A Christian Citizen – Part 2
Introduction
In the last article we started looking at one of the most intellectually stimulating—and one of the most controversial—passages in all of Scripture: Romans 13:1-7. Even though we only got through one verse, I suspect that the last article stepped on a few toes and ruffled a few feathers.
If that’s the case, we’re in for a heap of trouble in this article because in verses two through seven we’re going to talk about taxes, capital punishment and war, among other things. It can’t get much more controversial than that.
Along the way, we’ll answer the following questions:
Is capital punishment moral or immoral?
Is participating in warfare right or wrong? For that matter, is war itself moral or amoral?
Do we have to pay taxes, even to a corrupt government?
Is it okay for a Christian to serve in the armed forces?
Before we begin, let’s review what we learned last time. It’s foundational for what we’re going to cover today.
Principle number one is that Christians are supposed to obey our government.
Principle number two is that the only time Christians can disobey government is when it wants us to go against what God wants us to do.
Principle number three is that while it’s okay to try and reform government and our society, the most important job of every Christian is to make disciples of Jesus Christ.
Rom. 13:1 Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God.
Rom. 13:2 Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves.
Rom. 13:3 For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and he will commend you.
Rom. 13:4 For he is God’s servant to do you good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword for nothing. He is God’s servant, an agent of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer.
Rom. 13:5 Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also because of conscience.
Rom. 13:6 This is also why you pay taxes, for the authorities are God’s servants, who give their full time to governing.
Rom. 13:7 Give everyone what you owe him: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor.
Capital Punishment
As we saw last time from verse one, government is ordained by God. Because of that, Christians must obey the governing authorities unless it wants us to disobey or go against God. If that’s the case, we need to do what Peter said in Acts 5:29: “We must obey God rather than men.” After that, we must accept whatever punishment the government deems necessary.
Now let’s look at verse two. If your Bible is the King James Version, the end of verse two uses the word damnation, but the NIV’s word—judgment—is a better translation of the original Greek. The word has nothing to do with salvation. It refers to punishment.
God has the right to punish humans for wrongdoing and one of the ways He punishes men is through human institutions like government. Listen to Proverbs 24: 21-22.
Prov. 24:21-22 Fear the LORD and the king, my son, and do not join with the rebellious, for those two will send sudden destruction upon them, and who knows what calamities they can bring?
1Pet. 2:14 says that law enforcement agencies will “punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right.”
Rules and law enforcement agencies exist for the benefit of societies—they keep order, especially by meting out justice.
R.C. Sproul says this:
“The bottom line could be stated like this: government is force…To govern means to impose obligations that are backed up with sanctions if a person refuses to obey. Coercion is forcing people to obey laws. We not only have laws, but law enforcement agencies. The purpose of law enforcement agencies is to coerce obedience to the law, to force people to obey the mandates of the government. The government is force in that it alone has the right to use coercion to bring people into certain patterns of behavior.”
In other words, government has the God-ordained right to punish anyone who breaks the law.
In verse three we see that government is for our good. That is, it promotes our security, tranquility and general welfare. In the case of Christians, it works for our good in allowing us to concentrate on our highest priority—that of making disciples.
Granted, there are corrupt leaders and corrupt governments, but in general, if we do good, we have nothing to fear. The law enforcement agencies won’t bother us.
However, for those who break the law, for those who do wrong, they should fear the government. And why? Because the government has been empowered by God to punish those who break the law. The fear of being punished encourages or motivates its citizens to do good and not to do wrong and break the law.
But how far can the government go in punishing lawbreakers?
Look at verse four. The government is seen as bearing a “sword.” Readers of this letter to the Roman church in the first century certainly knew what Paul was saying here. The sword was the most prevalent method of execution by the Romans.
I believe that this passage and many others are very clear: God has empowered human governments to execute murderers.
At this point many people, including many sincere and Godly Christians, will say “Wait a minute. What about the sixth commandment in Exodus 20:13?”
Exod. 20:13 “You shall not murder.”
In response, it’s important to note that the NIV uses the word “murder,” not “kill.” That’s a proper translation of the Hebrew word versus. the King James Version’s use of the word “kill.”
Killing means to take someone’s life. On the other hand murder is much more specific. Murder means to kill someone who is innocent, someone who hasn’t done anything wrong. Capital punishment is not the same as murder. Capital punishment is killing someone who has brutally taken the life of an innocent human being. Murderers have earned capital punishment. They deserve to die. That’s what justice is. And God is a God of justice.
If you don’t follow that logic consider this. Scripture says that the wages of sin is death. In other words, as soon as a human being sins, we’ve earned death. We deserve to die in God’s eyes. That’s justice.
