The Christian's Responsibility to Government, Part 2 B

Government is by divine decree. No civil government exists in any nation of the world ever has or will apart from God, having instituted so we submit to the government. Why is from God. Bill is to rebel against God, and to resist brings not morality tends to deal harshly with its critics.

How can submitting to a government like that further your Christian testimony. Wouldn't it be better wouldn't make a stronger statement to protest against and even disobey government actions that dishonor God, the Bible doesn't leave you stumbling in the dark passages like Romans 13 give principles that help you know how to deal with civil authorities. John MacArthur focuses on Romans 13 today here on grace to you as he continues his study titled the Christian and government. Now here's John now in our text, the apostle Paul says our Christianity affects our relationship to those in authority over us. It affects our relationship to government to rulers to leaders, whether a local or national level, and what we are learning here is that we are given some very strict and clear direction from the spirit of God as to how we relate to the government that is over, we are to be subject to the powers that are over us why he gives seven reasons seven very logical connected reasons they flow out of each other and actually even overlap. Let's begin with the beginning.

The first reason for this command to be subject to the higher powers. Very important is this verse one for there is no power but of God. The powers that be are ordained by God. So we say first of all, government is by divine decree government is by divine decree civil authority in any form comes directly from God. It's it's an institution like marriage is an institution, in a sense, it doesn't matter who the couple is, it doesn't matter what their lifestyle as it doesn't matter the level of their commitment. Marriage is an institution of God isn't God designed for the passing on of society's preservation and meaningful relationships in the church as an institution of God and so is government. Government is an institution of God. I notice how he says there is no power but of God. And that's to say that there is no power anywhere in existence that isn't reflective of the purpose and will of God to get that that is an inclusive state. There's no power anywhere that is not representative of God's authority. No civil government exists in any nation of the world ever has or will apart from God, having instituted some 6211 says power belongs to God all power belongs to God. All creation belongs to God. All things belong to God in heaven and earth, the entire world belongs to God man in all of the social contacts and all of the social connections is by it is only what is and relates to who it relates to by the creative act and purpose and will of God. He is imminent in the world.

He who created the world controls the world.

He manages the world for his own purposes and he alone is sovereign and anyone who possesses any sovereignty on earth has delegated sovereignty.

God alone has sovereign rights on delegated so all authority comes from the Lord matter what that authority is now you bring that into the area of government, we have to say that all the power that exists is ordained of God and there is not any power that is not reflective of a God ordained authority. That's just the way it is. God is the ultimate sovereign. I think this is reflective of a thought given by the apostle Paul preaching on Marcella next 17 he talks about the nations, and he says in verse 26 that all nations of men who dwell on all the face of the earth and has that is speaking of God has determined the times before appointed, and the boundaries of their habitation. In other words, God is the one who has designed and created nations.

The length that is their duration on the earth and the breath that is there identifying and signifying marks so the gift of authority is a divine gift. No tyrant ever seized power without God allowing him now.

You can ask yourself some questions you probably doing it right now. Say what about the cruel governments. How can you say that about communist government talking say that about Adolf Hitler. How can you say that about abusive kinds of government. How can you say that those are ordained of God.

Well, let me answer by saying this I can say it. I just read it. The Bible said so I'm off the hook.

Folks, this is not my problem.

There is no power but of God.

And then the other side of it is the power that is is ordained by God. You mean in our nation. That's what it says. If it is a powers ordained by God.

We say what about the cruel abuses listen, the cruel abuses and the injustices and the wrongs of government are no reflection of God's holy nature and no reflection of God's holy well anymore then divorce in a marriage is a reflection of God's holy will. But marriage is no less an institution of God and though there is apostasy in the church. The church is still institution ordained of God. But the apostasy is no reflection of the nature of God.

Know abuses do not deny the sacredness nor the divine trust and authority in any of God's institutions be at the home, the church or the government. Frankly, min abuse all God's gift, something in wicked rulers are part of God's plan to punish wicked nations and to allow evil to run its course toward destruction. If the truth were known, and perhaps someday in heaven. God has designed by his sovereign purpose and will a reason for every government that exists on the face of the year. Some are for the benefit of those who have done well. Some are for the punishment of those peoples who have done evil we cannot second-guess why God institutes a certain kind of government in a Certain Pl., God is ordained government to protect and preserve men to protect their life and their property to do that there must be the role of government to repress evil to repress crime and to hold up and honor those who are virtuous and good. So Paul says the powers that be are ordained by God powers that be are not. Hope you know this the will of the majority the majority only reflects the sovereign purpose of God. The powers that be are God's design, and that means any governmental power in any forms. So here beloved is reason number one why we submit to the government because the government is in place by the decree of God. It is the time for God to do in a nation what he chooses to do it is expressive of the divine will. Sometimes he wants to punish a nation. Sometimes he wants to prosper nation. Sometimes he wants to bless the people.

