Sermon25-42 Rom13 Guide

Rom 13:1-10 theme verse Rom 13:10

The praise and honor and glory be to our heavenly Father who seeks true worshipers who worship Him with the Spirit and truth.

In this thirty seventh Sunday of 2025, on Pentecost Sunday, I pray that His grace of the application of all the benefits which Jesus earned for our salvation and also the glorious ministry of the proclamation of His kingdom by the power of the Holy Spirit may be full in our life.

Last week, we looked at what the Holy Supper is, yet this week, we would like to look at what the relationship between the church and nation is together.

1)    The context of today's text is: Paul, having explained Christian theological doctrine in chapter 1 through 11, then begins discussing how we should live our lives based on this doctrine, beginning in chapter 12. In chapter 12:1-2, he exhorts us to offer our hearts, minds, and even bodies to God and live for His glory. And in chapter 12:3-16, he exhorts us to live a life of service, cooperation, and love for one another through the gifts of the Holy Spirit and the ministry to which each of us was called. And then in chapter 12:17-21, even he exhorts us to live a life of love, toward those who oppose us. And in the following chapter 13:1-14, he exhorts us to obey the laws of the nation, because the nation is established by God to punish evil and establish a moral society. I mean, Paus says that Christians have to submit to the laws of the nation as long as they do not oppose God.

2)    As such, the nation is one of three institutions established by God, I mean, family, church and nation. In other words, in Genesis 2, after God created humanity, He ordained that a man and a woman should meet and form a family. Yet, when Adam and Eve had sinned so the world was filled with lawlessness and sin, after God judged them with a flood, in Genesis 9, God added a lot more common grace to enhance the morality of the human society, commanding them not to shed blood, in other words, not to commit violence or murder. And He said he would punish such sins so that we can implicitly understand that He meant to establish an institution, I mean, the nation to administer that punishment. And finally, in Genesis 12, God raised up a chosen nation, Israel, through Abraham, to demonstrate what it means to live according to God's law and receive blessings. And then in the New Testament era, God established the church as a successor of true Israel. As such, God established a loving family, a church as a conduit for His salvation and reign, and a nation which governs the world by justice and fairness.

3)    And for the principal laws through which God reigns His creation, Thomas Aquinas says that there are four types of law. I mean, first, there is the eternal law of God, which is consistent with divine reason and the eternal plan of divine wisdom as a objective law, transcendent of human perception. Secondly, there is a natural law, as a reflection of divine reason in creation, relates to the inclination to pursue inherent good, avoid evil, preserve one's offspring, and live a life as fully as possible to live as God endowed them the talents. Furthermore, thirdly, based on this natural law, there is human law which is established by reason, the original nature of human beings, to pursue the common good and serves as a standard for human life. And then finally, there are the Ten Commandments and other laws, which are Christian ethics written in the Bible, revealed by God as grace. Jesus summarized these laws as love for God and love for our neighbors.

4)    Based on these four laws, since civil law, which comes out from natural law, ultimately originates from God's eternal law and serves as a law for maintaining human society with justice and fairness, Christians have to submit themselves to it. In today's passage, Paul says that the reason why we Christians have to observe civil law is not only to avoid the fear of wrath or punishment, when we do not observe it, but also to avoid the pangs of conscience that come from not keeping God's law implanted in our conscience. Furthermore, since God has given us the Ten Commandments, the law of love, he says that we have to keep the civil law.

5)    Regarding this civil government, Belgic confession article 36 confesses that “We believe that because of the depravity of the human race, our good God has ordained kings, princes, and civil officers. God wants the world to be governed by laws and policies so that human lawlessness may be restrained and that everything may be conducted in good order among human beings. For that purpose God has placed the sword in the hands of the government, to punish evil people and protect the good. And the government's task is not limited to caring for and watching over the public domain but extends also to upholding the sacred ministry, with a view to removing and destroying all idolatry and false worship of the Antichrist; to promoting the kingdom of Jesus Christ; and to furthering the preaching of the gospel everywhere; to the end that God may be honored and served by everyone, as he requires in his Word. Moreover everyone, regardless of status, condition, or rank, must be subject to the government, and pay taxes, and hold its representatives in honor and respect, and obey them in all things that are not in conflict with God's Word, praying for them that the Lord may be willing to lead them in all their ways and that we may live a peaceful and quiet life in all piety and decency. And on this matter we reject the Anabaptists, anarchists, and in general all those who want to reject the authorities and civil officers and to subvert justice by introducing common ownership of goods and corrupting the moral order that God has established among human beings.”

