What is your attitude towards authority - particularly as exercised by national and local government? Perhaps it can be summed up by this story told by Michael Otterstatter:

A government surveyor brought his surveying equipment to a farm to do some work for the state and county by which he was employed. He knocked on the farmhouse door and asked the farmer for permission to go into one of his fields and take some readings. The farmer had no time for state or county officials so he refused to give the man permission to work in any of his fields. He thought that maybe the government was going to take some of his land for a public project. “I will not give you permission to go onto my land!” said the farmer. The surveyor then produced an official government document that authorized him to do the survey. “I have the authority,” he said, “to enter any field in the entire country to do my work.” Faced with the authority of the county, state, and federal government the farmer unwillingly opened the gate and allowed the surveyor to enter one of his fields. The farmer then went to the far end of the field and opened another gate, through which one of his fiercest bulls came charging. Seeing the bull, the surveyor dropped his equipment and began to run for his life. The farmer shouted after him, “Show him that paper, show him your authority.”

Most of us have a lot of that farmer in us! Our sinful nature resists the government's control from ignoring the speed limit to dismissing health and safety regulations; from drink driving to avoiding tax payments.

I will deal with Paul's surprising instructions under three headings: The provision of authority, the purpose of authority and the partnership with authority.

(1) The Provision of Authority. Everyone must submit 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, he that rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves. v1and2.

I have five observations to make on these two verses:

(1) An expression of God's common grace.

God, himself, has put men and women in authority over us. The authorities that exist have been established by God. v1.

National leaders may have acquired authority by force of arms, inheritance or popular choice but none the less, in Paul's opinion, they hold their position by the will of God. This is borne out by the words of Jesus to Pilate during his trial: "You would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above." Jn19v11.

The reason national leaders are a feature of God's common grace is that the alternative is awful to contemplate. If no one has authority over us the result is anarchy, lawlessness and the survival of the strongest.

As a school teacher I witnessed what happened when a teacher lacked authority. The poor teacher's lessons become one continuous riot. The general mayhem was not conducive to learning.

The first requirement of any teacher is the maintenance of order. This can only be achieved as the teacher asserts his authority. This week I went to see one of my old pupils. Now I wasn't the sweetest tempered of teachers and could be rather coarse but my rather prim and proper old student appreciated the fact that I was strict and wouldn't let the naughty boys get away with anything. She liked it that I sorted out the boys who gave her a hard time!

There are many instances of what happens when a situation arises like that in the time of the Judges: In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as he saw fit. Jd17v6.

Shocking lawlessness occurred:

• During the French revolution.

• On the American frontier until the forces of law and order caught up with the expansion of settlement. For a time lynch law prevailed.

It still occurs in Somalia and the Congo. In both these countries the national leadership is too weak to exercise authority and they must be among the very worst places to live on earth.

The main purpose of those in authority is to establish and uphold the rule of law, thereby providing protection, security and justice for their citizens. Without this, life is not worth living.

(b) Submission to the authorities is not optional.

Christians are obliged to submit to their political leaders because they are established by God. If we rebel we are: Rebelling against what God has instituted. v2.

Paul did not provide ANY grounds for rebelling against the rulers of the day. In this respect he was very unlike the Jewish Zealots of the time. The so called Dagger Men were in almost continuous revolt against the Romans - assassinating collaborators, wrecking public buildings and burning crops. They were terrorists or freedom fighters according to your point of view. They have many modern day counterparts. According to Paul terrorist activity is not justified.

It is not as though Paul was writing in a time when Christianity was tolerated. Nero was on the throne and instigated a period of violent persecution of Christians. An arrested Christian might be torn to pieces by dogs, crucified, or made into a human torch and set afire at night. In spite of these atrocities Paul did not advocate rebellion. Nor is he alone in advocating submission to the authorities. Peter does the same in 1Pet2v13to17.

It seems to me unlikely that Christians are ever justified in mounting an armed revolt against their leaders. It is certainly very uncommon for them to do so. One example is the English Civil War and, perhaps, another is the American Civil War.

