USING OUR RIGHTS ‘RIGHTLY’

Posted by Pastor Greg Allen on July 26, 2023 under AM Bible Study |

AM Bible Study Group: July 26, 2023 from Acts 22:25-29

Theme: As Christians, we should use our rights and privileges as citizens of an earthly kingdom to advance the kingdom of heaven.

(All Scripture is taken from The New King James Version, unless otherwise indicated).

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As citizens of the United States of America, we have certain precious rights. Our founding document affirms that they are ‘unalienable’; meaning that they cannot be taken away by any human institution. They weren’t given by man, but instead are ‘endowed’ to us by our Creator; and “among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness”. Our founders instituted a constitution to protect those rights; and they specifically articulated them in a ‘bill of rights’. As followers of Jesus, we ought to be grateful that these rights are protected by our laws; and we ought to make use of them as we work to invite people to become citizens of an eternal kingdom.

The apostle Paul was also a citizen of an earthly kingdom. In his case, he was a citizen of a very powerful empire called Rome. His citizenship gave him certain rights that were also protected by law. And what’s more, he wasn’t afraid to use those rights—as they had been given to him as a gift of God’s providence—in order to advance the kingdom of Jesus Christ.

Such rights are not meant to be seen as an end in and of themselves, but as given to us to serve higher and eternal goals. As we come to the end of Acts 22, we find a story of how Paul made use of his rights. And this passage teaches us also that as Christians, we should use our rights and privileges as citizens of an earthly kingdom to advance the kingdom of heaven.

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The story comes in the context of a very dangerous situation that Paul was in. He had come to Jerusalem in order to bring a gift from the Gentile churches to their Jewish fellow believers. But almost as soon as Paul had arrived, an unbelieving Jewish mob saw him, apprehended him, and began to beat him—intending to kill him.

A Roman commander came, bound him in chains, and sought to find out why the mob was so angry. He permitted Paul to speak to the crowd in Hebrew; and after Paul had told the story of his conversion to Christ, he explained how God had called him to go and preach the gospel of Jesus to the Gentiles. But when he spoke of the Gentiles, trouble arose again. Acts 22:22-24 says;

And they listened to him until this word, and then they raised their voices and said, “Away with such a fellow from the earth, for he is not fit to live!” Then, as they cried out and tore off their clothes and threw dust into the air, the commander ordered him to be brought into the barracks, and said that he should be examined under scourging, so that he might know why they shouted so against him (Acts 22:22-24).

The Roman commander most likely didn’t understand either the language Paul used in speaking to the Jewish people, or why they became so angry when he spoke. And it’s important to understand that, when the commander ordered that he be ‘examined under scourging’, the intention wasn’t merely to use a whip or a belt on Paul. The intention was to use a scourge; or what is called in Latin, the flagellum. It was a short-handled instrument consisting of leather straps; into the ends of which were sewn pieces of metal or bone. It would strike someone on the back … and rip the flesh and muscle tissue to shreds. If someone didn’t die from the scourging, they would most likely be painfully crippled for life. It was considered the fastest and easiest way to draw a confession from a criminal—something that was considered too brutal to ever use on a Roman citizen. It was basically interrogation through torture.

And that’s when we come to our passage. Verses 25-29 tell us;

And as they bound him with thongs, Paul said to the centurion who stood by, “Is it lawful for you to scourge a man who is a Roman, and uncondemned?” When the centurion heard that, he went and told the commander, saying, “Take care what you do, for this man is a Roman.” Then the commander came and said to him, “Tell me, are you a Roman?” He said, “Yes.” The commander answered, “With a large sum I obtained this citizenship.” And Paul said, “But I was born a citizen.” Then immediately those who were about to examine him withdrew from him; and the commander was also afraid after he found out that he was a Roman, and because he had bound him (vv. 25-29).

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Now; this wouldn’t be the only time Paul made use of his Roman citizenship during his missionary ministry. It happened after his time in the Philippian jail. Paul and Silas had been imprisoned because of their work in the gospel. And after God had performed a great miracle—and after the jailer himself became a Christian—we’re told;

And when it was day, the magistrates sent the officers, saying, “Let those men go.” So the keeper of the prison reported these words to Paul, saying, “The magistrates have sent to let you go. Now therefore depart, and go in peace.” But Paul said to them, “They have beaten us openly, uncondemned Romans, and have thrown us into prison. And now do they put us out secretly? No indeed! Let them come themselves and get us out.” And the officers told these words to the magistrates, and they were afraid when they heard that they were Romans. Then they came and pleaded with them and brought them out, and asked them to depart from the city (Acts 16:35-39).