Sometimes he chooses to judge of people, but government in all its forms is by divine decree that leads us to the second principle, and indeed it is a dramatic principle is this resistance to government. Here's another reason why we submit resistance to government is rebellion against God that follows doesn't it verse two, whosoever therefore obviously that therefore is there to connect up with what was just said since all government is ordained of God.

Whosoever therefore resisted the power resisted the institution of God that couldn't be more clear if you resist the government, you resist the institution of God. The word ordinance there sometimes transit ordinances.

The word your target means Institute because God is the power behind all government.

Whoever resist the authority of government.

Whoever is anti-toss so whoever lines up against the government and its into a perfect form. Whoever has and continues a permanent attitude of resistance against the government.

Whoever arranges himself against the government by refusing to support by disobeying resist God Robert Haldane writing in his wonderful commentary on Romans wrote the people of God then ought to consider resistance to the government under which they live as a very awful crime, even as resistance to God himself."

It was not consequential of the Roman Emperor was kind or good, whether he was a persecutor of Christians, or a lover of Christians. It was not consequential whether he was elected by the people.

Whether he was appointed by the Senate or whether he took over in the military to it was not consequential whether the assertion of Imperial authority by Caesar was just or unjust. Whether he was working or whether he was basically good. None of that was consequential. It was simply and only the government as it exists in any situation is for the purpose of God in that situation and resistance and rebellion against that government is resistance and rebellion against God. Again I say, unless it is obvious that the government has overstepped its bounds and is forcing you to do that which is contrary and counter to all that Scripture indicates God operates in the maintenance of government we obey. We honor that government whether the president or the governor or the Senate house the police whatever is and I'm thinking back he remembered David's horror when he had occasion to kill Saul remember that, but he wouldn't do it. He just couldn't do it.

He understood this truth of honoring the one in authority. It was so important in Israel to teach children.

This that the penalty for a disobedient child, one who was disobedient to his parents, was what death so government is divinely decreed and to resisted is to resist God not to take it to 1/3 thought. As we wrap up those who resist will be punished. Look at verse two. Again, they that resist shall receive to themselves judgment if you resist the government you're going to be punished.

So that's the way it is. What is criminal sorted means judgment it's used in first Corinthians 1129 of the judgment of God. But here it's used. I think primarily in reference to the punishment that comes from God through civil authorities through civil authorities God is ordained government to punish evildoers and if you resist the government you're going to get punished now is like Daniel, you have to because you have a higher command that you accept the punishment, but if it's not in that situation if it's just the choice you make the resist of course you're going to receive the punishment that was true in the Old Testament economy if I can digress for just a moment to give you a little bit of an insight Old Testament punishment is very interesting if you go back to the Old Testament and see how criminals were punished. It's quite a fascinating study. We don't have time obviously to exhaust. That study, but as you study the Old Testament economy. You see that there are ways in which people were punished and let me suggest what they were to just in general, restitution was one. In other words, whatever you took you had to bring back home was robbed they took some things of value like a gold watch that I've had for years. It was my grandfather's and they took some of the silver that we receive when we were married and they took some things like that and the police called and said the we caught the guys that did this.

We know because they mention this watch and so for the so on.

But they took it down to a receiver of fencing placed on Hollywood upon shop and smelled in the back and out the door before we could get it back.

We now have them in in custody.

One of them was released on bail. The other was here because there's another warrant for his arrest its overruns over and sort they say we regret to say that there is no way that you will ever recover the goods that were taken which is not a big issue but what I thought about was the Old Testament pattern of restitution the way a criminal was punished was not to then take them and stick them somewhere worries no earthly good to anybody for a long time, but given the dignity of working with his hands. You'll also find the Old Testament the punishment was invariably corporeal. That is, it was physical it was bodily. It was a matter of whippings lashings so that pain came instantaneously and shame was public and it was now and it was over and he went on with life.

