077 罗马书13章1至7 上帝设立君王/政府
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- 【和合】Rom 13:1 在上有权柄的,人人当顺服他,因为没有权柄不是出於神的。[1]凡掌权的都是神所命的。2 所以,抗拒掌权的就是抗拒神的命;抗拒的必自取刑罚。
- 上讲:已经证明所有的在上有权柄的,都是神所命立的
- 好的君王/国家领导是人人尊敬,敬佩的
- e.g.李光耀先生是大多数新加坡人尊敬的 (2015年,举国哀吊)
- 好与不好的君王/政府都是神所命立
- e.g.尼布甲尼撒王 605–562 BC 敬拜偶像、摧毁圣殿、屠戮列国
- 上帝却称拜他为仆人 (耶25:9; 27:6; 43:10)
- 可怕的是上帝兴起尼布甲尼撒审判以色列与列国 (拉5:12、耶25:9-14)
- 许多信徒心里很难接受。因邪恶的君王/政府,是人人心里所憎恨的
- 保罗不是无知。他知道圣经中有许多君王/官员是恶的。
- e.g.旧约中绝大多数的以色列君王都是恶的,极少像大卫一样的。
- e.g.保罗曾在无审讯情况下被官刑法与囚禁 (徒16:23-24、16:37)
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- 【和合】Rom 13:2 所以,抗拒掌权的就是抗拒神的命;抗拒的必自取刑罚[2]。
- “就是抗拒神的命” 因他们是神所立的
- “抗拒的必自取刑罚”
- 可能是遭君王/政府打压,或有时可能是遭上帝审判
- e.g.【和合】耶27:8「无论哪一邦哪一国,不肯服事这巴比伦王尼布甲尼撒,也不把颈项放在巴比伦王的轭下,我必用刀剑、饥荒、瘟疫刑罚那邦,直到我藉巴比伦王的手将他们毁灭。这是耶和华说的。
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- 基督徒的政治观:
- (1) 任何君王/政府都是上帝所命定
- 问:那么成功造反/革命的政府,是不是上帝所命定?也是上帝所命
- 问:审判耶稣的彼拉多的权柄是从哪里来?
- 【和合】约19:10 彼拉多说:你不对我说话吗?你岂不知我有权柄释放你,也有权柄把你钉十字架吗?11 耶稣回答说:若不是从上头赐给你的,你就毫无权柄办我。所以,把我交给你的那人罪更重了。
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- (2)基督徒顺服君王/政府的基础,是因为我们顺服上帝。
- 他们是上帝的仆役 (V4)
- 他们的权柄是在上帝之下,他们不可违背道德。
- (3)一些特殊情况下基督徒才不顺服政府
- 违背仁义道德的事,我们不顺服。
- 禁止我们相信敬拜主、禁止我们讲论耶稣,我们不顺服。
- 徒5:29 彼得和众使徒回答说:顺从神,不顺从人,是应当的。
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- 问:遇见不满政府的事时,怎么办?
- 不同基督徒有不同的看法。
- Pic 按新加坡的处境:向国家议员投诉?申请示威(芳林公园)?法律途径起诉?大选投票?
- Pic e.g.2019年 香港拥有合法权利申请在街上示威,但香港的教会都不鼓励人使用暴力。 [3]
- e.g.2019年,北方一些地区不能公开聚会。
- Pic谨慎:大选期间,基督徒不可为了政治而造成教会内部纷争
- e.g.一些国家/地方,是没有大选投票,我们为他们祷告。
- û太24:13 惟有忍耐到底的,必然得救。
- 任何残暴不仁或迫害人的君王/政府最后一定灭亡
- 【和合】箴20:28 王因仁慈和诚实得以保全他的国位,也因仁慈立稳。
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- 罗13:3 作官的原不是叫行善的惧怕,乃是叫作恶的惧怕。你愿意不惧怕掌权的吗?你只要行善,就可得他的称赞;[4]
- 正常情况下,当官的都是维护社会公义。
- e.g. 好公民“公众精神奖”
- 箴16:12 作恶,为王所憎恶,因国位是靠公义坚立。
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- V4 因为他是神的用人(新译本:仆役διάκονος),是与你有益的[5]。你若作恶,却当惧怕;因为他不是空空的佩剑,…
- 政府是上帝的仆役διάκονος ,仆役是在上帝之下
- 赋予权柄佩剑,刑罚恶人 (箴20:8)
- 不贪污、不徇私玩法,国家会安全,强大。
- Pic e.g.观察国家的首饰店、兑换钱的店。
- e.g. 观察深夜时是否能在街上行走。
- 箴29:4 王藉公平,使国坚定;索要贿赂,使国倾败。
- 箴29:14 君王凭诚实判断穷人;他的国位必永远坚立。
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- V4 …他是神的用人,是伸冤的[6],刑罚那作恶的。(新译:他是上帝的仆役,是向作恶的人施行刑罚的)
- e.g.当基督徒触犯法时,上帝会透过政府刑罚
- Pic e.g.城市丰收教会创会牧师康希失信案被判三年六个月
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- V5 所以你们必须顺服,不但是因为刑罚,也是因为良心。
- 不只是因为害怕被政府刑罚,也是为了良心,因良心是听命于主
- (彼前2:13[7]) 为主的缘故,要顺服人的一切制度,或是在上的君王
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- V6 你们纳粮,也为这个缘故;因他们是神的差役,常常特管这事。7 凡人所当得的,就给他。当得粮的,给他纳粮;当得税的,给他上税;…
- 做生意的人,可能不喜欢听见交税
- 合法避税 VS 基督徒不该非法逃税
- 新加坡人爱逃税e.g.飞机厂的消费税。超过$500 其实需要交gst税。
- 2021-2025 新加坡的消费税可能提升到 9% 。许多人可能不高兴。
- (太22:21)主曾说:该撒的物当归给该撒;神的物当归给神。
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- V7…当惧怕的,惧怕他;当恭敬的,恭敬他。
- e.g.2019年,新加坡拥有相对而言好的政府,都还是可能会被百姓骂
- 保罗劝我们当恭敬
- Example 1 Pic 但以理被昏君丢入狮子坑中后,对王恭敬
- 但6:21 但以理对王说:「愿王万岁!22 我的神差遣使者,封住狮子的口,叫狮子不伤我;因我在神面前无辜,我在王面前也没有行过亏损的事。」
- Example 2 Pic 法兰西一世逼迫杀害基督徒
- 加尔文基督教要义1536年第一版的前言,加尔文对王的态度、语气充满智慧与敬意。[8]
若有一天我们面对恶的政府时而无法改变时,怎么办?
