Brian and Cathy Gray Bible study

Who’s Authority?

We are going to use an apologetic approach to unravel Romans 13:1-7 this week. The term Apologetics comes from 1 Peter 3.

but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense (Apologia) to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect,

1 Peter 3:15

I previously covered a few of the most common apologetic approaches here. This week, we will engage in Presuppositional Apologetics. A presupposition is a statement that we assume to be true. We then build an argument based on that original assumption. If the presupposition is wrong then the entire argument falls apart. Paul was a presuppositional apologist extraordinaire. One great example of a Pauline presupposition is found in 1 Corinthians 15.

But if it is preached that Christ has been raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead?  If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. More than that, we are then found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that he raised Christ from the dead. But he did not raise him if, in fact,, the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. If only for this life, we have hope in Christ; we are of all people most to be pitied.

1 Corinthians 15:12-19

A similar Pauline presupposition is that

All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

2 Timothy 3:16-17

If the entire Bible is not God-breathed, then we have no logical basis for determining that any of it is God-breathed. All truth and meaning in scripture become subject to individual interpretation. This is called Relativism. Taken to its extreme, relativism ends in Solipsism. In case you were wondering, if God is the creator of all things, then logic was also invented by God. Mankind simply discovered it.

It is the glory of God to conceal a matter; to search out a matter is the glory of kings.

Proverbs 25:2

Mankind’s search for what God concealed was later named science. 

All that being said, if all of the Bible is God-breathed then scripture can not contradict scripture and still be true. Only our faulty human understanding can contradict scripture. This is the foundational presupposition upon which we base the Acts 17:11 Bereans Bible Study.

Moving On to Romans 13

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. Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. 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, 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. Therefore one must be in subjection, not only to avoid God’s wrath but also for the sake of conscience. For because of this you also pay taxes, for the authorities are ministers of God, attending to this very thing. 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.

Romans 13:1-7

Romans 13:1-7 has been one of the most controversial verses in history. It was cited in defense of slavery during the Civil War. Adolf Hitler used it to justify Nazi rule in Germany along with his Final Solution in the Holocaust. People are forever twisting scripture to minimize, rationalize, and justify errant presuppositions, otherwise known as sin. The outstanding question in this passage is,

Who has the authority to govern?

One argument states that Romans 13 only applies when the authority that governs and bears the sword is good. If it is not good then we are obligated to oppose it. This presupposition has been applied in support of all manner of wars including civil war. Hence this begs the question,

What or who qualifies as good?

If we are to blindly obey every political and religious leader because they are placed in authority by God, then how do we account for Peter’s response to the Pharisees in Acts chapter 5?

And when they had brought them, they set them before the council. And the high priest questioned them, saying, “We strictly charged you not to teach in this name, yet here you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching, and you intend to bring this man’s blood upon us.” But Peter and the apostles answered, 
“We must obey God rather than men“.

Acts 5:27-29

Are Peter and Paul contradicting one another?

He (Jesus) is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him, all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him.  And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.

Colossians 1:15-20

If, in fact, Satan is defeated and Jesus is Lord of all creation, then it follows that nothing can happen that God does not cause or allow.  How, then, can we claim that horrors like slavery and the Holocaust happened contrary to God’s will? If that be the case then Satan has the authority and power to foil God’s plan. We are in effect saying,

“Jesus conquered Satan on the cross, but not really because Satan wins sometimes”

This violates the laws of non-contradiction and coherence. Either Jesus has ALL power and authority, Mat 28:18 or He does not.

This was the dilemma that Dietrich Bonhoeffer faced when Adolf Hitler’s SS minions perverted the gospel via Romans 13 in the German church. Bonhoeffer subsequently participated in an assassination attempt on Hitler. His reasoning:

Adolf Hitler was clearly not good. 

What many historians, miss or perhaps omit is that Dietrich Bonhoeffer eventually repented for this. In his final work, “Ethics,” he postulated that man’s ultimate problem and the reason for all evil, including the Holocaust, was man’s “knowledge of good and evil” gleaned from the fruit of the forbidden tree in Eden. Bonhoeffer concluded that all of man’s ethical judgments, even his best most righteous judgments, effectively make him a god onto himself and an enemy of the one true God. That’s a hard sell in faith streams where the authority of individual believers is so emphasized. Still, it’s worth pondering, especially in the context of Romans 13:1-7.

