Romans 13:1-7
Many church leaders invoke biblical passages like Romans 13:1-7 to bolster the congregation's trust in the government and keep paying taxes, as it says in the King James Version of this passage:
Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God. Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation. For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same: 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. Wherefore ye must needs be subject, not only for wrath, but also for conscience sake. For for this cause pay ye tribute also: for they are God's ministers, attending continually upon this very thing. Render therefore to all their dues: tribute to whom tribute is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honour to whom honour.
Ok, some churches teach out of this passage because they're looking for the truth, and that's what they should be doing. Not all churches use this passage for social control. I'm referring to this misuse of scripture:
So I'll break it down thought-by-thought.
Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers.
This is where people get confused. I believe "higher powers" do not refer to all governments like the video says, but only the ones God has established.
For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God.
This further emphasizes the fact that if God didn't ordain it, it's not a valid power.
Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation.
So it's extremely serious to resist the power God ordains because it's tantamount to resisting God.
For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil.
Now this is a clarification about who those powers are embodied by. The key here is that if the person of authority is a terror to good works and not evil, that person is not a ruler.
Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same: For he is the minister of God to thee for good.
This further links the ruler with the power God ordains. The ruler embodies the power. If the person of authority does not praise good works, we should question the legitimacy of their leadership. They don't fit the description God has given us so they are impostors.
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.
Again, if you do evil and you are not punished by the person of authority, this further identifies that person as not being a minister of God. They continue to defy God's description of a real leader.
Wherefore ye must needs be subject, not only for wrath, but also for conscience sake.
But only under the true authority defined previously. It is a determent to our conscience to allow an unfit authority to rule us.
For for this cause pay ye tribute also: for they are God's ministers, attending continually upon this very thing. Render therefore to all their dues: tribute to whom tribute is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honour to whom honour.
Only pay moral taxes. Only allow your tribute to pay for things God would approve. Only honor God's servants with our precious resources.
In summary, the Bible defines the kind of ruler we should follow. A qualified ruler rewards good and punishes bad. Do rulers reward bad and punish good? If you ask people in the world if they know rulers who do that, they'd say yes. So we have a problem. Is the Bible in contradiction or are people's definitions wrong?
The Bible is not in contradiction. The Bible refers to bats as birds. Now we refer to bats as mammals that happen to fly. Did the Bible become wrong because science changed? No, and likewise, just because a person subjects himself to an unworthy authority and calls them rulers, doesn't make the Bible wrong. They are just not true rulers. They are cheap copies. The Bible gives us a narrow description of what a ruler is and therefore excludes unjust rulers from having any authority. We widened the definition beyond what the author originally intended.
I still cannot help but fight this in my gut. It may be because I was raised believing otherwise. What of Christ saying give unto Caesar? Surely the Roman government was not "good" in the sense that the taxes they collected would certainly be spent for services and goods contrary to God's law?
Ok a secondary note, why use the KJV? Ever?
Yeah, but look at the tax rate compared to now. Historians think it was %4, annually.
Nobody really knows what the current US tax rate is now. 1) It's graduated depending on your income. 2) There are hidden taxes called fees that are often not included in the calculation. 3) There's inflation (which the Fed admitted under oath as being a tax). 4) When businesses are taxed, they just embed it into their prices and pass it on to the consumer.
So really, who could say how much we're being taxed? The original audience of scripture could determine what Caesar owned by looking at the surface of the object and finding his picture on it. We can't do that. Besides, the government presumes to own everything anyway.
As for KJV, I just like to take it off the table for people who bring it up. People who are bugged by KJV don't typically point to its use as a flaw to the discussion.
So if the tax rate were low enough we should just pay it even if it is not used appropriately?
We pat little kids on the head when they do things they shouldn't. I don't think the Gospel was compromised by roman taxation. I think it is seriously compromised now.
This seems inconsistent. If something is wrong it does not scale into right. Still, I have always said there has to be some practical limitations i.e. pragmatism...it is just that we are usually on opposite sides of that discussion.
Christ did not give to Caesar. When confronted by the religious leaders of the day in an attempt to trip him up, Jesus said "Render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's but to God the things that are God's." This begs the question, "What belongs to Caesar?" Does Caesar own whatever he happens to claim, or is he a thief and a robber?
BTW, Jesus said this after someone produced a coin with Caesar's face on it... the key question here is "What belongs to God?" Whose image and inscription is on every human being? In Whose image is man made? To Whom does every man belong? If I belong to God, what does that leave for Caesar to claim?
I disagree with your conclusions for a few reasons, although am still giving you an upvote because I like your discussion and want to promote it further.
The reason I disagree with you is this. Jesus did not live a sinless life, die on the cross, and defeat death so that He could start a revolution. When Jesus was arrested Peter attacked one of the soldiers and cut off his ear. Jesus performed a miracle and reattached the man's ear. Jesus was not about violence or revolution. "Give to God what is God's and to Caesar what is Caesar's" is all about respecting authority where it is deserved. When we respect those that are put in charge of us we are showing them the love of God; whether that be our boss, our parents, or our government.
I think the true issue here is our inability to understand God's ways. If all power exists because God gave it, then why did Hitler rise to power? That would seem entirely counter-intuitive to the goals of God. However, Israel was given back their land as an result of the holocaust. Atrocities are often used by God for great blessings.
All great points. I agree that the Gospel is the highest priority. Revolutions are a distraction. But would you agree that any authority that directly hinders the spread of the Gospel is something to resist?
I think the question is how you resist it. Paul in a prison cell was a far cry from revolution.
you possess world of management theory?
you possess global management theory?
Keep in mind that Nebuchadnezzar was God's instrument even though he was not a believer (most of his life).
Yet Jeremiah, Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego all obeyed and faithfully served him except when his orders contradicted God's.
Come to think of it... Every single country that has disobeyed Heavenly Father, has been laid in ruins. Therefore we shall be awake and aware to keep the ten commandments and do/not do to others what we want/dont want others to do to us. The prophecies speak of a time liken to Sodom & Egypt, symbols of Sexual Slavery. Watching News from USA, see that men are being forced into women clothes because that is the "political correct" now. Going against the natural was the warning in a broad sense, been seeing these changes creep onto society for a while. Keep your candle lit.
2 And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird.
3 For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies.
4 And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.
5 For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities.
6 Reward her even as she rewarded you, and double unto her double according to her works: in the cup which she hath filled fill to her double.
7 How much she hath glorified herself, and lived deliciously, so much torment and sorrow give her: for she saith in her heart, I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow.
8 Therefore shall her plagues come in one day, death, and mourning, and famine; and she shall be utterly burned with fire: for strong is the Lord God who judgeth her.
9 And the kings of the earth, who have committed fornication and lived deliciously with her, shall bewail her, and lament for her, when they shall see the smoke of her burning,
10 Standing afar off for the fear of her torment, saying, Alas, alas that great city Babylon, that mighty city! for in one hour is thy judgment come.
11 And the merchants of the earth shall weep and mourn over her; for no man buyeth their merchandise any more:
12 The merchandise of gold, and silver, and precious stones, and of pearls, and fine linen, and purple, and silk, and scarlet, and all thyine wood, and all manner vessels of ivory, and all manner vessels of most precious wood, and of brass, and iron, and marble,
13 And cinnamon, and odours, and ointments, and frankincense, and wine, and oil, and fine flour, and wheat, and beasts, and sheep, and horses, and chariots, and slaves, and souls of men.