You paid for your punishment, you paid for you with your punishment for your crime and you and I would like to commit another crime you go to get it again and of course if the crime was worthy of death, and there were nearly 35 different crimes for which death was a prescribed family. You died and you died very fast, obvious, so their punishment system was very simple for any of the lesser crimes.

It was corporeal punishment and restitution for the greater crimes. It was this in their objective in punishment was multiple first of all, it was a matter of justice. Secondly, it was a deterrent to crime. Thirdly, it was a restraint on criminals. Fourthly, it allowed them rehabilitation.

In other words you paid and it was over with you then go and sit in some cellar learn how to be a better criminal and there was obviously in this kind of immediate judgment and punishment. A prevention of private vengeance. There were no prisons in Old Testament Judaism and there's nothing in the Old Testament text to indicate that Israelite should ever have had a prison.

There's no command of God and all the commands are given for Levitical social law for the life of Israel for them to establish a prison they created no prisons. They operated no prisons.

They were part of Roman social order and other pagan social orders there's one occasion in Jeremiah 37 where they wanted to get rid of Jeremiah. They didn't know what to do with them so they wanted to incarcerate them so they made a prison and a whole which indicates to me that they didn't even have one so prisons are not that which is endorsed biblically instantaneous payment of the criminal was exacted in severe punishment lashes and whippings were given corporeal punishment and then the opportunity for restitution which restored the man's dignity in early America.

You might be also interested in all the Puritans used corporeal physical punishment. You remember seeing some of the pictures in your early American history books of people sitting in stocks with their heads in their hands and their arm stuck to those little holes we say all how terrible how painful finally been to church an hour and 1/2 and I me I gotta stand up.

I can imagine being that way for three or four days are weaker. Two weeks or whatever it might've been. They use corporeal physical punishment. They understood that that was indicative of scriptural reflection and where this the crime was very severe. It could be banishment, and the most severe crime execution.

Frankly, it was the Quakers came along and introduced the prison system. The first American prison was what was called the Walnut St., Jail and by 1790. The law had established imprisonment is the proper way to punish criminals in US aggression does a working answer course doesn't work.

Prisons are breeding grounds for criminals brutality they operate crime schools. The American prison system, says one writer is on biblical inhumane and effective and efficient idiotic God has given government the right to punish and now we hear all the time about advocating the rights of prisoners don't so the prisons are fast becoming country club and some people don't mind being there to get free meals, and there cared for by the state and so forth.

But in the Old Testament economy.

The government had swift rights to punish and they punish court poorly and they punished immediately and they forced restitution which allowed a person to gain back his dignity pay his debts in the restitution process.

Interestingly enough, was usually conducted by assigning that man to a family and he lived in that family was cared for by that family while he worked out as restitution. What a dignified way to restore a man's character and so whatever the crime demands the punishment was to be given swiftly and you remember don't you the reflection of the Ecclesiastes is a chapter 8 verse 11 because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily.

Therefore, the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil. If you don't bring about sentencing speedily, then men will do evil, we come to that place where it's anything but speedily done in our society. So any punishment of an evil doer is a God-given right given to the government and when a person violates the law, they should expect that they be punished because God has given the state the right to do that. So, human authority punishes violators and certainly you say is this the human authority punishing yes but it's an essential representative of God, instruments of punishment are human laws. The source is God the list you see when this all begins to break down when we forget that government is an institution of God that the powers that be are ordained of God.

For whatever his purposes may be when we begin to allow evil to go unpunished. Then the whole instrument of government begins to break down and I fear dear friends at politicizing using the change that I think were watching the collapse of our government. They were watching the collapse of our society is only one way to change that and that's not by political action. That's why the saving Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Right. That's our priority.

That's what we must be committed to so we submit to the government. Why government is from God, to rebel is to rebel against God, and to resist brings punishment to resist brings punishment. The fourth one which I just introduce will cover next time is in the next verse, verse three for rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil, and that tells us that we are submit to the government because government serves to restrain evil in desk any government does that there is no government on the face of the earth. For example, that will punish you for failure to rape somebody. There is no government in the world that will punish you for failure to rob somebody.

