Sermon Tone Analysis

“Let every person be subject to the governing authorities.

For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God.” [1]

Throughout their long history as a people of faith, Baptists have consistently opposed any diminution of the rights of the individual to seek and to pursue their own faith, or for each person to decide to be without faith if that is the choice.

Though Baptists today enjoy considerable respectability in North American society, they have been on the receiving end of state sponsored religious oppression, not occasionally, but frequently.

The First Baptist Church of Boston, Massachusetts was organised on June 7th, 1665, in defiance of two laws which had been passed by the General Court of the colony.

One law stated that all persons wishing to form churches must first obtain consent of the “magistrates and elders of the greater part of the churches within this jurisdiction.”

A second law declared that “if any person or persons within this jurisdiction shall … condemn or oppose the baptising of infants … such person or persons shall be subject to banishment.”

Thomas Gould, the first pastor of that congregation, and Henry Dunster, a member of the congregation who was also the first President of Harvard College, had each refused to have their babies baptised.

Dunster was forced by the General Court to resign his Harvard position because of his refusal to permit his infant child to be baptised.

In the years that followed, many members of that congregation were punished by the government for holding to the Baptist “heresy.”

They were arrested, jailed, publicly beaten, fined and often proscribed from speaking in their own defence.

It is astounding to witness such action by Massachusetts, particularly since the colony was established by Puritans seeking religious freedom.

Because a group seeks freedom from persecution does not mean they will not persecute others.

Freedom of the conscience is a rare commodity among religious people.

Such was the religious climate in the early days of the migration to the New World.

One Sunday in 1680, worshippers found the doors of their church building nailed up by order of the General Court, with the following notice posted:

“All persons are to take notice that by order of the Court the doors of this house are shut up and that they are inhibited to hold any meeting therein or to open the doors thereof, without license from Authority, til the General Court take further order as they will answer the contrary at their peril, dated in Boston 8th March, 1680, by order of the Council.”

Undaunted, the congregation met outdoors in the cold and rain.

The following Sunday, inexplicably, the doors were found open never again closed by the authorities.

[2]

Baptists understand that authority is limited by God from Whom all authority devolves.

The social order, as we know it, is dependent upon authority which God has appointed.

Peter teaches those who confess Christ as Master of life, “Be subject for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme, or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good.

For this is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people.

Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God.

Honour everyone.

Love the brotherhood.

Fear God.

Honour the emperor” [1 PETER 2:13-17].

This is a lawless day—many of God’s professed people have grown self-centred and callused.

Multiplied laws, many of which are irrelevant to peace and good order, are routinely ignored.

Nevertheless, parliaments and legislatures continue to produce yet more laws designed to regulate our thinking, our morals, our attitudes.

In such a reckless environment, what is a Christian supposed to do?

To whom shall we look?

What should be our attitude toward our various governments, as they grow increasingly irrelevant?

THE CHRISTIAN IN THE MODERN STATE — “Let every person be subject to the governing authorities.

For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God.” Central to any understanding of the message is the question of what role a Christian plays in our modern, increasingly pagan society.

Must we obey unjust laws?

Is the power of the state absolute?

Is there a place for disobedience?

These vital questions deserve an answer; and it is my intention to seek answers over the course of our studies in this particular chapter.

I confess that this chapter is controversial.

J. C. O’Neill reportedly wrote that, “These seven verses have caused more unhappiness and misery in the Christian East and West than any other seven verses in the New Testament.”

[3] I question whether this is an accurate assessment, but the verse figures prominently in many criticisms of the Faith.

Certainly, one argument advanced by Islamic scholars for the superiority of their religion is that they are not required to submit to non-Muslim authorities.

The teaching of the Word of God is that a Christian is responsible to be a good citizen, seeking peace within the state.

Clearly, this is the intent of the Word of God.

“First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way.

This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Saviour, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” [1 TIMOTHY 2:1-4].

The implication is that we honour God through showing honour to those in authority.

However, the expectation of honour is not absolute; honour extends only so far as such authorities fulfil the divine intention to ensure that good is the result of their service and that wrongdoers are held to account.

