Romans 13:1-5 No King of Kings, No Peace

Romans 13:1-5

13 Everyone must submit to governing authorities. For all authority comes from God, and those in positions of authority have been placed there by God. 2 So anyone who rebels against authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and they will be punished. 3 For the authorities do not strike fear in people who are doing right, but in those who are doing wrong. Would you like to live without fear of the authorities? Do what is right, and they will honor you. 4 The authorities are God’s servants, sent for your good. But if you are doing wrong, of course you should be afraid, for they have the power to punish you. They are God’s servants, sent for the very purpose of punishing those who do what is wrong. 5 So you must submit to them, not only to avoid punishment, but also to keep a clear conscience.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr was inspired by many people to become a civil rights activist. His family was very religious; his grandmother, Jennie, would read Bible stories. His father was a pastor, raising Martin and all his siblings by God’s word. Dr. King believed in the words of Jesus, so he was Christian, but Dr. King was also inspired by Mahatma Gandhi. Gandhi won the Nobel Peace Prize like Dr. King because he resisted oppression with peaceful protest. Gandhi read some of Jesus’ words and witnessed Christian’s behavior, which did not match. For example, Gandhi read Christ’s words but did not see Christians living like Jesus.

Matthew 5:7 Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. 8 Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. 9 Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.

Dr. King preached a sermon about what he thought the apostle Paul would say to the American Christians. He titled it” Paul’s Letter to American Christians. Paul was never defiant to government authority; he was a Jewish Priest who was a Roman citizen. Paul never used violence against oppression, and he was arrested many times before he was sentenced to be executed. In still of Paul’s writing, Dr. King told a Christian church congregation, please be peacemakers with goodwill and not with open defiance.

“I am happy to know that so many persons of goodwill have accepted the decision as a great moral victory. And I understand that there are some brothers among you who have risen in open defiance. And I hear that their legislative halls ring loud with such words as “nullification” and “interposition.” They have lost the true meaning of democracy and Christianity. So, I would urge each of you to plead patiently with your brothers and tell them that this is not the way. With understanding goodwill, you are obligated to seek to change their attitudes. Let them know that in standing against integration they are not only standing against the noble precepts of your democracy but also against the eternal edicts of God Himself.” MLK.

Violent riot protest is language unheard of, Dr. King said, and it is valid from a truly Christian point of view. Two wrongs gain no rights; only those who fear the Law are criminals who break laws. A Christian should not break the rules, godly, or mankind’s laws. Using violence to fight oppression only invites more violence, so more harm will be done. The merciful only receive mercy and are blessed. It takes those who have the pure heart of Jesus to be a peacemaker, and they are God’s children, AKA Christians. Only demons protest violently because they have the devil’s seat in their hearts. This behavior is why Gandhi said,

“I like your Christ, but not your Christianity. ~ “I believe in the teachings of Christ, but you on the other side of the world do not. I read the Bible faithfully and see little in Christendom that those who profess faith pretend to see. “The Christians above all others are seeking after wealth. They aim to be rich at the expense of their neighbors. They come among aliens to exploit them for their good and cheat them. Their prosperity is far more essential to them than the life, liberty, and happiness of others. “The Christians are the most warlike people.” the words of Mahatma Gandhi.

If you and I follow the Prince of Peace, let us be peaceful to all and only owe love to each other, and let us keep the devil as the hateful one. God bless you all. Jesus loves you, and so do I. The Lord’s bondservant, Samuel J Head.

Romans 13:6 For because of this you also pay taxes, for rulers are servants of God, devoting themselves to this very thing. 7 Pay to all what is due them: tax to whom tax is due; custom to whom custom; respect to whom respect; honor to whom honor. 8 Owe nothing to anyone except to love one another; for the one who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the Law. 9 For this, “You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,” and if there is any other commandment, it is summed up in this saying, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 10 Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the Law.