No one can serve two masters. AND NO IM NOT TALKING ABOUT SEX BUT MURDER. Who is you Jesus? Who is your savior?

Romans 13 is the absolute favorite chapter of the Bible for all rich and powerful empires since the 4th century. It is the ‘gotcha’ proof-text for ensuring that its citizens obey the authority of their masters. From kings to presidents, soldiers to police officers, every power-hungry statist loves Romans 13—and with good reason. Romans 13 plainly states that anyone who has governmental authority has been given that power by God himself, and everyone should obey them because of this. That’s what it says. Or does it?

ROMANS 13

¹ 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.

Romans 13:1-7

   On the surface, this passage seems to make a few claims that fascist dictators dream about at night. Everyone should obey the government? God chooses government leaders? God approves of the government’s use of violence? Christians can or should work in government? These claims are in fact, myths. Romans 13 doesn’t undo the rest of Scripture.

MYTH #1 ­– EVERYONE SHOULD OBEY THE GOVERNMENT

Let every person be subject to the governing authorities.

Romans 13:1

    The New Testament is filled with examples of Godly people who do not obey the government. The first, and perhaps most important example, is Joseph and Mary. The parents of Jesus intentionally disobeyed King Herod the Great when they escaped to Egypt (Matthew 2:13-14). King Herod’s governmental decree was that Roman police kill all baby boys, but Joseph and Mary disobeyed. The very fact that Jesus lived past two years old is a testament to the virtue of disobeying governmental power!.

     Paul himself, the author of the letter to the Romans, disobeyed the government on numerous occasions. The governor of Damascus sought to arrest Paul so that he might be executed. Paul disobeyed the authority of government and escaped through a window in the city’s walls (Acts 9:23-25). He even later cites this event to demonstrate his unwavering commitment to Jesus (2 Corinthians 11:30-33). He also used his Roman citizenship to defend himself when beaten.

     Ever since Paul started following the way of Jesus, he spent his days in rebellion against governments. He never disassociated himself from these actions; instead, he boasts about their consequences as proof of his commitment to Jesus (2 Corinthians 11:22-25). Paul went to prison at least three times because he disobeyed the government. Finally, like Jesus before him, he was executed by the government for his disobedience. If Paul actually meant to teach that followers of Jesus should obey the government, he was a major hypocrite.

     So what is going on here? “Let every person be subject to the governing authorities” sounds pretty clear. First, let’s examine the word ‘subject.’ In the original Greek, Paul uses the word ‘hypotassō,’ which means “submission involving the recognition of an ordered structure.”1 The same word is used in verses that say wives should ‘submit’ to their husbands (Ephesians 5:22; Colossians 3:18; Titus 2:5; 1 Peter 3:1). Paul could have used the word ‘hypakouō’ which means ‘obey,’ but he doesn’t. He uses ‘hypotassō.’ This difference in words was enough for Paul not to mean ‘obey’ when he said that every person (himself included) should be ‘hypotassō’ to the governing authorities because he obviously didn’t obey them.2 Paul could have used the word ‘obey,’ but he didn’t.

    The only reason Christians ever ‘obey’ worldly governments is just out of coincidence that doing so coincides with obeying Jesus. Anytime obeying Jesus means disobeying the state, Christians should do so without hesitation but should do so with the wisdom and knowledge that persecution, arrest, or execution may follow (Matthew 5:10-12, 10:16-18; John 15:19-20; 1 Peter 4:12-14; Revelation 2:10-11).  Be wise as a snake but harmless and helpful as a dove.

Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than men.”

Acts 5:29

MYTH #2 – GOD CHOOSES GOVERNMENT LEADERS

For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God.

Romans 13:1

      Some other translations, such as the NIV, say, “there is no authority except that which God has established.” Whether it be the English word ‘instituted’ or ‘established,’ the actual word in Greek is ‘tassō,’ which means to “arrange, put in place.”3 Theologian John W. Yoder compares God’s work here of ‘tassō’ to that of a librarian: “The librarian does not make the books, does not write them, does not necessarily approve of them, but simply puts them in order.”4 This is a helpful illustration that assists us in making sense of history. During the time that Romans was written, the emperor of Rome was Nero, a desperately wicked ruler who fed Christians to wild animals as entertainment. God need not approve or agree with government leaders in order to tassō them.

       Paul also makes the claim that no authority exists except that which comes from God. This is consistent with the claims of the rest of Scripture. The Old Testament says that Yahweh is the chief creator God that delegates some of his authority to the lesser gods (Psalm 82:1 ESV, 95:3, 136:2; Deuteronomy 10:17). Yahweh even gave these gods (who were formerly on his ‘divine counsel’) nations to rule (Deuteronomy 32:8-9 ESV). These gods rebelled, much like humans, and defined good and evil for themselves.5 This is why all over the New Testament we are told that it is ultimately Satan and his demons that rule over the nations of the world as their gods (John 12:31, 14:30, 16:11; Ephesians 2:2; 2 Corinthians 4:4; 1 John 5:19).

