Romans
13:4-5
You
Must Needs Be Subject
Rom 13:4 For he is the minister of
God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he
beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to
execute wrath upon him that doeth evil.
Rom 13:5 Wherefore ye must needs be
subject, not only for wrath, but also for conscience sake.
1. Government
is a Blessing from God for Your Good – vs. 4a
a. What
government am I currently blessed with?
i.
A Representative Republic whose founding
is based on the ideas of American Exceptionalism which is an idea found in the
preaching of John Winthrop, a signer of the Declaration of Independence.
ii.
In John Winthrop’s sermon “City Upon A Hill”
he outlines his vision of what he hoped America would become.
1. That
Americans would be a people that loves justice and mercy
2. That
they would be a people marked by an exceptional generosity
3. That
they would desire to build a community in the following fashion
a. The
persons – The best way to build a fruitful and bountiful society is with people
that love each other with the love of Christ.
i.
It was said of the Waldenses: “They used
to love any of their own religion even before they were acquainted with them”
b. The
Work - To work toward a government that is fashioned by the consent of the
governed
i.
“It is by a mutual consent through a
special over valuing providence and a more than ordinary approbation of the
churches of Christ to seek out a place of cohabitation and consortship under a
due form of government both of civil and ecclesiastical.”
c. The
purpose - With the goal of improving the lives of all so they can be better enabled
to serve God
i.
So that us and our posterity can be
preserved from the common corruptions of this evil world.
d. The
means – By covenanting ourselves to God’s law
i.
Deuteronomy
30:1-6
ii.
“Ye shall find that the God of Israel is among
us when 10 of us shall be able to resist 1000 of our enemies. When He shall
make us a praise and a glory that men shall say of succeeding plantations (or
nations): ‘the Lord make it like that of New England (or America). For we must
consider that we shall be a city upon a hill. The eyes of all people are upon us
so that if we shall deal falsely with our God in this work which we have undertaken and so cause him to withdraw
His present help from us we shall be made a story and a byword through the
world. We shall open the mouths of enemies to speak evil of the ways of God,
and all professors for God’s sake. We shall shame the faces of many of God’s
worthy servants and cause their prayers to be turned into curses upon us till we
be consumed out of the good land we are agoing.” – John Winthrop
2. God
has Given Government the Ability to use Force in Order to Punish Evil – vs. 4b
a. To
protect her citizenry from threats that are found domestically
i.
Proverbs
20:26
ii.
Psalm
82:2-4
b. To
protect her citizenry from threats that are found internationally
i.
Psalm
18:47-50
3. Government
is Given by God to Execute His Wrath on the Wicked – vs. 4c
a. There
are three purposes for God’s law, 1. Restrain evil in the world; 2. Evangelism;
3. A prescription on how to love your neighbor (which Paul will outline later
on in Romans 13). Government is ordained by God to execute the first purpose of
God’s law.
i.
Romans
12:19
ii.
Psalm
72:11-14
4. You
Must be Submissive to Government for Two Reasons: – vs. 5
a. In
order that you are spared from the coming judgement of wicked governments. Therefore,
believers must warn a wayward government of the impending judgment of our Savior.
i.
Psalm
2:10-12
b. So
that you do not violate your conscience
i.
1 Peter
3:14-17
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