Young David was one of those who refused to rebel against God's appointed leader, king Saul. Even though he was anointed by Samuel to be the next king of Israel he took no action to depose Saul. On two occasions he had the opportunity to kill Saul but each time he spared him. It is worth quoting what David said on the second occasion he had Saul at his mercy: "Don't destroy him! Who can lay a hand on the LORD's anointed and be guiltless? As surely as the LORD lives, the LORD himself will strike him; either his time will come and he will die, or he will go into battle and perish. But the LORD forbid that I should lay a hand on the LORD's anointed." 1Sam26v9to11.

According to Paul, David's example is the one to follow.

(c) God is able.

David realised the God is able to deliver his own without mounting an armed revolt against the authorities. There are several instances of this in the Bible:

• God delivered the Israelites from slavery in Egypt.

• God delivered the Jews from genocide in the reign of the Persian king XerXes through the peaceful intervention of Esther.

• God raised up Cyrus king of Persia who allowed the Jews to return to their own land from exile in Babylon.

God has worked wonders just as great in my life time:

• Eastern European countries have been freed from Soviet Russian domination and communism.

• The Soviet Union fragmented peacefully and the Soviet Republics were set free.

• Apartheid in South Africa came to an end with relatively little bloodshed.

• The Burmese military rulers seem willing for the introduction of democracy.

• The Christian church in China is by and large no longer intimidated and persecuted by the authorities.

(d) The consequences of disobeying God.

When God is unheeded and violent blood revolutions takes place Paul claims that the instigators bring judgment on themselves.

One very good example of this was Jeroboam's revolt that divided the kingdom into Judea and Israel. No good came of this. Israel was bedevilled by palace coups, political instability and idolatry. In the end the 10 tribes of the Northern Kingdom were taken by the Assyrians into captivity and vanished without trace.

Cromwell and his Puritans did not pay much attention to Paul's teaching when they rebelled against Charles 1st. It would be very interesting to examine the extent to which Puritanism gained or lost by the revolt. At the time of the English Restoration in 1660, the Savoy Conference was called to determine a new religious settlement for England and Wales. With only minor changes, the Church of England was restored to its pre-Civil War constitution under the Act of Uniformity 1662, and the Puritans found themselves sidelined. A traditional estimate of the historian Calamy is that around 2,400 Puritan clergy left the Church, in the "Great Ejection" of 1662. It seems from this that the Puritans who revolted against Charles 1st did, indeed, bring judgment on themselves. The English Puritans of the 17th Century claimed to be guided in all things by the Bible - but like so many Christians before and since, they were very selective in what they took notice of. They ignored Paul and suffered for it. I write this as a Puritan myself!

The violence that led to Irish independence also had seriously bad consequences, namely, the partition of the island and many years of bitter strife. God would probably have brought about a United Ireland if there had been more faith in prayer and less in bullets. German unification took place without a shot being fired!

(e) Christians cannot always obey their rulers.

Christians have to be guided what Jesus said: "Give to Caesar what is Caesar's and to God what is God's. See exposition on Luke21v20to26.

It is always possible for those in authority to exceed their authority. A teacher has authority to maintain a good learning environment in the classroom and to inculcate good work habits in his pupils. He hasn't authority over how pupils spend their leisure time, what friends they choose to make or what food they select from the school canteen. In my experience pupils are quick to tell teachers when they exceed their authority.

Political leaders have no right to enforce beliefs about religion on their subjects. Shadrack, Meshack and Abednego would not participate in idolatry at the behest king Nebuchadnezzer. Daniel disobeyed the decree of king Darius and continued praying at his open window three times a day. Peter and John defied the Sanhedrin and kept on preaching Christ because they believed it to be the will of God.

There are times that Christians have to protest against the policy of their political leaders. The Christians in Nazi Germany should have opposed and refused to participate in the program against the Jews. The Nazis had no authority to liquidate millions of their own citizens. The white government of South Africa had no authority to impose apartheid on the majority black population. Stalin had no authority to outlaw Christianity and to demolish churches.

