seems the passport office is notorious for inefficiency, for losing documents — not delay, but delay, delay, delay. But if you put money in the civil servant’s hand, or in their mobile money account, your document will mysteriously and magically appear. If you have had that kind of experience, wherever you’re from, you might be asking yourself this question: if this is how government so often works, why in the world would God tell us to submit to it?

Setting the Context

We need to come up to speed, because if we jump straight into chapter 13, verses one through seven, without any context, it won’t have the same grip on our souls. So remember where we’ve come from.

Paul wrote this letter to the Romans in AD 57. Emperor Nero was on the throne — the same ruler who, in AD 64, would burn Rome and launch an all-out assault on Christians throughout the empire. So Paul is not writing to foster goodwill between Christians and Rome. Here is another important historical note: Emperor Claudius, who preceded Nero, expelled all the Jews from Rome in AD 49. This was a fresh historical marker in the minds of these Christians. They had to flee the city of Rome, and they lost everything — their homes, their businesses, their possessions — when they were forced to abandon everything and immediately vacate the city.

Taxation was also a burden in ancient Rome, and a burden on these Christians who were already living under restriction and persecution. The publicani profited as tax collectors for the Roman Empire — private tax contractors who extracted tolls and were allowed to keep a percentage of what they collected. So imagine how Paul’s instruction to pay taxes and customs would have been received in a time when the system was widely seen as extortionate.

Our Anchor Point

Romans 12:1–2 serves as our anchor for this entire section. Keep your finger in chapter 13, and turn back to chapter 12, verses one and two:

“I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”

Romans 12:1–2 anchors everything Paul says in chapters 12 through 15. The implication of the gospel Paul has preached and explained from chapter one through the end of chapter eleven results in the only reasonable response found in 12:1–2. This is your reasonable worship. Giving your body as a living sacrifice is simply the reasonable response to the glories of Jesus and to the glories of this amazing gospel. You have no other choice, once you understand chapters one through eleven, but to gladly, freely, and joyfully give yourself, Christian, as a living sacrifice to God — wholly acceptable to Him, which is your reasonable worship.

Since God has justified you by faith in Jesus, has forgiven you for all your sins in Christ, and has reconciled you to the Father by adopting you as sons and daughters, then every justified man and every justified woman must answer two questions. You are answering this question this morning, whether you know it or not: How then must I think, and how then must I live?

A transformed mind offers itself as a living sacrifice in humility and mutual service within the body, and it demonstrates that transformation through loving action — which we heard about last week. How does love for Christ, placed in our hearts, manifest itself in a new way of thinking and a new way of living, as recipients of the gospel? That is what Paul is answering in chapters 12 through 15.

From Vengeance to Government

Paul has just commanded us as believers never to avenge ourselves. Remember that? “Beloved, never” — chapter 12, verse 19 — “avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God.” When someone wrongs you, the love of God poured out in your heart — your love for Him and for others — means you never take justice into your own hands, and you never avenge yourself.

This raises an urgent question. We are never to avenge ourselves; we are to leave room for God’s wrath. Chapter 12, verses 19–21, also tells us to overcome evil with good. But here is the question: if the Christian is forbidden from taking justice into his own hands, does that mean evil simply goes unanswered? Does the criminal walk away free? Does the oppressor face no consequence?

Paul answers that question in our text this morning. Vengeance is not abolished — it is relocated. God restrains evil not through the private vengeance of the wronged individual, but through the public sword of the civil magistrate.

From this text we will answer four questions every Christian must ask:

1. Who gave government its authority?
2. What is government actually for?
3. Why should I obey it?
4. What do I owe to it?

1. The Command — Who Is Really in Charge? (vv. 1–2)

Notice verse one and two — here is the command. (So if you go and quote me from this sermon today, you can say “the Bible says,” not “Pastor Phil said,” all right?)

“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. Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment.”

Notice the inclusiveness of this command. Who is supposed to obey it? “Let everyone” — it is all-inclusive. This is a command for every Christian, with no exceptions. Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities.

Why? Because there is no authority on earth except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. So we learn two things: everyone is to submit to this command, and all authority comes from God. God delegates His authority to others, authorizing them to act on His behalf.

