The Canadian Christian

I chose that title carefully and deliberately. Some people might say that the two terms are interchangeable – to say “the Canadian Christian” is really no different from saying “the Christian Canadian”. But I think that there is a rather profound difference.

Are we Canadians who just happen to be Christians? Or are we Christians who just happen to be Canadians? I believe that it is the latter.

I believe that our fundamental identity is that we are followers of Jesus Christ. Our citizenship is in his kingdom. And the fact that we are Canadians must always be adjunct and subordinate to that greater reality. Christian is therefore the noun; Canadian is only the modifier, the adjective.

The reason I stress this point is that the trend in Canada seems to be in the opposite direction. There is pressure nowadays, in our pluralistic society, to stress that we are all Canadians, whatever else we happen to be. And, as Canadians, we must adhere to certain principles and codes of conduct if our society is to work at all.

Scott Brockie’s situation is a good example. Scott has been told by the Ontario Human Rights Commission – an agency of our government – that the fundamental and most important fact about him is that he is a Canadian businessman doing business in a pluralistic society—a society in which any value statements that come from his own personal beliefs are inappropriate and should not be brought into the public arena.

They are saying, in effect, “Scott, you are a Canadian. That is your fundamental identity. And that fact trumps the fact that you also have chosen to be a Christian. You are free to practice your Christianity in the privacy of your own home, in your church, among your circle of fellow Christians. But as a Canadian, you are not free to bring your Christian beliefs into the public square, particularly if they are at odds with what someone else believes.” For the OHRC, the correct formula is “The Christian Canadian”, not “The Canadian Christian”.

What does the Bible have to say about the relationship between God’s people and the state; between a Christian and his government? The most comprehensive passage is the one we read earlier in the service – Romans 13. Please turn there now.

I would like to make some brief observations on this text, which I hope will help you to think about your identity as a Christian who also happens to be living in a country called Canada.

1. The first thing that this passage tells us is that, for us as Christians, there is no separation of church and state. There is no disconnect between who we are as Christians, and who we are as citizens. Our spiritual state has everything to do with how we live in the secular state.

This passage occurs in the context of Romans 12:1-2, where Paul issues a call to Christian living…

Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God — this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is — his good, pleasing and perfect will.

Then Paul goes on in the following verses to talk about God’s will, and what it will look like as we live according to that will…

• In the church, as the Body of Christ (v. 3-8)

• In our personal relationships with one another – and particularly in our relationships with those who are against us (v. 9-21)

• In the public square, as citizens of the state (13:1-7)

If it is God’s will for us to live obediently to Him in church, and in our personal relationships, then it is just as much his will for us to carry our obedience to Him into the public square, in our relationship with the state. There is no separation of spiritual and secular. For the Christian, it is all one world.

2. Our response to government is our response to God.

13:1-2 Everyone must submit himself 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 who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves.

The key idea within these verses is that all authority, including political and governmental authority, flows from God. “The authorities that exist have been established by God and there is no authority except that which God has established.”

Therefore, our response as Christians to that authority is to be conditioned by the fact that that authority came from God. Our attitude towards governmental authority – be it the authority of our political leaders, our enforcement agencies – such as the police, the laws of our nation, our province, our city – our attitude towards all these things reveals our attitude toward God, because he is the one who put these authorities in place.

God instituted human government so that there would not be chaos in human affairs. Just imagine what kind of world it would be if there were no laws, if there were no one in charge, no regulatory agencies, no economic standards, no supervision over people’s activities, no enforcement of certain codes of conduct, no punishment of wrong-doing, etc. It would be a chaotic, highly dangerous place in which it would be impossible to do anything constructive. God established human government and lent it his authority so that that would not happen.

One of the things I am grateful for is that I live in Canada, a place where the government works reasonably well. We have a stable currency – many nations do not. We have a very efficient infrastructure – good roads, utilities, educational resources such as public schools, libraries, and universities – many nations do not. We have universal health care – many nations do not. We are at peace with other nations, and within our own nation – many nations are not. Although we sometimes complain about the inefficiency and waste of our government, at least our political leaders are not looting the public treasury in order to make themselves rich – as is true of many other nations.

This is true only because Canada’s government has acted responsibly over the years, and the Canadian people have respected and submitted to its authority to act – an authority which has been given to it by God.

Now you may be saying “But what if we didn’t live in Canada? What if we lived in one of those nations whose government abused its authority? What if our government demanded that we go against our beliefs as Christians? What should our response be in a case like that?”