In England today Christians are right to protest against the Government's proposal to redefine marriage. The Government has no mandate to instigate the change nor do they have the right to dictate to Christians what they should believe.

(2) The purpose of authority. For rulers hold no terror for those that do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and he will commend you. For he is God's servant to do good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword for nothing. He is God's servant, an agent of wrath to bring punishment on the wrong doer. Therefore it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also conscience. v3to5.

(a) To free from fear.

Rulers have an obligation to ensure that those who do right have no cause to fear. If I keep to the speed limit I need have no fear of speed cameras. If I declare all my income I need not fear the income tax inspectors. If I declare everything coming through the customs I need have no fear of the customs officials. If I abide by health and safety regulations I do not have to fear being sued for negligence. If I am a law abiding citizen I do not need to fear the police knocking on my door.

This is, of course, not true in all countries. Where corruption is rife it is not enough to be law abiding. You may well fear the knock on your door in the middle of the night. If you were a Jew in Nazi Germany you were never safe! If you were a Christian in Stalin's Russian you could never be sure of justice.

The state's function is to protect law abiding men and women from lawless men. If the state itself is lawless then everyone is at risk. People should be protected from unreasonable discrimination.

(b) The best way for Christians to win favour.

Despite the existence of some pariah states the best way to win favour as a citizen is to do good.

Christians shouldn't just be known for their strident protests against gay sex, pornography, gambling, smoking, alcohol and so on but also for the quality of their lives and their good works. Believers will win favour with the authorities if they have a reputation for: integrity, honesty, truthfulness, hard work, good work, reliability, sympathy, generosity and kindness.

There are several examples in the Bible of the power of a godly life. Joseph won favour with his master Potiphar, the governor of the prison in which he was incarcerated and Pharaoh by the sheer quality of his life. Nehemiah and Mordecai attained positions of influence because of their personal qualities. There is no one of whom this was truer than Daniel. The exile from Judea won favour with the Principal of the college where he was being trained in administration, Arioch the commander of the king's guard and four successive despots: Nebuchadnezzar, Belshazzar, Darius and Cyrus.

Today, the Chinese leadership has in the main called a halt to the persecution of Christians. One of the reasons for this is their knowledge that Christians are good citizens. They are hard working and neither corrupt nor rebellious. Even Russia's leaders see the value of co-operating with the Russian Orthodox Church.

Unfortunately there are rulers who fail to appreciate the worth of Christians. They have instead an irrational, devil inspired hatred of them.

(c) The reward for Christians.

Paul affirms that political rulers as a whole will reward Christians for doing good. Then do what is right and he will commend you. For he is God's servant to do you good.

We still see some evidence of this in our society. So long as local churches can show that they bring benefits to society they are given charitable status with the financial concessions this affords. Faith schools receive public money because the government accepts that the ethos of these schools is conducive to a good education. We still have chaplains in hospitals, hospices, the prison service and the armed forces. The only reason they are retained is because their contribution is considered a positive one.

(d) The wrong doer punished.

One of the prime functions of the authorities is to see that wrong doers are punished. Retribution is a key element of justice. A just society is only possible if there is a difference in the way law keepers and law breakers are dealt with. If the state gives up on punishment then it will result in a cynical and increasingly lawless society.

There is no doubt that for the vast majority of people punishment works. Drivers who have been caught speeding and have 9 points on their licence will drive carefully to avoid being disqualified.

Punishment makes other people feel secure. I visited one of my old pupils recently. There is no doubt she appreciated me as a form teacher because I kept the nasty boys who were inclined to torment her in check. She felt secure in my form. Her parents complained quite a lot to the head master but they never complained about me!!! (I was by no means a very well behaved teacher)

A laissez-faire attitude to crime undermines respect for the law. I have had a rogue company use details of my credit card to take money out of my bank account without my permission. My bank will prevent further withdrawals and refund me for those that have been made but they do nothing to bring the fraudsters to justice or to prevent them renaming their company and repeating the offence.

