November 2004 chaplain's corner
The Chaplain's Corner is a monthly message for chaplains.
Rev.
Rich Hines
Chaplains Must Teach Submission To God Ordained Authority
This message is prepared especially for those in the United States who call
upon the name of Jesus Christ as their own Lord and Savior from sin, and serve
as a chaplain in a jail, prison or a follow-up ministry such as a rescue
mission.
All Scripture quotes are taken from the New King James Version (NKJV),
copyright 1979,1980,1982 by Thomas Nelson Inc. Used by
permission. All rights reserved. When quoting a text, any
deviation from the NKJV text is within parenthesis signs ( ). These
usually occur as direct translations from the original languages,
or as notes from the original setting, to help apply the text to today's
culture. ALL CAPITAL LETTERS are sometimes used to emphasize a text, or a
comment about the text.
This month rather than my normal "Thanksgiving Message," I want to
address the subject of teaching inmates submission to authority, in particular,
to THE AUTHORITIES in the facility. For sure, one of the things we ought to
constantly thank God for is that He has set up society so that there are
governing authorities. Without them, we would have total chaos.
As you and your staff give Biblical instruction to inmates you must teach them
God wants them to submit to all God ordained human authority. Understand that
for most inmates, this is hard to hear and apply. Apart from the cursed human
sinful nature all of us enter the world with, most inmates have been even more
conditioned than others to despise authority, and become an authority unto themselves.
In the true criminal mind, lack of submission to authority usually began at a
very early age. It continued unchecked, and was maybe even encouraged, until
they committed their first crime. Statements from young children such as
"You're not the boss of me, you can't tell me what to do!" are not
cute and need to be dealt with and corrected by God ordained authority,
immediately.
Additionally, when a person never learns to truly submit to human authorities,
they will always have problems submitting to God's authority.
On this subject of submission to authority I want to deal with two main texts,
1 Peter 2:11-20 and Romans 13:1-7. The emphasis of each passage is different,
though the instruction to submit to the authorities,
is the same.
In 1 Peter, the emphasis for true Christians is SO THAT THEY WOULD BE A GOOD
TESTIMONY to a watching society of what it means to be Christ's true follower.
In Romans the emphasis is BECAUSE BEFORE GOD IT IS RIGHT. To say it another
way, Peter tells us to submit BECAUSE MEN ARE WATCHING, Paul tells us to submit
mainly BECAUSE GOD IS WATCHING.
Before I go any further I want to stress exactly what the concept in both
passages of being subject or being in submission to the civil authorities
means. The same basic word is used in four places in these two passages, (1
Pet.2:13,17; Rom.13:1,5) and it comes from a military term meaning to RANK
YOURSELF UNDER THE AUTHORITY of another, to be ready to OBEY THE ORDERS OF A
SUPERIOR.
1 Peter 2:11-20 (written about 65 AD)
11 Beloved, I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts
which war against the soul,
12 having your conduct honorable among the Gentiles, that when they speak
against you as evildoers (the common word for criminals), they may, by your
good works which they observe, glorify God in the day of visitation.
13 THEREFORE SUBMIT YOURSELVES TO every ordinance ( or, created law) of man for
the Lord's sake,
Verses 11,12 are noteworthy because of their relationship to the command to
submit to the civil law in verse 13, which begins with the word
"Therefore." That word looks back at what verses 11,12
said. Christians are to see themselves as they really are, "sojourners and
pilgrims." Those words mean the followers of Christ are those who dwell
beside others as resident aliens. Truly, God's children are citizens of a
foreign country - HEAVEN, and they are temporarily left here on earth to dwell
beside the earthlings as representatives of the
More importantly, believers are to abstain from FLESHLY LUSTS that wage war and
strategize against what they really want to do in the new man of their heart.
Saved people want by good deeds to be attractive for God, so that others would
also come to believe in Christ. THEREFORE, they are to be in submission and
subjection to the laws of man. From the flow here it's obvious that one of the
fleshly lusts that would make a believer a bad testimony is that lust or desire
of the flesh that wants to FIGHT AGAINST AUTHORITY.
I want to relate a true incident that illustrates this fleshly trait. Years
ago, when we were still living in
"Eschew Authority!" could be taken as a political sentiment, but
"blank-blank-blank-blank-blank Guilt"
goes farther and suggests rebellion against God's moral standards.
