'Government in the service of God'
When it comes to politics, Romans 13 is undoubtedly the most frequently cited scripture. It is a standard text for Protestants and Catholics alike. People then speak from this text about the Christian duty to obey the government and make a responsible contribution to this "servant of God. But is that really the core of the message Paul was passing on to the church in Rome?
If we look for the meaning of the Bible text for the first hearers, in this case the Jewish Christians in Rome in the middle of the first century, the message does take on a different focus. We are talking about the autocratic rule of the Roman emperor, who also allowed himself to be worshipped as a god. So that Paul would call for contributions to this government cannot be the case. But important comments must also be made about the common call from this text to obey the government. When we consider the historical context, we get a better picture of what Paul wants to say.
He writes his letter during the reign of Emperor Nero. This infamous emperor actually began his tenure very well. He came to power in 54 AD and the first years of his reign were characterized by calm, peace and prosperity. This compared to the reign of his predecessor Claudius. Claudius had banned Jews and Jewish Christians from Rome. Nero had undone this edict immediately upon taking office. The beginning of his reign was thus a kind of mini golden age (from 54-59 AD, also called uinquennium Neronis), the most beautiful and peaceful time since Emperor Augustus. Only then did Nero emerge as a power-hungry and cruel persecutor of Christians.
During this first period of relative peace, Paul wrote the letter to the Romans (between 56-58 AD). Christians possessed a fair amount of freedom, but of course you had to watch your step. Rebellion would jeopardize stability!
And this is precisely Paul's message: do not engage in rebellion and revolt. He chooses his words very carefully. He uses the word hupotassō, which means submit in the sense of conforming to, fitting in. The Greek has its own word for obeying governments (peith-archeō "to obey or obey the government," e.g. Tit.3:1), but Paul does not use it here. The balance of the new age is fragile, and so he calls upon believers to submit, to conform, to comply. The core meaning of this word is "order," arrangement.
This is not the same as a call to obedience. A Christian who refuses to worship the emperor but accepts the death penalty is submitting, but is not being obedient.
The atmosphere in the Roman Empire changes completely in 64 AD when Nero blames Christians for the massive fire that struck Rome. It is the time when Nero emerges as a ruler who acts as a nothing-and-nothing beast. In the book of Revelation, probably written during the tyrannical period of Nero's reign, the situation has deteriorated to the point where there is no call to comply and the government is characterized as a tool of Satan (Rev. 13). So we cannot hear in Paul's words in Rom. 13 a direct message that Christians should participate in government as the servant of God. On the other hand, we can hear a critical note in Paul's words when he says that government is instituted by God. Arie Zwiep has articulated this beautifully.
"The emperor of Rome who saw himself as the divine autocrat is subordinate to the tribal god of one of the conquered peoples in one of the corners of the Empire," to the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. So we must look further for how believers are expected to be meritorious in a political sense (politeuō).
Heavenly colony on earth
A text that has received much attention in the last 25 years is Phil. 3:206. "For we are citizens of a kingdom in the heavens, from which we also expect the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior" (NBG) or as the NBV says "But we have our citizenship in heaven, and from there we expect our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. Paul talks in Phil. 3:18-20 about errorists who live as god in France and are totally and exclusively earthly-oriented (vs. 19). In contrast, believers behave completely differently. After all, they do not belong to the earthly, he says, but have a "citizenship" in heaven. The word politeuma "citizenship, (politically independent) community, colony" was a familiar concept to the Philippians. The city of Philippi was a Roman colony (Acts 16:12) and even a very privileged one. The city could boast in the ius italicum, the "Italian law," the highest privilege a Roman colony outside Italy could be granted. This status meant, among other things, that the citizens of Philippi possessed Roman citizenship, and they were proud of it. Just as the citizens of Philippi possess the citizenship of Rome, so believers have the citizenship of heaven, where Christ is (cf. Gal. 4:26; Eph. 1:11; 2:6,19: fellow citizens, see also Col. 3:1-4). This does not mean that they should withdraw from the world. No, they form a colony of heavenly citizens on earth and represent the Kingdom of Jesus Christ.
This is also beautifully expressed by Paul in 2 Cor. 5:20 "We are ambassadors of Christ; God makes his appeal through us. On behalf of Christ we ask: be reconciled to God.' Paul uses the word presbeuō, "to be envoy, ambassador. The word is used for acting as a representative or ambassador of a higher authority, often the government.
In the NT, it is believers who "act as representatives or ambassadors" for the sake of Christ, and so Paul elsewhere says he is "an ambassador" for the sake of the Gospel (Eph. 6:19-20).
➡️ Want to learn more? Take advantage of the Study Bible app or other inspiring articles! Retrieved from our socials we also offer you fun inspiration!
This article is part of a longer article written by Gijs van de Brink and published in Study Bible magazine 2018. Download here the entire article.