According to Paul Christians shouldn't be law abiding just to avoid punishment but also for conscience's sake. The law should be kept because in the words of Del Trotter, "You know it makes sense!" Yet as someone said of our tendency to exceed the speed limit: "The last part of the body to get sanctified is our right foot."

(3) Partnership. This is also why you pay taxes, for the authorities are God's servants, who give their full time to governing. Give everyone what you owe him: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honour, then honour.

(a) Opting out is wrong.

Some religious groups try, as far as they can, to opt out of society. They want as little to do as possible with their fellow citizens. For example the Exclusive Brethren have their own schools, do not want anyone but their own people to attend their services and will not eat with anyone who doesn't belong to their sect. They take the view that all politics is of the world and that God's kingdom is not of this world. This is also true of Jehovah Witnesses. The great tennis player Serena Williams told reporters at Wimbledon a few years ago that she was excited about Barrack Obama’s presidential candidacy. However, she wouldn't vote for him since she is a Jehovah’s Witness. She said “We don’t get involved in politics.”

This is the wrong attitude for Christians to take. Someone has said, 'The public business of the nation is the private business of every citizen'. How can we disassociate ourselves from the State when we enjoy the privileges of belonging to it: protection under the law, sound currency, secure borders.

(b) We should be prepared to pay taxes.

Jesus' argument was that Caesar should be paid for his contribution to the common good. Roman rule brought many advantages to Judea and insofar as the Jews availed themselves of these advantages they should be willing to pay for them.

We should be happy to pay for all the services we enjoy collectively that we could never provide for ourselves individually: the transport system, armed forces, rubbish collection, sewage disposal, rubbish collection, the fire brigade, police force, ambulance service and so on.

(c) Respect rulers.

We should respect everyone in authority. We should respect the office rather than expect people always to earn our respect.

I soon realised as a school teacher what was most important. It wasn't popularity, affection or admiration; it was respect.

We should remember what our politicians do for us. If we are treated very unfairly our local M.P. will take up our cause. He or she will speak for us. I can remember waiting months and months for a carer's allowance. I had given up work to look after my father. The state was prepared to pay me a very small sum for doing this! After about 6 months I wrote to Mr Eldon Griffiths my M.P. I received my carer's allowance back dated and with interest within the week.

We should respect M.Ps. as or representatives in Parliament. They stand for us. There is an unpleasant tendency to mock the authorities as this story of Dennis Davidson illustrates: An Idaho sheep farmer was approached one day by a stranger in a suit. He said, "If I can guess how many sheep you’ve got, may I have one?" Thinking this to be near impossible the rancher agreed. The stranger then stated, "You have 1,795 sheep."

Stunned by the correct answer the rancher told him to choose his sheep. The man selected an animal and slung it over his shoulder and started to walk away. The rancher called after him, "Hey if I can tell you who you work for can I have that animal back?"

"OK," said the man.

"You work for the government," replied the rancher.

The government worker asked, "How did you figure that out?"

"Well," the rancher said, "put my dog down and I’ll tell you."

(d) Remember what has been achieved.

In 19th century Britain it was the politicians who passed, 'The Factory Acts,' that improved conditions for the working man - it wasn't the factory owners!!

Many, many laws have been passed in the 20th and 21st centuries to raise standards. Air quality, the purity of rivers, safety on the roads, cleanliness of beaches, safety at work, the freshness and quality of our food have all been improved through legislation.

We should honour our politicians for what has been achieved.

Pray for our leaders

Paul instructed Timothy: I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercessions and thanksgiving be made for everyone - for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. 1Tim2v1.

This is something I often forget to do. We should pray for all those in authority - not just our religious leaders but also for our national and local politicians. Perhaps, they would do better if more Christians remembered them in prayer. I might have been a finer teacher if more people had prayed for me!