Praise God, in time both the husband and wife did repent and believe and begin
to follow Christ. As she continued to follow Christ, her heart changed and
those stickers came off! Inmate's hearts need to be changed on this issue too!
As soon as possible after they've made a profession of faith in Christ for His
salvation, they need to be taught and challenged on this issue.
The passage continues in verse 13, 14 and makes no doubt about who believers are to be in submission to.
13 ... whether to the king as supreme,
14 or to GOVERNERS (not just elected Governors like each of our 50 US States
has, but LAW OFFICERS), as to those who are SENT BY HIM (that is sent by the
Lord) for the punishment of evildoers and for the praise of those who do good.
From this verse and others in Romans 13:1,4,6; teach
the inmates that the corrections officers and jailers, even the unsaved ones,
are God's servants in the role they are to perform!
The passage continues in verses 15-17, and again stresses the importance of
being a good testimony before a watching world.
15 For this is the will of God, that BY DOING GOOD YOU MAY PUT TO SILENCE the
ignorance of foolish men-
16 as free, yet not using liberty as a cloak for vice, (like supporting a riot
against the correctional authorities) but as bondservants of God.
17 Honor all people. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the king. (The Holy
Spirit gave Peter these words to write WHILE NERO was still Emperor, and was
wrongly blaming Christians for the great fire that destroyed most of
Next the Holy Spirit through Peter spoke to those under extra authority,
besides the authority of the civil government, in verses 18-20.
18 Servants, (literally, "house slaves") be SUBMISSIVE to your
masters with all fear,
Inmates, by their crimes and sentence, have placed themselves as slaves under
masters. They then must be obedient to their masters, who while incarcerated,
are the correctional officers. They also must do what they are told WITH
RESPECT to their masters - the officers the government has put over them, for
that's the sense of "be submissive to your masters with all fear."
Interestingly He (the Holy Spirit through Peter) continues:
18 ... not only to the good and gentle, but also to the harsh.
As you and your partners in ministry teach these verses to inmates, point out
that God knows and will hold responsible all human authorities that are harsh.
Remind them that Christ subjected Himself to sinful human officers of the law
who went out of their way to abuse and mock Him, yet, the very first thing He
said after being crucified was a prayer for them! "Father, forgive them,
for they do not know what they do." (Luke 23:33,34)
He even prayed that prayer as they were gambling for His clothing.
As 1 Peter 2 closes the Apostle even reminds his readers of the example of
Christ (verses 21-23).
"...Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, ... who, when He
was reviled, (by officers of the law) did not revile in return; when He
suffered, He did not threaten, but kept on committing Himself to Him who judges
righteously;"
And in verses 19, 20 he again taught that believers who suffer wrongfully at
the hands of the authorities are a good testimony, and are seen as favorable by
God.
19 For this is commendable, if because of conscience
toward God one endures grief, suffering wrongfully.
20 For what credit is it if, when you are beaten for your faults, you take it
patiently? But when you do good and suffer, if you
take it patiently, this is commendable (favorable, seen as beautiful) before
God
Earlier I said these passages identify officers of the law, as God's servants
in the role they perform. What was written in 1 Peter 2:14 about rulers
including correctional authorities, being "sent" by God is further
amplified in Romans 13, verses 1, 4, and 6.
Romans 13:1 says the authorities are appointed by God, verse 4 twice calls them
"God's minister," and then again verse 6 reiterates they are God's
ministers (literally, public servants).
Romans 13:1-7 (was written in 57-58 AD)
According to verse 1 "... there is no authority except from God." I
mention this because it's important to note that all human authority IS DERIVED
FROM GOD and His plan, rather than BEING INTRINSIC WITHING THE INDIVIDUAL IN
AUTHORITY.
Rulers are to follow and uphold God's moral standards for society. Their
authority then is not to be based on who they are within themselves
intrinsically, or simply according to personal whims. Part of what this means
is that anytime anyone is in any authoritative role, they represent God's
ultimate authority and are THEREFORE ACCOUNTABLE TO HIM for how they ruled or
exercised that God given authority.
Sinful abuse of authority will be judged by God (See Isaiah 5:20-24).
