Vote & Engage: Romans 13 and the 3 Boxes of Liberty

February 13, 2020 Scott Jones

By Scott Jones

Romans 13 commands Christians to be subject to the governing authorities.

Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. Consequently, whoever rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves.[i]

(Romans 13: 1-2).

This passage is frequently invoked by pastors and laymen alike as an excuse to avoid civic and political activity. But what is the responsibility of an individual citizen of a republic when the government becomes oppressive?

Abolitionist Frederick Douglass said:

The limits of tyrants are prescribed by the endurance of those whom they oppress.[ii]

How then may Christians prescribe limits on tyrants and still obey Romans 13? This may be a difficult and controversial question for those living under monarchy or despotism, but for those of us blessed to live in a republic, there are satisfactory answers. To begin with, the Christian should be an advocate of the civil society. By civil society, I mean a society in which the individuals govern their own behavior in accordance with the “Laws of Nature and Natures’ God.”[iii]

As John Adams said,

Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the
government of any other.[iv]

The Founders designed the Constitution to permit the citizens to enjoy the maximum Liberty possible. This presumes that the citizens will govern their own behavior. Having recently experienced an Awakening, a revival of Christianity, in the colonies, the Founders believed that the Christian faith was the basis for the civil society on which the Constitution would rest.

Romans 13 agrees:

Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in
carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy. Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the flesh.[v]

(Romans 13: 13-14)

Citizens who behave decently need few laws to restrain their Liberty. The civil society is then the first restraint on despots who aspire to power to oppress their fellow citizens.

But what if despots succeed in attaining power? What does the Christian do about oppressive government? Must he simply accept it?

Frederick Douglass answers:

A man’s rights rests in three boxes: the ballot-box, the jury-box and the cartridge-box, and the man who is outside these boxes is in a bad box.[vi]

While Douglass asserts that armed resistance is appropriate, he also offers two other remedies.

First of all, the Ballot Box is the means by which the citizen of a republic exercises sovereignty over the government official. Christians should consider voting, not merely a privilege, but a solemn duty. The Ballot Box, exercised by an informed and moral citizenry, is the chief means of opposing despotism and protecting our God-given rights.

The Jury Box also provides a check on government. It provides the means by which citizens can assure that their fellows are not imprisoned unjustly. Furthermore, should the state enact unjust laws, the jury has the power to nullify those laws, providing additional protection from despots.

Christian citizens should be voting in every election for candidates that will support just and moral laws. They should also be gladly serving on juries, rather than regarding it as an inconvenience. Christians should also promote the civil society. Our society is in bad shape, largely because the Church has failed to raise a prophetic voice against the alternative worldviews that seek to supplant the Biblical worldview as the basis for our culture. Promotion of the civil society starts in the schools, which need to be teaching Biblical morality, American history, civics, and government.

So, Christian, if you fear violating Romans 13, you must be busy now -
Promoting the civil society;
Voting in every election
Serving on juries; and
Reforming the schools.

If we do this well, we should not have to reach for the cartridge.

_________________________________________________________________________________________

[ii] https://www.brainyquote.com/authors/frederick-douglass-quotes

[iii] Declaration of Independence

[iv] https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/john_adams_391045

[vi] https://quoteinvestigator.com/2018/04/09/ballot/