Titus 3:1-2

Remind the believers to submit to the government and its officers. They should be obedient, always ready to do what is good. They must not slander anyone and must avoid quarrelling. Instead, they should be gentle and show true humility to everyone.

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has 38 member countries and it regularly runs surveys to discover the level of trust that people have in their government. Overall, it has discovered that about 44% of people have little or no trust in their government. This result is not that surprising. People are endlessly critical of political leaders and deeply cynical about the whole political process. However, I am sure that the situation in Crete when Paul wrote to Titus was a great deal worse. And, to add to that, Cretans were notoriously turbulent and quarrelsome and were inclined to challenge every kind of authority. So Paul’s words would have come as a huge challenge to them.

In his letter to the Romans, Paul gave his fundamental reason for encouraging obedience to the government. He believed that their authority came from God and so rebelling against the government was, in fact, a form of rebellion against God Himself. Paul reasoned that the authorities struck fear in people who were doing wrong, not those who were doing right, and so the general public should have no reason to be afraid of them. Indeed, he argued that if the people did what was right then the authorities would honour them. The authorities were God’s servants and were sent for the very purpose of punishing those who do wrong. For all of these reasons Paul was convinced that Christians should live as good, responsible citizens and should pay their taxes willingly (see Romans 13:1-7).

These challenging words should cause us to reflect on our own relationship with the authorities in our society. Paul would certainly urge us to live as good citizens and to give thanks for those who give us security and an ordered society. I don’t believe that Paul was suggesting we should simply accept everything the government does. Rather, as good and responsible citizens, we should find ways to encourage and support those who bear such heavy responsibilities.

Question

In what ways should we show our support for our government?

Prayer

Father God, I pray for those who govern our country. Grant them Your wisdom and peace, and help me always to serve You well as a citizen. Amen