Fortunately, God loved us so much that He sent His son Jesus to die and take the punishment that we deserved as sinners. And so, there was justice. Someone was punished. Someone did die. Jesus was punished. Jesus died instead of us.
That’s what justice is all about. Getting what we deserve, what we’ve earned. In the case of murderers, justice means forfeiting their life in return for the life or lives they have taken.
At this point critics of the death penalty may argue that just because the Roman government used capital punishment doesn’t mean that God approves of it. That’s true.
Let’s go back to Genesis 9:5-6, the passage we looked at last time, and see if it applies to this point.
Gen. 9:5 And for your lifeblood I will surely demand an accounting. I will demand an accounting from every animal. And from each man, too, I will demand an accounting for the life of his fellow man.
Gen. 9:6 “Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed; for in the image of God has God made man.
This passage is really pretty clear. If someone takes the life of a person—even if an animal takes the life of someone—there must be justice. God is clear. “By man shall his blood be shed.” God is clearly empowering humans—governing authorities if you will—to take the life of the murderer. For those who argue that this applies only to the nation Israel, note that these are God’s instructions to Noah and his family, the only humans on earth, hundreds of years before the nation Israel even came about.
If you’re still not convinced that God hates murder and has delegated authority to take their life to humans, turn to Exodus 21:23.
Exod. 21:23 But if there is serious injury, you are to take life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, bruise for bruise.
This is a tremendous example of justice. Look at how balanced it is. If you take a life, you’ll forfeit your own life. If you take out someone’s eye, you’ll forfeit your own eye, and so forth.
At this point someone will remind us that God tells us that we’re not supposed to take revenge. That’s very true. We’re not to seek revenge, including against those who take innocent lives. Romans 12:19-20 is pretty clear on that.
Rom. 12:19-20 Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord. On the contrary: “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink.
Not only are we not supposed to take revenge, we’re supposed to love our enemies.
However, people that make this point to object to the death penalty forget one very, very important thing. Passages that say not to take revenge and to love our enemies are talking to citizens, not the government. Individuals are not supposed to take revenge. Personal revenge is never acceptable. It never has been, either in the Old Testament or in the New Testament. Justice is the responsibility of government, not us. There is no vigilantism.
But, God has empowered government to take revenge on His behalf. That’s essentially what God has empowered governments to do: To mete out justice. God has sovereignly chosen, for whatever reason, for government to exact His revenge on murderers. Life is so precious, innocent human beings are so precious in God’s eyes, that God demands justice. Not personal revenge, but civil justice.
People that argue that capital punishment is morally wrong because humans are made in the image of God and because life is so precious, stop short of the logic playing itself out. It’s because humans are made in the image of God, it’s because life is so precious, it’s because God demands justice that capital punishment is allowed.
In fact, I believe that the Lord commands governments to use the death penalty in the case of cold-blooded murderers and those that don’t are not carrying out God’s desire for governments. At the time this article was written, only 38 states in the United States currently have the death penalty.
We must not mix up the roles of the Church, which has a mission of love, and government, which has a mission of justice. In terms of cold-blooded murder, there’s no justice except that of the sword.
The apostle Paul understood that God had empowered the governing authorities to punish, even to use capital punishment. Listen to Acts 25:10-11.
Acts 25:10 Paul answered: “I am now standing before Caesar’s court, where I ought to be tried. I have not done any wrong to the Jews, as you yourself know very well.
Acts 25:11 If, however, I am guilty of doing anything deserving death, I do not refuse to die…
Those who oppose the death penalty argue that it prevents any opportunity for repentance or rehabilitation. That’s a valid argument. But they forget that in God’s eyes justice must prevail. And in the case of cold-blooded murder, those people have earned death. They deserve to die. Once again, that’s what the word justice means.
At this point let’s remind ourselves that God’s eternal punishment for sinners—hell—will not allow for any change of mind. It’s final and forever. Because of our actions, we forfeit our right to additional opportunities to clean up our lives or somehow make up for what we have done. It’s too late. Justice means we get what we deserve.
Another argument against capital punishment is that it isn’t a deterrent. Critics cite statistics that seem to indicate that under some circumstances the death penalty doesn’t prevent evildoers from carrying out their crimes. But verse 3 of Romans 13 seems to indicate otherwise. It says that government’s threat of punishment should be a “terror” to evildoers and make them “fear.”
But frankly, whether the death penalty is a deterrent or not is not the point. The point, once again, is justice. God is most interested in justice. That’s who He is, that’s part of Him. God is just. And deterring future crimes is a secondary concern.
Jack Cottrell says this:
The death penalty “is openly and without apology an act of retribution, a penalty exacted just because the wrongdoer deserves it.”
