A Matter of Respect

I have never before witnessed so much widespread disrespect for authority -- both for the authority figures themselves and also for their offices of authority -- as I have over the last few years. Think about it: "Defund the police." "The Orange Cheeto." "The Commander-in-Thief." Social media has given a free-for-all license for disrespect. It used to be that face-to-face encounters were accompanied by circumspection and tact, but once we could hide behind the anonymity of an iPad or a laptop or a phone... even if we had our name attached to an account... rude behavior didn't seem to carry the same weight as it did in person. 

I would go so far as to say that the rude behavior we've been sporting for years behind keyboards and text pads is now becoming common fare in our face-to-face encounters, as well. 

So... disrespect reigns. Vile, bitter, outright hatred is a distinguishing characteristic of the world today. And much of it threads through our treatment of authority. And so we come up with terms for political parties that would make our grandmothers blush and should make us blush: "Demon-cats. Rethuglicans." Several others I've seen that are unrepeatable.

And all of which I've heard, read, witnessed from various people, some of whom are friends, some of whom claim a relationship with Christ, some of whom I respect greatly. In fact, I've been guilty of an attitude of disrespect as well.

So this morning's reading was, you know, fun. ;) Because it was convicting. This morning's reading was an unequivocal bullseye from Paul's arsenal regarding respect for the office of authority. 

Let's jump into Romans 13, shall we? "Some people should submit themselves to governing authorities..." 

*Pauses. Squints. Wipes glasses' lenses.* Oh, wait, that says: Everyone. "Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities."

Let's keep going. Paul writes: "For there are a few authorities that God has established, but the rest, whew, boy, we've got some awful leaders who make terrible decisions."

Oh, hold on, let's backtrack. Sorry, I really have to get my eyes checked. That says: "For there is no authority except that which God has established." 

Uh... Paul, are you sure? 'Cause, I mean... it is clear that they're wrong. Right, left, middle, somebody's wrong. 

Paul confirms it: "The authorities that exist have been established by God. Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves" (Romans 13:1-2).

He goes on: "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 he will commend you. For he is God's servant to do you good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword for nothing. He is God's servant, an agent of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer. Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment, but also because of conscience" (Romans 13:3-5).

I used to be a lead-foot. I kept that accelerator pressed too hard for too long. I managed to avoid most accidents (I was rear-ended once, not my fault), but there were a few times when I was speeding along that I bypassed a cop sitting along the road. Immediately, my glance went to my speedometer, and sure enough, I was 10, 15 mph over what I should have been. For whatever reason, those cops never stopped me, but every time that happened, I had a near heart attack. Oh! I could get a ticket!

They never stopped me until I was 21 years old, innocently traveling a four-lane divided highway that had the ridiculously low speed limit of 55 mph, and -- as often happens -- I was late to my intended destination. So I was traveling along at 70 mph, and a state trooper came along from the other direction. 

Once again, my heart nearly stopped as I bypassed him. I slowed waaaay down, glanced in the rearview mirror and watched the cop disappear around a curve. I had a bad feeling about this one. There were too few people around; if traffic had been busier, I could have blended in better, but I was one of two cars on the road when that cop had passed me...

And sure enough, blue lights appeared in my rearview mirror. The state trooper had done a U-turn and come back to bring me my reward for a speeding job well done. He was brisk, business-like, and not even a little bit inclined to show me grace. I was respectful, I handed him the requested car registration and license, answered as pleasantly as my emotional state would allow me to do, and the deal was done. I had my very first speeding ticket.

He'd brought the sword, and I've got to admit, I fully deserved it. 

Why? Because it didn't matter that I didn't agree with the silly 55 mph speed limit signs. I broke the law, and the officer enforced it. That was that, and the fact that I didn't agree with how fast one should travel on that road made not one ounce of difference in my treatment of the person who carried out that enforcement.

And... get this... I might not even have agreed with that officer on political matters. Or religious matters. Maybe he didn't share my beliefs about important things. I have no way of knowing. All I knew was that he wore the badge of the state authority, and I, as a member of the state, was caught transgressing that authority, and needed to be punished. So... I paid my fine. 

And I need to also address the unwritten question I can already hear ringing in my head, and is probably ringing in some of your heads, too. "What about the rules -- enforced by authority figures -- that require us to sear our consciences?"

Yeah. I'm there, too, right in the middle of the struggle, because there are some things coming down from higher-up authorities that I am not sure I can do -- also because of conscience -- specifically in the education field, and I need to know how to handle those things.

And there, I think we have to go back to the believers' examples in Acts 4:19 and Acts 5:29. To set the scene: Peter and John have been given this commission by Jesus Himself to go and make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:16-20), and so... that's exactly what they're doing. They are teaching and preaching about Jesus and how He took people's sins on Himself, died in their place, and then rose again and ascended to the Father. They were preaching that if people believed in Jesus and accepted His forgiveness for their sins and followed Him, they could be saved.

"The priests and the captain of the temple guard and the Sadducees (all authority figures) came up to Peter and John while they were speaking to the people. They were greatly disturbed because the apostles were teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection of the dead. They seized Peter and John, and because it was evening, they put them in jail until the next day. But many who heard the message believed, and the number of men grew to about five thousand" (Acts 4:2-3). 

The next day, they bring in Peter and John before the Sanhedrin, and Peter takes the opportunity to do a little preaching to the authority figures. Which makes them mad. So they tell them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus.

"But Peter and John replied, 'Judge for yourselves whether it is right in God's sight to obey you rather than God. For we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard'" (Acts 4:19-20). In Acts 5, the apostles are arrested again, and told... again... not to speak in the name of Jesus. "Peter and the other apostles replied, 'We must obey God rather than men'" (Acts 5:29).

Notice, Peter and John are obeying a direct commission from Jesus -- spreading the gospel. The apostles are spreading the good news of Jesus in direct obedience to what Jesus tells them to do. 

They are not glancing with disdain at a speed limit sign and ignoring it.

They aren't refusing to pay their taxes. They're not ignoring the laws of peaceful assembly and rioting in the city square. They're simply preaching in Jesus' name.

And that's the only time we are called to disobey authority -- when the laws of man set themselves up against what God asks us to do. Spread the good news. Speak the gospel of Jesus Christ. 

Notice with me, please, that Peter didn't demonize the Sanhedrin. He didn't disrespect the members of the Sanhedrin by calling them names, spitting in their faces, raising witnesses to ridicule them, or anything else. 

What did he do instead?

He preached to them. He told them the good news! 

So here's the thing: No matter what country of the world you live in, you have some political leaders who do not believe the gospel message. You have some political leaders who are in the process of making rules that may violate your conscience. 

But even if you -- by conscience -- are required to speak the gospel of Jesus Christ instead of bending to these rules... you do it with respect. Preach to them! Tell them the good news. The gospel is for them, too. 

Think they're beyond hope and help?

Look at the leaders of Paul's day, the leaders of the very people to whom he is writing in Romans 13. Apostate Rome. Roman aggression and persecution. Nero and others who were responsible for one of the greatest mass tragedies against humanity because of Christian beliefs that there has ever been. And yet, Paul said: "Submit to those in governmental authority, because it has been established by God."

You know, God is the King of kings. He's the Authority over presidents. He's got the whole world in His hands, and you know what? I bet that includes governmental procedures, too. Let's keep our eyes and ears open to Him. That's how we'll know how to navigate these waters.