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- 记得主掌管。惟有忍耐到底的,必然得救。
- 当记得我们最终的国籍与归宿不是这世界
- 18:36 耶稣回答说:「我的国不属这世界;我的国若属这世界,我的臣仆必要争战,使我不至於被交给犹太人。只是我的国不属这世界。」
祷告:提前 2:1 我劝你,第一要为万人恳求、祷告、代求、祝谢;2 为君王和一切在位的,也该如此,使我们可以敬虔、端正、平安无事的度日。
[1] After his words forbidding private vengeance it was necessary, it is argued, for Paul to point out that this does not mean that the state may not take punitive action. It has been pointed out that the apostle is writing to people in Rome, the capital of the world, the seat of empire, and it would be suitable to say something to them about the role of the state. Morris, L..
Paul’s view is distinctive.4 He is firmly convinced that God is in control and that nobody secures a position of rulership unless God permits. Ordered government is not a human device, but something of divine origin. The servants of God must accordingly submit to its laws. Paul regards rulers not as autonomous, but as “established by God” (v. 1); the ruler is “God’s servant” (v. 4). This gives the ruler a special dignity but at the same time stresses that his position is a subordinate one. He is to do, not whatever he wishes, but what the will of God is for him in his situation.Morris, L..
[2] What God has instituted is better “a divine institution” (NEB), for Paul is using a noun, not a verb.19 Clearly he is giving the ordinances of the Roman authorities a very exalted place and expecting that his readers will obey them. “Resistance to legitimate authority legitimately exercised is wrong” (Manson). To resist the authorities God has set in place is to resist what God has commanded, and such resisters will bring judgment on themselves.20 The judgment may be the punishment inflicted by the authorities or the divine judgment; more probably it is both: the punishment carried out on the order of the authorities is itself the way the divine judgment works out.Morris, L..
[3] 弗6:12因我们并不是与属血气的争战,乃是与那些执政的、掌权的、管辖这幽暗世界的,以及天空属灵气的恶魔争战。
[4] Rulers, he adds, are not a terror to people who do right, but only to wrongdoers, a statement which presents a problem in view of, say, the persecuting emperors. But, of course, Paul is not directing himself to such problems. He is presenting the norm, laying down conditions for living in a state in normal times, not covering every eventuality. Morris, L.
[5]Paul provides us with a virtual definition of the good we derive from the service of the civil authority when he requires that we pray for kings and all who are in authority “that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and gravity” (1 Tim. 2:2). The good the magistrate promotes is that which subserves the interests of piety.Murray, J.
[6] In verse 2 we found that the “judgment” alludes to the judgment of God of which the retribution executed by the civil magistrate is the expression and from which this retribution derives its sanction. The question would arise here: whose “wrath” is in view, that of God, or that of the magistrate, or that of both? In 12:19, as demonstrated above, “the wrath” is the wrath of God and the usage would point to the same conclusion in this instance. Furthermore, there is not warrant for thinking that the magistrate’s reaction to crime is to be construed in terms of wrath. Hence “wrath” should be regarded as the wrath of God. Thus the magistrate is the avenger in executing the judgment that accrues to the evil-doer from the wrath of God. Again we discover the sanction belonging to the ruler’s function; he is the agent in executing God’s wrath. And we also see how divergent from biblical teaching is the sentimentality that substitutes the interests of the offender for the satisfaction of justice as the basis of criminal retribution.Murray, J..
[7] 彼前2:13你们为主的缘故,要顺服人的一切制度,或是在上的君王,14 或是君王所派罚恶赏善的臣宰。)
[8] 加尔文使用 Most Mighty and Illustrious Monarch 至高大能并杰出的皇 、most glorious King 至高荣耀的君王、 most noble King 至高尊贵的君王、most invincible King 至高无敌的君王、most serene King 至高和平的君王, 来称呼法兰西一世