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. (Romans 13:1-2)

Rome Was Not A Democracy

The New Testament Christian lived in a world governed by an oppressive government that ruled with an iron fist, with little patience for any departure from what they established as law. When Jesus was a young child, Herod the Great sent his troops into the small village of Bethlehem and killed every male child two years and under. There were no marches of protest or mobs storming the citadel in Jerusalem demanding justice, only the crushed families whose children were murdered left grieving. The son of Herod the Great, Herod Antipas, had a preacher beheaded at the behest of his wife. John the Baptist had told Herod he had no right to be married to Herodias, whom he had taken from his brother, Philip. There was no investigation into the death of John. The prophet died because of the whim of a young girl, prodded by her evil mother.

The gospel writer Luke mentions an event where Pilate, the Roman governor of Judea, had killed many Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. Pilate attacked a group of Galileans while they were offering sacrifices. Jesus confirmed the story when He used it as an example of humanity’s injustice against others. Pilate was not questioned about his actions, nor was a committee formed to verify the facts. Everyone knew what Pilate had done, but there was nothing to be said or done. It would be Jesus who would bring Pilate and Herod together when the Jews got the Son of God before Roman law to be killed.

The Romans had a prominent legal system that, in many ways, ensured justice to their citizens. Even the Jews had a system of justice for their people. Both Roman and Jewish laws were eviscerated because of intense hatred and envy. The Jewish leadership brought Jesus before the Sanhedrin, accusing Him of blasphemy. Nearly every law of the Jewish and Roman legal system was broken as the Jews rushed Jesus before the Sanhedrin in the middle of the night and then to Pilate seeking the death penalty. Pilate knew Jesus was innocent and tried to free him, but with little concern or effort. Hoping Herod would take the blame for the case of Jesus, Pilate gladly sent the man of Nazareth to the king. Jesus refused to speak, and Herod sent Jesus back to Pilate. Caving under pressure from a maddened mob of people crying out, “Crucify Him, crucify Him,” Pilate released Jesus into the hands of his Roman soldiers.

An innocent man stood before a garrison of soldiers who treated their victim with the worst indignities. They beat Jesus nearly to death before forcing Him to bear His cross to a place of execution. No mercy was given. The soldiers nailed Jesus to a cross and watched Him die. After His death, two local citizens claimed the body and buried the man from Nazareth. There were no inquiries into the injustice of killing an innocent man or mobs storming the palaces of Pilate and Herod. Later, the Romans would look the other way as a mob of Jews took Stephen outside the city and stoned him to death. They would continue to be uninterested in the actions of Saul of Tarsus, who used the power given him by the Jewish council to arrest men and women, committing them to prison and breathing out threats and murder against a religious group because they believed Jesus was the Son of God. No one protested the injustice done against the early church.

Persecution would come from the Roman government against the church, and it was all legal. Untold numbers of people were tortured and killed because they held to the belief that Jesus Christ was the Savior of the world. For nearly two hundred years, the hand of injustice would claim the lives of thousands of saints. Rome was not a democracy, and there was nothing anyone could do. The saints quietly kept faith in the word of God and the hope of eternal life. And this is the government Paul wrote about that citizens of the kingdom of God should obey and honor.

As Peter told his persecutors, the early Christians knew their allegiance was to God first, but they were citizens of Rome, and they subjected themselves to every ordinance. Jesus taught His disciples that they must render to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what is required. It does not matter what kind of political foundation the Christian lives in; they obey God first, but they subject themselves to the rule of government. This includes corrupt governments, dictators, and despots. Disobedience to government is disobedience to God. Disrespecting leaders is disobedience to God. Be thankful you do not live in the Roman Empire.