    Authority came from Yahweh but is being abused by the lesser gods of the nations. These gods give their authority to those who worship them, which is how emperors, kings, and presidents receive their power (Luke 4:5-8). For Paul, earthly authorities and evil spiritual authorities cannot be separated; they are interconnected.6 It is upon this worldview that Romans 13 was written.

Let every person be subject to the governing authorities [exousia].

Romans 13:1

Our struggle is… against the authorities [exousia]…

Ephesians 6:12

    Government leaders are inherently a rejection of God (1 Samuel 8:5-7). Ultimately, all earthly rulers and state authorities are the consequence  of departing from God and  disobeying his ways.

     7 God allows government leaders to have their power, but he sent his Son to actively work against them (Colossians 2:15). In the end, Jesus will destroy rulers in government because they are his enemies (1 Corinthians 15:24-25). So naturally, Paul’s statement doesn’t in any way imply that the state’s actions are willed or approved by God. Perhaps more so than any book in the Bible, Revelation illustrates God’s hatred for empire.

        They set up kings without my consent; they choose princes without my approval… they have rejected me as their king.

Hosea 8:4, 1 Samuel 8:7

MYTH #3 – GOD APPROVES OF THE GOVERNMENT’S USE OF VIOLENCE

For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and you will be commended. For the one in authority is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for rulers do not bear the sword for no reason.

Romans 13:3-4

     Right away, anyone can see that at face value, what Paul says here isn’t always true. Do governments only punish people who do wrong? Do governments never punish people who do what is right? The Gospel accounts, the book of Acts, and even Paul’s life stand in opposition to these claims. Jesus and most of his disciples were murdered by the government when they were doing what was right (proclaiming the Gospel of Christ’s Kingdom).

    God only has one nation—the Kingdom of Christ. Satan rules all other nations. It doesn’t even make sense to claim that Satan’s nations only punish wrongdoers. So then what is Paul saying? One truth that can be drawn from this passage is this: even if Christians die by the hands of the state, at least their martyrdom will magnify God’s glory, just like Jesus’ death did. No Christian should ‘fear’ the evil authority of the state.

    Satan holds the power of death and executes that evil with the power of the sword. But Jesus told us they cannot touch our eternal life! The author of Hebrews says that Jesus is breaking their power and setting his children free (Hebrews 2:14-15). We were once held in slavery by our fear of death, but no longer. We need not fear nations who wield the sword to deal death because we are promised resurrection into new life. We follow after a messiah that willingly laid down his life for his enemies out of love—an action we are called to imitate. Forgive not kill.

       Most commenters agree that Paul is merely describing how worldly governments ought to function in the meantime before God brings them to nothing, not how they do function (1 Corinthians 2:6).8 Paul knows firsthand by his own experiences and his people’s history that rulers do not always reward good and punish evil. Unfortunately, throughout history, many liberal interpreters have used this passage to justify the actions of many evil rulers. It was used in Nazi Germany in the 1930s and 40s to support Hitler, and it is often used today in America to support the United States’ foreign policies.

With such violence the great city of Babylon will be thrown down, never to be found again.

Revelation 18:21

MYTH #4 – CHRISTIANS CAN/SHOULD WORK IN GOVERNMENT

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.

Romans 13:3-4

   This passage is often used to support the idea that Christians can or sometimes even should work in some governmental capacity. The thought is that if the government doesn’t bear the sword in vain, is a servant of God, and seems to carry out justice, then Christians should be involved. Romans 13 is used to support Christians working in government, serving in the military, and policing the streets. Ironically, Romans 13 stands in harmony with the rest of the New Testament’s teachings in that it prohibits Christians from doing any of these things.

     “Bearing the sword,” whether in vain or not, is something that Jesus forbids. The only time in all of Scripture where a follower of Jesus attempts to use a sword, he gets rebuked (Matthew 26:52). This, of course, is because Jesus taught his followers never to use violence but instead to love and bless their enemies. Paul, in his letter to the Romans, continues this teaching. Directly before Romans chapter 13 is chapter 12, where Christian living is addressed.

       Romans 12:1-2 tells us to worship God and not be tempted to conform to the culture of the worldly nations we live in. Romans 12:3-8 tells us that within the body of Jesus, we all have specific gifts for lifting up the Church. Romans 12:9-13 tells us the importance of love and caring for other people. Romans 12:14-16 tells us to bless and love those who persecute us. Romans 12:17-21 tells us never to repay evil, never to take revenge, to feed our enemies, and to overcome evil with good. (the original letter didn’t have chapter markers) Romans 13:1-7 tells us to not be in violent rebellion against our enemy—the state. Romans 13:8-10 wraps up by telling us that only love fulfills the law.

