Table of Duties: Secular Authorities

Sermon for Midweek of Reminiscere – Lent 2

Small Catechism Review: The Table of Duties

As we consider our duties in the world as Christians, we sometimes speak of the two kingdoms and the three estates. There are the kingdoms of this world, on the one hand, with their rulers and with their rules, and there is the kingdom of heaven on the other hand. Jesus, for example, recognized the authority of Pontius Pilate as a ruler of this world. As He said as He stood before Him, You could have no power at all against Me unless it had been given you from above. At the same time, Jesus said, You are right in saying that I am King. My kingdom is not of this world. God is the true King over both these kingdoms, the One who rules them both and establishes their authority, as Jesus is called in the book of Revelation, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler over the kings of the earth.

Then we speak of the three estates where God has established duties for His children, either as authorities in the estates or as those under authority. We speak of the ecclesiastical estate, that is, the Church, which we talked about last week; the domestic estate, that is, the home, which we’ll talk about next week; and then there’s the civil or secular estate, that is, the kingdoms and governments and civil affairs of this world. That civil estate is our brief focus this evening.

Where do secular authorities come from? Well, they may come from a line of kings, going back generations. Or they may be elected. Or they may be conquerors or emperors or dictators. God’s Word has not set up any specific or any ideal form of government. But ultimately, the estate of “ruler” and the rulers themselves come from God, as Paul writes to the Romans, there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God.

God raises up earthly kingdoms and earthly rulers to carry out certain purposes for this life: 1) To preserve a degree of order in the world, mainly so that His Gospel can go out and reach the people of every nation. 2) To judge between the righteous and the unrighteous, because God knew that sinners of all times would need to be forced to work together and to get along with one another, or else chaos and anarchy and untamed violence would erupt, as it did in the days leading up to the Flood. 3) To reward people for good behavior, because, by nature, we need some incentive to do good. 4) To deter bad behavior, because, by nature, we all look out for number one. 5) To protect the innocent, who will always fall prey to the violent and to the conniving or there is no check on the wickedness of the wicked. And 6) To punish the guilty, even God’s own people when they rebel against Him, as Israel did time and time again during the Old Testament period.

The tools of the secular authorities are laws, and certain tools to enforce those laws. Threats of punishment. Fines. Imprisonment. Physical violence. Even the death penalty, as it says in the passage from Romans 13: those who resist will bring judgment on themselves. For the authority does not bear the sword in vain; for he is God’s minister, an avenger to execute wrath on him who practices evil.

Whether or not the secular authorities acknowledge God and seek to do His will, He uses them and guides and governs them. He did it with Pharaoh in Egypt. He did it with the nations that Israel confronted on their way to the Promised Land. He did it with the Assyrians and the Babylonians and the Medes and Persians and the Greeks and the Romans, as we’re learning about in our study on the Book of Daniel. The Lord remains King over the kings of the earth, and they carry out His purposes, wittingly, or more often unwittingly. Rulers do not have to be Christians to serve as God’s ministers of justice in the world.

Meanwhile, God has given His Christian people certain duties to fulfill with regard to the secular authorities, as outlined in the Bible passage from Romans 13 cited by Luther in the Table of Duties.

Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves.

Our duty as Christians is to be subject to the governing authorities. Now, that’s not quite as simple as it sounds, because you have various levels of authority, and maybe even competing authorities. State government? Federal government? Local government? And how far does their authority extend? Are citizens to submit to every whim of everyone who holds the office of “ruler”? Not necessarily.

What’s clear is that we are not to “resist” the authorities, that is, stand against them or rebel against them. As it affects most areas in our everyday life, it is the Christian’s duty to submit, to obey, and not to resist authority. We are not to have the reputations of hooligans or of lawbreakers, or of people who are trying to bring down the government, or as those who believe we answer to no one. Instead, we are to have the reputation of obedient citizens who honor those who govern us. And we are to be known as those who practice good and not evil.

So much more could be said about our duty as Christian citizens to the secular authorities, but these midweek services are only meant to serve as a general review of our Christian duties. Where you have failed to do your duties, where I have failed to do mine, let us repent and look to Christ, who fulfilled His duties perfectly and gladly, including His duty to His Father to suffer and die for our sins. Throughout this Lenten season, let us keep our eyes fixed on Jesus fulfilling all His blessed duties for us, so that we have all the motivation we need for fulfilling our duties to Him. Amen.