If capital punishment fails to be a deterrent, perhaps it’s because our system of justice fails to carry out justice swiftly and decisively, the way God intended. Listen to Ecclesiastes 8:11.
Eccl. 8:11 When the sentence for a crime is not quickly carried out, the hearts of the people are filled with schemes to do wrong.
If someone knows that a murder conviction in the United States will result in 10-15 years on death row, capital punishment loses its deterring effect.
Another objection to the death penalty is the fact that innocent people are executed in the name of justice. Unfortunately, critics are right. Innocent people have been killed and innocent people will probably be executed in the future. Humans are tainted with sin and far from perfect. If modern governments had the same safeguards that were used in Old Testament times, however, maybe there wouldn’t be so many tragedies in this area.
In those days there had to be two eyewitnesses whose testimonies agreed. On top of that, if an eyewitness was found to be lying, he or she would suffer the same punishment that was originally designed for the accused. In the case of murder, an eyewitness who lied was executed.
Despite these injustices, however, sinful humans have always made mistakes. There has never been a perfect government and there never will be until the Lord returns. The Lord certainly knew that when He empowered human government to be one of His instruments of wrath in the world. God had to know that sinful men would make mistakes in meting out justice, and yet He still delegated authority to them.
As a footnote, I believe that Christians should influence the justice system in whatever legal ways we can in order to better ensure that true justice is carried out and tragedies don’t happen.
Another argument against the death penalty is that Old Testament Israel was empowered to use the death penalty in a variety of ways, including for such things as kidnapping, adultery and incest. Critics wonder whether modern governments will expand capital punishment to those crimes, as well as murder.
The answer to this objection is that those specific uses of the death penalty were for exclusively for the nation of Israel. Each government has the responsibility of determining what crimes are worthy of death. Only murder is outlined in Genesis 9:5-6, God’s mandate for the world to govern itself.
The final argument against capital punishment—and perhaps the most prevalent—is that Jesus brought a newer and higher ethic: love your neighbor, love your enemy and turn the other cheek.
Actually, Scripture tells us that Jesus did not bring a higher ethical standard or moral standard. God has always wanted His children to love, has always wanted His children to love their neighbors as themselves, just as He has always wanted government—His agent in the world—to administer justice.
Again, it’s critical for us to remember the distinct roles of the Church and government. The role of the Church has been and always will be to love others and to make disciples of Jesus. On the other hand, the role of the government has been and always will be to maintain law and order and be God’s agent of wrath in the world.
As a final word on capital punishment, Cottrell says this:
“There is little doubt that capital punishment has been ordained and sanctioned by God. The sobering question that must be faced now is this: if God has ordained it, is it wrong not to use it?”
Principle number four says that God has empowered human government to punish anyone who breaks the law, and that includes using the death penalty.
War
Talking about the death penalty and the role of government invariably sparks questions about war. Some Christians say that believers are never allowed to bear arms while others say “My country right or wrong.”
I believe that Scripture affirms what is referred to as the “just war” theory.
Cottrell explains it like this:
“The basic principle of this theory is that all wars are evil, but not everyone’s involvement in war is evil. It presupposes that in warfare, which is a dreadful thing, there are aggressors and there are innocent victims. There are those who take the offense, and those who are on the defense.
“The ‘just war’ theory says that it is unjust for someone to wage war aggressively by attacking other nations’ borders and subjecting them to murder on a grand scale. And so the theory sees a war of aggression as a violation of the prohibition against murder. If an individual willfully and with malice aforethought kills another individual, we call that murder and all of the negative sanctions of Scripture are called into play there. Well, if a nation, as a group, imposes murder on another group from another nation, that is equally murder and the sanctions of murder apply.”
In other words, governments—nations—have the right to go to war against aggressors, other nations that are out to kill innocent people. If governments have the right to protect the rights of innocent individuals in the case of murder, governments ALSO have the right to protect the rights of a group of individuals—in this case an entire nation—from mass murder. I believe a good example of a ‘just war’ was when the Allies declared war on the Nazis during W.W.II. The Nazis are almost universally thought of as an evil, murdering regime if there ever was one.
In the case of a “just war,” I believe a case can be made for Christians to be good citizens and help their government defeat—and even kill—the evil aggressor. In other words, willing to go to war.
In Luke 3 Jesus acknowledges the role of the military. He’s talking to a crowd of people and warns them of impending judgment. Members of the crowd ask Him what they should do and the Lord gives specific directions to the crowd in general, to tax collectors and finally to soldiers.
When Jesus responds to the soldiers he doesn’t tell them that what they were doing is immoral or that they should leave the military. No. He tells them not to “extort money and don’t accuse people falsely -be content with your pay.”
