Thanks for this David - and Peter. The idea of believers being citizens of a different kingdom, not really part of this world, foreigners to it, has been a thread in the church for a long time particularly in anabaptists and the brethren. I’ve known Brethren who would not vote - why would you vote in elections for a foreign government?
Philippians 3:20
[20] But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ,
Romans 13 however was always a text that justified obeying the state as far as it follows Gods law. Your/Peter’s approach to it is helpful and I need to think it through. It certainly makes sense in the context of the rest of the letter.
I’ve been thinking recently about
Proverbs 14:34
[34]
Righteousness exalts a nation,
but sin is a reproach to any people.
Again this is usually thought to be about how states benefit from following godly principles. That is true as far as it goes but I think there is something bigger here. Human government is always flawed and always in the control of the Enemy - as you demonstrate in your essay. I’m thinking more here that the righteousness is the righteousness of Christ. There is none righteous no not one as it says in Isaiah/Romans. However the righteousness of Christ will exalt a nation….
1 Peter 2:9
[9] But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.
His righteousness exalts his people a new nation of his creation.
There are those who think that our nations can be redeemed, made righteous, and then exalted by God. They can’t be. They are lost and awaiting judgement. Our citizenship as believers is elsewhere we are subject to a different king. His righteousness exalts His people.
This is a great article David. Very grateful thanks to you and your son. The views expressed in your conclusion have been mine for some time, but you have articulated better than I (ever) could, a way that coherently makes sense of Romans 13. On the subject of the kingdoms of this world, especially democracy, I note that 'party spirit' is considered a work of the flesh (Gal 5:20 RSV), and that whenever voting takes place in the Scriptures, it leads to a negative outcome. Ie Saul casting his lot against Stephen, and the High Priest and his henchmen asking for a verdict (Mark 14:63-64).
We can't serve two masters. As a result of my firm beliefs in this area I have had my name removed from the voting register. There is only one king - a vote for Jesus is a vote for life.
I agree with a lot of what is written in this article, however it is written from a very Western perspective. To put it bluntly, I believe that Western governments are inevitably ungodly because they are without the influence of the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church founded by Christ at Pentecost. Leading up to the Great Schism in 1054, the Western Latin (so-called) Catholic Church claimed papal infallibility, universal jurisdiction and introduced the filioque heresy into the Nicene Creed. The protestant reformers, whilst correct to point out the failings of the Western Latins, did not return to the True Church and instead created their own aberrant branches from the original aberrant branch.
I would highly recommend reading this free book (pdf version) which provides and Eastern Orthodox perspective:
I know you have previously stated that this model is “unbiblical”, but I would argue that Anarchy cannot work in practice because it is an unnatural form of governance. The natural order is for nested hierarchies develop, interlock and to build into a nation state – which is an interconnected web of extended family networks. Symphonia, whilst not perfect, is the best model for Church-State relations because it reflects the natural order established by God. In this model, the spiritual and temporal authorities work in harmony to uphold truth and justice. Unlike Christian anarchism, which rejects all state authority as inherently oppressive, symphonia recognizes that governance is divinely ordained (Romans 13:1) and that rulers, when guided by the Church, can serve as protectors of the faith and enforcers of moral order.
Without a righteous state working alongside the Church, society risks falling into chaos, heresy, and moral relativism, as history shows that secular or anarchic movements often lead to the persecution of Christianity rather than its flourishing. The emperor is a servant of God, responsible for defending his subjects and maintaining justice, while the Church ensures that state power remains aligned with divine law. Thus, symphonia upholds both spiritual integrity and societal stability. For example, the Emperor had the power to call an Ecumenical Council but could not interfere with decisions over doctrine, the delineation of authority were very clear.
Christian anarchism, by rejecting all earthly authority, ignores Christ’s own teaching that we must "render unto Caesar" (Matthew 22:21) and fails to provide a sustainable structure for a functioning society.
Nothing is perfect in this world, and we should not expect a utopia, but Symphonia is the model of governance that has provided the most just results though history.
P.S. I will also add that you didn’t mention Melchizedek who was a king-priest, the king of Salem, a model of righteous kingship.
I would like to thank my son Peter who sourced the core of this article - The meaning of Romans 13.
Thank you David and Peter....never again will any of my Christian friends revel in quoting scripture to me about obeying our evil government.