1 Peter chapter two seems to support the assertion that we are called to submit to all authority including oppressive tyrants.

Be subject for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme, or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good. For this is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people. Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God. Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor.

1 Peter 2:13-17

The emperor in the above verse was Nero. Nero is often cited as the inventor of the “false flag attack” after he burned Rome and blamed it on Christians. He then had them mounted on poles, soaked in oil, and burned as human torches to light the streets and gardens of Rome. For this is the will of God, that by doing good, you should silence the ignorance of foolish people.

Is Peter contradicting what he said in Acts 5?

The short answer is “no!”. The question is the phrase “be subject to…” synonymous with “blind obedience to…”? The Greek word is hypotássō. While it can mean obedience it is more clearly defined as “to be in submission to…” 1 Peter 2 commands us to honor the emperor. But we are to fear God.

I would venture to say that the bottom line in Romans 13, 1 Peter 2, and Acts 5 is the sovereignty of God and the requirement of our obedience to Him alone. We preach the gospel out of obedience to God. We obey human authority out of obedience to God. We are to do everything as onto the Lord. Col 3:23 Christians under Nero didn’t reject Jesus out of obedience to Nero. Rather they were faithful to God and submitted to the earthly consequences for doing so. They submitted in obedience to God. They did not fight Nero because he was evil. Rather they responded as Paul commanded in the previous chapter.

Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

Romans 12:19-21

The apostle’s obedience was displayed in their faithfulness in preaching truth, followed by their willingness to submit to being tortured and killed for doing so, knowing that “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” Nowhere in the gospels is there an exhortation to oppose the earthy government and authority on any grounds apart from speaking the truth of scripture. We are not to oppose any authority in any way apart from preaching the gospel. Like Peter, we disobey any command forbidding us to speak the word of God even if it results in our death.

For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ, being ready to punish every disobedience, when your obedience is complete.

2 Corinthians 10:4-6

Vengence in Romans 12 and Punish in 2 Corinthians 10 are from the same Greek root ekdikéō.

to vindicate one’s right, do one justice
to protect, defend, one person from another
to avenge a thing
to punish a person for a thing

-Strongs Concordance-

I know what some are thinking. Paul says we are to be ready to punish every disobedience. Doesn’t that speak to those in Romans 13 with the authority to wield the sword? Perhaps. But you’d better be sure the Lord gave you that authority or you will be fighting against Him.

The emphasis in 2 Corinthians 10 is upon our obedience being complete. Anger is a normal and even correct response to injustice. The key to understanding anger is found in our response. We only respond correctly when we win the battle in our minds with truth.  There is only one correct response. 

Be angry,and do not sin;
    ponder in your own hearts on your beds, and be silent. 
Selah

Psalm 4:4

Of course the idea that we only oppose injustice by speaking truth to power is another hard sell especially in Dominionist streams where the overarching theme is,

“Occupy till I come.”

Luke 19:13

Many believe that occupy implies defense and offense. We take ground for God and hold it. Period! This is one presupposition that supports patriotism and the use of the sword to preserve and extend a nation’s borders.

Throughout scripture, God uses those bearing the sword to fulfill His purpose and righteousness, then punishes the sword bearers for their own unrighteousness. See Jeremiah chapters 14 and 25 and Isaiah chapter 10. The point here is that the mere fact that one has the authority to wield the sword for God’s good purposes does not in itself imply the sword wielder’s righteousness before God. God causes all things to work together for good. Rom 8:28

Chew on that for a minute…

I believe the responses of Jesus further confirm my thesis that believers are never to oppose those in authority with anything other than the word of God.

When Peter attacked Malchus in Gethsemane with the sword Jesus told him to bring, Jesus declared that He could ask his father for twelve legions of angels.

“No more of this!”, said Jesus

Jesus submitted to the wicked authorities so that scripture might be fulfilled.  Luke 22:49-51, John 18:10-15, Matthew 26:51-55

When Jesus was arrested, stood before Caiaphas, and was asked if He was the Son of God, in Mat 26:57-68, Jesus paraphrased Daniel 7:13-14.  

“You have said so. But I tell you, from now on you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power and coming on the clouds of heaven.”