    Romans 12 and 13 take the reader on a progression of living rightly from within Church community, to the local community, to how we live in relation to those who persecute us, to how we live in relation to our enemies. Romans 13 describes our enemies, not permitted occupations. This is grammatically proven by the pronouns that Paul uses. In Romans 12, Paul constantly addresses ‘you’ (Romans 12:14-21 ESV). While in Romans 13, Paul uses the pronouns ‘he’ and ‘his’ (Romans 13:3-4 ESV). The first part of Romans 13 isn’t talking about Christians in authority; it is talking about Caesar and his appointed rulers.

    Paul believed that Jesus will return to destroy everyone in governments (1 Corinthians 15:24-25 NLT). Paul’s first-century context couldn’t imagine Christians taking part in the Roman government. It wouldn’t make any sense then, and it doesn’t make any sense now. Working in government doesn’t exempt a follower of Jesus from the clear command to love one’s enemies. A person carrying a sword (or a gun) faces an unfortunate choice: love their enemies (as commanded by Christ) or kill them (as commanded by Caesar). Christians should never work for governments.

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.”

Romans 12:19-20

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.

Romans 13:4

AN ALTERNATE INTERPRETATION

    No matter which way you slice it, Romans 13 is tricky. It doesn’t seem to fit with the rest of the New Testament’s teachings at first glance. Perhaps Romans 13 is so tricky because of Paul’s situation. Paul was writing to a church deep in the heart of the world’s most evil empire to date. Christians were a persecuted minority known for treasonous sedition. His letters were not secret and would have been subject to inspection by Roman government soldiers (Galatians 2:4-5). For this reason, the letter could have been cleverly written so as to appear compliant with the Roman government but also so a truly knowledgable Christian would have no doubt as to what it actually meant. So here below is a possible alternative interpretation.

WHICH AUTHORITIES IS PAUL REFERRING TO?

      The early Church understood that Jesus was King and Caesar was not. Caesar claimed a false authority by the power of the sword—deception, terror, and murder. Caesar claimed for himself what God the Father gave to his Son: all authority in heaven and on earth (Matthew 28:18). Caesar was not a valid authority. So what if Paul didn’t mean Caesar when he said, “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.”? Instead, what if he meant the only valid authority, which is Jesus and his body? After all, the correct and only path to full Kingship for Jesus was through the cross, not through the sword. So Caesar’s authority, bought with the blood of the sword, was invalidated by Jesus’ example. According to Paul, Jesus is “the blessed and only Ruler” (1 Timothy 6:15, 1:17; Acts 17:6-7; James 4:12). God’s words to Hosea seem to validate this, “They set up kings without my consent; they choose princes without my approval.” (Hosea 8:4). Romans 13 begins to make more sense if understood in this light.

A TERROR FOR THOSE WHO DO RIGHT?

For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong.

Romans 13:3

God’s true and valid rulers are truly not a terror to those who do right. But does Paul actually think that Caesar is not a terror to those who do right? Not at all.

We do, however, speak a message of wisdom among the mature, but not the wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing. No, we declare God’s wisdom, a mystery that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began. None of the rulers of this age understood it, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.

1 Corinthians 2:6-8

       Paul clearly thinks that governments are a terror to those who do right, saying, “Remember… my gospel, for which I am suffering even to the point of being chained like a criminal… In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.” (2 Timothy 2:8-9, 3:12). The rulers of Rome were certainly a terror for Paul who was doing right. So if Paul is referring to Jesus in Romans 13:3 then he indeed holds no terror for those who do right.

WHAT ABOUT THE RULERS WHO DO “NOT BEAR THE SWORD IN VAIN”?

     We know from Jesus that anyone who wields actual swords does indeed do so in vain (Matthew 26:52, Revelation 13:10 NLV), so Paul could likely be speaking metaphorically. Several places in the New Testament refer to Jesus’s words of truth as a metaphorical sword (Ephesians 6:17, Matthew 10:34; Hebrews 4:12; Revelation 1:16; 19:15, 21). If Jesus is in view as the valid authority, then his sword would be the truth.

WHAT ABOUT PAUL TELLING US TO PAY TAXES?

     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. Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. For the commandments, “You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,” and any other commandment, are summed up in this word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.

Romans 13:7-10

     To whom are taxes and customs owed? Paul previously was arrested for practicing non-Roman customs (Acts 16:20-22). Does Paul believe that Christians owe Rome the practicing of their customs? No, of course not. Does Paul think that Christians owe Caesar taxes? Also no. You can notice that Paul, just like Jesus, never actually tells his readers to pay taxes. Tax collectors were hated because the Jews understood that taxation was theft—or extortion more precisely.

     Governments demand money from people without their consent and will use violence and/or murder if anyone refuses to pay. By the very definition used to arrest any normal person for committing this action, taxation is theft. Stealing is outlawed because it is wrong. “You shall not steal” (Romans 13:9). So governments do to people what they don’t allow their subjects to do to them. This violates what Paul continues on to say is the summary of the whole law: “love your neighbor as yourself.” So to whom are taxes owed? Paul answers his own question, “owe no one anything except to love each other” (Romans 13:8 ESV).

