“Everyone must submit himself to governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves.” Romans 13
Three reasons I have a hard time believing this:
1. Jesus rebelled against the “authorities” of his day.
2. Paul was writing this about Rome! They had set themselves up as god and were persecuting and killing God’s people. How in the world could Paul have said that in his context?
3. History – Hitler, Stalin, etc. Should the German Christians have submitted to Hitler and killed Jewish people? Or should they have rebelled?
It seems to come down to this question: What is meant by authorities?
Are authorities the ideas that guide us to live with one another without killing everyone? Ideas like freedom of speech, right to own land, right to bear arms, laws not to kill, or steal?
Or
Are the authorities Paul is talking about the people that exist that govern nations such as the Caesar of their time, President Bush, the crazy dude in North Korea, Congressmen and women etc.? This I would have a harder time buying.
Is he talking just about governmental authorities or does this spread to other kind of authority figures as well? Religious authorities such as priests and pastors who seldom agree? How do you follow two religious authority figures that are in disagreement all of the time? How do you follow political authorities who are in disagreement all of the time?
Who counts as an authority figure that God has instituted and who doesn’t? How do we decide?
But then of course can’t people instituted with the authority of God be wrong at times?
Do we follow authority even when we know they’re wrong?
3 comments:
Dustin -
Follow through with this thought. I mean...you're more of a bible scholar than me. So keep asking these questions and keep digging because I want the same answers as you.
And I'm not buying the standard answers just yet.
One one side of the spectrum, Rom 13 and Heb 13:17 are used by church leaders to back any abusive tactics and control issues they have.
On the other...people like my Canadian pacifist father-in-law use these scriptures to say how the US was wrong in removing Sadaam.
I don't care to get in a Iraq discussion...but, I'm with you: Paul couldn't possibly mean all this in the context most people quote him in.
What gives?
And PS -
Acts 5:29 says we must follow god rather than man.
So...that's gotta fit in there somehow.
good thoughts B, i didn't think about Heb. 13:17 but that's even more brutal because now we're getting into the "spiritual" leadership realm. Man has that been abused!
Still thinking!
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