God Wills Community

Romans 13:1

Intro. :
1. In the year 155 a persecution broke out against the Christians. At the festival of Caesar, a number of Christians were set to fight the wild beasts. The crowd in the stadium grew more blood-thirsty and cried out, "Let search be made for Polycarp. The reason for the persecution was that the Christians would not bow down to the emperor and would not curse Christ. The Sheriff and his father came for Polycarp at his place of staying and riding back in his carriage they tried to persuade him saying: “Now, what harm is there in saying, "Lord Caesar." and in offering incense, and so thus saving yourself."
Polycarp was quiet at first, but ' when they persisted, he said,
"I do not intend to do what you advise." Then failing to persuade him they began to use threatening words, and they pulled him down hastily from the carriage so that his shins were grazed, but he went on as though nothing happened. Entering the stadium, there was a great uproar as he was lead before the Proconsul. When he confessed to being a Christian the Proconsul tried to persuade him saying, "Have respect to thine age, and swear by the genius of Caesar." 'The proconsul further urged him and said, “Swear and I will release thee; curse the Chris t”. 11 And Polycarp said,” Eighty and six years have I served him, and he hath done me no wrong; how then can I blaspheme my King who saved me? Then the Proconsul said, I have wild
'beasts; if thou repent not, I will throw thee to them. but he said, "Send for them. Then the Proconsul said, "If you do not despise the wild beasts, I will make thee to be consumed with fire, if thou repent not " Polycarp said, "You threaten with fire that burns for an hour and in a little while is quenched, but you know not of the fire of judgement to come and the fire of eternal punishment. But why delayest thou? Bring what thou wilt. Then the people brought timber and faggots from the workshops and buildings. By his own request Polycarp was not nailed to the stake, but stood motionless as the flames came around him and the Roman dagger was thrust into him.

Polycarp’s story gives us a clear cut example of the conflict that we Christians have faced from time to time. Polycarp's action and resistance is based upon the statement of.Jesus: render to Caesar the things that Caesars and to God the things that are God's. Obviously, the matter of worshiping the deity of the Emperor was rendering to
Caesar something that was not his.

2. Recall to mind the struggles that Paul had endured of being imprisoned, beaten, ship-wreck, whipped 3 times with 39 lashes. With that as a background, read now our account of "Let every person be subject to the governing authorities.

3. God wills community, not chaos, or anarchy. Government
is not perfect, but it is better than chaos, no government.

4. The Christian's response to government or community:

I. Involves doing honor or--respect v.7

1. Which comes first, doing honor or being worthy of honor? Paul did not make such a distinction, or the office is honored', and the person rather than the personal view of the person. Respect and obedience are related.

“The authority of the state over the individual isnot based first and foremost on its militarv or police power--even- a Stable State is rather embarrassed if a small minority of its citizens is resolved to hold out in resistance to the bitt er end." (Brunner, VI, p.417 )

Just where does respect fit into your thinking? Let's look at one symbol of government, the policemen? What's your reaction when you get a parking ticket for being over parked for an hour? A speeding ticket? Is he your friend or enemy then? What about young people who have grown up in an era in which the law has become stereotyped
for brutality and graft? What about the matter of respect for order in the - community when we pay our police so little in comparison to what they do? What kind of salary would you want to have for making a drug raid? What would you demand for a salary for being involved in a shoot-out with a sniper somewhere in a hotel? What about t a
100 mile chase down the highway pursuing bandits? The beginning officer in Emporia gets about 6600 a year and after two year she can work up to 8000. That is a a lot of respect. (The Santa Fe security patrol starts at over 10, 800) Is it little wonder that lower salaries coupled with temptation and lack of respect, that large and small police departments are corrupt.

