Can Christians hold public office? It is noteworthy that Paul addresses his Christian readers as the ones being governed, not as the ones doing the governing. When speaking about the governed, he uses the second person, saying, for example," Do you wish to be unafraid of the authority?" In contrast, when speaking about rulers, he always refers to them in the third person.
For example, he writes," He does not bear the sword in vain, for he is the minister of God." Paul does not say," You do not bear the sword in vain. So nowhere does Paul contemplate Christians being part of the governing authorities." The early Christians clearly understood this.
Tertullian writes," Very recently, there arose a question as to whether a servant of God could take upon himself the administration of any rulership or power." Tertullian then answers this question by reasoning with his fellow Christians, let us suppose the following:" As ruler, he does not assign to others the care of the temples. He does not look after the temple tributes. He does not give spectacles at his own or the public expense. He does not preside over spectacles.
He makes no proclamation or edict for any festivals. He does not take oaths. He does not sit in judgment on anyone's life or character. He neither condemns nor indicts anyone. He chains no one. He neither imprisons nor tortures anyone. Now, is it believable that all that would be possible? Many of those same issues would face a ruler today. Positions of authority in this world will invariably cause a Christian to either directly or indirectly violate Christ's teachings.
Tertullian later asks," Shall he apply the chain, the prison, the torture, and the punishment? He who is not the avenger of even his own wrongs." In chapter 12, Paul instructed Christians to love their enemies and to return evil for evil to no one. However, human governments do return evil for evil. As a way of maintaining law and order, the ancient pagan Romans themselves testified that Christians refused to hold governmental office. Furthermore, they criticized Christians for their stance.
Origen writes," Celsus, a pagan critic, urges us to take office in the government of the country if that is necessary for the maintenance of the laws and for the support of religion." However, we recognize in each state the existence of another national organization, that is the kingdom of God, that was founded by the Word of God. And we exhort those who are mighty in Word and who are blameless in life to rule over churches instead of governments. Christians are already citizens of another kingdom.
If God has given certain Christians the gift of leadership, he expects them to use it for the benefit of the kingdom of God, not to rule the kingdoms of this world. Romans chapter 13:5." Accordingly, you must be subject not only on account of wrath, but also for conscience sake." Christians do not obey Caesar's laws merely to avoid the wrath of the government. They also obey Him to avoid the displeasure of God. Even if they can't avoid the detection of the government, Christians know God is observing them.
If they disobey Caesar, they are also disobeying God. That is why Paul says we are also subject for conscience sake. Tertullian told the Roman authorities," Your taxes will acknowledge a debt of gratitude to Christians, for it is a matter of conscience that we pay all our taxes.
We view it the same as the faithfulness that keeps us from committing fraud upon a brother." Concerning Caesar's law, Ambrosiaster writes," Paul shows them that this is the law of God, and that those who by some subterfuge avoid it for a time will not escape God's judgment." Verse 6," For this cause, you also pay tribute. For they are God's ministers attending continually to this very thing." Jesus was the one who originally commanded his followers to pay their taxes.
The Pharisees tested him by asking him if it was lawful for a Jew to pay taxes to the Roman government. Jesus pointed to Caesar's image on the coins used to pay Roman taxes and told them," Give therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's." Human governments provide an enormous number of services and benefits to their citizens, such as roads, public transportation, water supplies, postal service, and fire and police protection.
Without these services, life would be much more difficult. How unfair it would be for Christians to enjoy these benefits, but then refuse to pay for them. Chrysostom writes," Observe the wisdom and judgment of the blessed Paul. For that which seemed to be burdensome and annoying, the system of taxation, he turns into a proof of the ruler's care for men. He asks," What is the reason we pay tribute to a king?
Is it not because he provides for us?" It was for this reason that from of old, all men came to an agreement that rulers should be maintained by the public. For these rulers neglect their own affairs to take oversight of the people. Verse 7. Therefore, render to all their due, tribute to whom tribute is due, customs to whom customs, fear to whom fear, honor to whom honor, tribute to whom tribute is due. Customs to whom customs, Theodoret writes, by tribute, Greek phoros. Paul means the taxes arising from land.
