“Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed.” – Romans 13:7
Read: Romans 13:1-7
Devotion: There are many ways we try to get out of obedience to a clear command of Scripture. One of the ways that we try to wiggle out of obedience is by adding conditions to a command that has none. Conditions like our circumstances. “Oh, I would obey, but I’ve got this thing that’s going on that’s preventing me from doing so.” Like the Pharisees who got out of supporting their aging parents by claiming that their money was already set apart for God (Matt. 15:1-9), we’ll even try to make it look like our disobedience is actually the moral and righteous choice!
An example of this kind of willful disobedience is our topic at hand: Honoring our leaders, particularly our political leaders. Here we can often turn to our circumstances to try to disobey this command. When we have a good leader, one who at least outwardly governs in a way that is commensurate with a biblical worldview, this command is one of the easiest to follow.
It’s easy to recognize a good leader’s God-given authority (v. 1), and to give them the honor that is due them. If we were to ever meet them we would be respectful, polite, and even shake their hand.
But when someone gets elected who clearly hates and despises Christ and the Bible and governs accordingly, then this command is suddenly extremely difficult. We find ourselves not just thinking curses toward them, but we’re talking trash about them to others. And we will gloss over our sin with the excuse, “Well, they’re evil! Do you know what they support?”
But those who do this, their hypocrisy is usually obvious. Depending on what political aisle they identify with, they have no issue with insults and curses being slung at the other side, but when it comes to the candidates that they support that kind of language is suddenly harmful, inappropriate, and uncouth.
Now, this command to give honor to those who are owed honor does not prohibit criticizing how a politician is governing. Nor does this obedience—being subject to our governing authorities—preclude civil disobedience.
Every emperor, king, president, governor, mayor, or sheriff is ruling above us has limits to their authority. Their authority is delegated to them by God (vv. 1-4); it is not universal or unlimited. The Christian can point out bad leaders and criticize character and policy issues. Likewise, the Christian can resist authority in certain circumstances, like when they outlaw things that the Christian is commanded by God to do (see Acts 5:29).
However, there is a difference between criticizing how poorly a politician is doing their job and failing to give them the honor that they are due in light of their position. As Christians we should not be cursing out our governing authorities, whether that is to our friends or on the internet. Likewise, we shouldn’t be insulting their appearance or their family. That kind of speech is not befitting of a Christian at all in any scenario, even if a certain politician is abusing their power or ruling horribly (Eph. 5:4).
It doesn’t matter how bad our leaders are at leading. Paul wrote this as a citizen of the Roman Empire which was hostile toward Christians. Peter wrote this concerning Nero, who would kill both him and Paul, “Honor the emperor” (1 Pet. 2:17). Rather than dishonoring our leaders or calling down curses upon them, we should recognize that God has given them their position of authority and pray for them (1 Tim. 2:2). We should not be praying for their destruction, but their salvation (see 1 Tim 2:3-5). Honor them by praying for them, that Christ would show mercy toward them and that through their salvation they might start ruling in a manner pleasing to Christ.