THE ENEMIES OF GOD

       Romans 13 doesn’t teach that we should obey governments. We obey God, not men. God doesn’t choose who is in government, he merely arranges them the best he is able while maintaining our free will. God doesn’t approve of any violence done by any person, whether they are his children or not. And since government leaders are given their authority directly from the devil, of course, Romans 13 doesn’t give Christians permission to ever be a part of any government.

    Jesus didn’t consider human rulers to be true rulers and authorities (Mark 10:42-45). He considers them to be his enemies, which he will destroy (1 Corinthians 15:24-25 NLT).9 He rebukes their supposed ‘authority,’ and so should we.

So are you going be conformed to the world or stand for truth?

Rejecting the lies of empire.

Jesus and his disciples had a lot to say about how Christians should treat other people. He even went as far as telling his followers that they must love their enemies if they want to be considered a child of God. This is a radically difficult and counter-cultural command that has far-reaching implications.

If Jesus commanded people to love every person, including enemies, then that rules out going to war against them. The early Church understood Christ’s command this way. They forbid service in the military because it would require killing enemies instead of loving them. It only took 300 years after the time of Jesus for humankind to invent a theology to get around this command. Ever since then, Christians have been killing their enemies instead of loving them. This has been justified for many reasons over the centuries.

Today in America, the justification for ignoring Christ’s command to love our enemies is the excuse that soldiers have fought and died for the very freedom that allows us to worship God. Therefore, the logic is that it is a necessary exception to following Jesus because it is what allows us to follow Jesus. While this certainly wasn’t the mindset of the early Church and those closest to Jesus, it has become the narrative of the day.

There is just one problem.

DYING FOR FREEDOM?

There is a story that the empire of America echos every chance it gets: that U.S. soldiers who have died in America’s foreign wars and foreign interventions have done so in defense of our rights and freedoms. It is a message that can be heard at sporting events, memorial services, airports, churches, and everywhere else that anyone will listen.

There is one major thing wrong, however. It’s a lie. None of those soldiers died protecting our rights and freedoms. That’s because our rights and freedoms were never being threatened by the enemy forces that killed those soldiers. To many, this sounds like a bold claim. Prove it, right? Let’s take a look at every major military conflict that the U.S. has been in, starting from the most recent (at the time of this writing) to the oldest.

SYRIA

The Syrian government has never invaded the United States and tried to take away our rights and freedoms. Therefore, any U.S. soldier who has died in Syria was not killed protecting our rights and freedoms.

PAKISTAN

The Pakistan government has never invaded the United States and tried to take away our rights and freedoms. Therefore, any U.S. soldier who has died in Pakistan was not killed protecting our rights and freedoms.

LIBYA

The Libyan government has never invaded the United States and tried to take away our freedoms. Therefore, any U.S. soldier who has died in Libya was not killed protecting our rights and freedoms.

NIGER

The Niger government has never invaded the United States and tried to take away our freedoms. Therefore, any U.S. soldier who has died in Niger was not killed protecting our rights and freedoms.

SOMALIA

The Somali government has never invaded the United States and tried to take away our rights and freedoms. Therefore, any U.S. soldier who has died in Somalia was not killed protecting our rights and freedoms.

IRAQ

The Iraq government has never invaded the United States and tried to take away our rights and freedoms. Therefore, any U.S. soldier who has died in Iraq was not killed protecting our rights and freedoms.

AFGHANISTAN

The Afghan government never invaded the United States and tried to take away our rights and freedoms. Therefore, any U.S. soldier who has died in Afghanistan was not killed protecting our rights and freedoms. Even al-Qaeda never invaded the United States and tried to take away our rights and freedoms. Its terrorist attacks were retaliation for U.S. interventionism in the Middle East.

PANAMA

The Panama government never invaded the United States and tried to take away our rights and freedoms. Therefore, any U.S. soldier who died in Panama was not killed protecting our rights and freedoms.

GRENADA

The Grenada government never invaded the United States and tried to take away our rights and freedoms. Therefore, any U.S. soldier who died in Grenada was not killed protecting our rights and freedoms.

VIETNAM

The North Vietnam government never invaded the United States and tried to take away our rights and freedoms. Therefore, any U.S. soldier who died in Vietnam was not killed protecting our rights and freedoms.

KOREA

The North Korean government never invaded the United States and tried to take away our rights and freedoms. Therefore, any U.S. soldier who died in Korea was not killed protecting our rights and freedoms.

WORLD WAR II

The Japanese government never invaded the United States and tried to take away our rights and freedoms. Therefore, any U.S. soldier who died in the Pacific theater in World War II was not killed protecting our rights and freedoms. The Japanese attack on U.S. Naval forces on Hawaii was intended solely to prevent the U.S. Navy from interfering with Japanese attempts to acquire oil in the Dutch East Indies in response to President Roosevelt’s oil embargo, whose aim was to provoke the Japanese into attacking the United States so that the U.S. could get into the European part of war.

