Romans 13 as a Justification for Authoritarian Violence

I often see this passage used by Christians to not only endorse the necessity of human authority, but also to justify such things as capital punishment and warfare.

I have often argued that the traditional interpretation of the chapter cannot possibly make sense given that it follows on directly from Romans 12, which seemingly offers a far different perspective on human existence (ie, that of returning hate with love, overcoming evil with good, and striving to live in peace with all people). However, I realise that this sort of extrapolation can be subjective, and that the passage in question nonetheless does seem problematic. It might be helpful to consult other scripture on the matter.

First of all, I feel that if Paul really is affirming the divine instatement of governing authority as a tool for God’s operation on earth, then I would have to wonder what Paul was thinking of when he speaks of the authorities in manners such as these:

1 Corinthians 2:6-9

Yet among the mature we do impart wisdom, although it is not a wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are doomed to pass away. But we impart a secret and hidden wisdom of God, which God decreed before the ages for our glory. None of the rulers of this age understood this, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. But, as it is written,

“What no eye has seen, nor ear heard,
nor the heart of man imagined,
what God has prepared for those who love him”

Paul’s usage of wording here is actually pretty harsh… Not only does Paul reprimand the ruling authorities for having misunderstood God’s revelation in Christ and thus having crucified Him, he also says that they are “doomed to pass away.” The NIV translation reads as “being brought to nothing.” The conclusion in this train of thought is that what God has hidden from the authorities, He has graciously revealed to the Christian community – the church is therefore wiser than the ruling authorities because of this, even in spite of the illusion that they somehow hold wisdom over the general populus through coercive order. Later on in the letter, Paul revisits this belief of his when speaking of the resurrection from the dead:

1 Corinthians 15:24-25

Then comes the end, when [Christ] delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet.

Not only does Paul say here that that the powers are to be destroyed, but he goes so far as to say that each one is actually an enemy of God. In the equality of the resurrection, there can be no form of coercion and subordination.

Consider Paul’s idea that the material world is actually “ruled” by Satan:

2 Corinthians 4:3-4

And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled only to those who are perishing. In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.

Elsewhere in NT scripture, Satan is also referred to as “the ruler of this age.” In fact, in the passage from 1 Corinthians 15 where Paul speaks of the destruction of governmental authority, he is actually speaking of both earthly and satanic rule, thereby making no distinction between the two.

Also, the notion that Paul endorsed the good rule of governing powers is in stark contrast with this most famous piece of scripture:

Colossians 1:15-20

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.
For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities–all things were created through him and for him.
And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.
And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent.
For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell,
and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.

The implicit meaning of this text might not be readily apparent to the casual reader, but understood in its setting, it is actually a powerfully subversive proclamation. In a way that is almost the antithesis of modern interpretations of Romans 13, Paul affirms that it is Christ, not the authorities, who establishes order in the world, and who orders things for Himself. Rather than saying that the rulers are in place by the election of God, the text almost outright states that each one is usurped under the supreme authority of Christ. Notice also the end of this passage, where Paul states clearly that Christ has “made peace by the blood of the cross.” Like many other empires before and after them, Rome proclaimed a “great peace” that existed under their rule; propaganda, of course, to veil the magnitude of its violence. The “peace” that Rome established, it did so by the sword. Colossians gives a stark contrast to this: Christ’s peace with humanity is established by the cross, a symbol of defeat, revealing a victory made possible through sacrifice rather than sword.

This is the heart of other greatly subversive language in the New Testament: Christ is proclaimed “Lord” because Caesar has the title of “Lord.” We say He establishes a “Kingdom” because Rome was considered to be the supreme “kingdom.” We call Christ “the Son of God,” because Caesar himself was proclaimed as “son of the gods.” With each integral component of the Gospel, all of the qualities for which the Emperor was renowned are immediately brought to nothing. The chances are that if you were a 1st Century Christian hearing the Colossians hymn uttered for the first time, you would be nervously looking around you to wonder if a member of the imperial army had intercepted the meeting.