The intent of this passage must be clarified in light of all that the Apostle has written preceding this portion of Scripture and in light of what follows.

Good is the approval of that which honours God; and evil is anything which dishonours Him.

Good is that which leads to peace and security both nationally and individually.

Thus, that which is good is the revealed moral law of God [cf.

ROMANS 7:12].

The revealed will of God is good, or virtuous [see ROMANS 12:2].

Though these are general statements, they are nevertheless true statements.

Why is murder against the laws of Canada?

The reason is that is violates the moral law of God.

Why is theft against the laws of Canada?

Again, theft violates the moral law of God.

Good is that which is moral and righteous.

Government is to have as its guiding principle, good.

Except the people of a nation uphold moral conduct, society soon degenerates into a corrupt system where individuals misuse the authority of government to obtain what they want at the expense of others.

John Adams, second President of the American Republic, was correct when he observed, “We have no government armed in power capable of contending with human passions unbridled by morality and religion.

Our Constitution was made only for a religious and moral people.

It is wholly inadequate for the government of any other.”

[4] The Constitution Acts of 1867 and of 1982 spell out the form of Canadian government, but the power for sound government is the virtue of the Canadian people.

If Canadians are neither a moral nor a religious people, the nation will prove ungovernable.

Good cannot arise from that which is against God.

That which is wrong is easier to name once we know how to define what is good.

According to what Paul has previously written, suppression of the knowledge of God is wrong, as is haughtiness and self-exaltation (idolatry) [see ROMANS 1:18-23].

Homosexual acts and attempts to coerce approval of such acts are wrong [see ROMANS 1:24-27, 32].

Likewise, greed, malice, murder, conflict, gossip, slander, insolence, arrogance, disobedience to parents, together with a ruthless attitude are wrong [ROMANS 1:28-31].

Government was never meant to be our master—neither as a ruthless monarchy, a dictatorship or an oppressive parliament.

The American founding fathers were convinced that people have the full power to govern themselves, and that people may choose to give up some of their rights for the general good and the protection of rights.

Nevertheless, each person should be self-governed, and this is why virtue is so important for citizens.

So long as government fosters what is “good,” we Christians approve of it.

In as much as government promotes what is “wrong,” we are compelled to disapprove of it.

This does not necessarily mean that we are in rebellion against government, but instead we seek what leads to peace so that we may worship God and thus honour Him.

THE SOURCE OF ALL AUTHORITY — “There is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God.”

There are two reasons given for Christians to practise subjection to governing authorities.

First, there is no authority except from God.

Second, those authorities that do exist have been instituted by God.

“While civil magistrates or judges are divinely ordained, that ordination carries with it no status in the church: they are ‘men who count for nothing in our community’ [1 CORINTHIANS 6:4 NEB].” [5]

God is sovereign.

There is no authority except that which comes from God.

Every right we hold as citizens devolves from the fact that we are created in the image of God.

For this reason, the founding fathers of the American Republic spoke of unalienable rights—including life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

And these unalienable rights have been endowed by the Creator!

Paul is not setting here an absolute condition for our relationship to government.

“What we have here is a general exhortation that delineates what is usually the case; people should normally obey ruling authorities.

The text is not intended to be a full-blown treatise on the relationship of believers to the state.

It is a general exhortation setting forth the typical obligations one has to civil authorities.”

[6]

The state is a divine institution with divine authority.

Christians are neither anarchists nor subversives, but rather realists.

In commenting on this verse, John Stott writes, “We need to be cautious… [Paul] cannot be taken to mean that all the Caligulas, Herods, Neros and Domitians of New Testament times, and all the Hitlers, Stalins, Amins and Saddams of our times, were personally appointed by God, that God is responsible for their behaviour, or that their authority is in no circumstances to be resisted.”

[7]

What is clearly taught is that all human authority is derived from divine authority.

You will perhaps recall the account of Jesus standing before Pilate.

Pilate boasted to Jesus, “Do you not know that I have authority to release you and authority to crucify you?”