When We Live and How We Live

Order of Service

• Sunday School Lesson — When We Live and How We Live
• Prayer

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Sermon Title: When We Live and How We Live

Scripture: Romans 8:10-23

I. Introduction to the Series: The Christian as an Earthly Citizen

A. Series topic: what it means for Christians to live as citizens under Earthly authorities B. Particularly relevant in an election season and times of cultural chaos C. Key tension: believers are citizens of the kingdom of God yet called to live faithfully here and now

1. Peter's language of exiles and sojourners captures this dual identity — 1 Peter 1:1
2. Though our times feel chaotic, they are relatively ordinary compared to much of Christian history

II. The Big Questions Framing the Series

A. How ought a Christian to live as a citizen of the state, especially under authorities that do not acknowledge God? B. What is the relationship between the church and the state — their God-given spheres of authority and how they interact? C. What goals, if any, are Christians and the church to pursue in relation to the state? D. Two foundational questions:

1. What is the nature of the church in this age? (an ecclesiological question)
2. What is the age in which we live? (an eschatological question)

III. New Testament Passages on Christian Citizenship

A. Romans 13:1-7 — submission to governing authorities

1. All authority is instituted by God; resisting authority is resisting God's appointment
2. Rulers serve as God's ministers — servants for the good of society and agents of his wrath against evil
3. Submission is owed not merely to avoid wrath but also for the sake of conscience
4. Specific duties: pay taxes, give revenue, show respect and honor
5. Context: follows Romans 12:19 on leaving vengeance to God — part of Paul's broader call to gospel-shaped living

B. 1 Peter 2:13-24 — submission for the Lord's sake

1. Be subject to every human institution: the emperor and governors
2. Doing good silences the ignorance of foolish people
3. Live as free people, but do not use freedom as a cover for evil — live as servants of God
4. Fourfold charge: honor everyone, love the brotherhood, fear God, honor the emperor
5. Christ's own suffering is held up as the pattern for enduring unjust treatment

C. 1 Timothy 2:1-3 — prayer for those in authority

1. Pray for all people, especially kings and those in high positions
2. Purpose: that we may lead peaceful and quiet lives, godly and dignified
3. No distinction is made between godly and ungodly rulers — all are to be prayed for
4. Prayer for rulers also shapes our own hearts toward endurance

D. Titus 3:1-8 — the character of the Christian citizen

1. Be submissive to rulers and authorities, obedient, ready for every good work
2. Speak evil of no one, avoid quarreling, be gentle, show perfect courtesy toward all
3. Paul immediately grounds this ethic in the gospel: we were once foolish and enslaved to passions, but God saved us by his mercy through regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit
4. Those justified by grace are to devote themselves to good works

IV. The Necessary Qualification: When Must We Obey God Rather Than Men

A. Scripture also records instances of godly disobedience to Earthly authority

1. Acts 5:29 — Peter and the apostles: we must obey God rather than men
2. Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego
3. Esther approaching the king in violation of the law B. This introduces genuine gray area requiring humility, careful study, and mutual counsel C. Christians in other parts of the world face far more acute versions of these questions today

V. Knowing When We Live in Order to Know How We Live

A. A key orienting principle (drawn from James K. A. Smith): we must know when we live in order to be better equipped to know how we live B. Romans 8:10-23 establishes our eschatological location

1. If Christ is in you, the Spirit is life — resurrection life is already at work (Romans 8:10-11)
2. Believers have received the spirit of adoption; we are heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ (Romans 8:14-17)
3. Present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory to be revealed (Romans 8:18)
4. All creation groans, longing for redemption; believers groan with it, having the firstfruits of the Spirit (Romans 8:19-23)

C. We live in inaugurated eschatology — the last days have already begun

1. The tendency is to view eschatology as entirely future, but Scripture teaches the end has already broken in
2. 2 Corinthians 5:17 — if anyone is in Christ, he is new creation already
3. Romans 6:4 — buried with Christ in baptism, we walk now in newness of life
4. Richard Gaffin: Christians are already experiencing and enjoying end-time realities now
5. 2 Corinthians 4:7 — these resurrection realities are held in jars of clay, the tension of the already and not yet

D. This eschatological location shapes how we think about living as members of the church within the state — to be developed in subsequent sessions