The Bible is filled with the stories of people who have defied authority. Moses stood up to Pharaoh and then led the Israelites out of Egypt. Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego all refused to worship any other god but Yahweh—and were then thrown into the lions’ den and the fiery furnace, respectively.
Stephen defied the ruling Jewish council, preached the gospel of Jesus, and was stoned to death for it. Paul and other apostles were martyred by the Roman government during the persecution of Christians.
And yet this same Paul, who likely later died at the hands of his government, urges believers to honor and respect those in authority. Paul—who knew many examples throughout Jewish history of standing up to corrupt rulers—says to obey, seemingly without question (Romans 13:1–7). What are we to make of this?
Of course, it’s natural to wonder, “What if the government was urging murder, stealing, or some other form of not loving one’s neighbor? What if the ruling authorities were, as Nebuchadnezzar did, asking their people to bow down to another god? Or no god at all?”
Scripture has given us plenty of evidence that Christ is the ultimate authority in heaven and on earth. Paul isn’t contradicting that here. What he is doing in Romans 13 is laying down a foundation for Christian living—reminding us that our ultimate authority is Jesus Christ. Our first and truest loyalty is to Him.
This is a beautiful truth for us to cling to, especially in times of deep confusion, national partisanship, and turmoil within our own institutions.
Paul tells early Christians to honor their government, but they do so in the context of the whole story of Scripture (and his own writings) affirming that Jesus is Lord over all. Therefore, we obey the government when it doesn’t contradict God’s commands—and we do it joyfully as a way of honoring God.
Our every action should be motivated by our identity as followers of Christ and citizens of God’s kingdom:
The night is nearly over, and the day is near; so let us discard the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us walk with decency, as in the daytime: not in carousing and drunkenness; not in sexual impurity and promiscuity; not in quarreling and jealousy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no plans for the flesh to gratify its desires.
—Romans 13:12–14
The Bible offers many examples of godly citizenship in an earthly kingdom. Let us pray continually that we will seek first God’s kingdom, listening to the promptings of the Holy Spirit as we engage thoughtfully with our own earthly governments.
Oh Laura, you brought back memories. I, like you, made the decision to not join the teachers union when I was teaching in the late 1970’s. I, like you, did not like them telling me who to vote for. I also did not like their support of abortion rights. I felt their agendas put education on the back burner. I was called names and treated very unkindly. I was sued three times as I refused to pay their outrageous representation fees. National Right to Work came in and fought for us. A friend of mine encouraged me to read, “NEA, the Trojan Horse in America Education.” What an eye opener!! We see the affects of it in todays education. I had a long talk with one of the union reps about the abortion stance and other moral and ethical values. One day as I was going to school, I stopped by a gas station to get something and there he was. He said to pray for him as he was going in that morning to resign from the union! He was unaware of some of the things they stood for. Wow, a God thing!! It still brings tears to my eyes.
KRISTEN – I’m sorry, I hit post by mistake. Anyway, I am sensitive to discussions about Covid since my mom died from it in 2021. She had just moved in with us, and we expected her to be with us at least a year or two. She died exactly two months from the day she moved in. I immediately felt so guilty that I started screaming that I had killed my mother. I just knew that she caught it at a restaurant I had taken her for lunch where not one person had on a mask. In reality, I don’t know that’s where she caught it. We had gone other places too. Anyway, her death and all the arguing about Covid restrictions nearly destroyed me. I don’t know if the shut downs saved any lives or not. And I certainly don’t know what the answer was to this modern day plague. I just know that more than one million people lost their lives to it, and that is horrifying. I appreciate your comments that we are to judge laws that are contrary to God’s laws. We live in a time when it takes a lot of discernment and prayer to know what to do in all situations. I love that you pray for our leaders to be drawn to God and that they govern according to God’s laws. If all Christians band together to pray for our leaders, it would be amazing to see the changes in our world. God bless you.
Hello Ladies! Romans is certainly a convicting book. Todays passage is encouraging in the current time of heavy politics—a reminder that God is our ultimate authority.
KRISTINE LOUGHMAN—praying for healing for your feet, that the Lord would miraculously take away your pain and give you perseverance for your spirit.
COLLEEN DeVEAU—praying for healing for you today, and that you will get rest and peace from the Lord. Also that he would speak to you as as you rest with Him.
LINDA—praying that God would give your husband the words to speak to encourage and lift up the body of Christ and that he is encouraged himself that no matter what, God will continue to use him.
RHONDA J—praying for your continued healing from the Lord, and that He would lift you up through every trial
MARI V—praying over your first day of school that you would be blessing and example of Christ to your sweet little students.
Love you ladies! Thank you for the prayers. My little boy has a cold now, so sad bc he is so young, so please pray for his healing.
KRISTEN – the subject of Covid, and its restrictions, is a difficult one for me. She died of Covid in 2021.
COLLEEN DEVEAU – praying you are able to get healing rest and are soon feeling better
LINDA IN NC – it is amazing that your husband has the courage to speak in front of a group. I’m writing in late afternoon, so I’m sure his event is over by now. My prayers for both of you as you navigate this terrible disease together.
KELLY (NEO) – I am also getting ready to vote in Ohio’s special election when my husband gets home. I pray the result is the one that will be best for our state.
This morning I noticed some comments regarding “judging”, and I believe the only one to judge is the Lord. How many times have I had to remind myself of that!! The comment on Covid was troubling for me. My church closed as did all in my part of the country. Zoom made its appearance. I believe it was a hard decision, made with thought to save lives. There were churches that opened prematurely and many members got COVID. If some other highly communicable disease happened I would hope would allow wisdom to prevail. God was present in our homes as we worshipped online and gathered with our families. As my church looks back, we also realize how many homebound could be part of their church family again. I apologize if my comments offend anyone, they come from a place of love and care. Prayers lifted sisters! I just got back from a 10 day Christian Camp meeting, bible study time was Paul lol.
I think Adultery is Gods way of saying “Sex”
I can’t force anyone to like me.