Romans 13:1-7 "If You're Not Doing Anything Wrong, There's Nothing To Be Afraid Of"

Observation: Paul is writing to Gentile Christians who are still trying to figure out how their faith relates to public life. How can Christians, who proclaim "Jesus is Lord", obey the commands of Caesar, who also claims that title? For better or worse, Paul threads the needle and paraphrases Jesus in the Gospels: basically, let Caesar have his earthly kingdom.  "respect to whom respect is due, honor to whom honor is due." Render unto Caesar what is Caesar's, and to God what is God's. 

Application: I'll just lay it out there. This text is deeply troubling to me. Paul's words, that you should only fear authorities if you've done something wrong, have been used time and time again to justify abuses by people in authority. In recent years, it sounds too much like the excuses often used for why people of color are pulled over by police at a higher rate, and why those interactions become deadly. I am thankful for the hard work and daily risk law enforcement officers face every day, and I don't envy the lightning-fast calls they sometimes have to make. But as I open my Bible, I don't read it to say that anyone who runs afoul of civil authorities deserves it, nor that Christians can't or shouldn't push to ensure equal justice for all. 

Instead, what I read is a distinction that the Lutheran reformers later spun out into what is known as the "Two Kingdoms" doctrine: the idea that God rules our civil lives through the state, and our spiritual lives through the Church. The two should not be conflated as the same. As a Christian leader, I would consider it a gross violation of my office to tell worshipers  from the pulpit how to vote. In the same way, it is a gross violation of the office of civil authorities to tell us when and how to worship, pray, and exercise our faith.  A "theocracy", where religious and civil leaders are the same people, is contrary to scripture and Christian teaching. Only Jesus is Lord, not any form of governmental authority. But civil authority should also refrain from coercing any kind of faith, or else our freedom in Christ is challenged. 

Mind you, I think the "Two Kingdoms" doctrine can also can and has caused problems. I think the waters get muddier in a society where power is (ideally) shared by all citizens, and that power is sometimes exercised by not keeping quiet, but speaking out. Luther had a lot to say about the responsibilities of princes to those in their care, and in a democracy, I think some of that applies to us as Christian voters. Still, what I get from this text is that Christians can't just violently rebel against any leader because that leader isn't "Christian enough." It isn't our government's job to follow Jesus. Their job is to secure justice and fairness, and to listen to the voice of the people. That following Jesus thing would be on us. 

Prayer: God, establish justice and fairness in our civil order. Protect those who serve and protect us: protect them not just physically, but morally. Protect their bodies and their judgments. Give us voices to lift up those who are fearful. In Jesus' name, amen.