This idea of “subject” or “submit” appears elsewhere in the same form: 1 Corinthians 15:28 tells us that Jesus the Son submits to the Father. Ephesians 5:24 says the church is to submit to Jesus Christ. Ephesians 5:22 says wives are to submit to their own husbands. Ephesians 6:1 says children are to submit to their parents. And here, in Romans 13:1, everyone is to submit to the government.

Why? Because authority is not self-generated. All authority exists by the decree of God Himself. The God who justifies the ungodly is also the God who providentially orders rulers and nations. Chapter 11, verse 36 says, “For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever.” It is God who raises up and brings down leaders. God sovereignly deposes earthly rulers and raises them up, and sets them down, for His purposes. Behind every system of government, and every way a country is governed, it is God, in His sovereign power, who raises up leaders and deposes them.

Daniel 2:21 says, speaking of God, “He changes times and seasons; he removes kings and sets up kings.” Whatever government exists in whatever country you live in — and we live here in Zambia — whatever the current government is, one thing you can know behind all the systems, the faces, the news articles, and all the cheering (last night, everyone up until midnight, cheering for whoever it was — I don’t know, I wasn’t voting, it kept me awake) — behind all of that is a sovereign God who ultimately raises up and deposes according to His sovereign will.

Zambia had a president before Hakainde Hichilema, and it will have one after. Governments rise and fall. Coups happen elsewhere on the continent, and elections sometimes yield surprising results. But behind it all, remember who is really in charge. When a government changes hands, remember who is really in charge.

Rome didn’t know it, but every emperor from Augustus to Nero sat on his throne because the God of Israel put him there. In Isaiah 45:1, God claimed to have appointed Cyrus, king of Persia, though Cyrus did not know or acknowledge God at all. In Isaiah 10:5, God calls the wicked king of Assyria “the rod of my anger,” used to punish the nation of Israel — though Assyria did not see it that way. Ultimately, the one who is really in charge over the affairs of nations and men is God Himself, and every one of us must submit to the authority that comes from Him.

An Application for Civil Servants

Let me encourage any civil servant here today: your job is an honorable one. We need more transformed minds, more living sacrifices, in government — both as hired employees of the government and as elected officials.

I know some of you have different ideas about this, so let me just go on record with what the Bible says, and then you can have whatever opinion you want. “Pastor, can a Christian be in politics in Zambia? Is it a sin?” I want to answer that right now from the book of Romans: no. God is the one who set government in place. God is the one who gave His authority to government. Civil servant, your job is honorable — it is entrusted to you by God Himself. Therefore you should serve with joy, integrity, and a sense of wonder that God would choose you to serve in such a way. Whether you’re hired to work for the government or elected to serve in it, this is an honorable occupation. We are commanded to submit to the government you represent, and we are commanded to pray for you.

1 Timothy 2:1–2 says, “First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way.”

The Clarity of the Command

Notice the clarity: “Whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment.” The word “subject” in verse one means “submit” — to place oneself under an established order and structure. It is actually a military term. It means we acknowledge our subordinate place within the hierarchy and system God has established. This is not blind compliance to every command, but submission to the legitimate authority God has placed over a people. Authority is ordained, established, and granted by God to governing entities.

Peter writes, in 1 Peter 2:13 — remember, this is under Nero — “Be subject… to the emperor as supreme, or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good.”

Notice verse two: if you resist the authority God has established, you resist God — and that word “resist” is also a military term, meaning to take up arms and go to battle against. Those who resist the authorities God has appointed actually fight against God Himself. To resist lawful authority is to pick up a weapon and go to war against God.

We are called, Christian, to bring ourselves under the legitimate authority of the government. Recognize your God-given place in the authority structure of Zambia, and submit — because of your love for God and your desire to honor Him — even if you feel the official in front of you is not honorable.

2. The Explanation — What Is Government Actually For? (vv. 3–4)

So God set up government; all authority comes from Him; He entrusted governing officials and magistrates with their authority, whether they realize it or not. Therefore, to submit to lawful government is to submit to God, and to resist government is to resist God.

Now, what is government actually for? Look at verse three:

“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.”

Notice the limited role of government. God sets government in place, and God limits its purpose. There are two things clearly stated: rulers are to reward the good, and rulers are to punish the evil. That is the role of government — the purpose for which God has entrusted government with authority.