The German government never invaded the United States and try to take away our rights and freedoms. Therefore, any U.S. soldier who died in the European theater in World War II was not killed protecting our rights and freedoms. Germany wasn’t even able to cross the English Channel to invade England, much less the Atlantic Ocean to invade the United States. In fact, the last thing that Germany wanted was war with the United States, as reflected by Germany’s refusal to react to President Roosevelt’s repeated provocations to get Germany to attack the United States. Germany only declared war on the United States (to fulfill its treaty obligations) after FDR successfully provoked the Japanese into attacking the U.S. Navy fleet at Pearl Harbor, in hopes that this would provide a back door to entry into the war in Europe.

WORLD WAR I

The German government never invaded the United States and tried to take away our rights and freedoms. Therefore, any U.S. soldier who died in World War I was not killed protecting our rights and freedoms, especially given the ridiculous aims of U.S. intervention into the war: to “end all wars” and to “make the world safe for democracy,” a word that isn’t even in the U.S. Constitution. In fact, it is perversely ironic that it was U.S. interventionism into the conflict that contributed to the rise of Nazi Germany and World War II.

THE SPANISH-AMERICAN WAR

The Spanish government never invaded the United States and tried to take away our rights and freedoms. Therefore, any soldier who died in the Spanish-American War was not killed protecting our rights and freedoms.

In the World War, we used propaganda to make the boys accept conscription. They were made to feel ashamed if they didn’t join the army. So vicious was this war propaganda that even God was brought into it. With few exceptions our clergymen joined in the clamor to kill, kill, kill. To kill the Germans. God is on our side… it is His will that the Germans be killed. And in Germany, the good pastors called upon the Germans to kill the allies… to please the same God. That was a part of the general propaganda, built up to make people war conscious and murder conscious.

Beautiful ideals were painted for our boys who were sent out to die. This was the “war to end all wars.” This was the “war to make the world safe for democracy.” No one mentioned to them, as they marched away, that their going and their dying would mean huge war profits.

—Smedley Butler, at the time the most decorated Marine in U.S. history.1

Never Ending War

WHY LIE?

So, why the lie? Why keep saying that U.S. soldiers have died protecting our rights and freedoms? Perhaps the truth is too embarrassing and too shameful, especially when one is an ardent supporter of all or some of these foreign wars and interventions. It’s easier to salve one’s conscience by simply buying into the lie. But more importantly, the lie is necessary for the empire to continue to survive. This is why keeping up the lie becomes “a matter of national security.”

After World War II the war machine never turned back off. An entire industry that profited from war was built and was never torn back down. In his farewell address, President Eisenhower warned the American people: “Until the latest of our world conflicts, the United States had no armaments industry. American makers of plowshares could, with time and as required, make swords as well. …we have been compelled to create a permanent armaments industry of vast proportions… we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military industrial complex. The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and will persist.”

Since that time, the American economy has transformed around profiting from war and the spoils they bring. Today, war is the largest industry in America and we are the world’s most prolific purveyor of weapons. It is ironic that in Eisenhower’s warning, he used the imagery of makers of plowshares making swords. The prophet Isaiah prophesied a time when God’s people would beat their swords into plowshares, weapons transformed into instruments of agriculture, and there would be no more war (Isaiah 2:4). Scripture identifies this prophesied time as the arrival of Jesus Christ. With the coming of Jesus, war has been abolished as his followers now work for peace instead of war.

Isaiah prophesied the work of Christ and his peace. Eisenhower prophesied the work of anti-christ and its war.

THE LIES WORK

The lie that America fights for freedom is a lie that is repeated endlessly from grade school and onward in attempts to indoctrinate. In fact, the indoctrination is so perfect that it actually doesn’t matter what the troops are doing overseas. Whatever they are doing is automatically considered to be “defending our freedom.”

Consider a hypothetical. Suppose there is some country thousands of miles away that is minding its own business. There are no attacks on the United States or even threats to attack the United States. The only problem is that the regime is not sufficiently submissive to the U.S. government. The U.S. government decides to invade the country and install a pro-U.S. regime. The troops are sent into battle. Some are killed. Countless more people are killed on the other side.

There is no doubt that millions of Americans will automatically conclude that those U.S. troops killed and died “defending our freedom,” notwithstanding the fact that our freedom was never at risk. Remember: that hypothetical country never attacked the United States or even threatened to do so. Yet, many Americans will nonetheless honor their brave and courageous soldiers who died or lost arms or legs while “defending our freedom.” It is how the indoctrinated mind works.

But, how can we be so certain that that’s the way many Americans would react to that hypothetical situation?

Because that’s what happened with Iraq, a country whose government never attacked the United States or even threatened to do so. Thus, not one single U.S. soldier died in Iraq “defending our freedom” because our freedom was never threatened by Iraq.

REJECT THE LIE

Over 120 countries have freedom of religion and none of them have soldiers fighting all over the world to maintain it. The majority of countries have freedom of speech. And, for all the military bases that the U.S. has (it has around 800) in over 70 countries, America still isn’t the freest country in the world.2 America is outranked by 16 other countries for having the most freedom.3

If you invade another country, you aren’t defending your country — you are attacking people who are defending their country from you.

