Romans 13:1

PASSAGE: Romans 13:1 - "Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God."

PAUSE: The command for Christians to be subject (ie: submissive) to the authority of government may be one of the more surprising commands in the New Testament. And maybe one of the more controversial. But there it is! And remember the context here. Paul is writing this to Christians living under the rule of the Roman Empire! The very empire that often oppressed and persecuted these very Christians for the first few centuries of the Church. It all begs the question, would you rather be living out your faith under the rule of the Roman Empire or our current government? Or under the rule of most of the other modern-day governments for that matter? It is very important for all Christians to process the various implications of this command. Especially in the politically charged reality of our day. Interestingly, my ESV Study Bible gives this note: “sometimes God gives good authorities as a blessing and sometimes he institutes evil rulers as a means of trial or judgement. These earthly “authorities” will ultimately be superseded by the rule of Christ.” (See Rev. 22:1-5). 

PRAYER: Lord, I could make a long list of my concerns and disagreements about government and politics. Help me to understand why You have given this command and then help me to fully obey it. Amen.