In the Bible the harshest words of judgment from God were always for those who
abused SPIRITUAL AUTHORITY, and MISREPRESENTED GOD AND HIS WAY. To God, that's
even worse than any abuse of military, political, parental or other social
authority (see Jeremiah 23:9-40; Matthew 23:13-36). So, before God, a bad chaplain
who misrepresents God's truth is even worse than an occasional evil corrections
officer or administrator!
Furthermore, Romans 13:1 sets the main point of the passage before the reader.
1 Let every soul (or life) BE SUBJECT TO the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, AND THE AUTHORITIES THAT
EXIST ARE APPOINTED (have been ordained, i.e. placed) BY GOD.
Throughout history people have had to grapple with this truth, especially when
the human head of state was an evil, dictatorial sinful man. The Holy Spirit
gave Paul these words to write WHILE NERO was Emperor! But
God never makes a mistake and all things are working together to bring about
His perfect plan.
So the MAIN POINT IS that HUMAN GOVERNORS ARE PART OF GOD'S WILL for the
inhabitants of political realms. The first sub-point comes in verse 2.
2 Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God (that
which God has decreed as a law), and those who resist will bring judgment on
themselves.
In other words, FIGHT AGAINST THE GOD-ORDAINED RULE OF GOVERNMENT AND YOU ARE
FIGHTING AGAINST THE LAW OF GOD, so sure JUDGMENT FROM GOD can be the only
ultimate outcome.
Verses 3 and 4 go a bit further and put a human face on it. That face is the
officer of the human government's law, and yes that also means the correctional
officer when he is officially discharging his job to uphold and enforce the
law.
3 For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to
evil. Do you want to be unafraid of the authority? Do what is good, and you
will have praise from the same.
4 For he is God's minister to you for good. But if you do evil, be afraid; for
he does not bear the sword in vain; for he is God's minister (or servant, the
word is literally, "deacon" a table waiter serving up God's justice),
an avenger to execute wrath on him who practices evil.
By the way, in relation to "an avenger to execute wrath," near the
end of verse 4, the phrase "bear the sword" refers to the officer's
right to use it to slay offenders. That actually happened by means of swords in
the first century Roman world.
This right is part of the "teeth" of the God-ordained plan for human
government. After 20 centuries, God has not annulled this right. So we come to
the final sub-point of the passage in verses 5-7
5 Therefore YOU (believers) MUST BE SUBJECT, not only because of wrath but also
for conscience' sake.
6 For because of this you also pay taxes, for they are God's ministers (public
servants) attending continually to this very thing.
7 Render therefore to all their due: taxes to whom taxes are due, customs to
whom customs, fear to whom fear, honor to whom honor.
Believers especially MUST SUBJECT THEMSELVES UNDER THE CIVIL AUTHORITIES RULES.
Obedience to this principle is supported by two great motivating facts in the
text of verse 5, the wrathful JUDGMENT (wrath) of God, and a CONSCIENCE that as
a Christian, you want to be a good testimony.
By way of testimony believers are to pay their taxes, realizing they are in
part going to provide for a police force that serves God's plan of order and
justice in society. Along with paying taxes and tolls (customs, verse 7)
believers are to hold in respect and honor all public officials.
As stated earlier, inmate culture finds these teachings offensive and wants to
reject them. But, God changes hearts. And that heart that is truly,
miraculously changed to love what it once hated, is a
testimony to the inmate that God is SUPERNATURALLY at work within them.
As you and your assistants teach Romans 13:1-7, carefully
remind them from Rom.13:2, "whoever resists" the God-ordained
"authority" in effect resists God. Most inmates I've talked to over
the years don't really want to do that.
In closing I need to bring out one more biblical truth. There is ONE EXCEPTION
in God's word to obeying the laws of the governing authorities. When the law of the land orders Christians to DISOBEY GOD, then and only
then are they to DISOBEY THAT SPECIFIC HUMAN LAW.
The religious authorities (backed by Roman political and military power)
ordered the early Christians to stop preaching about Jesus, and forbade them to
even mention His name. The Spirit filled Apostles answered in Acts 5:29
"We ought to obey God rather than men."
After further being told by those same authorities not to speak in the name of
Jesus, Acts 5:42 says "and daily in the temple
and in every house, they did not cease teaching and preaching Jesus as the
Christ."
Then, later in the first and early second century,
Dear Chaplain, may God bless your ministry of His word to the inmates and
staff.
Rich Hines - Minister To Chaplains,
"for the word of God and for the testimony of Jesus Christ"