As Sun Tzu, a Chinese general and author of The Art of War, once wrote, “all warfare is based on deception.” Satan is the great deceiver who comes to kill, steal, and destroy (Revelation 12:9, John 10:10). The more power that a worldly nation acquires, the more it operates according to the power structures of Satan, which are inverse to the power structure of Jesus. Romans rallied around their troops “for the glory of Rome.” That worked for them. For America, troops are honored because “they defend our freedoms.” It’s the same old lies with a fresh coat of paint.

Nations of the world, which are controlled and ruled by Satan will always use lies to further death (1 John 5:19). Jesus offers another way.

Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

Romans 12:2

FOR GOD AND COUNTRY

When the Church and the State don’t mix.

      For many, the phrase “for God and country” stirs up feelings of patriotism and pride. The phrase evokes an idea that a cause is both for the good of the country and also aligns with God’s will. Many soldiers hold the phrase dear to their hearts as it is personal reassurance that they fight for a noble cause. After all, the government “does not bear the sword in vain, it is God’s agents of wrath.”

    This quote from Romans 13 has been used throughout the centuries to justify various nation’s use of violence. Is there Biblical support for a Christian to participate?

Let’s take a look at the passage in question:

Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. 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.

Romans 13:1-4

    In America, the line of thinking often is: “You have a duty to participate in the government and defend your country because God is over it, and God says to submit to the government.” So when America goes off to war, it is not “waging war for no reason,” America is “God’s wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer.” American Christians like the idea that the United States was set up as a “servant of God.”

EVERY NATION UNDER GOD

This interpretation of Romans 13 would logically indicate that God also set up every other nation as an “agent of wrath” that “does not bear the sword for no reason.” After all, Paul says that “there is no authority except that which God has established.” So that means that North Korea’s government was established by God. That means that everyone who died at the hands of Stalin in Russia was “resisting against the authority that God had appointed.” It means that everyone who was killed by the Nazi’s Third Reich was justifiably killed because “rulers hold no terror for those who do right, only for those who do wrong.” Paul makes some pretty terrifying claims at first glance.

The idea that “God is on our side” or Gott mit uns as Hitler would say! It has been an absolute favorite ploy of nearly every national leader throughout recent history. It is a mentality that has worked wonders in the United States in getting Christians to sign up for military service. It worked very well in Nazi Germany as well. The majority of Nazi soldiers were Bible-believing Christians. Each and every one of them wore the words “Gott Mit Uns [God With Us]” on their belt buckles. They believed it. We believe it. But is it true?

Did you ever see the Nazi “God With Us” Belt? Hope we won’t see you at the “Nuremberg trials”.n You were just follow whose orders?

Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established.

Romans 13:1

    The Greek word that Paul uses that we translate into ‘established,’ is ‘tasso.’ The word can mean ‘to establish,’ or ‘to file,’ or ‘to order something,’ and sometimes is translated as ‘orchestrate.’ There are many scholars who argue that Paul, thankfully, isn’t saying here that the way governments are is the way God established them, because then you’d have to conclude that God set up Nazi Germany. Rather, what he’s saying, is that God will work with the governments, evil or good, to create some kind of order. Whether he likes them or not, he’ll use them according to the kind of government they are.

   Remember, Scripture claims that Satan rules over the nations. But God is a redemptive God, he can use the most evil schemes of oppressive government, turning them on their heads to advance his Kingdom. While God works with the governments he finds, it doesn’t mean that God approves of every government’s every action. Empires are a major enemy of God. Yet God is their friend.

‘Is an authority which persecutes the children of God, which attacks the faith and which undermines our religion, from God? We shall answer this briefly. Nobody will deny that our senses—sight, sound and thought—are given to us by God. But although we get them from God, what we do with them is up to us.… God’s judgment against the authorities will be just, if they have used the powers they have received according to their own ungodliness and not according to the law of God.’

– Origen of Alexandria (3rd century scholar)

CHRISTIANS WITH A SWORD?

The most important question is whether or not Romans 13 allows for followers of Jesus Christ to participate in “bearing the sword.” Context is key when it comes to Romans 13. We aren’t left to wonder if Christians are to be a part of the role of governments that Paul describes. Just one paragraph earlier in the scripture Paul explains the role of a Christian in relation to government, law-keeping, and military:

Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Live in harmony with one another. Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. Live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord. On the contrary:

“If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink.”

Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

Romans 12:14-21

In the original text, there were no chapter markers, those were added later. Paul explains the role of the Church (12:14-21) and then immediately explains the role of the State (13:1-4). Paul is of course very familiar with Christ’s command to “love your enemies.” Paul repeats many of Christ’s teachings when he says things like “bless those who persecute you, do not repay anyone evil for evil, live at peace with everyone, do not take revenge, feed your enemy.”