Notice that the word used in verses 1 and 5 is the word “submit”. It is not the stronger word “obey”, which Paul could have used. The reason that Paul does not use the word “obey” is that as believers, the time may come when we find it impossible to obey certain demands of our government. A situation may arise in which we might have to choose—as the apostles in Acts 5 had to choose—between obeying God and obeying men.

But even then, we must be submissive to the extent that if our Christian convictions don’t allow us to do what our government is asking or ordering us to do, we must be prepared to accept the consequences. There is a place for humble, respectful disobedience.

3. Do right.

Romans 13:3-5 For rulers hold no terror for those who 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 you 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 wrongdoer. Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also because of conscience.

Paul wrote the book of Romans about the year 57 AD. The Emperor of Rome at that time was Nero, who reigned from 54 – 68 AD. This was the same Nero who later launched a persecution against Christians, blaming them for having started the terrible fire which burned down two thirds of Rome in 64 AD.

Yet those Christians were not persecuted for doing wrong – they were persecuted because they were a convenient scapegoat for a bloodthirsty tyrant. It was popularly believed that these Christians, by refusing to worship the pantheon of Roman gods, aroused the anger of those gods. So the Christians tended to get blamed for whatever disasters occurred.

But under more normal circumstances, a Christian who does right generally does not need to fear his government. In fact, he is most often commended by his government, because the governing authority is God’s agent or servant to promote right-doing and punish wrongdoing. (the word “servant” which is used twice in v. 4, is “diakonos” from which we get our word “deacon”; the word “leitourgos” is used in verse 6, and this word invariably is used in connection with religious service, such as the ministry of a priest – see Rom. 15:16)

Our duty as Canadian Christians is to do right and live rightly, no matter what our government happens to think of us – and if we do right, as it says in verse 5, we will not only avoid punishment but we will have a clear conscience before God.

4. Give government its due.

13:6-7 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 honor, then honor.

Taxes are just that: taxes. Revenue has the meaning of tolls or customs duties on goods. But it is interesting that Paul goes beyond simply fiscal obligations: we also have a duty to give respect and honor to our governing authorities.

The word “give” that Paul uses here in verse 7 means literally “give back” or “pay back”. The understanding is that we have received something of value from the government and, in the paying our taxes and the giving of honor and respect, we are paying them back for it. The language Paul uses is the language of “owing”—of obligation. Just as surely we owe everyone a debt of love (v. 8), so we owe it to the government to pay our taxes.

The governing authorities are God’s servants, as we have already seen. They are therefore providing a service or a ministry to us. Here in Canada, we even speak of the various departments of government as being “ministries”. They deserve to be supported because of their ministry to us. Every government must collect taxes in order to carry out its various duties and responsibilities.

We may not always agree about the way our government chooses to use our tax money, and thankfully, here in Canada, we can make our voices heard about that. But the underlying principle is that the government does have a right to collect taxes.

In Mark 12, Jesus recognized and endorsed this principle when he answered the question put to him by the Pharisees and Herodians: “Is it right to pay taxes to Caesar or not?” Keep in mind that Judea had been conquered and occupied by the Romans, and the Jews were chafing about having to pay taxes to a foreign ruler, and a pagan one at that.

Jesus said “Bring me a denarius and let me look at it.”

They brought the coin, and he asked them, “Whose portrait is this? And whose inscription?”

“Caesar’s,” they replied.

Then Jesus said to them, “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s.”

The Jews reaped the benefits of Roman government – even though they would rather have been governing themselves. The Romans poured enormous resources into Palestine. The Jews benefitted from the roads and aqueducts and public buildings they built. (in fact, some of them are still there today and the Israelis are still reaping beneifts from them as tourist attractions!) There was peace – the Pax Romana. There was trade and commerce with other nations in the Roman Empire. And even the coinage that they used in their economy was provided by Rome – hence the denarius with Caesar’s inscription.

Jesus said “There need be no tension between your obligation to the state and your obligation to God, because your obligation to the state is really part and parcel of your obligation to God.”

As Canadian Christians, we need to remember these four things…

1. For us, there is no separation of church and state; no division between the sacred and the secular

2. The way we respond to our government is a manifestation of the way we respond to God.

3. Our duty as Canadian Christians is to do right – to live out the will of God

4. We need to give government its due – willingly and gratefully, remembering that that includes not only our taxes, but also our respect and honor.