Let every soul be subject to the higher powers For there is no power but of God the power that be are ordained of God (Romans 13 1) So wrote the Apostle Paul in the first century This is the apostle s way of emphasizing that it is the Christian s duty to observe the law of the land This principle holds even when such conformity is disagreeable, for Peter wrote in a similar strain Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake. For so is the will of God that with well doing ye may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men (1 Peter 2 13 15)
There was a vital difference in the times in which the words of Paul and Peter were written Paul wrote when Christianity was regarded by the authorities as a sect of the Jewish faith, and was therefore religio licita (a permitted religion) But in the days of Nero when Peter wrote Christianity was prescribed, its adherents thrown to the lions and all kinds of base misrepresentations were spread about the moral lives of the believers Nevertheless Peter urged the Christian to be a model citizen, keeping the law of the land in a blameless manner.
There was one important exception to this rule, an exception which Peter him self exemplified when he was bidden by the chief priests in Jerusalem to cease his preaching about Jesus, the crucified Nazarene Whether it be right in the sight of God to harken unto you more than unto God, judge ye For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard” In other words, when there is a conflict between the commandments of Christ and those of the state, there can be no question is to where the loyalty of the Christian lies.
Such a situation rarely arises in these days Far far more often the practicing Christian fails to observe even the most elementary aspects of the law of the land When a conflict arises between civil law and one s personal convenience or profit, he is often no better than his fellows in this matter of submitting to every ordinance of man for the Lord s sake Let us quote a few examples to illustrate this point.
Indolence, and the desire to save a few dollars lead him to break the law about adequate brakes on his automobile impatience and haste cause him to ride straight past a Stop sign, cupidity induces him to misrepresent his income tax, and to evade the payment of a fishing or bowling license The Christian housewife thinks nothing of sending her underpaid servant home at a late hour, and with no recompense for the extra work The employee, especially if employed by the government or attached to a public department, thinks nothing of idling away hours which should be filled with efficient service, the office worker light heartedly helps herself to her employers stationery or pencils.
There is an almost endless list of ‘little sins of this sort which could be compiled Concerning them many who should have lively consciences have no conscience at all Everybody does it —a wry smile, a shrug of the shoulders, and conscience turns over and goes to sleep again Thus the entire tone of public life is dragged down
The good Christian will be subject to the higher powers even when the higher powers have no check on him As to the Lord, and not to men should be the overriding principle in all these things
The Origin of the Organic World – Part One