The Problem With Romans 13*

Romans 13:1-14 (New American Standard Bible)
Romans 13
Be Subject to Government
1Every person is to be in subjection to the governing authorities For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God.
2Therefore whoever resists authority has opposed the ordinance of God; and they who have opposed will receive condemnation upon themselves.
3For rulers are not a cause of fear for good behavior, but for evil. Do you want to have no fear of authority? Do what is good and you will have praise from the same;
4for it is a minister of God to you for good. But if you do what is evil, be afraid; for it does not bear the sword for nothing; for it is a minister of God, an avenger who brings wrath on the one who practices evil.
5Therefore it is necessary to be in subjection, not only because of wrath, but also for conscience' sake.
6For because of this you also pay taxes, for rulers are servants of God, devoting themselves to this very thing.
7 Render to all what is due them: tax to whom tax is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honor to whom honor.
8Owe nothing to anyone except to love one another; for he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law.
9For this, "YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT ADULTERY, YOU SHALL NOT MURDER, YOU SHALL NOT STEAL, YOU SHALL NOT COVET," and if there is any other commandment, it is summed up in this saying, "YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF."
10Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.
11Do this, knowing the time, that it is already the hour for you to awaken from sleep; for now salvation is nearer to us than when we believed.
12The night is almost gone, and the day is near Therefore let us lay aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light.
13Let us behave properly as in the day, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual promiscuity and sensuality, not in strife and jealousy.
14But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts.



If you will allow me-I need to vent. This has been building up for some time now. So here goes.



I have the pleasure (if you want to call it that) of working in the public sector, working with and meeting all kinds of different people with various spiritual, racial, socio-economic and political backgrounds. And most people who darken our doors are not coming in just to converse with us about the weather-they are there because of Romans 13 .


Most are hard-working individuals. Most of them are law-abiding people who just want to "be legal" and not be bothered when they are out on the road. Most of them are respectful of the complexities of our job and desire that same respect to be mirrored back their way. That is my desire as well. Most of them are "in a hurry" when they enter our office and are more so when the depart. That's life in the 21st Century.


Then there's those few who, for whatever reason, see no reason to be reasonable. It's what they call in seminar circles as T.H.E. (The Human Element) folks!


And I can, for the most, part accept that kind of behavior from those who obviously do not have a personal relationship with Lord Jesus. Most of us can say, "There, by the Grace of God, goes John Brown !"

The rub is when my Brothers and Sisters in Christ-those supposedly know better- who become a part of the "few".

In my nearly 20 years (25 if you count KFC) of working in the public, can you guess what group of individuals so easily comes to mind as to "cutting up" the most when things didn't go THEIR WAY ? You guessed it...preachers! I kid you not. I wish I were kidding though. Why do they come to mind so easily? Perhaps I hold them up to a higher standard.



Should those who preach the Gospel be held to a higher standard-higher than the teacher-than the deacon-the bus driver-than the trucker-higher than the movers and shakers of our cities ?



Admittedly, Romans 13 will "eat your lunch" and dessert. Especially this day in time where we see spiraling government spending, without little thought of how it will effect the next generation and when our elected officials forget "whose trip they are on".



Therein lies the problem. Romans 13 is where the "rubber" of Christianity meets the "road of life". The problem* is not Romans 13 , it is human beings.

Let's face it- it's a lot easier being a Christian in the chapel than in the marketplace. But it is what Christ has called us to -if we are to fulfill the Great Commission.

[This in no way reflect negatively on my current pastor or the dozen of preachers I have come in contact with the last 20 years who live (ed) out their faith on a daily basis ! ]