Mat 26:64

Jesus then became silent and submitted to be struck, spat upon, and condemned.

He stood silent before Pilate never defending himself except to state that His kingdom is not of this world. If it were his followers would fight. Luke 23, Matthew 27, Mark 15, John 19 Nowhere in the gospels did Jesus or His disciples oppose authority beyond speaking God’s word.

So Pilate said to him, “You will not speak to me? Do you not know that I have authority to release you and authority to crucify you?” Jesus answered him, “You would have no authority over me at all unless it had been given you from above. Therefore he who delivered me over to you has the greater sin.”

John 19:10-11

Remind them to be submissive to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good work, to speak evil of no one, to avoid quarreling, to be gentle, and to show perfect courtesy toward all people. 

Titus 3:1-2

Are we to submit to ruling authorities out of obedience to God whether we agree with them or not? It would seem so because God is the only authority. But maybe you see differently. Do you have another biblical apologia that does not violate the laws of coherence and noncontradiction?

Let’s hear about it.

Maranatha

Brian and Cathy Gray Bible study

Submission

Remove All Permission

Likewise, wives, be subject to your own husbands, so that even if some do not obey the word, they may be won without a word by the conduct of their wives, when they see your respectful and pure conduct. 1 Peter 3:1-2

In this context be subject is hypotássō – A Greek military term meaning “to arrange troop divisions in a military fashion under the command of a leader”. In non-military use, it was “a voluntary attitude of giving in, cooperating, assuming responsibility, and carrying a burden”.

Peter continues his emphasis and exhortation on submission from chapter two where we are told to submit to authority and “honor” the king even if the King is Nero. If that wasn’t unfair enough slaves were given a similar instruction to submit to their masters, not only to the good and gentle but also to the unjust. That might seem confusing in a world that teaches us to fight for our rights and subdue evil. However, the purpose of submission is not to champion evil but to defeat it. For this is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people. Vs. 15 For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps. Vs. 18

As we previously learned in the book of Ephesians, the first and most profound meaning of marriage between a man and a woman is God’s mysterious representation of Jesus’ relationship with His bride, the church. Eph 5:32  It follows that a healthy marriage is rooted in the same principles required for a relationship with Jesus. The first and most foundational practice is found in Mat 16:24-25.

Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his lifewill lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.

Deny is aparnéomai – to utterly, disown, abstain, to affirm that one has no acquaintance or connection with someone, to forget one‘s self, and lose sight of one‘s self and one‘s own interests.

“Deny self” is a no-brainer if The Song of Songs is your template and script for marriage. In my case, I was and still am mesmerized by The Most Wonderful –  Most Incredible Woman on the planet apart from whom I have zero desire to live. 

“Deny self” sounds scary if we remain self-centered. This is especially true within the context of everything contemporary culture teaches. The world tells us to “find yourself!”, “follow your dreams!”, “fight for your rights!” Jesus says,  

“Lose them all!”

It is in losing that we gain

When a man and woman are joined together in Holy Matrimony it is representative of Christ’s marriage to His bride the church. The wife submits to her husband and the husband gives himself up for his bride. The husband stands in direct submission to God. The wife submits to and through her husband. Eph 5:22-33 This is not a position of inferiority for the wife. Rather it is one of tremendous honor and a model for the divine alignment established by God. Gen 2:18-25 1 Cor 11:1-3 

How wonderful and valuable is the bride for whom the groom would so gladly give his life?

So far we have been speaking of healthy marriages. But 1 Peter 3 begins with submission in an unhealthy one.

Likewise, wives, be subject to your own husbands, so that even if some do not obey the word…

While people often generalize, minimize, rationalize, and justify their behavior, abuse in some form results when one party refuses to submit according to the word of God. Mind you, abuse is a continuum. It ranges from neglect to homicide. Once again Peter exhorts us to apply submission as a spiritual weapon.

that they may be won without a word by the conduct of their wives when they see your respectful and pure conduct.

When one spouse fails to submit to God, it produces resentment and unforgiveness in the other. Wherever there is unforgiveness a Positive Feedback Loop is formed. Things get progressively worse until one or both parties go their own way or they kill each other. The conflict we see played out in marriages is the same conflict we see in God’s family.

