I keep trying to figure out how to do this. Am I the only one? I wrestle endlessly with the reality of acknowledging those in authority over me, and also acknowledging that much of what is represented in our government today goes blatantly against what I believe to be right and true.
So how do we as Christians handle this? Romans thirteen verse one says, “𝐿𝑒𝑡 𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑦 𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑠𝑜𝑛 𝑏𝑒 𝑠𝑢𝑏𝑗𝑒𝑐𝑡 𝑡𝑜 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑔𝑜𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑛𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑎𝑢𝑡ℎ𝑜𝑟𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑒𝑠…” In its original language the word used for “be subject” is 𝘩𝘶𝘱𝘰𝘵𝘢𝘴𝘴́𝘰 which is used in the present tense and literally means, “𝑡𝑜 𝑠𝑢𝑏𝑚𝑖𝑡 𝑡𝑜 𝑜𝑛𝑒’𝑠 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑡𝑟𝑜𝑙”.
Ugh gross, right? That doesn’t really tickle my ears. And yet we see that’s exactly what the text is telling us. We are to submit. If you’ve been walking with the Lord for any amount of time, you know that being told to humble ourselves is a vital part of the journey, and here we see it’s no different. This can be painful, right? I’ll be the first to raise my hand and say, YES! See though, as Christ followers we can rest assured that regardless of what side of the aisle our leaders land on, they’ve only been given their position and authority by the One in complete authority. God has been raising up and pulling down kings and kingdoms for centuries. We can rest assured He still does this today. Our response to God’s sovereign rule is manifested through our respect and obedience for the laws and rulers that He has placed over us.
This does not mean, however, that we are to remain silent in our deep held convictions and the blatant injustices so prevalent in our world today. Part of being peacemakers and not peacekeepers is using our voice in these matters. We can make our objections heard in a respectful, direct way that still communicates love for the sinner and hate for the sin. Disagreement does not have to equal fractured relationships. Although, we cannot be surprised when the world can’t understand our position. I believe it is part of the Church’s duty to speak up on behalf of these things, and in doing so, let’s work on respecting and submitting to those in authority.