Romans 13:1-7 Unpacked, Part 3

Are You Speaking to Me?

Another way people misuse Romans 13 is to make a distinction between commands given to individuals and to civil authorities. Part of the confusion is that English does not distinguish between the singular and plural second person (those pesky pronouns!). It’s so easy to read “you” singular, where it really says “you all.”  Take Leviticus 19:33-34. In English it reads: “When an alien resides with you in your land, you shall not oppress the alien. The alien who resides with you shall be to you as the native-born among you; you shall love the alien as yourself, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God.” All those “yous” are plural. If you have any doubt, look at Leviticus 19:1-2: the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: 2 “Speak to all the congregation of the Israelites and say to them:…” The whole congregation of the Israelites. Not a command to individuals, but to the community.

Now, I’ve seen an argument that posits when God gave this command, Isreal was wandering in the wilderness, therefore it doesn’t apply to when they got to the Promised Land. It only makes sense for them to offer hospitality and shelter to others in the wilderness. But once in the Promised Land, they can vet who they want to live in the land with them, you know, so they can maintain order and safety. Besides, they didn’t have a government while they were wandering, so this commandment doesn’t apply to civil authorities.

First, the verse specifically says “reside in your land” meaning the land God was giving them, not the wilderness in which they were wandering. So yes, it applies to the Promised Land. Secondly, they had authorities: Moses, Aaron, and 70 elders. And once in the Promised Land, there was Joshua and the leaders who followed him, the judges, the priests. God’s ideal for the new nations of Israel was a theocracy, with God as premier authority (whether or not it ever truly functioned in that way is another story). So yes, the command in Leviticus 19:33-34 did apply to the civil authorities of the Israelites. Does that mean it applies to all civil authorities? Maybe not, but if you’re going to claim to be a Christian nation, you don’t get to opt out of the government following God’s laws and submitting to God’s authority. ALL of God’s laws and authority, not just the parts you like.

Finally, welcoming the strangers and treating them with mercy, compassion and equity does not mean that law breakers cannot be held accountable. The two are not incompatible. It is possible to treat others with the dignity due to people created in the image of God, and to hold them accountable if they do wrong. The United States was founded on the ideal that justice dictates certain rights even to those accused of breaking the law. Our fear is not a sufficient reason to abandon that principle of a just society that protects the rights of ALL people within our borders, not just citizens.

Rev. Franklin Graham missed the mark when he said, “Why do you lock your doors at night? Not because you hate the people on the outside, but because you love the people on the inside so much.”  We are to love those on the outside and those on the inside. Paul also writes in Romans 10:2 “For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; the same Lord is Lord of all and is generous to all who call on him.” And in Galatians 3:28, “There is no longer Jew or Greek; there is no longer slave or free; there is no longer male and female, for all of you are one in Christ Jesus.” That is the idea of the kingdom of God, that all are welcome, all are worthy, all are beloved children of God. The fallacy in Rev. Graham’s statement is the assumption that loving the outsider means leaving yourself open to abuse. It’s not either/or: love or maintain law and order. The entire book of Leviticus was written to maintain order and provide safety, while at the same times living lives of love for God, the neighbor and yourself.

Borders Are Biblical but Are They Part of God’s Ultimate Vision?

God does speak about distinct nations, and there are examples of borders, walls, and boundaries in Scripture

Gen. 18:18, Num. 32:17, Psalm 67:2, Matt. 28:19, Rev. 5:9, 7:9, Deut. 19:14, 27:17, 32:8, Acts 17:2

But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For he is our peace; in his flesh he has made both into one and has broken down the dividing wall, that is, the hostility between us, abolishing the law with its commandments and ordinances, that he might create in himself one new humanity in place of the two, thus making peace, Ephesians 2:13-15

Revelation 22 1-2Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb through the middle of the street of the city. On either side of the river is the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, producing its fruit each month, and the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations.

I have to wonder if borders, walls, and nations are not God-ordained but permitted by God because of the hardness of our hearts, not because they are part of God’s perfect plan (like Jesus said about divorce in Matthew 19:3-9):

In days to come

the mountain of the Lord’s house

shall be established as the highest of the mountains

and shall be raised above the hills;

all the nations shall stream to it.

Many peoples shall come and say,

“Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,

to the house of the God of Jacob,

that he may teach us his ways

and that we may walk in his paths.”

For out of Zion shall go forth instruction

and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.

He shall judge between the nations

and shall arbitrate for many peoples;

they shall beat their swords into plowshares

and their spears into pruning hooks;

nation shall not lift up sword against nation;

neither shall they learn war any more. (Isaiah 2:2-4)

This is the vision God has for our world. We’re a long way from the realization of that vision, and some would say that this will only be realized after Christ returns. That may be, but this does not remove the responsibility Christians have to love all. And that love, flowing through us from the very heart of Jesus, demands that we stand for those who are oppressed and vulnerable, whose rights are trampled, and whose bodies are brutalized. When our government is the perpetrator of those abuses, the call to love the neighbor, to act with mercy and integrity, to overcome evil with good means standing up to speak the truth and demand our government live up to the ideals upon which our county was founded.

Romans 13 is not a “get out of jail free” card for our leaders. Instead, Romans 13 requires just actions from the government: to not terrorize it’s citizens (verse 13:4), to serve to the good of it’s citizens (verse 13:4), and to contain the violence of wrongdoers (verse 13:5).

At the beginning of this section of the letter to the Romans, Paul instructs: Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect (Romans12:2). This is a call to faithfulness to God, not compliance to worldly authorities. A call to follow in the way of Jesus.