Part 3 in a series of reflections on the Capitol insurrection and Christians’ participation
A biblical foundation for understanding the Christian’s proper relationship to governing authorities and politics will give us strength to hold to positions that may be unpopular with the current version of evangelical Christianity in America. In my previous two posts, I cited Old Testament historical moments and a simple observation from the New Testament (NT) gospel to start the conversation. Today, let’s look at a few more NT data points that will enable us to bring the mess to order and figure out how we should then live.
What did Jesus teach about citizenship? Not much, but he demonstrated a way forward that led the apostle Paul to note that “our citizenship is in heaven” (Phil 3:20). Jesus did not engage civil authorities or directly challenge Roman paganism. His ministry focused on helping his people, i.e. the Jews, to recognize the inauguration of the Kingdom of God. When challenged by Jewish elite—who were trying to get Jesus in trouble, no doubt—Jesus advised his followers to “render to Caesar what was rightfully his.” In other words, “pay your taxes as a responsible citizen” but render to God what is God’s. What belongs to God is our soul, our heart-allegiance, and our worship. Only God rightfully deserves adulation and complete loyalty from those who know him through Jesus Christ, who are citizens of the Kingdom of God.
It is interesting to note that early Christians in the Roman Empire were persecuted for being “atheists,” that is, for not recognizing the palette of pagan gods promoted by Rome. Imagine worshiping only one God! The real offense to Roman sensibilities was a refusal by Christians to take the symbolic steps that proved their allegiance to the emperor. In the time of Nero (64 AD and for ten years after), this defiance was punishable by death and Christian martyrs made their point: taxes are one thing, worship is another, and we won’t go there.
Meanwhile, in Jesus’s time, one Jewish political party (the Sadducees) cozied up to the Romans whom they saw as guarantor of their religious freedom and therefore their power. The Sadducees’ very existence was dependent upon a powerful and pervasive Temple system, of which they were the wealthy beneficiaries. As long as nobody stirred the waters, their position and power was secure. This thirst for prestige led them to “kiss up” to Roman authorities, as we see them doing in the events leading to Jesus’s arrest. Jesus, that darned rabble-rouser, was not acting in the best interest of the Jewish elite—one factor in the grounds for the Lord’s execution. Not to mention the fact that Jesus, called “King of the Jews” but really Messiah, was perceived to be a threat to the temporal powers that be.
Lesson 1: Keeping authorities happy and retaining one’s power in the secular system is a poor mindset for doing ministry. God is asking us to engage with that system, but not to be fed by it. Finding that line of demarcation is difficult, as evidenced by the Church in China: the State-Sponsored Church [which must submit to government pressures] vs. the Underground Church [which seeks to avoid notice and operate unimpeded]. But in order for the Church to live out its obedience and to worship God alone, it must not depend on government and politics nor promise its loyalty to a person or party therein. If the so-called “evangelical base” in this country thinks its very existence depends on presidential favor, those Christians have misplaced their allegiance. God would be consistent in his response, as he was to king-seeking Israel, if he said, “If you want to depend on a king (or president), then just know that I will withdraw my protection, since you won’t need it.”
A few decades after Christ’s death, resurrection, and ascension, the apostle Paul wrote to the Roman church thriving in the shadow of the godless empire. We don’t know what question Paul was answering in chapter 13 of his letter, but his admonition to Christians who were Roman citizens was challenging and thought-provoking:
“Let every person be subject to the governing authorities; for there is no authority except from God, and those authorities that exist have been instituted by God. [God, the one with unmatched power, has put in place people to govern with authority.] Therefore whoever resists authority resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment . . .. Therefore one must be subject, not only because of wrath [to avoid punishment] but also because of conscience [because it’s the right thing to do]. For the same reason you also pay taxes, for the authorities are God’s servants, busy with this very thing. Pay to all what is due them—taxes to whom taxes are due, revenue to whom revenue is due, respect to whom respect is due, honor to whom honor is due.”
Lesson 2: Romans 13 applies to Christians under any and all administrations, Republican as well as Democrat. Our civil authorities come in to power by the process of election. Once the elected take office, Christians “are subject” to them—even if the process seemed corrupt or the winner unworthy! God is somehow working out his purposes through these means. When someone is elected to office we acknowledge it and honor the office by respecting the person holding it. Need I say at this point that the Capitol insurrection on January 6 was a betrayal of this fundamental obligation to honor and respect the electoral process and its results? May Christians have no part in such defiance and violence, for we—of all people—should understand that we are subject to law and governing authority.