Paul wasn’t being merely obstinate. He had been unjustly and abruptly thrown into prison; and now, he was making sure that his citizenship was being recognized in an official way. As a result, he had greater freedom to travel and preach the gospel in the Roman world.

And the same kind of thing was happening in this story. Notice in it how …

1. PAUL DECLARED HIS RIGHTS (vv. 25-26).

Once the Roman commander had made the decision to scourge Paul, the task was most likely handed over to lower-level officers who were supervised by a Roman centurion. Things were probably happening very quickly; and Paul scarcely had any time to make any kind of defense of himself. And what’s more, the situation was very desperate; because if he had begun to be scourged, it might mean the end of his ministry … and if the desired information didn’t come forth, it might even mean the end of his life.

Paul acted quickly; and in the only way that he could:

And as they bound him with thongs, Paul said to the centurion who stood by, “Is it lawful for you to scourge a man who is a Roman, and uncondemned?” (v. 25).

It was a rhetorical question. Paul wasn’t asking because he wasn’t sure. He was asking as a desperate way to say that he was a Roman—and that the commander was about to do something illegal. Among the rights of a Roman citizen would be the right not to be scourged for a confession, but to stand trial in a legal court. The Bible scholar F.F. Bruce wrote;

By a series of Valerian and Porcian laws enacted between the beginning of the Roman Republic and the early second century B.C., Roman citizens were exempted from degrading forms of punishment and had certain valued rights established for them in relation to the law (F.F. Bruce, The Book of Acts, NICONT, p. 319.)

This helps explain why the centurion responded as he did. Verse 26 tells us;

When the centurion heard that, he went and told the commander, saying, “Take care what you do, for this man is a Roman” (v. 26).

The revelation of Paul’s Roman citizenship was a game-changer. The centurion who heard it had an obligation to inform his commander—and fellow Roman—of the matter; and urge him to stop until all the facts were confirmed.

Now; this doesn’t mean that, when followers of Jesus today rest upon their rights as citizens, those rights will always be respected. Many times they are not. But this at least shows us that it’s proper for us to see ourselves as citizens of two kingdoms. We are citizens of heaven who are living for a time as citizens of an earthly kingdom. And as citizens of an earthly kingdom, we—like Paul—are perfectly right to draw upon our rights … so long as we use them rightly.

Paul had used his rights ‘rightly’; and it was good that he had, because we next see that …

2. PAUL AUTHENTICATED HIS RIGHTS (vv. 27-28).

After all, anyone in Paul’s situation might have been tempted to declare a citizenship that they didn’t actually possess. And it was considered a very serious crime against the Roman empire for someone to declare Roman citizenship when they were not actually citizens. Paul’s claim needed to be validated. So; verses 27-28 tell us;

Then the commander came and said to him, “Tell me, are you a Roman?” He said, “Yes.” The commander answered, “With a large sum I obtained this citizenship” (vv. 27-28a).

The Roman commander had not been born a citizen; and he apparently had to buy his citizenship at some point in his life. And it would have been an expensive privilege to purchase. Dr. Bruce explained:

“Technically, the great price which he paid was ‘the bribe given to the intermediaries in the imperial secretariat or the provincial administration who put his name on the list of candidates for enfranchisement’” (Bruce, p. 421; citing A.N. Sherwin-White, Roman Society and Roman Law in the New Testament, pp. 154-5).

A clue to when this commander may have bribed his way into citizenship may be found in the fact that his name was Claudius Lysias (Acts 23:26). During the reign of Emperor Claudius, the purchase of Roman citizenship rights through bribery was a corrupt practice that had become almost epidemic. The commander must have looked Paul over carefully—almost with an eye of suspicion and contempt—and thought, “My citizenship cost me a fortune! There’s no way that this Jewish troublemaker could ever afford such a thing!”

But what he heard next came as a shock to the commander:

And Paul said, “But I was born a citizen” (v. 28b).