2. Unfortunatejy, our stereotypes are often valid.
Time magazine carried a joke: A Russian Jew once told a Pol ish Jew, When one dishonest Czar cheats another Czar, it is called High Policy. When one dishonest Prime Minister cheats another one, it is called high diplomacy; when one dishonest banker cheat s another, it is called high finance: When one dishonest merchant cheats the public, it is called Trade; but when a housewife walks out with a pair of pretty ear-rings; it is called robbery, and she is speedily deported to Siberia. “Well,” mused the Polish Jew, she was probably condemned not for shoplifting but for clumsiness.”

3. Taxes, honor, and respect are all due and must be paid in the community. The offices must be respected above the person filling them. Where there is ineptness, then voting a new person into office is the alternative to estoring dignity to the offfice.

11. Involves doing justice–punishment v.4

1. Justice and punishment are not ideals at all. Justice involves equity for all, and when "applied to punishment as it is in our context, there is to be equity regardless of people.

2. Punishment is a difficult issue. We have gone from extremes in punishing to other extremes. History has seen its grave tragic situation where a man is sentenced to life for stealing a loaf of bread. On the p resent scene is the plea for innocence when a man gets drunk and commits some grave crime. The defense is made on the
basis of his lack of responsibility. There is a profound feeling of disillusionment in this country about those who do crimes of violenceand go free on the basis of a plea of insanity,

3. An important issue in the matter of punishment is the self-protection of the community. Just as people have a right to life free from the threat of others, so a community has a right to protection for itself, and d it has the right to punish the offenders for its own protection.

Without the right to. punish, the state or community, or society will become the prey of any group, gang, or force that does not hesitate to kill, to take life, to coerce, and impose its will upon the community
4 God wills community and the right of the community to defend itself whether in legal procedures of imprisonment or of war; This is seen in our passages here as well as the Old Testament

111. Involves doing good--Obedience

1. Because of man's sin, a state is necessary in which laws ere made for the protection of individuals in society. The goal of a state is an atmosphere of peace wherein we can live pursuing our separate vocations. Obedience to the state is a basis of law, order and peace .In this sense, God stands behind the state and is on the side of law and order. This is the basis for the command that Christians should obey the governing authorities.

2. Paul did not advocate blind obedience, however. We Christians are faced with two options other than blind obedience. We can become involved and seek to change the unjust laws that people have made. If we do this, it wi11 take time, harassment by vested interests, and sometimes unpopularity but it is an option that few Christians choose.
Manhattan has had a city councilmen who is a Christian. He 1eft the commission because it has taken up blocks of time. He has received threatening:" letters, telephone call. Is, and has been told that it will be hard for him to get a loan if he needed it when he gets off the commission. Yet there have been signs of progess of trying
to bring better government to the whole community and not just a vested interest. This is one option for the Christian.

The other option is disobedience. This poses an issue--Is God and the political destinv of the USA the same? Our sense of patriotism has sometimes blocked out conscience and we ha ve obeyed when we should have disobeyed.

3. Do you know that if some of our Baptist brethern today had been living in Virginia in the 1700's they would all be Episcopalians. The Anglican or Episcopal church was the legal church and other groups were outlawed. There were Baptist s in those days who were convicted of ramming Scripture passages down people’s throat. Martin Luther commented once that if the magistrate or government commands you to do something contrary to the law of God, then a: man simply has to say, "Sir, in all that you command I am willing to obey, except in this matter I must obey God. And what you have commanded is contrary to God’s command for me.” There may be penalties to bear in this, but it is a matter of conscience.

We Baptists have short memories when it comes to conscience. We have not attempted to making distinctions between disobedience growing out of a rebellious attitude, and disobedience due to genuine religious commitment of the conscience.

The Scripture says, "be subject to those in authority and do good.

Concl:
1. The state or community is a necessary entity because of man's sin, his selfishness, and rebellion. As such it is not a perfect situation. We commonly think of equity and justice as a kingdom of perfection, but justice is superseded by love. As far as the state goes, law requires impersonal responses, yet there is something greater than law, and that is love. The law cannot forgive, love can. Thus the community
is always working in an imperfect situation.

2. v. 10. Loves does not wrong to a neighbor, and there
fore love is the fulfilling of the law