Teachers: the focus of this lesson is to note the importance of Christians being law-abiding, respectful citizens. A teacher's initial reaction might be this is commonly understood among Christians. This teacher could be surprised if some in the class react against this concept. In America's democracy, the individual has numerous rights. He or she also has many avenues to address injustices. In our society, the concept of yielding to unjust situations in any context is increasingly unacceptable. The issue has become more of a political concept than a Christian concern. We easily become more concerned about our rights than our representation of God. It is important to begin these considerations by establishing context and first century concerns. If teachers fail to do this, the class may quickly become a twenty-first century political discussion regarding American society instead of a first century discussion about the proper way to represent God in an ungodly society.
Commonly we must understand the context and "place ourselves in the situation" to understand the meaning and the force of a scripture. Begin with a sincere attempt to do both. (1) The Roman Emperor Claudius ordered Jews to leave Rome. Apparently Rome's society had not yet distinguished Christian Jews from Jews who were not Christians. As a result, Christians such as Aquila and Priscilla left Italy and were in Corinth (Acts 18:2). Later, when Claudius died, it was permissible for Jews [including Jewish Christians] to return to Rome. Can you imagine the inconvenience of first century dislocation, relocation, and return? (2) Claudius was committed to reviving and maintaining the old Roman religions. The Roman historian Tacitus (Annals 11-12) stated Claudius tried to preserve and perpetuate old Roman religions in the last half of his reign. The official government stance on the preservation of Roman idolatry created a difficult environment for Christians. Can you imagine daily Christian existence in that environment? (3) Nero, the next Roman emperor, shifted blame for a destructive fire in Rome from himself to Christians. Christians with their one God were unpopular. The Roman emperors made Rome's environment a difficult place for Christians. Can you imagine living in a city that mixed idolatry, politics, and civil obedience at every level?
This historical context can be significantly expanded. This was not the first time the Jews were ordered out of Rome. Rome had a long history of ordering foreign religions out of the city. As early as 139 B.C. the Jews were expelled for attempting to corrupt Roman morals (Valerius Maximums, Facta et dicta memorabilia 1.3.3). They again were expelled in the reign of Tiberius in A.D. 19. (Dio Cassius, 57.18.5). Usually such expulsions focused on Jewish religious influence in Rome or the numbers of Jews in Rome. In the second century, the historian Suetonius attributed Claudius' expulsion of the Jews to a Jewish disturbance concerning Chrestus. Since Chrestus can be a variant spelling of Christus, some concluded the expulsion was the result of an argument about Christ among the Jewish residents of Rome.
The point: the church environment in Rome after the Jews returned was stressed. Christians there were not living in a simple, easy religious situation. It could have been simple to consider the government and its officials as undeserving of respect or willing obedience.
In this letter, Paul did not write people living in a democracy with constitutionally guaranteed rights and freedoms. He did not write people guaranteed religious freedom. He wrote people living in a thoroughly pagan environment without our concept of rights or freedoms.
In this study, it is easy to think like Americans living in a twenty-first century democracy. It is difficult to think like people living in first century Rome under an emperor and city officials who honored the gods.
How were these Christians to conduct themselves in that environment which, at best, was suspicious and, at worst, was physically hostile? They were to be model residents. They were to be in subjection to rulers and officials who honored the gods. They were to understand this basic truth about officials in the Roman government: Rome's rulers and officials were in positions of authority by God's will. God's intention for such rulers: "Use your power and authority to oppose evil and support good." When they did this, they were God's ministers.
God's intent for government was (is) for government to punish evil doers and encourage those who do good. Just as the church has not and does not always fulfill God's intent, neither does government. Paul's directive to Christians living in Rome was based on God's intent, not on the government's conduct.
In a city that controlled the Mediterranean basin [and beyond], in a city devoted to the gods, in a city whose rulers had little or no conscious knowledge of the living God, how were Christians to conduct themselves? They were to live as law abiding residents who respected the government and its officials. They paid their taxes. They observed appropriate customs. They gave respect to those who were to be respected. They honored those who were to be honored.
Living as "model residents" meant respecting officials, paying taxes, observing customs, and giving honor where it was due. Paul's statements remind us of Jesus' statement: give to Ceasar that which belongs to him, and to God that which belongs to Him (Matthew 22:21). Paul was not instructing them to place response to the government over response to God. But, neither did he suggest that belonging to God's kingdom meant they had no responsibility to any earthly kingdom. A Christian could be a good citizen in God's kingdom and a good resident in Rome. Christianity was in no way a physical threat to the Roman empire. Christians were to make that obvious in their daily behavior.
Paul gave them two reasons for being law abiding, responsible residents. They should be such residents for (1) the sake of consequence and (2) the sake of conscience. To be less than law abiding, responsible residents asked the government to regard and treat them as people who did evil. First, if they did evil, the government rightfully punished them for the evil they did. Second, if God placed government authorities in their roles [this was not a democracy], opposing them was opposition to God's sovereignty.
Paul's two reasons need recognition. Those Christians would not conduct themselves in a manner that caused the government to view them as people who did evil. They represented God in an idolatrous city and society. It was their responsibility to represent God well. Opposition to that government in that situation was not opposition to humans, but opposition to God.