Government was instituted by God to reward the good of the people under its care. This means government exists for the good of the governed — not for the promotion or benefit of the government itself. God gives His authority to magistrates so that they operate for the good of those they govern, to reward the good. That is one of government’s purposes.

I was in South Sudan, in Juba. We visited some churches in the city and passed palaces — in a country that is the second-poorest in the world. Next to a palace stood a mud-and-stick home. You’d bounce over roads that had never been paved, and then see a fence that must have cost hundreds of thousands of dollars — high, ornate, with a mansion behind it, two or three stories, like State House. I asked, “Where did that come from?” “Oh, that’s so-and-so — she was vice president. She doesn’t even live here; she has three or four other houses.” I don’t know the backstory, so I’m not accusing her. I’m just saying — I’m not a mathematician, but one plus one equals two, not twenty. And I didn’t see just one of those places; I probably saw thirty. “Oh, that’s a general.” “Oh, that’s another vice president.” “Oh, that’s so-and-so.”

My conclusion is exactly what this text teaches: the purpose of government is to do good for the governed, not for the promotion and benefit of those who hold office. Approval and praise are the state’s reward of virtue.

So what is government for? Its role is limited to rewarding good and punishing evil. Government is God’s appointed instrument of temporal justice — fulfilling the role the Christian, at the end of chapter 12, is forbidden to fulfill himself. Don’t take vengeance, Christian. But should the criminal go free? Should the man who broke in and stole your TV just be let go? No — that is the other role of government: to punish evildoers.

Government is God’s appointed instrument of temporal justice, and its authority extends to punishment. God-ordained authority is not a terror to the citizen who does right, but it should be a terror to those who do evil. This produces a society where citizens are free to thrive because evil is restrained by a sword other than their own. Look again at verse four:

“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.”

God ordained civil authority as an agent of temporal judgment. Civil government bears the sword so that individuals within society do not need to bear one themselves.

Implications

First, criminals should be arrested and speedily tried under the laws of the land.

Second, citizens should not be treated as criminals at police checkpoints. Those who do good should not fear the police. I taught my children this principle from the time they were little. I would take them, when there was a police officer guarding a shop, and we would walk up and say, “This is a policeman. How are you, officer? Thank you for protecting us.” We don’t fear the police; we don’t fear the judge — in a society functioning, under God’s authority, according to the limited role He has given government: reward the good, punish the evil, not the other way around. A society where those seeking to live and do good business are constantly hammered and knocked back by civil authorities is a government where something is out of order. That is what was happening in Rome when Paul wrote this.

Third, civil servants must not use their God-given authority to benefit themselves at the expense of citizens. They should not enrich, exonerate, or elevate themselves by virtue of their position. Do civil servants benefit? Of course — as they serve the citizenry and reward good work, the whole economy and the whole government are elevated, and civil servants, as citizens too, are elevated along with it. Not a situation where one person has a mansion while everyone around them lives in a stick-and-mud hut with no running water.

Listen: coercion by a police officer at a roadblock for a bribe is an illegitimate and egregious violation of God-given authority. It ought to offend us. What do we do about it? “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” I will submit to his uniform and his badge. I will honor and respect him, because God placed that man in a position of authority over me. And one day that man will stand before the holy Judge and answer for his misuse of God-given authority.

Civil servants, finally, should be humble under the authority of God and work hard, because they serve Christ — He is the one who appointed them. Notice verse four again: the genuine authority of government. “He is God’s servant for your good.” The word “servant” is diakonos — its focus is not on the person but on the task entrusted to them. Just as the office of deacon in the local church is a stewardship, so the appointment to civil service is a stewardship given by God, to whom the servant will give an account.

The magistrate holds his authority primarily as a representative of God. At every level of government, civil servants serve God — whether that is the president of the country or the area councillor for a local ward. Every magistrate in that long chain was appointed by God, and every one of them will give an account to God. They were appointed by God first, and by the state second.

