Romans 13:4b - The Government and the Sword

Romans 13:4b - But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God's wrath on the wrongdoer.

Message: The government's vocation is to carry the sword (badge) and execute God's wrath on the wrongdoer.

Time: Written in AD 57 from Greece, to the Christians, both Gentile and Jewish in Rome

What the Lord is Saying:


Doing wrong
It seems that the primary role of government--found here in these verses--is to uphold good. The Scripture says, "but if you do wrong, be afraid." We must uphold the rules of our society and if we do wrong in our own accord, we should not be surprised of the penalty. This is the essence of these verses. Yet, we are not to submit to the government when they uphold terror or do things that are contrary to the word of God.

The sword or badge
The passage also says, "for he does not bear the sword in vain." The sword in this verse is similar to a badge that a sheriff would wear. The badge is emblematic, informing people of the authority of the person wearing it. Now I remember watching movies--westerns--where the sheriffs wore this badge and yet was on the side of evil. That was one of the tensions in the movie. And this is a tension in life sometimes because we half to decipher what good and evil are.

The tension in our society today
This issue of homosexuality and gay marriage is something that is difficult to decipher. Our government is moving more and more toward a leadership that upholds this as good. And yet, at one level, what they are intending to do or the outcome is often one of fairness by simply allowing the citizens to share in the benefits, such as tax benefits, afforded other married people. So on the one hand that doesn't appear to be something that is evil. But in so doing it communicates a message of approving the citizens choice for these unnatural relationships.

So the government that we are commanded to uphold now in these verses is moving more and more toward upholding things that conflict with the Bible (and yet there is even discussion now that these verses have different meaning today). In some ways right and wrong, 100 years ago, was more clearly defined. But now with the ever increasing rights of each person and the affirmation of the individuality of each person, the application of this verse seems to get tougher.

People should see the badge or the sword and its authority and desire to keep the law just by that viewing of authority, even if there was no other motive.

Exacting vengeance
In verse 4, it states that the one who is in authority is "the servant of God, and avenger who carries out God's wrath on the wrongdoer." The Scripture says, "vengeance is Mine, declares the Lord" and yet God appoints government to carry out wrath on the wrongdoer. But now in this world in which right and wrong becomes more blurry, men start not seeing the government carrying out wrath on the wrongdoer but instead see the need to do it themselves.

I see this type of thinking present everywhere. I see this in movies when a father's child is kidnapped and rather than waiting for the government/law/police he wants to take matters into his own hands and the movie often even paints the picture that if the person would have waited for the law the matter would not have resolved and life would not have been spared. I see this in my job when a coworker does something that I don't like, rather than waiting for my boss to do something, I take vengeance into my own hands. Why do I do this? Often it is because (1) I am inpatient and don't want to wait for my boss, (2) but it is also because my boss does not execute vengeance in the manner in which I want it done. I see this in life when a courts decision is not to punish an offender because they get off on a technicality and so people take the matter into their own hands. Recently, there has been an eruption of police officers getting shot because the courts did not execute vengeance upon these officers in the way the people wanted and so "an Oxbow Incident" erupts.

It is interesting because I even see this in the TV shows that we watch. I see this in shows like Hawaii 5O, a special task force is assigned by the governor, and this task force often carries out wrath on the wrongdoer in ways that are not in line with the laws, but we like it because the person is 'getting what they deserve.' Chicago PD is another show that does this because criminals with the use of lawyers and their inalienable rights have figured out how to get around the law so the Chicago PD officers threaten or use excessive violence in order to save a person. It is subtle but authority is continually being compromised.

Conclusion
And so being a Christian and upholding these verses makes us look even more backwards to society and our peers. Reading and studying God's word is a challenge. How much more do we need the fellowship with one another, the talking about these verses and prayer.

Promise: God's promise and his plan is correct. The state is to uphold good and carry out wrath on the wrongdoer.