Romans 13

In part 1 of this reflection I sketched out:

1.   That chapter 13 is about more than the question in the title. The chapter lists three relationships that builds upon the four relationships outlined in chapter 12. 

2.   Yet this question of how Jesus’ followers live in relation to the state has captured people’s attention for centuries.

3.   And now, in the year 2020, many of Jesus’ followers are wrestling with this question.

In part 1, drawing on John Stott’s work, I further sketched out the four general ways the church has related to the state.

Finally, in part 1, I suggested that all of us, as we approach this question, must always have in view, our Foundational Principles. For me, my first one is Loving God and Loving Neighbor.

From this principle flows an immediate question, the answer to which I believe yields another foundational principle.

Here’s the question. What does “loving God and loving your neighbor look like?”

Jesus answered that question, he said, “Go and make disciples…”

At the simplest level, if you love Jesus, if you, knowing him has changed your life, then you want to invite others to meet him and follow him. Or, as Jesus put it, “If you love me, you will obey my commandments.”

The point: our faith is not to be a private matter. 

We are to live our lives where every fiber of our being is oriented towards, and offered to, Almighty God (Romans 12:1-2).

It is not that as Americans we have a “right” to practice our faith. No, it is much more. As Christians, we have a responsibility.

This means we must be in the public square. We must be engaged in the conversation.

One modern day hero who did this was William Wilberforce. He spent the majority of his life laboring for the abolition of slavery, and more. 

He used his situation in life—which included both his personal position and that he lived in a democracy—to tirelessly challenge the society to become a moral society.

If you know anything about his life, then I ask you to imagine what our world would be like today if he kept his faith private.

Chapter 13, verses 8 -14, tells us: “put on Christ” and get engaged. The world is full of darkness, darkness that needs the light of Christ. 

We must simultaneously pray for our rulers and engage the process—not because we are demanding our rights as Christians, but because we are living out our responsibilities to God.

There is another question, for part 3, but for now one final observation and question.

The observation I would make on this post is that I have not written it from the perspective of the rights and responsibilities of a U.S. citizen. For those of us who are carry this privilege, we have further rights and responsibilities.

The question I would end with is: how can you and I be public with our faith, in a way that draws people to Christ?