Civil servants at any level must recognize they were placed in their position by God and are accountable to Him first. Therefore, if a supervisor instructs them to do something that violates the law or God’s commands, they must submit instead to the higher authority — God. “I’m only a minor official, and my superior told me…” — no. If what you are instructed to do violates the law of the land or the law of God, you must obey God, who put you in that position, even if it costs you your job. Remember Daniel? Remember his three friends? Let the chips fall where they may.

Do you know why a nation ends up like South Sudan? Because in a nation that calls itself Christian, there are not enough professing Christians actually living under the authority of God. I looked it up online: Zambia is listed as 97% Christian. I thought, “I’m almost in heaven — everyone will be treating each other fairly; there’ll be no more theft, no more adultery, no more corruption.” I’m not thinking incorrectly here. We who are truly Christian citizens have a new way of thinking and living, and those in government who are truly Christian have a new way of thinking and living too. Paul is telling us what it looks like to love God and live as a living sacrifice in relation to the government of Rome.

Stewardship is not just an idea — it comes with teeth. God has not just given the magistrate a title; He has given him a weapon. “He does not bear the sword in vain.” God grants government the authority to incarcerate, to inflict serious punishment, even to impose capital punishment. Government is God’s authorized avenger, carrying out judgment on the evildoer.

Exodus 21:12 — “Whoever strikes a man so that he dies shall be put to death.” Leviticus 24:17 — “Whoever takes a human life shall surely be put to death.” Who is the authorized structure that puts a murderer to death? Civil government. The wages of sin is death — that is God’s prerogative, and He gives that authority to government, saying: reward the good, punish the evil.

This whole debate about capital punishment in Zambia — a 97% Christian nation — is really no debate. The government has the authority, according to the rule of law, to punish evil with death in those cases. If you don’t like that, take it up with God.

The Citizen’s Limits

The private citizen does not have the authority to take matters into his own hands. The government bears the sword, not the private citizen. In a Christian nation there should be no mob justice. A few years ago, near the Copperbelt University, a thief was caught. I lived next door and was caught up in the aftermath. Students poured out of the dorms in the middle of the night and killed the man. That was wrong. Government is there to reward the good and punish the evil — you and I, as private citizens in Zambia, have not been given the sword.

Now, you do have the right to defend yourself. If someone comes at you and your family with a gun, a knife, or a panga, you have the right to do whatever it takes to stop that imminent threat. But once the attacker is subdued — tied up — he goes to the civil authorities, to the police. You don’t get to kill him. If, in the struggle, he breaks into your house, attacks your family, and you kill him in that struggle, you have defended yourself — nothing wrong with that. But if you subdue him and then kill him, you are a murderer. You have not been given the sword. You don’t get to be judge and executioner. That is the job of government.

3. The Motivation — Why Should I Obey? (v. 5)

“Therefore one must be in subjection, not only to avoid God’s wrath but also for the sake of conscience.”

Why obey when no one is watching? Why should I obey the laws of Zambia even if no policeman is there? There are two motivations.

First, fear of punishment — an external sanction. Paul says we fear the sword; we should fear breaking the law because we know the state will punish us. Punishment is one motivation that restrains evil. Ecclesiastes 8:11 tells us that because the sentence against evil is not speedily executed, evildoers are emboldened to keep doing evil. That is exactly why so many feel free to break the law in a system like ours — when punishment is slow, or can be paid away, the fear that restrains people evaporates, and evildoers are emboldened.

But remember, Christian: delay of justice is not the same as absence of justice. A Christian obeys because he knows God’s justice is never slow and can never be bribed. Be sure your sins will find you out. Sinner, this is why you must run to Jesus, who drank the justice of God for your sins — run to Him and be forgiven of your crimes against Him.

Second, moral conscience. Conscience is the inner moral compass that condemns or confirms conduct as right or wrong. The Christian’s submission to government is more than fear of consequences — it is obedience performed for God, under His watchful eye, whether anyone else is watching or not. When I go to the market, what restrains me from stealing is not the security guard in the corner — it’s that I love God, and He is watching me.

Can I speak to my younger friends, the teenagers here? Can you be trusted to do what your parents tell you, whether they’re present or not? Do your parents have confidence that you will do what’s right even when they’re not around? That is what moral conscience means here. Submission to authority is a concrete expression of love — it is the debt we owe to God.

