A Grace-Shaped Life: Romans 9-16Sample

Civic Life

Pay to all what is owed to them. (Romans 13:7).

My wife and I have four children, so we could claim a significant savings on our taxes. However, when they grew up, our taxes skyrocketed. After I began grousing about it, my wife reminded me to be thankful for all the things taxes paid for: roads, police, and a legal system. So, I tried instead to write the check with gratitude.

Paul doesn’t write Romans 13 with the United States in mind. Rome’s next emperor, Nero, would unleash a brutal attack to purge Christians. The first Christians did not expect a government to approve of them. At best, they prayed for governments to simply tolerate them. So how might we apply Paul’s instructions to our current realities?

We begin by understanding that all authority exists under God’s sovereignty (v. 1). Jesus said to Pilate in John 19:11, “You would have no authority over me at all unless it had been given you from above.” We engage in civil government for the common good (Rom. 13:3) by paying taxes, voting, and the like.

There are limits, however. We cannot obey the government when doing so is disobedience to God. Daniel prayed when King Darius forbade it (Daniel 6), and the midwives in Egypt did not obey Pharaoh’s edict to kill the Hebrew boy babies (Exodus 1). Even today, some Christians face prison and death for obeying Christ. But if you find yourself living in a place where civil society allows you to live in peace, let your citizenship be an example to all for the common good.

As you pray, pray for the governing authorities to respect faith.