How can a Christian love their enemies and work in government or the military and be responsible for killing their enemies? Obviously they can’t. Paul knew this too. That is why in Romans 12, Paul is clearly speaking directly to the believers in Rome using the pronoun “you.” But when Paul talks about Caesar in Romans 13, the pronoun changes to “he” or “his.” (seriously, crack open your Bible and read it again)

Romans 13 isn’t about you. Romans 12 is about you!

Being a Christian means being a citizen of the Kingdom of God. We aren’t citizens of America, or Germany, or any kingdom of the world. We have our own government, we have our own army.

The main reason Paul addresses what he does in Romans 13, is to speak into the desire to revolt against Rome. There was a constant temptation to be drawn into violent revolutionary movements. Paul is telling the church in Rome to resist that urge and to follow the way of Jesus instead of the way of the sword.

SWEARING OFF EKDIKEO

Paul, known for carefully crafted word-play and intentional literary structure, uses a clever word illustration when he goes on to explain the role of governments.

In Romans 12 and 13, Paul uses the words ‘revenge,’ ‘avenger,’ and ‘vengeance.’ In the original Greek, Paul uses a single root-word for all three, the word ‘ekdikeo.’ He says “[Christians], do not take revenge (ekdikeo) for ‘vengeance (ekdikos) is mine,’ says the Lord” (Romans 12:19) Paul then goes on to say that “government is a servant of God, an avenger (ekdikos) who carries out God’s wrath on the wrongdoer” (Romans 13:4).

Scripture says here that Christians shouldn’t act out ekdikeo. Why? Because ekdikeo is for God to handle. How? God uses governments to act out ekdikeo. The governments— bearers of the sword— are agents of God’s ekdikeo. They are not held to the same high standard that Christians are held to. Governments do ekdikeo, Christians don’t.

Any role that requires us to aggress in order to achieve justice is not the role of the Church, it is the role of the State.

How can Christians “love their enemy,” “not take revenge,” “never repay evil for evil,” “feed their enemies,” and “live at peace with everyone” if they are they are also a “servant of God, an avenger who carries out God’s wrath”? Paul is making the claim that they can’t.

If Christians take the commands of Jesus seriously, Christians should make pretty lousy soldiers. Instead of dropping bombs, they would be saying prayers. Instead of throwing hand-grenades, they would be sending blessings. Instead of firing bullets, they would be serving meals. God has a radical calling for followers of Jesus.

Sword with Bible

THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE TWO

Paul gives us a clear guide on the differences between the State and the Church in Romans 12:9-13:7.

THE STATE

Uses “the sword”

Takes “vengeance” on God’s behalf

Represents God’s wrath & justice

Maintains social order

Demands taxes & obedience

THE CHURCH.

Rejects “the sword”

Leaves “vengeance” to God

Represents God’s infinite compassion

Spreads radical love for all

Offers taxes & submission

It should come as no surprise that Paul would claim that “the weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world” (2 Corinthians 10:4). Christians have a different role to play in shaping the world. Our weapons aren’t swords or guns, arrows or bullets. And that makes sense since our true enemies are not physical, they are spiritual (Ephesians 6:12).

Jesus knew that his followers shouldn’t be warriors. The apostles knew it. Paul knew it too. Most surprisingly though, a Roman Emperor knew it as well.

The early church, up until Christianity was co-oped by empire in AD313, without exception, did not allow those in the military or government to be baptized. Those that were baptized were forbidden from killing. After Emperor Constantine made Christianity the official religion of Rome, all that changed. Now soldiers were required to be baptized Christians and Romans 13 was used to justify killing in the name of Jesus.

Despite perverting the Christian religion, it seems Emperor Constantine knew he shouldn’t be baptized while living the life he was. Constantine waited until he was on his death bed to be baptized. Following his baptism, Constantine refused to wear the imperial purple and died wearing a white baptismal robe. It seems he knew he couldn’t live out Romans 13 and Romans 12.

WHEN YOU PICK UP A SWORD, YOU PUT DOWN THE CROSS

The late theologian, John Howard Yoder, explains John 15:13: “No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends”: Jesus said that about himself. Many Western war monuments to the dead have that verse on them, as though what a dead soldier went out to do was to lay down his life for his friends. That is not what he went out to do. He went out to kill, and hoped to come home. He went out to lay down somebody else’s life.”

So that is the truth about laying down your life and not being conformed to the world

PEACE

Acts 26:12

“While so engaged as I was journeying to Damascus with the authority and commission of the chief priests,

Damascus. The Damascus Road conversion of Saul is one of the most dramatic scenes in the Bible and the story is told no less than three times (Acts 9:3-6, 22:6-11, 26:13-18).

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Acts 26:13

at midday, O King, I saw on the way a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, shining all around me and those who were journeying with me.

Brighter than the sun. This was not a metaphorical light but a light bright enough to blind Saul (Acts 22:11). What exactly did Saul see?

