:: in.a.mirror.dimly ::

Continuing my meditations on the book of Romans…

Obedience to God is the foundation for all obedience to government, and so the order of allegiances is established here. Living in peace and obeying laws seems to be the focus—a balance where God comes first but law and order are still maintained. Rather than providing a blueprint for all Christian involvement in government, this passage addresses extremist who may use their allegiance to the Kingdom of God to justify revolt or the violation of laws.

We dare not take Paul’s command to submit to authorities as a tacit endorsement of all governments or all governmental policies. At the same time, Christians must wrestle with the necessity of obeying governmental authorities while committing to challenge injustice and immorality in their governments.

For the Romans, who are told to love one another with affection, honoring one another, they are once again reminded to love their neighbors as they would themselves. This seems to also satisfy the obedience required under the government, if not with all people.

Paul’s final reason for living in righteousness is the expectation of God’s coming salvation. Time is running out, so stay in step with God, living in his light rather than the darkness of evil deeds. Instead of letting their sinful natures control their minds, they are told to let Christ take control. he will lead them to righteousness and goodness.

Putting on the Lord Jesus Christ carries the sense of playing a role or assuming a part. Left to their own devices the Romans may leave debts outstanding, fail to love one another, or live in slavery to their immoral desires. In claiming their identity under the Lordship of Christ they are choosing to live in God’s light, which will soon come to define all of time and space. By putting on Christ they are claiming the resurrection power he has over sin as explained in Romans 6-8.

Whether in public or in Christian community the Romans should not let financial, relational, or sinful debts remain. They have a new identity in Christ. 

The recent hullabaloo surrounding certain members of Obama’s cabinet reminds me of a blog post I wrote back in September or so. It was at the peak of Sarah Palin’s popularity, and man, was I freaking out.

In a moment of sanity, I realized that, to a certain extent, it doesn’t matter who becomes president. With Obama, we have a brilliant man with an unmatched sense of humor and what appears to be the best of intentions paired up with terrible tools, limited options, and a culture of corruption.

It’s nearly impossible to change a culture shaped by lobbying and bribery. I think Obama will do some good things, but at the end of the day, the priorities of America do not match the agenda driving the Kingdom of God.

The church needs to get our Resident Aliens A-Game on, taking on the challenge of Hauerwas and Willimon to live as if everything begins and ends with Jesus. Our political parties are not the answer. We shouldn’t be surprised when politicians let us down. What should surprise us is when the Spirit-filled people of God surrender God’s Kingdom vision for the shabby visions shaped by political parties.