If, however, a war is not a “just war” and a Christian’s government is really the aggressor and not protecting innocent lives, I believe we have the right not to serve and to make our views known to the governing officials. As before, however, resisting mandatory military service means we may have to be punished for resisting the law. In that case, our response is that we are to obey God, not men, and then accept whatever punishment the law demands.
Principle number five is that war is justified—even for Christians to participate in—provided it’s a “just war.”
Taxes
Now let’s look at verses six and seven of Romans 13.
Rom. 13:6 This is also why you pay taxes, for the authorities are God’s servants, who give their full time to governing.
Rom. 13:7 Give everyone what you owe him: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor.
The word tax probably refers to a combination of income and property tax. Revenue had to do with a toll or goods tax.
Since we benefit from governing authorities’ labor and commitment, we’re supposed to support them financially as they work on our behalf. God has appointed them to be paid and for government budgets to be funded. People that refuse to pay their taxes are disobeying both God’s command and the laws of our country.
Even Jesus confirms the paying of taxes. In Matthew 17 the authorities come looking for Jesus’ temple tax. In verse 27 the Lord tells Peter to “go to the lake and throw out your line. Take the first fish you catch; open its mouth and you will find a four-drachma coin. Take it and give it to them for my tax and yours.”
The Lord also confirms that it’s proper for Christians to pay taxes in Luke 20. This is where the Pharisees try to trap Jesus into rebelling against the authority of the Roman government.
Luke 20:22-25 Is it right for us to pay taxes to Caesar or not?” He saw through their duplicity and said to them, “Show me a denarius. Whose portrait and inscription are on it?” “Caesar’s,” they replied. He said to them, “Then give to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.”
Earlier, in Luke 3, Jesus has this conversation with tax collectors.
Luke 3:12-13 Tax collectors also came to be baptized. “Teacher,” they asked, “what should we do?” “Don’t collect any more than you are required to,” he told them.
Notice that the Lord doesn’t tell them what they were was doing was wrong or evil. He simply tells them not to be dishonest when they do their jobs, jobs that God has sovereignly ordained in order to support governing officials and our government as a whole.
Jesus certainly could have refused to pay taxes to the evil Roman government, a government that advocated murdering innocent Christians and rampant sexual immorality, among other things. And yet He understood the authority given governing authorities by God Himself.
Even though we may resent the way our tax money is being used, and even if our tax money is being used for immoral activities such as abortion, God still expects us to pay our taxes. Yes, we should legally make our opinions know. And yes we’re to be the conscience of our society, but we still have a duty as citizens to obey and pay our taxes.
Principle number six is that Christians are supposed to pay taxes.
Honor And Respect Government Leaders
Finally, we see in verse seven that we also have another debt to the governing authorities. We owe them respect and honor.
Christians who do things like slander President Clinton and his wife are not showing them respect and honor. Even if we don’t agree with what they say and do—and, by the way, I don’t agree with a lot of what the President says and does—we are not supposed to stop showing the office and duty respect and honor.
Slandering any governing official, whether it’s a politician or a police officer or someone in between, is a sin. It’s blatant disobedience to not respect the role and function of those working in government.
Vernon McGee said this:
“Although there may be unworthy men in the office, we are to respect the office. When I was in the army, I was told to salute the uniform. There were some folk in that uniform that I didn’t care about saluting, but I saluted the uniform. We are to show respect for authority.”
Scripture even goes one step further. We’re supposed to pray for the governing authorities.
1Pet. 2:17 Show proper respect to everyone: Love the brotherhood of believers, fear God, honor the king.
1Tim. 2:1-3 I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone – for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior,
Principle number eight is that Christians are supposed to honor, respect and even pray for those in government.
Conclusion
Let’s review the seven principles that we’ve talked about in this two-part series..
Principle number one is that Christians are supposed to obey our government.
Principle number two is that the only time Christians can disobey government is when it wants us to go against what God wants us to do.
Principle number three is that while it’s okay to try and reform government and our society, the most important job of every Christian is to make disciples of Jesus Christ.
Principle number four says that God has empowered human government to punish anyone who breaks the law, and that includes using the death penalty.
Principle number five is that war is justified—even for Christians to participate in—provided it’s a “just war.”
Principle number six is that Christians are supposed to pay taxes.
Principle number seven is that Christians are supposed to honor, respect and even pray for those in government.
Are these seven principles easy to accept? For many Christians they’re not.
Are these seven principles easy to fairly and consistently apply in the 21st century? Not really.
But are these seven principles what this passage and other parts of Scripture clearly teach? Yes.