Thanks for this David - and Peter. The idea of believers being citizens of a different kingdom, not really part of this world, foreigners to it, has been a thread in the church for a long time particularly in anabaptists and the brethren. I’ve known Brethren who would not vote - why would you vote in elections for a foreign government?
Philippians 3:20
[20] But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ,
Romans 13 however was always a text that justified obeying the state as far as it follows Gods law. Your/Peter’s approach to it is helpful and I need to think it through. It certainly makes sense in the context of the rest of the letter.
I’ve been thinking recently about
Proverbs 14:34
[34]
Righteousness exalts a nation,
but sin is a reproach to any people.
Again this is usually thought to be about how states benefit from following godly principles. That is true as far as it goes but I think there is something bigger here. Human government is always flawed and always in the control of the Enemy - as you demonstrate in your essay. I’m thinking more here that the righteousness is the righteousness of Christ. There is none righteous no not one as it says in Isaiah/Romans. However the righteousness of Christ will exalt a nation….
1 Peter 2:9
[9] But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.
His righteousness exalts his people a new nation of his creation.
There are those who think that our nations can be redeemed, made righteous, and then exalted by God. They can’t be. They are lost and awaiting judgement. Our citizenship as believers is elsewhere we are subject to a different king. His righteousness exalts His people.
This is a great article David. Very grateful thanks to you and your son. The views expressed in your conclusion have been mine for some time, but you have articulated better than I (ever) could, a way that coherently makes sense of Romans 13. On the subject of the kingdoms of this world, especially democracy, I note that 'party spirit' is considered a work of the flesh (Gal 5:20 RSV), and that whenever voting takes place in the Scriptures, it leads to a negative outcome. Ie Saul casting his lot against Stephen, and the High Priest and his henchmen asking for a verdict (Mark 14:63-64).
We can't serve two masters. As a result of my firm beliefs in this area I have had my name removed from the voting register. There is only one king - a vote for Jesus is a vote for life.
Slante,
Ian
I agree with a lot of what is written in this article, however it is written from a very Western perspective. To put it bluntly, I believe that Western governments are inevitably ungodly because they are without the influence of the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church founded by Christ at Pentecost. Leading up to the Great Schism in 1054, the Western Latin (so-called) Catholic Church claimed papal infallibility, universal jurisdiction and introduced the filioque heresy into the Nicene Creed. The protestant reformers, whilst correct to point out the failings of the Western Latins, did not return to the True Church and instead created their own aberrant branches from the original aberrant branch.
I would highly recommend reading this free book (pdf version) which provides and Eastern Orthodox perspective:
https://traditiaortodoxa.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/vladimir-moss-the-mystery-of-christian-power.pdf
I know you have previously stated that this model is “unbiblical”, but I would argue that Anarchy cannot work in practice because it is an unnatural form of governance. The natural order is for nested hierarchies develop, interlock and to build into a nation state – which is an interconnected web of extended family networks. Symphonia, whilst not perfect, is the best model for Church-State relations because it reflects the natural order established by God. In this model, the spiritual and temporal authorities work in harmony to uphold truth and justice. Unlike Christian anarchism, which rejects all state authority as inherently oppressive, symphonia recognizes that governance is divinely ordained (Romans 13:1) and that rulers, when guided by the Church, can serve as protectors of the faith and enforcers of moral order.
Without a righteous state working alongside the Church, society risks falling into chaos, heresy, and moral relativism, as history shows that secular or anarchic movements often lead to the persecution of Christianity rather than its flourishing. The emperor is a servant of God, responsible for defending his subjects and maintaining justice, while the Church ensures that state power remains aligned with divine law. Thus, symphonia upholds both spiritual integrity and societal stability. For example, the Emperor had the power to call an Ecumenical Council but could not interfere with decisions over doctrine, the delineation of authority were very clear.
Christian anarchism, by rejecting all earthly authority, ignores Christ’s own teaching that we must "render unto Caesar" (Matthew 22:21) and fails to provide a sustainable structure for a functioning society.
Nothing is perfect in this world, and we should not expect a utopia, but Symphonia is the model of governance that has provided the most just results though history.
P.S. I will also add that you didn’t mention Melchizedek who was a king-priest, the king of Salem, a model of righteous kingship.