Romans 13:2

PASSAGE: Romans 13:2 - "Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment."

PAUSE: Resisting authorities equals resisting God and it comes with consequences from both! Human authorities are appointed by God for the purpose of keeping order in society, among other things. Of course, that is not at all saying that all governing authorities on planet Earth are upholding every Biblical precept of right and wrong. But, as a general rule, governing authorities provide accountability or judgment for those who do wrong, and this helps maintain order in a society. This passage also indicates that for believers there is another level of accountability. Because God has given us this command to “be subject to governing authorities” (v. 1), we not only answer to civil authorities for our behavior but also to God Himself! In other words, one aspect of our lives that will be evaluated before the Judgement Seat of Christ (See 2 Corinthians 5:10) is our obedience (or disobedience) to God regarding our right submission to governing authorities. So Christians should never be flippant in our attitudes or actions toward civil authorities.

PRAYER: Lord, help me to respect the offices of authority You have put over me even when I might be struggling to respect the person(s) in those offices! Help me to look past them and see You. Amen.