To grasp the significance of Paul's reasons, note what he did not write. He did not say injustice allowed them to behave in ways they considered to be an appropriate reaction to the injustice. [By current concepts, we would classify several of Claudius' and Nero's acts as injustice.] He did not say improve imperfect civil conditions through revolt and rebellion.
The two common, accepted reasons for opposing a government in the modern world are (1) the existence of injustice and (2) the abuse of power. Those reasons had nothing to do with Paul's directive to Christians in Rome.
In depth studies of Paul's directives in Romans regarding appropriate conduct toward government must not disconnect this directive from other directives. Do not forget Paul's previous directives: (1) never pay back evil for evil (12:17); (2) try to live at peace with all people (12:18); (3) leave vengeance to God (12:19); and (4) overcome evil with good (12:21). Paul's "model resident" directive to these Christians certainly was "in line" with and "fit" previous directives. Why would these Christians behave in this manner? They knew God's mercy.
When studying scripture, we tend to study verses in a disconnected manner. When Paul wrote this letter, he did not include chapters and verses. Chapters and verses were added much later as a study convenience. To focus on Paul's meaning, it is important NOT to disconnect this directive from previous directives.
It is the writer's understanding that all of Paul's directives in Romans 12, 13, 14, and 15 flow from the "urging" of 12:1. The foundation of the "urging" was God's mercies. A new behavior would characterize Christian conduct and interaction. This new conduct and interaction was based on new ethics. Their concepts of "right and wrong" and "good and bad" were completely changed. Their new system of ethics began with a knowledge and acceptance of God's mercy.
The overpowering [but subtle] temptation for today's American Christian is to interpret Paul's directives in terms of twentieth and twenty-first century concerns rather than in terms of first century concerns. For current Americans living in a democracy with individual rights guaranteed by a constitution, our concerns are justice, freedom, rights, and independence. For Paul who wrote this letter in the mid-first century Roman empire, his concerns were God's work, God's objectives, proper representation of God, and proper presentation of people who belong to God. In a society and city that worshipped and followed many gods, it was critical for God's people to model God's impact on human behavior. Today, in a society and culture that worships the gods of pleasure, indulgence, selfishness, materialism, and hedonism, it continues to be critical for God's people to reveal God's impact on human behavior. Christians do not look like everyone else, behave like everyone else, or think like everyone else because they belong to God. By choice, they are owned by God. Their focus is formed by eternity, not by here and now.
Before making application of Paul's directive to today, we must begin by understanding Paul's point and meaning to the Christian residents of Rome. To ignore Paul's concern in order to emphasize our own is an inappropriate use of his statement. It may even result in applying Paul's authority to matters that were not of Paul's concern.
To whom is such thinking and behavior a possibility? That kind of thinking and behavior is possible in the lives of those who are enslaved to God's mercy. Those who consciously live in God's mercy refuse to confuse the American dream with Christian commitment.
Our Christian concern must focus on accurately representing God in His priorities and purposes rather than focusing on the American dream.
QUESTIONS
Share thoughts about Claudius' order for the Jews to leave Rome, Claudius' desire to revive and maintain old Roman religions, and Nero's treatment of Christians.
Religion and government were completely intertwined. Government functions of every kind included appeals and honors to the gods, and religious functions commonly included government officials. People did not believe government's decisions and functions should be separated from involvement with the gods. They were confident the success of the government and its officials depended on the gods.
They were to conduct themselves as model residents who paid their taxes, observed customs, respected officials, and honored those who were to receive honor.
Christians would behave in this manner (1) to avoid the consequences of being regarded as people who did evil and (2) for conscience sake [they served God, not opposed God].
He did not suggest that they react to injustices or correct imperfect civil conditions.
Previous directives that should be connected to this directive are (1) do not return evil for evil; (2) seek to live at peace with everyone; (3) leave vengeance to God; and (4) overcome evil with good.
Today's American Christian is tempted to interpret Paul's directives in terms of our current day concerns instead of Paul's mid-first century concerns.
Our common concerns include justice, freedom, rights, and independence.
Paul's concerns included God's work, God's objectives, proper representation of God, and proper presentation of people who belonged to God.
The gods or idolatry permeated daily life, culture, and society at every level in every aspect. The gods were a part of everything. Those who belonged to the living God wanted everyone to see and understand the positive impact of God on human behavior in every relationship. This contrast would be visible only if God impacted their daily behavior and relationships.
The same critical need exists today. When we reduce Christian existence to "going to church," when we behave like everyone else, when we live by their values and standards, people see no positive difference between those who belong to God and those who do not. When our troubled marriages are the same, our divorce rate is as high, our parent-child issues identical, our pleasures identical, and our excesses identical, the world sees no beneficial contrast. We cannot and will not be light and salt when we live and act in identical ways to people without faith in God and Christ.
The power and example of God's mercy enables Christians to endure injustice while remaining respectful, considerate, kind people who are an asset to their society.
When Christians conclude God's purpose for them is to achieve the material status and success endorsed by American materialism, they substitute the American dream for Christian commitment. The focus of Christian commitment is properly representing God in a world who does not know Him. The focus of the American dream is our physical lifestyle and material success.
Link to Student Guide
Quarter 3, Lesson 6