I’m right! We are right!

Anyone who disagrees is wrong and by extension, evil.

For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. Mat 6:14-15

You are not forgiven unless you forgive!

Peter’s illustration of submission as a spiritual weapon that began in 1 Peter 2:13-25 continues in Chapter 3. The only difference is that most of us have never been slaves or faced persecution like believers did under Nero. But marriage is relevant to almost everyone. Peter’s exhortation for women to submit is the antithesis of everything Westerners have been taught for at least fifty years. The idea of submission especially by those labeled as oppressed by society at large is a stumbling block for unbelievers.

But Jesus is calling us higher by asking us to go lower still.

Pray for the peace of Jerusalem:

May they prosper who love you. Psalms 122:6

Recently Cathy and I were discussing the exhortation to pray for the peace of Jerusalem. “Why Jerusalem?” We asked.

“Why not all of Israel?”

Jerusalem is from Jeru –possession and Salem – peace. Hence Jerulselum means possession of peace. Salem is thought to be Jerusalem in Psalm 76:2. Melchizedek was the King of Salem. Heb 7 Long story short, Jerusalem was on the map and governed by Melchizedek more than two thousand years before Jesus was born. Abraham offered Isaac as a sacrifice on Mount Moriah known as the Temple Mount and the site of the Al-Aqsa Mosque today. Control of this sacred site has changed hands between Jews, Romans, Muslims, and Christians since 831 BC when King Solomon built his Temple. As we discussed in Why Israel? God’s ultimate desire is that none would perish. 1 Pet 3:9. What that means in practice includes the reconciliation of Abraham’s family through the descendants of Issac and Ishmael. Isaiah 19.

At this moment the descendants of Isaac and Ishmael continue to fight. Jerusalem and especially Mount Moriah represent the question of who is the child of the promise versus the child of the flesh. Paul puts this argument to rest in Romans 3. Of course, Christians are the only ones who validate the words of Paul.

The question is not if we should fight back but how we should fight?

Hence we are called to submit to suffering with Jesus. Rom 8:17. Suffering requires endurance. 2 Tim 2:12 But that suffering must be for doing good. 1 Peter 2:20 We are called to reign with Jesus by suffering for righteousness sake. 1 Pet 3:18-22

When I look at so much of the church today I see an extension of our society at large. They want blessings for the sake of their own comfort. 2 Tim 3:1-7 This is further evidenced by the fear and resentment that are sparked by statements like this. At the end of the day, I see an ingenious strategy of the devil at work. It is the same root of the conflict theory of Karl Marx where the oppressed are exhorted to fight their oppressors. Those who identify as oppressed must fight. Given that marriage between a man and a woman is the foundation of society, it makes sense that the enemy would attack it first. Husbands invariably lose any time wives fight them. I know what some are thinking. “What if he beats her up?” The husband only loses more if he refuses to give himself up and wins a fight with his wife. Hence Peter and Paul address submission as our method for victory. So many things would fall into place if we would grasp the eternal significance of our marriages and our roles as husbands and wives. Eph 5:22-33, Eph 3:10

How do we begin?

The first step is to be brutally honest with ourselves. Examine the myriad ways that we argue and fight, rationalize, and justify rebellion in our hearts. Then remove all permission that we have given ourselves to do so. That’s a hard call for those of us who have been raised in a nation birthed out of rebellion framed as righteousness.

Chew on that.

May we all embrace. Psalm 119:23-24

MARANATHA

Brian and Cathy Gray Bible study

The Temptation of Jesus

Be subject for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme, or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good. For this is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people. Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God. Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor. 1Pet 2:13-17

Now we are into the meat of scripture.

