Gethin Rhys on when Christians should (and shouldn’t) obey the law
The United Reformed Church’s daily devotion for 8 June 2026, written by a familiar friend of Cytûn offers a timely and theologically rich reflection on Romans 13 and the limits of civil obedience.
Each morning, the United Reformed Church sends out a reading, reflection, and short prayer to help Christians focus on their journey of discipleship. The devotions are written by over 100 contributors from across the denomination and beyond, and are available by email, on URC social media, and on the URC Daily Devotions website where you can also sign up to receive them directly to your inbox.
Today’s edition, the first in a two-week series on Church and State, is written by the Revd Gethin Rhys — a retired URC minister, long-standing ecumenical voice, and former Policy Officer at Cytûn : Churches Together in Wales. Gethin remains an active friend and supporter of Cytun’s work, and his contribution to the daily devotion programme is warmly welcomed.
Drawing on Romans 13, Gethin opens up the apparent tension between Paul’s call to submit to governing authorities and the URC’s own Basis of Union, which asserts that the Church “is not subordinate to the state” in matters of obedience to God. It is a distinction, as Gethin notes, that often surprises those who come from an established church tradition.
With characteristic wit and pastoral wisdom, Gethin challenges a too-easy invocation of Christian vocation as a licence to break the law — using the example of clergy who treat speeding fines as a badge of spiritual dedication. The reflection asks a harder question: does God truly call us to risk others’ safety in the name of ministry?
The devotion closes with a prayer for the discernment needed to distinguish genuine obedience to God from what is merely convenient to ourselves — a challenge as pressing for churches in Wales today as it was in first-century Rome.
This is the first in a series Gethin will contribute over the coming fortnight, and we commend it warmly to all who engage with questions of public theology, civil authority, and the witness of the Church in society.
Read the full devotion and sign up to receive the URC Daily Devotions.