Also, one of the Bible’s most famous books, Revelation, stands as one of the most devastating criticisms of government (I will be exploring more on the nature of Apocalyptic Literature such as Revelation in future posts). For within its pages, the Roman Empire is consistently equated with the rule of Satan. In fact, many commentators have gone as far as to say that “Babylon the Great” is actually an eternal metpahor for every single concentration of power that has ever existed and will ever exist.

Revelation 18:21

Then a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone and threw it into the sea, saying,

“So will Babylon the great city be thrown down with violence,
and will be found no more…

Revelation 18:24

And in her was found the blood of prophets and of saints,
and of all who have been slain on earth.”

Babylon, as a metaphor for governing rule, is here shown to be brought to nothing at the hands of divine authority. She is also blamed not only for the blood of holy people, but also “of all who have been slain on earth.” The implication is a powerful one: Babylon, as the great authority in whom all authorities are found, is responsible for the deaths of all on earth who have been killed by violence. Again, we see the dual nature of earthly rule and satanic rule intertwined in a devestating denunciation of their reign.

Something else interesting to note is the terrifying imagery in Revelation 13, during the time with the dragon and his beast have taken up authority:

Revelation 13:9-10

Let anyone who has an ear listen:
If you are to be taken captive, into captivity you go;
if you kill with the sword, with the sword you must be killed.

Here is a call for the endurance and faith of the saints.

This brings to mind the divine law given in Genesis 9:6, where God demands that blood be shed for those who have shed blood; this as well, is another scripture used by Christians to justify violence mandated by governing authorities. Revelation, however, completely overturns this previous understanding and now shifts such a mandate over to satan himself: with the authorities under his wing, this is a demand required of darkness, not of the divine.

Now herein lies a great cosmic paradox: Though Revelation is often used by Christians to affirm the necessity of warfare, the book is actually an epic call for the Christian community to stand firm in faith rather than give into the causes of violence, which is exacted by earthly rulers as a result of them not understanding the Gospel. The great victor in Revelation is not an army that God calls together, nor does it come from the returned violence of the church, nor does it come from any form of the sword. Instead, it comes from “the lamb who was slain.” Reminiscient of Colossians, scripture once again informs us that the divine mystery revealed to us is that of the victorious nature of what the world would consider defeat. Though the authorities subject their subordinates by violence, it is compassionate sacrifice, as exemplified by Christ, which truly wins the eternal battles of good versus evil.

I submit, therefore, that Paul’s words in Romans 13 would have sounded to its First Century audience somewhat like this improvised paraphrasing (actual Biblical text italicised):

Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God.

“Everyone ought to live peaceably with the governing authorities, knowing that God’s power has usurped them, and that they only hold together in His authority and by His mercy.”

Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves.

“Those who rebel in the same vain of violence the authority uses will ultimately be rebelling against God Himself.”

For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and he will commend you.

“If you live in peace with these authorities as I have encouraged you to do toward all people, and inasmuch as it depends upon you to do so, then you will have nothing to fear from them.”

For he is God’s servant to do you good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword for nothing. He is God’s servant, an agent of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer.

“For remember that you answer to God above these powers. If you go out of your way to incur their wrath, then beware: the sword does not lie idle in his hand, and he does not bear it for nothing. More seriously, you will be incurring God’s wrath upon yourself through the terror they bring upon you.”

Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also because of conscience.

“We must remember to love our enemies and return all evil with compassion, even against these oppressive systems who lie in false power over us, because Christ commanded this.”

This is also why you pay taxes, for the authorities are God’s servants, who give their full time to governing.

“This is also why you pay taxes. ‘Render to Caesar that which is Caesar’s, and to God that which is God’s,’ so as to follow our Lord’s example. For the authorities are only held in place and in order by God, and are answerable to Him.”