6)    Through this we can know that as Abraham Kuyper said, "There is not a square inch in the whole domain of our human existence over which Christ, who is Sovereign over all, does not cry, 'Mine!’”, God reigns not only the church, but also the world outside the church. In other words, God reign His people, represented by Israel in the Old Testament and by the church in the New Testament, through His special grace. And also God reigns the world outside the church, through common grace via the government He instituted.

7)    So, in this kingdom of God governed by God's law, God's transcendent truth is revealed within human society and culture, shaping common truths across diverse cultures, while sometimes challenging secular cultures, ultimately transforms the world.

8)    By the way, since the Netherlands in the mid-16th century, when Guido de Brès wrote this Belgic Confession, was a Christian nation, so, consequently, the third paragraph of Article 36 of the Belgic Confession, which states that the government have remove and destroy all idolatry and false worship of antichrist, proved somewhat difficult to apply to a government based on a multicultural and multi-religious society now. So, in 1958, the CRCNA revised it in the biblical language and also in 1985, we deleted the condemnation of Anabaptists and anarchists, rather inserted it in a footnote. I mean, accordingly, CRCNA confesses that ”And being called in this manner to contribute to the advancement of a society that is pleasing to God, the civil rulers have the task, subject to God's law, of removing every obstacle to the preaching of the gospel and to every aspect of divine worship. They should do this while completely refraining from every tendency toward exercising absolute authority, and while functioning in the sphere entrusted to them, with the means belonging to them. They should do it in order that the Word of God may have free course; the kingdom of Jesus Christ may make progress; and every anti-Christian power may be resisted.” While the RCA, Reformed Church in America has decided to retain the original text of the Belgic Confession, considering that it was written in a past context that does not accurately describe the current situation.

9)    Likewise, as God has given the gospel to the church, upon whom He has bestowed His special grace, He has been reigning His created world, by giving the sword to the government, upon whom He has added His common grace. Therefore, I hope we may pray as the psalmist prayed in Psalm 67:1-5 that “May God be gracious to us and bless us, and cause His face to shine upon us, that Your way may be known on earth, Your saving power among all nations. Let the peoples praise You, O God; let all the peoples praise You! Let the nations be glad sing for joy, for You judge the peoples with equity and guide the nations upon the earth. Let the peoples praise You, O God; let all the peoples praise You.”

Key Questions as Small Group Activity

Q1 Through today’s text, since God also instituted nations, so Christians have to submit to the laws of the nation, even if they do not oppose to God. So, meditating on this and how we have to react in a case that the law of the nation conflicts with God, I hope we could share our thought and experience with our team members together to learn from each other.

Q2 And, also we became to know that we have to submit to the laws of the nation because of not only the wrath or fear of the law, but also for our conscience and for love, since the civil laws are founded on the law of God. So reviewing why Paul says that love is the fulfillment of the law, I hope we could share our thought and experience with our team members together to learn from each other.

Love you. Thank you. God bless you.

Prayer Note

Dear ( God’s attribute which you found Today ) God!

Thanks for ( something you received through the sermon or  even during the week )

Praise, gratitude and glory be to You, Lord!

Today, I realized my sin (pains) that ( the sin God reminded through the sermon ),

please forgive (or heal) me and help me not to repeat ( the sins you recognized   ).

I learned that ( something you learned through the sermon                                    )

Please help me to live in that (  learned way of life                                                )

I pray in ( Jesus’ attribute you find ) Jesus’ name. Amen.