By customs Greek telos, he refers to the excises or duties owed on merchandise. Origen writes similarly, the authorities exact tribute from our land, and they extract customs from our businesses. Fear to whom fear, honor to whom honor. Concerning fear, Chrysostom writes," By this word, Paul means great respect. He does not mean the fear that comes from a bad conscience." With regard to honor, Chrysostom describes two ways that people showed honor to their rulers in ancient times.
First, they would rise in the presence of rulers. Second, men would uncover their heads in a ruler's presence. Sadly, today showing honor to government officials has been rapidly eroding. It is common for citizens to speak disrespectfully about their government leaders and even to mock and jeer at them. However, even if the world refuses to show proper respect to those in authority, Christians must continue to show respect. This is what God requires of us.
When we show disrespect to rulers, we show disrespect for God's laws. What about war taxes? Some Christians today argue that it is wrong to pay taxes because part of the tax revenue goes to support the military and war. However, the largest item in the Roman budget was waging wars and maintaining their military. Another large portion of the Roman budget went to building pagan temples, purchasing idols, and supporting pagan priests.
So when Jesus commanded his followers to pay taxes to Caesar, and when Paul gave the command above, they both knew that much of this tax money would go to support war and pagan worship. As Jesus pointed out, it was Caesar who minted the money. It is his money giving back whatever portion of his money he demands. How Caesar spends his money is not a Christian's responsibility when man's law conflicts with Christ's law.
In telling Christians to obey the governmental authorities, Paul did not mean that Christians are to obey the government even when Caesar's law violates God's law. Jesus had made this clear when he said," Give therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, but to God the things that are God's." Tertullian comments," Indeed, render your money to Caesar, but render your very self to God.
Otherwise, what will be God's if all things are Caesar's?" The only time a Christian can disobey Caesar and must disobey Caesar is when the government's laws violate Christ's laws. For example, just days after the first baptisms on Pentecost, man's law came into conflict with God's law. Peter and John were preaching in the temple when they were arrested and ordered by the Sanhedrin to quit preaching.
They answered the authorities," Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, judge for yourselves, for we cannot help speaking about the things which we have seen and heard." These apostles thereby demonstrated that when man's law directly conflicts with God's law, we must obey God's law. So the apostles continued to preach, and they were all brought before the Sanhedrin once again.
This time, the apostles answered," We must obey God rather than men." Origen writes," What if the law of God commands what is opposed to man's written law? Does not reason tell us to bid a long farewell to man's written code and to give ourselves up to the true legislator, God." This is so even if in doing so, it means encountering dangers, penal labor, and even dishonor and death. When man's laws conflict with God's laws, we must obey God as ruler rather than men.
However, we can expect to incur the government's wrath when we do so. When the apostles refused to obey the Sanhedrin, they were flogged. In the years that followed, the authorities executed James, Peter, and Paul. Emperor Domitian sent John to the mines on the penal island of Patmos. According to tradition, all the apostles died as martyrs.
Origen again writes," There is no good reason for our leaving this world as the pagan Celsus desires, except when godliness and virtue require it." One such case would be when those who are appointed as judges place before us the alternative either to live in violation of the commands of Jesus or to die if we continue obedient to them.
Lactantius adds," When men command us to act in opposition to the law of God and in opposition to righteousness, we should not be deterred by any threats or punishments that come upon us. For we choose the commandments of God over the commandments of man. What if Caesar wants us to go to war? Jesus has commanded us, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you." Paul said," Though we walk in the flesh, we do not wage war according to the flesh.
However, what if the government wants us to kill our enemies or the enemies of the nation in which we live? What if the government wants us to war according to the flesh?" To the early Christians, this was simply one more situation where Caesar was commanding them to violate Christ's law. So they refused to take up the sword even when ordered.
Tertullian writes," The apostle admonishes Christians to be subject to all authorities, for there is no authority except from God." However, he then goes on to explain how he wishes you to be subject to the powers. He exhorts you to pay tribute to whom tribute is due, custom to whom custom. In other words, give the things that are Caesar's back to Caesar and the things that are God's back to God. But man is the property of God alone.
In other words, our bodies are not the property of the state to be used by the government in whatever unholy way it chooses. Origen writes," Christians cannot slay their enemies, nor can they condemn lawbreakers to be burned or stoned as Moses commands." He writes further," Indeed, we do not fight under the king even if he demands it. Yet we fight on his behalf, forming a special army, an army of godliness by offering our prayers to God."