All Men are Brothers

This is the title of a book containing a collection of Mahatma Gandhi’s various quotes and writings. The book itself is divided into chapters each of a certain theme which was important to Gandhi’s life, eg, Religion and Truth, Nonviolence, etc. Because of this, it reads like a continuous book even though the quotes are from separate sources, which I would suppose shows the consistency of that for which this great man stood. While perusing again last night, this one in particular jumped out at me:

“It is better to allow our lives to speak for us than our words. God did not bear the cross only 2000 years ago, but He bears it today, and He dies and is resurrected from day to day. It would be poor comfort to the world if it had to depend upon a historical God who died 2000 years ago. Do not then preach the God of history, but show Him as He lives today through you.”

AMEN!

The Outworking of Faith

In a kind of follow up to my previous post, I would like to address what the outworking of faith in the world around us means after we have obtained it. As a reaffirmation of what it means to be a “new creation” in Christ, I find certain aspects of the Fall of Man quite interesting:

Genesis 3:16-19
To the woman he said,
“I will greatly increase your pains in childbearing;
with pain you will give birth to children.
Your desire will be for your husband,
and he will rule over you.”

To Adam he said, “Because you listened to your wife and ate from the tree about which I commanded you, ‘You must not eat of it,’
“Cursed is the ground because of you;
through painful toil you will eat of it
all the days of your life.

It will produce thorns and thistles for you,
and you will eat the plants of the field.

By the sweat of your brow
you will eat your food
until you return to the ground,
since from it you were taken;
for dust you are
and to dust you will return.”

The contrast is inferred to be in direct opposition to what Adam and Eve experienced in the Garden of Eden. Man and Woman were both made as equals in the image of God, but now Sin has causes Eve to become subordinate to Adam’s authority. They both lived in peace with creation, but now Adam must toil the ground with hard labour. Ultimately, of course, they are both expelled from Eden, having gone from a perfect communion with God into a chasm of distance between them.

The traditionalist (and also literalist) interpretation is that the Fall had some kind of cosmic effect on the earth, and that the “thorns and thistles” are representative of the way creation began to decay because of the Sin humanity had wrought upon it. It’s occured to me, however, that the scheme of events might actually be subtler than this. The first point in the story upon which we first realise things have gone terribly wrong is the realisation Adam and Eve gain of their own nakedness. There has not been any significant change in reality itself, but rather in the way our two character perceive said reality. Similarly, it might not be the case that the Fall radically altered the entire universe, but simply that Man’s perception of it changed. Where we were meant to be equal, we become enslaved to a system of authority and subordination. Where we were meant to live in peace with creation, we came to see it as hostile and unforgiving. Where we were meant to have a communion with God, we became distant from Him and turned instead toward ourselves. Ultimately, that is what the condition of Sin really is; a moving away of the focus from God and humanity, and the turning inward to ourselves and our own desires.

As I mused in my last post, if faith is the forgiveness of Sin, then faith is also the end of these divisions we set up for ourselves which separate us from the rest of humanity, from creation, and from God. The former reality, we now realise, was an illusion which we saw through the lens of human mortality. Now, however, God has removed the illusion and unveiled what we might call “the new creation,” the beginning to reconciliation between existence, and between existence and God.

What the new creation signifies then, is harmony and unity. The Gospel which Christ preached, that of the coming of God’s Kingdom, spelled the beginning of the new creation which begins in the individual person and then manifests itself to the rest of the world. This is what I mean by the “outworking of faith.” We might alternatively call such a phenomenon “good works,” which of course we do as people of God, but we also accept that works are the natural outworking of the faith God has granted us. This manifestation, I feel, is the growing unity of humankind through the eternal love of the Living God.

When I speak of things like peace, nonviolence, anarchism, etc, what I am really doing is putting in modern terms how I feel this outworking ideally ought to be seen. I believe the Gospel demands nonviolence because there can be no unity in destructiveness. I believe in peace because I ultimately feel this is the effort of God seen on earth. I believe in anarchism because I do not feel that subordination and coercion can exist in the ideals of universal harmony.

