“Where Romans Lands” Summer Intensive with N.T. Wright was organized by Admirato.org.
Romans 12:17-13:7
17 Never repay anyone evil for evil; think through what will seem good to everyone who is watching. 18 If it’s possible, as far as you can, live at peace with all people. 19 Don’t take revenge, my dear people, but allow God’s anger room to work. The Bible says, after all, “Vengeance is mine; I will repay, says the Lord.” 20 No: “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him a drink. If you do this, you will pile up burning coals on his head.” 21 Don’t let evil conquer you. Rather, conquer evil with good.
The divine purpose, and limited role, of ruling authorities
13 Every person must be subject to the ruling authorities. There is no authority, you see, except from God, and those that exist have been put in place by God. 2 As a result, anyone who rebels against authority is resisting what God has set up, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves. 3 For rulers hold no terrors for people who do good, but only for people who do evil.
If you want to have no fear of the ruling power, do what is good, and it will praise you. 4 It is God’s servant, you see, for you and your good. But if you do evil, be afraid; the sword it carries is no empty gesture. It is God’s servant, you see: an agent of justice to bring his anger on evildoers. 5 That is why it is necessary to submit, not only to avoid punishment but because of conscience.
6 That, too, is why you pay taxes. The officials in question are God’s ministers, attending to this very thing. 7 So pay each of them what is owed: tribute to those who collect it, revenue to those who collect it. Respect those who should be respected. Honor the people one ought to honor.
People of peace in a world of violence.
Paul wants the Church to be a counter cultural community embracing the way of kindness, love, and welcoming strangers, and so on.
The challenge of living as a Gospel community requires knowing how to face injustice.
Overcoming evil with good is incredibly counter cultural! Even the Maccabees and many other religious leaders over the centuries fight unholy violence with “holy” violence. This is no the way of Jesus.
The 5 Observable Points of Transition Through the Messianic Work of Jesus:
- The Temple. The Temple was destroyed. Now we are the Temple! The Church is the ever expanding Temple! This has nothing to do with escaping the world but a new way to live in the world.
- The Holy Land. Psalm 2 has kicked into operation. All of the world is the Holy Land! The Gentile mission takes place to summon the whole world to allegiance to the New King!
- Symbols of Judaic Identity. Since Gentiles are invited into the family of God through the Messiah, the symbols of Judaism has done their job. Circumcision, food laws, and Sabbath protected the people of God from the ways of the world. Christ-followers no longer need to follow these restrictions. We have a new Christian ethic for a new way of living.
- The Messianic Death and Resurrection. No one expected this method of salvation through the Messiah.
A quick reading of the Hebrew Scriptures might make you think that people of God fight back with armies against evil armies. That’s how the Maccabees applied their faith (See 2 Maccabees 7). The Judeans called down divine justice on their pagan oppressors.
Romans 12:17-13:7 is a renunciation of this way of thinking and living. All of this is rooted in Jesus’ own words and deeds. Just look at the Sermon on the Mount or how Jesus handled the betrayal, the arrest, the trials, and ultimately the crucifixion. He even prayed: “Father forgive them for they don’t know what they are doing.” (Stephen did the same thing.) The way of Jesus is not bossing and bullying like the world, but to become a servant and to give up your life for others.
In truth, the Hebrew Scriptures do prophecy this new way of Jesus. See Isaiah 2, 9, and 11, Zechariah 9 (“the King rides on a donkey rather than a war horse”) plus Micah 3. God intends to put the whole world right! God is bringing shalom. The Church is to show the signs of this.
It is an absolute tragedy that the “Church” bought into the ways of the world at the Crusades, the Inquisition, and far too many other times.
Paul wants to be sure that the believers in Rome know this new way to live which includes renouncing violence. “Take thought for how your actions will appear.” News travels fast. Gossip travels even faster. We should avoid rushing into unwise action.
Taking revenge is God’s job not ours. God desires that there should be properly constituted magistrates to bring a measure of justice in order to prevent chaos that could come without governmental leadership. God provides government (when it is working rightly) as an advance sign of when all will be truly made right.
Romans 13:1-7 has been used by oppressive regimes to stifle protests, but don’t forget Romand 13:8-10 which is the standard for leadership.
Just as justice is God’s job, so is timing. We have to be patient. As ordinary citizens in Rome, we are not to be those who pursue justice. See the story of Elisha and the Arameans in 2 Kings 6:22-23 where they had a banquet with their enemies and later the story of the martyrdom of Polycarp. A mob wants the leaders to kill Polycarp. Even still Polycarp acknowledges he comes under the authorities.
“Don’t let evil conquer you, but you conquer evil with good!” This sounds like a proverb which has come straight from the way Jesus willingly died on the cross. Just as Joseph said: “What my brothers meant for evil, God meant for good” (Genesis 50:20).
Vengeance is too dangerous for humans! Only God can be trusted with this, and He has entrusted some measure of justice to take place through magistrates (not private individuals). God works through imperfect vessels and then they will be held to account. We are not to snatch God’s prerogative.
In John 19:11, Pilate changes Jesus with his authority, and Jesus reminds him that his authority was given to him from above. Even Pilate under the evil Tiberias has a God-given authority. And Jesus knew that one day that Tiberias and Pilate will one day face judgment before God. All will be held to account and leaders to an even greater degree.
God disposes kings and sets up kings whether they realize it or not. When there is a line our leaders want us to cross that goes against the ways of God, we do not cross them. We resist ungodly leaders with godliness. Civil disobedience can be part of our approach. (See Dietrich Bonhoeffer and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.). We must be patient with God and do our part to bring in closer to godly leadership when possible.
In addition, we are to speak truth to power! See John 18-19 with Jesus and Pilate.
Even the emperor is subject to the One God and will be accountable to him. Remember, the emperor claimed to be God! Paul puts things in the right order.
We are not to be overly aloof, antisocial, or rabble rousers.
The Christians should be known as law abiding community members who pay their taxes and respect their magistrates unless asked to worship anything or anyone other than God. It is then that they refuse to obey their leaders and take upon themselves whatever the consequences might be. We are to prosper the city in which we live but our allegiance is first and foremost to the Kingdom of God.
All current authorities are provisional. The New Kingdom of God is here now and will one day be fully realized!
Obedience to authorities is important, but what’s more important is a life of love!
“Submit to the authorities” is a broad and practical wisdom not a full theology on church and state.