4. The Obligation — What Do I Owe to Government? (vv. 6–7)

There are two categories of things we owe. First, taxes and customs. Taxes are direct taxes paid by people — income tax, property tax. Customs are duties and tolls on goods. Governing authorities are due taxes and revenue so they can carry out good, protect citizens, and punish evildoers — the primary role of civil government. Every lawful tax we pay is fuel for that God-given task; we are, in effect, funding the sword and funding the reward that Romans 13 describes.

Citizenship in heaven does not cancel your civic responsibilities to the country you live in. Liberty in Christ does not free us from the obligations of God-given civil authority. That is what Paul wants these Roman Christians to understand.

Second, we owe respect and honor. “Respect” here means a reverential deference due to the God-given position a person holds — not a terrifying fear of them personally. “Honor” means recognizing the God-given authority behind the office a person holds, and giving outward esteem to that position regardless of who occupies it. It might be a leader you consider a poor one, and yet the office itself, for the time that person holds it, exists because God placed them there — and the office demands our respect and honor. You can oppose a political party, or favor a particular candidate, but we should still speak and act with honor and respect toward those who rule over us.

So what’s the application? Pay your taxes with your money, and your respect with your heart.

Conclusion

What is the point? We must never forget that the God who justifies the ungodly is the same God who providentially orders nations and their rulers. He set up Cyrus for His purposes. He struck down Assyria for His purposes. He raised up Nero for His purposes. And He rules your life for His purpose.

So how must you respond? We began this morning at the passport office — remember? The clerk who makes you wait and wait until the right amount of money changes hands. It’s tempting, in a moment like that, to think government is a joke, that authority is just another name for corruption, that submission is for fools. But remember what we’ve seen this morning in Romans 13: that clerk did not create his own authority — God gave it to him. And one day that same clerk will stand before the same God who set up Cyrus, struck down Assyria, put Nero on Rome’s throne, and eventually put Nero in Rome’s grave. The God who sees every bribe taken in a back office also sees every citizen who paid it.

So don’t let a bad experience, or a corrupt official, convince you that authority itself is a lie. Submit anyway — not to him, but to the God who stands over him, and over you, and over every government that has ever risen or fallen. That God, who calls you to submission, is patient with corrupt clerks and with resistant hearts. He was patient with you too. He has kept you alive and sustained you long enough to bring you here this morning.

So here is the question: will you submit to Him this morning?

Christian, examine your posture toward authority. Are you someone who grumbles about government by default, or do you consciously submit as an act of worship?

Pray for those in authority — name your president, your local officials, and even the officials you find hardest to respect. Pray for them by name this week.

Pay what is owed, without resentment. No Christian should keep two sets of books. Pay your taxes, pay respect, pay honor, as a direct act of loving God — not merely to stay out of trouble.

Seeking friend, maybe you came this morning not entirely sure what you’d hear, not entirely sure about the whole church thing. May I remind you that every legitimate authority you submit to is a shadow of the ultimate authority, who is Jesus Christ — the same Jesus who descended from the glories of heaven into this sin-cursed world, who died and rose to reconcile rebels back to God. He will reconcile you to God today, if you will humble yourself, turn from your sins, and invite Jesus to be your Savior and King. Will you submit to Him today, in repentance and faith?

Closing Prayer

Father, I pray for the seeking friend among us today, seeking to know what is real and true, seeking purpose for their life. Might you show them Jesus this morning, in all His glory. May the love of Jesus be poured out upon them today, that they might gladly respond in repentance and faith and receive the free gift of life — the forgiveness of sins that comes only through faith in Jesus.

Father, I pray for my Christian brothers and sisters this morning. None of us, including myself, has never struggled to submit to the authority of government. Help us not to see that submission in terms of what we can get away with, but rather as the fruit of a life lived as a living sacrifice, as an expression of our love for You — that we can even submit as those under Emperor Nero submitted, that we can pay our taxes and customs and do it for You, trusting that You will respond with Your blessings as we love and honor You.

Father, we pray for this political season in Zambia. We pray for our president — bless HH today. Keep him safe wherever he is traveling, whatever he is doing. Protect him from those who would seek to influence him in ways that do not align with the righteousness of Your Word, that he would make decisions in line with the authority You have given him.

Amen.