Although we can’t prove it, it’s possible that Saul was blinded by the face of Jesus. On a couple of occasions in scripture, Jesus shone like the sun. “He was transfigured before them; and his face shone like the sun, and his garments became as white as light” (Matt 17:2, see also Rev. 1:16). Barnabas told the disciples that Saul “had seen the Lord on the road” (Acts 9:27).

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Acts 26:14

“And when we had all fallen to the ground, I heard a voice saying to me in the Hebrew dialect, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.’

Hebrew dialect. Some Bible translations have the Lord speaking the common language of Aramaic, but the original word here means Hebrew (Hebrais). (Aramaic is not a Hebrew dialect but a separate language.) The Lord spoke to Saul in his native tongue and in the language of the Hebrew Bible. He did not speak to him in Greek.

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Acts 26:18

to open their eyes so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the dominion of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who have been sanctified by faith in Me.’

(a) Turn from darkness to light. In the new covenant, repentance is often described as a return or turning to God (see entry for Acts 26:20).

(b) Receive forgiveness. Forgiveness is a gift to receive, not a wage to be earned.

(c) Forgiveness of sins. All your sins – past, present, and future – were dealt with on the cross (Heb. 9:26). In Christ, you have the forgiveness of sins (Col. 1:14). In him, you are completely and eternally forgiven according to the riches of his grace (Eph. 1:7).

On the night he rose from the dead, Jesus instructed his disciples to preach the good news of the complete forgiveness or remission of all sins (see entry for Luke 24:47). After the cross, the apostles described forgiveness in the past tense and as a gift to receive (see entry for Acts 13:38).

(d) Those who have been sanctified. Throughout scripture, Christians are consistently referred to as sanctified saints (Acts 20:32, 26:18, Rom. 1:7, 12:1, 15:25, 1 Cor. 1:2, 6:11, 16:1, 2 Cor. 1:1, Eph. 1:1, Php. 1:1, Col. 1:2, Phm. 1:5, Heb. 2:11, 10:10, 14, 13:24, Jude 1:1).

Christians are holy because Jesus makes them so (Heb. 10:10, 14). Collectively Christians are known as a holy priesthood and a holy nation (1 Pet. 2:5, 9). The church is both God’s holy temple (1 Cor. 3:16-17, Eph. 2:21), and the Lord’s radiant and holy bride (Eph. 5:27).

(e) Sanctified. To be sanctified is to be made holy or whole and in Christ you are completely complete (Col. 2:10). Jesus is the Holy One (Mark 8:38), and “if the root is holy, so are the branches” (Rom. 11:16). Christians are holy branches connected to the Holy Vine. See entry for Holiness.

(f) Sanctified by faith. All of God’s blessings, including forgiveness, salvation, righteousness and sanctification, come to us freely by grace and are received by faith. Faith does not compel God to forgive us or sanctify us. But faith is the conduit through which grace flows. See entry for Eph. 2:8.

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Acts 26:20

but kept declaring both to those of Damascus first, and also at Jerusalem and then throughout all the region of Judea, and even to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, performing deeds appropriate to repentance.

Repent and turn to God. In the new covenant, repentance is often described as a return or turning to God (Matt. 13:15, Mark 4:12, Acts 3:19, 9:35, 11:21, 14:15, 20:21, 26:17-18, 20, 2 Cor. 3:16, 1 Th. 1:9).

Many scriptures in the Old Testament link repentance with turning from sin (e.g., 2 Chr. 7:14). In the old covenant, God’s blessings were conditional on you humbling, praying, seeking, and turning. But in the new covenant, all of God’s blessings are poured out on us of the riches of his grace (Eph. 1:3, 7, 2:7).

Because of the change in covenants, it is a mistake to define repentance as turning from sin. Preach “turn from sin or you’re not saved” and you are preaching pure law. You are prescribing sin-rejection as a means for salvation. This false gospel leaves sinners worse off because it empowers the sin that enslaves them while scorning the grace that might otherwise save them (1 Cor. 15:56).

In the old covenant, repentance implied a turning from, as in turn from sin. But in the new, repentance means a turning to, as in turn to God (Acts 20:21). Turning from versus turning to may seem like splitting hairs, but it’s the difference between life and death. Someone who turns to God automatically turns from sin and dead works, but someone who turns from sin does not automatically turn to God. Consider the religious Pharisees. They turned from sin on a daily basis yet they did not recognize the Grace of God even as he came and stood among them.

See entry for Repentance.

(b) Performing deeds appropriate to repentance. Just as faith without works is dead, repentance without works is dead.

Faith and repentance are two sides of the same coin. They are both nouns that are evidenced by verbs – the things we do. So what are the deeds which are appropriate to repentance? The New Testament lists hundreds of imperative statements but the chief of all is to believe in Jesus. Believing in Jesus is both the will, the work and the commandment of God (John 6:29, 40, 1 John 3:23). See entry for Jas. 2:14.

taken from Paul Ellis The Grace Commentary

https://thegracecommentary.com/acts-26/#acts26v12