Paul had told the commander earlier, “I am a Jew from Tarsus, in Cilicia, a citizen of no mean city …” (21:39). He was a Jewish man through and through (see Philippians 3:5); but he was also from the capital of a Roman province, and was able to call it his hometown. And it must be that Paul’s father—or perhaps his grandfather—had gained Roman citizenship along the way. In any case, Paul didn’t have to ‘buy’ citizenship … as this Roman commander had to do. He was born with it. His citizenship as a Roman could have been confirmed among his fellow Jews in Jerusalem—and he may have even brought the papers along with him to prove it.

In this sense, Paul was able to say that—if he was scourged—he truly would have been scourged in an unjust and illegal manner. He was a free-born Roman citizen who had done no wrong, had not made any trouble, and had not stirred up any riot (see Acts 24:12-13). He had used his citizenship rightly and honorably—and was thus able to appeal to his citizenship for legitimate protection.

Dr. Harry Ironside wrote about this and said;

I believe there is a lesson for us in that. Sometimes we are told that because Christians are heavenly citizens, they have no responsibility whatever as to citizenship here on earth. We have even heard it said that inasmuch as one cannot be a citizen of two countries at the same time here on earth, so one cannot be a citizen of Heaven and a citizen of earth at the same time. But this certainly does not follow. Since it was right for Paul to claim Roman citizenship in order not to suffer scourging, then it was also incumbent on him to fulfill the responsibilities of that citizenship. And this is true of any citizen of any country in this world. In other words, if I am to have certain protection as a citizen, I owe it to my country to act accordingly when it comes to fulfilling my responsibilities. It is true I am primarily a citizen of Heaven, but I am also a citizen of whatever country to which I belong on earth by natural relationship. So I am to be loyal to my government, pay my taxes, and to accept even military responsibilities if I am subject to them. It would be unthinkable that one would be entitled to claim protection from a country if he did not loyally respond to the rightful demands of its government (Harry Ironside, Lectures on The Book of Acts [NJ: Loizeaux Brothers, 1943], pp. 532-3).

Paul would have wholeheartedly agreed. In Romans 13:1-7—in a letter to fellow Roman believers—he wrote;

Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves. For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to evil. Do you want to be unafraid of the authority? Do what is good, and you will have praise from the same. For he is God’s minister to you for good. But if you do evil, be afraid; for he does not bear the sword in vain; for he is God’s minister, an avenger to execute wrath on him who practices evil. Therefore you must be subject, not only because of wrath but also for conscience’ sake. For because of this you also pay taxes, for they are God’s ministers attending continually to this very thing. Render therefore to all their due: taxes to whom taxes are due, customs to whom customs, fear to whom fear, honor to whom honor (Romans 13:1-7).

We should do this—not only because it is right to do—but also because it advances our protection under our legal rights of citizenship. And so; we finally see that …

3. PAUL WAS PROTECTED BY HIS RIGHTS (v. 29).

With those words, “But I was born a citizen;” you would have heard the distinct sound of the wooden-handled scourge hitting the floor. Verse 29 tells us;

Then immediately those who were about to examine him withdrew from him; and the commander was also afraid after he found out that he was a Roman, and because he had bound him (v. 29).

This may have been because—at the very beginning of it all—the commander had put Paul in double chains (21:33). Or it may have been because he had bound him with leather straps in preparation for a scourging. But in either case, this commander would have dared to bind a Roman citizen without proper trial. And that alone was a punishable crime against the empire.

You can, in fact, detect that this Roman commander knew he had come very close to violating Paul’s Roman citizen rights, because he changed the facts a bit in his report to Governor Felix. He wrote; “This man was seized by the Jews and was about to be killed by them. Coming with the troops I rescued him, having learned that he was a Roman” (Acts 23:27)—which was not exactly how it happened!

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Now; as we read on in his story, we find that Paul was certainly not free from trouble. But whatever troubles he would suffer from then on, he suffered under the protection of his rights of citizenship. The disturbance in Jerusalem led to Paul being taken back into the Roman barracks. And it was there that he was given a vision of the Lord Jesus Himself—who met him and gave him assurance that he would be able to testify in Rome. And then, a plot against Paul’s life led to his being brought safely to Governor Felix by the escort of a 470-man army! From Caesarea, Paul would be sent on to Rome (25:12) where he would appeal to Caesar. Under the providential hand of God, Paul ‘rightly’ used his rights and privileges as citizens of an earthly kingdom to advance the kingdom of heaven.

And as his example teaches us, so should we.

AE