Romans 13, justice and Osama bin Laden

Many a Christian is quoting Romans 13: 1-7 this morning, apparently deciding that because of our superior understanding of God’s plan as Americans we are qualified to determine which use of the sword by authorities is proper and which is not. We are so often awfully selective when determining which governing authorities are acceptable and which are not, forgetting all the while that the governing authority when Paul wrote his letter to the church in Rome was the bloody and repressive Roman Empire. Paul wasn’t thinking of the good ole U.S. of A. when he penned those words, he was thinking of Caesar.

Yesterday, the United States government, the secular government of a secular nation, wielded the sword in what by all accounts was a well run military operation. One would expect nothing less from Navy SEALs. Osama is dead, no American lives were lost, justice has been meted out.

Yesterday morning, the same sword was wielded by our NATO allies in an attempted assassination of the governing authority of Libya, an airstrike that was aimed at ending this conflict we have foolishly gotten ourselves involved in. That airstrike missed Qaddafi but reportedly it killed three children under the age of 12. While Christians weren’t tweeting in triumph over that, our “allies” were out in the streets shouting “God is great!” at the death of children. When we pick sides between the powers and rulers of the world and cheer when death is handed out, we tread on thin ice.

Was Osama bin Laden a good guy? Is Moammar Qaddafi a good guy? Obviously not. Having said that, as I said last night, Osama’s fate will be shared by lots of people we label “good people”, people we know and love. There will be people killed in the World Trade Center on September 11 sharing in the wrath and judgment of God. There will be firefighters who rescued people, military personnel who died in Afghanistan fighting the Taliban, nurses and doctors, school teachers and clergy, people from every background and nation and tribe. No one gets a free pass because they have pledged their allegiance to a flag or because they can produce a birth certificate.

I am glad to see that many of my brothers are taking the time to work out their feelings this morning. I am afraid that many others let their exuberance at the death of an unbeliever loose on the public via Facebook and twitter and in doing so brought shame upon the church and damaged the witness of Christ among many unreached people groups, the very people we are called to take the Gospel to. I especially appreciate these words from my brother Josh Gelatt:

Tonight I don't thank Jesus for being his judge. Instead, I thank Jesus for not judging me. I weep and mourn for those who die in their rebellion against God, even as I am humbled that Jesus saved me though I was also was in rebellion. And while I believe that the human sword of justice is a servant of God's righteousness (cf Rom 13), what utter foolishness would drive a Christian to rejoice in that truth on this terrible evening?

Does this mean we shouldn't be thankful for justice? Should we not praise God because, to some small degree, we are a little safer with Osama gone? Yes, we should show gratitude for those things. But God has told us that He takes "no pleasure in the death of the wicked" (Ezek 33:11). How dare we rejoice in the very thing that God refuses to find pleasure in?

Well said Josh. The death and impeding judgment of an unbeliever, whether Osama bin Laden or someone we know and love, should be cause for sobriety and impetus for the work of the Gospel. Osama is a symptom of the problem, not the source. The problem is sin and the source is man’s rebellion. The solution to the problem of sin is not killing sinners, it is proclaiming Christ. We are not called to see who we can kill, it is to proclaim the Lamb who was slain. Osama bin Laden will face justice for certain, but that justice will come from the hand of God, not the barrel of a gun.

Our standard is not “what is in the best interests of the United States?” or “am I made safer by this action?”, it is always and only “does this advance the cause of Christ in a lost world?” I don’t think anyone can seriously suggest that the events of yesterday, whether in Pakistan or Libya, advanced the cause of Christ. In many ways it may have made the work more difficult and perilous.

How is that cause for celebration?