Romans 13:1-7
Maybe you have one of THOSE bosses. You know the ones, always out to get you. Never recognizing your contributions, always looking over your shoulder. Does that sound familiar? It's easy to resent such a supervisor. It's easy to act submissive in front of him or her, and then when the boss's back is turned, all bets are off. How well does that describe your workplace and your boss? Romans 13 has an interesting perspective: "authorities that exist have been established by God." Your supervisor is in charge of you because of God's will. Look at the next verse: "whoever rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted." Think about that in your workplace. If you're rebelling against your boss, you are rebelling against the person that God put in charge. Kind of compelling, isn't it? These verses are specifically talking about government authorities, but it is completely consistent with other teachings from Paul to interpret this to include workplace leaders as well.
As you rebel against your supervisor, do you ever get that fearful "what if I get caught" feeling? If so, you are probably justified in your fear. In verse 4, Paul explains, "if you do wrong, be afraid, for rulers do not bear the sword for no reason. They are God’s servants, agents of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer." If you are doing wrong, even if your manager "deserves" it, be prepared to take the consequences. And don't think that just because your manager is a tyrant that you are justified in resisting him or her. Remember Paul is writing to Christians under the thumb of the emperor. Remember how God used the sinful Babylonians to punish Judah (see Habakkuk 1). Submit to your boss. Pay them the respect and honor due them.
For the body to survive in balance and in a society, it has to submit to man's laws.
ReplyDeleteFor the human soul to be eternal (to those who have it), it has to master the mortal body and let it live, when possible, the unconditional love even towards its enemies, superseding all natural and man-made laws and even those of God's prior to Jesus Christ. And Jesus expressed this in a simple saying:
“Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's; and unto God the things that are God's”
To those who didn’t have the chance to have a human soul, have no choice but to see their Creator as just an accident or at best an ultimate image of Caesar who is pleased (if not needs) to be praised and obeyed.
Jesus pointed out how a man can be perfect also by a simple saying:
“Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect”
How is the Father perfect? Does He praise and obey some other’s laws?! I guess not. He is perfect, simply by His Unconditional Love towards all creatures. But how Love can exist in Him in the first place? It does exist, because He (known as the Father) and Jesus (known as the Son) are unified, even before the world’s creation, by the Holy Spirit (the Divine Spirit of Love). So only those who can live this image of Love in this temporarily existence can join the eternal Kingdom of their Creator (Father, Son and the Holy Spirit). The rest will just return back to the void (as we throw non-useful matters to fire; indeed Jesus has referred to it as eternal fire), because only the joy of the Unconditional Love can be eternal. That was the end message of Jesus I had the chance to know and it happens that it fits the nature I am created of.
May the Divine Love guide your heart in whatever you do.