1. What stuck out to you from this chapter?
The chapter starts out on a note that I think many young people would find challenging. I think in part it's because of that difficult 6-letter word: "submit." Part of gaining independence is to "break free" from rules and those in authority: parents, teachers, city officials and officers, etc. But God's word here is especially striking if you look at the culture to which it was written. Many Jews, and later Christians, saw the Roman government as the enemy - even the Antichrist. Still, God encourages us to submit to the governing authorities, spelling out that God is the one who has allowed people and nations to be in power. So paying taxes, abiding by traffic rules, and following legal business practices are all ways to ultimately submit to God.
2. How does this relate to any other Scripture I know?
In verses 8-10, Paul talks about love as being the fulfillment of the law. Immediately, and probably obviously, I thought of Jesus' own teaching about love being the summary of the law in Matthew 22. The teachers of the law tried to trick Jesus once again (you'd think they'd get tired of being in the wrong) by asking him which of the commandments is the greatest. Whichever one Jesus picked they would find some fault in his answer. However, Jesus says that loving God and loving neighbors are the two greatest commandments and that all of the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments. (In a side note, Jesus also talks about paying taxes to Caesar earlier in the same chapter.) It's almost as if Paul was taking his cues from Jesus. :)
3. So what does this mean for my life?
I have always been a rules follower (almost to a fault), but I really connected with verse 3 about not fearing authorities if you do what is right. I think of speeding as an example. Whenever I pass a cop car, I never get worried. I never check in my rear view mirror for lights. It's because I am not speeding. On the other hand, for those who are speeding there is that moment of tense anxiety when they see a police officer on the road. So I'll keep doing that. :)
However, another thing that came to mind was that I don't believe this chapter is talking about blind obedience to every rule no matter what. In fact, the Bible has examples where Jews did not follow the ruling laws that were in direct contradiction to God's (i.e. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, Daniel, etc.). I believe that we are able to and called to be a part of political process to protect our freedoms to worship. We are blessed to live in a country where we can speak up, vote, and contact our officials and government leaders in order to bring about justice and protect our freedoms and rights. So many people feel helpless to the government's "control," but refuse or neglect to participate in the processes which can affect change.
4. What questions do I have about this passage?
Two major questions really arise for me from this chapter. First, regarding the submission to authorities, when is it appropriate for Christians to directly disobey the law (i.e. other countries where it is illegal to be a Christian, own a Bible, share your faith, or assemble for worship)? I'm not talking about normal civil laws, but specific laws that prevent people around the world from obeying God's word.
The second question is about verses 11-12. The writers of the new testament all seemed to think the end of the world was near. Why did they think that? 2,000 years later, how do we take these verses? Is it referring to the order of events (i.e. the next event will be Jesus return) or time in years?
There are my thoughts and questions. I was actually surprised how much this little chapter prompted in me. I thought this would be a really quick blog entry, but there's some good stuff. I'd love to hear your thoughts or questions.
In Christ,
Dan
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