Aug. 24, 2025

Series: Transformed   8-24-25

HONORING THE LAW OF THE LAND 

(Romans 13:1-7)

Romans 12:1-16 Loving Believers Inside the church.

Romans 12:17-13:7 Loving Unbelievers Outside the church. 

         (Maintaining a Good Witness)

Romans 13:8-14 Loving those Inside & Outside the church.

HOW TO HONOR THE LAW OF THE LAND: 

(without betraying the Trust of God)

1. Recognize that government is _________________ by God.

Romans 13:1 (ESV) ¹ Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God.

• Government is a system God instituted to execute _______________.

Romans 13:2 (ESV) ² Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed (instituted, ordained), and those who resist will incur judgment.

“Resist” (antitássō) - “antí” against and “tássō” to arrange. To set an army in array against, to arrange in battle order. (Assembling a Rebellion)

“Resist” (anthístēmi) - “antí” against and “hístēmi” to stand. To stand against, resist, whether in word or deed.

• Resisting Government = Resisting ________!

2. Recognize government exists to execute _______________.

Romans 13:3–4 (NLT) ³ For the authorities do not strike fear in people who are doing right, but in those who are doing wrong. Would you like to live without fear of the authorities? Do what is right, and they will honor you. ⁴ The authorities are God’s servants, sent for your good. But if you are doing wrong, of course you should be afraid, for they have the power to punish you. They are God’s servants, sent for the very purpose of punishing those who do what is wrong.

• Government’s role is to execute justice as God’s _______________!
• Christians’ role is to “love your _______________”! (Romans 12-13)

3. Recognize how we relate to government, reflects our 

________________________ to God.

Romans 13:5 ⁵ Therefore, it is necessary (a spiritual or moral necessity) to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also as a matter of conscience. 

       “Submit” (hupotássō) - hupó under, and tássō to place in order. To place under in an

              orderly fashion. (Passive voice: you allow yourself to be placed under authority)

• When the law is right, Christians obey it; if the government interferes with conscience, then the Christian obeys  ____________ rather than men.

Acts 4:18–21 (ESV-NIV) ¹⁸ So they called them and charged them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. ¹⁹ But Peter and John answered them, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge, ²⁰ As for us, we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard.” ²¹ And when they had further threatened them, they let them go, 

Acts 5:28–29 (ESV) ²⁸ “We strictly charged you not to teach in this name, yet here you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching, and you intend to bring this man’s blood upon us.” ²⁹ But Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than men.

4. Recognize government is ordained to provide 

________________ through taxes.

Romans 13:6–7 ⁶ This is also why you pay taxes, for the authorities are God’s servants, who give their full time to governing. ⁷ Give to everyone what you owe them: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor.

• If we don’t pay our taxes, we show disrespect to the law, the officials, and the ____________.

OUR RESPONSIBILITY TO GOVERNMENT:

1.) ___________________! 

• No matter who you voted for, as a Christian, you now know who you need to ____________ for!

• You can do more than pray after you’ve prayed; but you can’t do anything more until you’ve ____________.

2.) ___________________!

• Pay all my taxes & claim _______ my deductions!

• Tax evasion is wrong; tax avoidance is ok!

• Getting all the deductions you can is ____________ stewardship!

Did Jesus say anything about paying taxes?

Luke 19:47–48 ⁴⁷ Every day he was teaching at the temple. But the chief priests, the teachers of the law… were trying to kill him. ⁴⁸ Yet they could not find any way to do it, because all the people hung on his words. 

Luke 20:20–22 ²⁰ Keeping a close watch on him, they sent spies, who pretended to be sincere. They hoped to catch Jesus in something he said, so that they might hand him over to the power and authority of the governor. ²¹ So the spies questioned him… ^22 “Is it right for us to pay taxes to Caesar or not?” 

Luke 20:23–25 ²³ He saw through their craftiness and said to them, ²⁴ “Show me a denarius. Whose image and inscription are on it?” “Caesar’s,” they replied. ²⁵ He said to them, “Then give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.”

3.) OBEY!  (Sometimes, in a Non-Compliant Way)

• We owe obedience, but not _________________ obedience!

Philippians 3:20 But our citizenship is in heaven. 

THE NONCOMPLIANT LENSE OF LOVE

       Question: Can I have a submissive attitude to the government and still disobey an ungodly law?

        Answer: Yes but be willing to suffer the consequences of __________ it!

~ PETER & JOHN in Acts, = “We must obey God rather than men.”

~ SHADRACK, MESHAK & ABEDNEGO = wouldn’t eat sacrificed foods!

~ DANIEL = Not bowing down 

~ NEHEMIAH = Risked be executed being sad before King Artaxerxes!

• We are to influence our government whenever _________________!

Acts 1:15 In those days Peter stood up among the believers (a group numbering about a hundred and twenty). 

Acts 17:6 (NASB) ⁶ shouting, “These men who have upset the world have come here also”