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Love Your Government - Romans 13:1-7
Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. 2 Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. 3 For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, 4 for he is God's servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God's wrath on the wrongdoer. 5 Therefore one must be in subjection, not only to avoid God's wrath but also for the sake of conscience. 6 For because of this you also pay taxes, for the authorities are ministers of God, attending to this very thing. 7 Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed.
1.The sermon opens with the inauguration day polling phenomenon — our view of the government flipping overnight based on who won. How much does that describe you? Is your posture toward government more shaped by who's in power than by anything else?
2.The sermon argues that a settled posture of contempt toward legitimate authority can form you and eventually shape how you relate to God. Does that connection feel real? Have you noticed resentment or suspicion in one area bleeding into others?
3.What do you want the Church to be known for?
4.“All church power…is only ministerial and declarative.” Does this expression of non-violence and separation from the government excite you or concern you?
5.Scripture draws a clear red line for when disobedience is warranted: when the government commands what God forbids, or forbids what God commands. Does that line feel clear to you in practice, or are there situations where you find it genuinely hard to locate?
6.Does “keeping our powder dry” in order to proclaim a clear gospel message feel like a cop-out to you? On the other hand, speaking and acting for or against policies could lead to being overly identified with a particular ideology or party. On which side do you seem to naturally err? Is there a better side to err on depending on the historical situation? Which kind of historical situation might we be in now?
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By Grace South Bay
5
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Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. 2 Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. 3 For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, 4 for he is God's servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God's wrath on the wrongdoer. 5 Therefore one must be in subjection, not only to avoid God's wrath but also for the sake of conscience. 6 For because of this you also pay taxes, for the authorities are ministers of God, attending to this very thing. 7 Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed.
1.The sermon opens with the inauguration day polling phenomenon — our view of the government flipping overnight based on who won. How much does that describe you? Is your posture toward government more shaped by who's in power than by anything else?
2.The sermon argues that a settled posture of contempt toward legitimate authority can form you and eventually shape how you relate to God. Does that connection feel real? Have you noticed resentment or suspicion in one area bleeding into others?
3.What do you want the Church to be known for?
4.“All church power…is only ministerial and declarative.” Does this expression of non-violence and separation from the government excite you or concern you?
5.Scripture draws a clear red line for when disobedience is warranted: when the government commands what God forbids, or forbids what God commands. Does that line feel clear to you in practice, or are there situations where you find it genuinely hard to locate?
6.Does “keeping our powder dry” in order to proclaim a clear gospel message feel like a cop-out to you? On the other hand, speaking and acting for or against policies could lead to being overly identified with a particular ideology or party. On which side do you seem to naturally err? Is there a better side to err on depending on the historical situation? Which kind of historical situation might we be in now?