Romans: Rooted in Jesus - Revolution
In the late 1700’s, the French people led a revolution against the aristocracy. The king had placed the nation in terrible debt by an extravagant lifestyle (building Versailles) and supporting the American Revolution. The King’s solution was higher taxes on the commoners and business owners (Bourgeoisie), for which the nobility and Roman Catholic Clergy were exempt. When the food crisis came through poor crops, the public revolted, storming the Bastille in 1789. The people cried for freedom from an oppressive and feckless monarchy and church power (liberty), removal of the class and legal divide between the nobility/clergy class and the commoners (equality), and the development of a national identity apart from the king (fraternity).
How does revolution fit into our passage? Paul insists that we incur God’s wrath when we resist His appointed authority. Where does the Lordship of Christ fit into our submission to authority? Well, Sunday we’ll attempt to draw some clear lines from the text as we worship the One who is sovereign over us!