No government will punish you for failure to murder somebody now even the worst kind of governments deal rightly with matters of right and wrong letter that came in the fall. If you eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, you will know good and evil and even fallen sinful people know that a government upholds that so government is in place to restrain evil and even those governments which we wouldn't want to identify with, or be subject to do have a modicum of understanding of right and wrong really get into that in detail when we go on nurse that is about prayer Lord we just know that in our hearts we desire to be what you want us to be. That's our deepest desire were not bringing some ulterior motive to this text because there are a lot of things we don't like and would like to change and there a lot of dear brothers and sisters we love and all the countries around the world are living under very oppressive and difficult governmental situations and more. There so many things we would want to change something in us cries out against injustice and inequity and unfairness something cries out against encroaching power against the church.

Something in us cries out on behalf of those in our societies around the world who may be oppressed and unfairly treated and we would we would desire to see governments change in their attitudes change and yet Lord, we have to hear what you have said to us that the priority for us is not politics, it is not social structure of the priority for us is godly living. Peaceable living a quiet life that exalts Jesus Christ with integrity and honesty in a bold and forthright and loud proclamation of the saving Gospel. Father, help us to be faithful to this and to know that whatever government there is, is there because by your providence and your sovereignty. It is reflective of your purpose for that time and that place and that people and there is no power in existence that is not there because you have permitted it and all power is ordained by you and may it be a Lord that when those times come, when your children must go against the government because you have commanded us to do so may we do so with a gracious spirit with the spirit that is willing to take whatever punishment is to come. Committing ourselves to the care of the one who cares for us, our own God and heavenly father, and may we at all times. Show respect to those in authority over us while being uncompromising in our commitment to obedience and, thus, may we bring great glory and honor to you and may we prosper even as did Daniel and his friends, for your praise and glory in Christ and this is grace to you with John MacArthur. Thanks for being with us.

John has been grace to use featured Bible teacher since 1969 is also Chancellor of the Masters University in seminary and the study continues today is titled the Christian and government. John it isn't always easy to understand how or why government is ordained by God and we live in a time when particularly, it seems like a lot of world leaders are as far from biblical principles as possible.

Does this shake your confidence in the sovereignty of God that he ordains government scripture says.

And yet if you look at the governments in charge today. You wonder how in the world can some of these people be serving God in any way. Well, if you look at it this way, Phil, I think we can understand that number one the first restraint, the God is put in the world is the conscience but the conscience can be flawed because it can be misinformed and it can lead people astray. The second restraint God put in the world is the family.

That doesn't mean that every family is everything God wants it to be any more than everybody's conscience is everything God wants it to be. It gets infected with sin that the next level of restraint is the government and the government is designed by God as an entity not not not every rumor is placed there by God for good. There are many rulers that are in place as a judgment from God and their part of the demise you can look at look at that in America were watching this country go through a revolution that is going to take it back to some lower level of order and law than its known already at its peak. This is a devolution of everything that we would assume about a civilization as far along as ours is, I think many people feel that the upcoming election. It may be the last stand for any kind of remaining Christian conviction in this country.

Yet I wonder if we passed that two elections ago yeah yeah what we sort of look at the future and we see what it looks like and it it is godless Christ lists it is abortion the lawlessness mob rule. This is dive into the darkness that we once thought we came out of so I understand that I think as Christians we need to know how to live in this kind of environment so I put together a booklet called chaos. Corruption in the Christian response free to anyone who asks chaos. Corruption in the Christian response. You can get one from us. If you just ask for today and friend. This booklet is free and available now we want to get it to as many people as possible to request your free copy of chaos, corruption, and the Christian response, contact us today. You can call us at 855 grace or go online to Jide TY.org chaos corruption in the Christian response answers questions like, should Christians join marchers and other protests should Christians not pay taxes if the government is abusive and is it ever right for Christians not to submit to those in authority again.

Chaos, corruption, and the Christian response is free to anyone request a copy. Just call 855 or go to Jide TY.org and while you're online. Make sure to take advantage of the thousands of free resources that can help you better understand God's word. You'll find previous broadcast of this program. Video of John's conference and television appearances and the grace to you blog. You can also download all of John's sermons, free of charge in audio or transcript format. The web address one more time. Jide TY.org now for John MacArthur and the entire staff. I'm your host Phil Johnson. Thanks for remembering to pray for Grace to you and be back here tomorrow when John continues his series on the Christian government. It's another 30 minutes of unleashing God's truth one verse at a time on grace to