I do find it quite interesting to note, on this point, that I have often noticed something of a dual nature within the human psyche when it comes to matters like these. For example, it is not uncommon to hear of people saying they could not work in the development of weapons, and I have known of people in the past who did work in such positions yet admitted they grappled with the moral implications of such a job. However, on one occasion when I brought up the subject of pacifism to one of them, he became quite animated in defending the causes of just war and violence. Similarly, most average people will express a definite disdain for politicians and a general distrust of authority. However, suggest the idea of anarchism to them, and they will most likely be the first to defend the unadulterated need of government.

There seems to be a large inner war going on within the human heart. Somewhere, we just know that this is not the way things should be. We know that peace is more desirable over war. We know that people should not be kept in poverty for the favour of the privelaged. We know that government is an inherently corrupt and immoral system. But there is something else, something deeply ingrained within our personas which cannot accept that change ought to happen, something which convinces us and drives us to convince others around us that the present scheme of things is the correct scheme. Tragically, we have been conditioned from generation to generation to accept this scheme, and not to challenge it out of a misguided belief that anything else will spell disaster for humanity.

I cannot help but be reminded of Paul, who says in Romans 7 that “I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing.” We are dual-natured human beings; in one sense, created in the divine image of God, and in another sense ravaged by the condition of Sin which turns our focus inward. As Paul concludes in his dialogue of inner despair, it is God we thank for granting us His grace where we cannot defeat Sin by our own ability. However, we also understand that righteousness is the system to which we are now enslaved, not the world and its darkness. This appears very much to be the inward battle of the individual human being.

It is not just that we need to “turn away from sin,” but that we need to focus on the outworking of faith. To turn away from sin, while important, is simply to satiate a personal struggle. The cosmic struggle, that of the mortal decay which ravages the creation due to Man’s flawed perceptions, is a greater matter altogether. If we have been restored to communion with God, man, and creation, then we are agents for bringing about this restoration in the rest of the world. Not necessarily to act as super-missionaries preaching the Gospel to every random stranger in the course of a day, but simply to act as the example, to be the change we wish to see, and to change the world one piece at a time.

As with all things, it begins in the human heart.

The Justification of Grace Through Faith

Romans 3:21-24

21But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify.
22This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference,
23for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
24and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.

It is considered one of the most, if not the most important doctrine in modern Christianity, that salvation is granted through faith in Christ alone, and that this is not something we humans could ever achieve on our own strength, but rather that God has performed the final finished work for us. In Jesus Christ, so the line of thinking goes, God conquered sin and death forever, and made it possible to enter into a relationship with Him and subsequently into the promise of eternal life.

The reasoning, as demonstrated by the above passage, is that all have sinned and fallen short. That no one is righteous on their own strength, and indeed cannot attain salvation on their own, because each one of us is afflicted with the condition of sin which separates us from God. The natural penalty of sin, according to the Bible, is death, and so in love God (in the form of Jesus) took this penalty upon Himself and effectively “paid it off” for our sake, so that through faith in Christ alone we might live forever. And as the New Testament is consistently clear, it is by faith alone, not by works, ie, any effort we could make ourselves.

Now I would not disagree with the traditional interpretation of this doctrine; I do feel that faith is what reconciles a person to God as opposed to human efforts. I would not necessarily say that mankind is “totally depraved” as some Christians put it, but perhaps that we are “totally unable” to enter into a relationship with God via anything we might do ourselves. Our good works, as is commonly believed, are merely the outflowing of the gift of faith, that although good works do not save us, they are (or ought to be) a necessary consequence of our faith in Christ.

However, what does salvation by faith mean for us in the here and now, what are its implications? In his train of thought, Paul uses the example of Abraham in a very interesting way:

Romans 4:16-17

16Therefore, the promise comes by faith, so that it may be by grace and may be guaranteed to all Abraham’s offspring—not only to those who are of the law but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham. He is the father of us all.
17As it is written: “I have made you a father of many nations.” He is our father in the sight of God, in whom he believed—the God who gives life to the dead and calls things that are not as though they were.