Jesus was tempted in every way that is common to man but He never gave in to sin. Heb 4:15 The question for us is,

Are you going on with Jesus?…

…The way goes through Gethsemane, through the city gate, and on “outside the camp” (Heb 13:13). The way is lonely and goes on until there is no longer even a trace of a footprint to follow— but only the voice saying, ‘Follow Me’” (Mat 4:19). -Oswald Chambers- “My Utmost for His Highest” Sept 19

While temptations common to man lean towards sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these…Gal 5:19-21 The temptations of Jesus were along the lines of failing to fulfill His divine purpose. Mat 4

And being in agony he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground. Luke 22:44

As we previously stated, Peter begins this chapter with the importance of new believers desiring pure spiritual milk regarding our adoption as children of God. We must know this beyond a shadow of a doubt or we remain weak, immature and an easy target for the enemy. The goal is to grow in knowledge and strength. This requires moving from milk to meat. Spiritual meat begins with a deeper and ongoing revelation of who God is as well as the absolute genius and perfection of His will and plan. Then comes the harder realities that attend our being conformed by Him so that one day we will be glorified. Rom 8:29-30

The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him. Rom 8:16

Accepting and appropriating our position as adopted children is hard enough for some of us. That we shall reign as kings and priests Rev 1:6 Rev 5:10 is just plain surreal. Still, others receive both with apparent ease as if everything is finished. Yet how many truly consider Paul’s words “provided we suffer with him” as the qualification of our future authority?

INDEED, ALL WHO DESIRE TO LIVE A GODLY LIFE IN CHRIST JESUS WILL BE PERSECUTED, 2 Tim 3:12

1Pet 2:13-17 is a template for what that persecution and suffering might look like. The context of these verses is the persecution of Christians under the Roman Emperor Nero. We aren’t certain if Nero set the fire or was simply one of the first to “never let a crisis go to waste”. In any case, he blamed the fire that destroyed a majority of Rome on Christians who used it to justify feeding them to lions and mounting them alive on poles then setting them on fire to light the streets and gardens of the city. It is Emperor Nero that Peter is honoring in Rome before being crucified. It is Emperor Domitian that Peter is honoring prophetically as the sojourners to whom he is writing in Asia Minor will experience a similar fate in just twenty years. It is to us today that Peter is writing.

For this is the will of God, that by doing good you should silence the ignorance of foolish people.

It is not only at the hands of government entities that we are called to suffer, but injustice period. Servants, be subject to your masters with all respect, not only to the good and gentle but also to the unjust… ….if when you do good and suffer for it you endure, this is a gracious thing in the sight of God. For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps... 1 Pet 2:18-25

At no point did Jesus ever fight back or instruct others to fight.

 “Behold, I am sending you out as sheep amid wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves”… …”A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master.  It is enough for the disciple to be like his teacher and the servant like his master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul, how much more will they malign those of his household”… Mat 10:16-28

Jesus conquered sin and death through submission and suffering. We are heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.

Future suffering looks like Rev 12:11

And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death.

and Rev 13:10

If anyone is to be taken captive, to captivity he goes, if anyone is to be slain with the sword, with the sword must he be slain.Here is a call for the endurance and faith of the saints.

Still, I wonder if it is a temptation that is common to men like me or a temptation of Jesus to fight back. What would I have done if my friend were beheaded like John the Baptist? Mat 14 What would I have done had I witnessed the abuse of Jesus at the hands of Roman soldiers? Mark 15:16-20 What would I have done if I were Peter with a sword in the Garden of Gethsemane? John 18:10 Jesus made it clear that He could fight back.

Then Jesus said to him, “Put your sword back into its place. For all who take the sword will perish by the sword. Do you think that I cannot appeal to my Father, and he will at once send me more than twelve legions of angels? But how then should the Scriptures be fulfilled, that it must be so?” Mat 26:52-54

But Jesus said, 

“No more of this!” Luke 22:51

Did Jesus sweat great drops of blood Luke 22:44 because He was afraid and tempted to deny Himself and simply quit? Or was He restraining the temptation to pour out His wrath as the demons asked before the time? Mat 8:29.

I could be wrong. But I suspect it was the latter.

Please don’t misunderstand. I do not believe that Jesus called us to lay down our lives in consent to evil. It is never a question of if we should fight. It is a question of how we fight. Jesus called us to speak the gospel truth and endure whatever comes as results. Peter wasn’t crucified for honoring Nero. He was crucified for adhering to his previously stated resolution to obey God rather than man. Acts 5:27-29 If when you do good and suffer for it you endure, this is a gracious thing in the sight of God. I don’t know about you but the only way I can be sure that I will not lash out like Peter or worse when the moment of truth arrives is to be sure that I walk according to the spirit and not after the flesh. Rom 8:5-8

How do I do that?

Chew on that

MARANATHA!