Paul’s idea is that because Abraham had faith in God, it was “credited to him as righteousness,” reinforcing the idea that righteousness can only truly be attained through faith. However, Paul also stresses the importance of the blessing God gave Abraham, because by it Abraham became “the father of many nations.” His idea is that as Abraham founded the Hebrew religion, and because in Christ the Hebrew religion found its fullness, then Abraham has fathered many offspring as those who have faith in the risen Christ. More simply, what God started in Abraham, He finished with Christ extending to those who believe in Him.

What is intriguing, however, is the social event this seems to imply. It would seem that by Christ, and ultimately by faith, I am connected to Abraham, and indeed, to every other person in the timeless community of faith, in an almost cosmic manner. Abraham’s faith allowed a global multitude of people to find the same blessing he was given, a multitude of each having faith in God.

Consider this next passage:

Galatians 3:26-29
26You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus,
27for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.
28There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
29If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.

Again, Paul is affirming that the children of God attain their status through faith, and emphasises the idea that we have been blessed through the promise of Abraham. However, he also makes an important point; that there is no longer a distinction in our humanity. There are no longer any divisions keeping us apart from each other, whatever our load in life or who we happen to be by gender or race. God has indisciminately loved us and granted us equal inheritance. More than this, by faith the recipient is now connected to everyone else in the community of faith and into a freedom whereby he sees all humanity in the same way God does; with indiscriminate love. Faith is not just reconciliation with God, but reconciliation with humanity. The act of faith is very much a social event, the drawing together of persons near and far into unity.

The means by which Abraham was able to father many nations, is because he had a faith which allowed him to be connected by indescribable ways to a whole future of people sharing that same faith. Likewise we, by faith, are connected to one another, are able to see our place within the mutual network of humanity, are reconciled to God, and are at peace with the whole of existence.

2 Corinthians 5:16-17
16So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer.
17Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!

Amen. Being a “new creation” means that we no longer view humanity in the way we once did. The shackles of division between us and our neighbours have ceased through the act of faith, and now the outward display of works is simply in endeavouring to be the medium or the means by which further reconciliation to God, humanity, and creation is brought about.

51 Ways to Help Climate Change

While passing through a newsagents’ this week, I happened to notice Time Magazine doing a special double issue on global warming, including 51 short snippets on how human beings can make a difference. Upon perusing, there were a few old familiar energy-saving techniques here and there, such as changing light bulbs, switching equipment off when not in use, buying local produce, and various others.

One surprise to me was the notion that “high rise” cities actually benefit the environment since they are less sprawled than remote areas, and some skyscrapers in New Yrok are actually designed to minimise energy input. I was under the impression that large city areas were more of a detriment to the globe than more rural areas, but it would seem the concept is far from black and white. Another point of interest was that people in a city environment are far more likely to use public transportation rather than drive their own cars, and many people cycle to their places of business as well.

Additionally, the cynic in me was very much at the surface as I flicked through, believing that I would see no mention of how animal farming detriments the environment. Much to my pleasant surprise, however, at number 22 was a short exposition with some very useful statistics about this very issue. According to the U.N.’s Food And Agriculture Organization, the international meat industry generates about 18% of the world’s greenhouse-gas emissions, which is even more than transportation. Methane and nitrous oxide, which arise from cow digestion, produce warming effects which are respectively 23 times and 296 times greater than that of carbon. Given the rising population of bred cattle, sheep, pigs, and various other farm animals in the devloping world, the amounts of energy consumed in raising, shipping, and selling livestock are bound to have an ever-growing impact on our global environment. The University of Chicago estimates that a vegetarian diet saves 1.4 tons of carbon dioxide a year. And this is, of course, to say nothing of all that methane and nitrous oxide. You heard it from an unbiased source, folks: there’s far more to vegetarianism than animal rights.

Beyond some somewhat impractical changes to lifestye in terms of time, effort, and cost, the Christian compulsion to live at peace with creation, love humanity, cultivate the community spirit, and conduct oneself with simplicity, can always have a greater beneficial impact upon the earth and its inhabitants than we might realise.