Romans (Part 36) - Subject, To God’s Authority
[Romans 13:1-7 ESV]
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.
2 Therefore whoever resists the authorities
resists what God has appointed,
and those who resist will incur judgment.
3 For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad.
Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority?
Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval,
4 for he is God’s servant for your good.
But if you do wrong, be afraid,
for he does not bear the sword in vain.
For he is the servant of God,
an avenger who carries out God’s wrath on the wrongdoer.
5 Therefore one must be in subjection,
not only to avoid God’s wrath
but also for the sake of conscience.
6 For because of this you also pay taxes,
for the authorities are ministers of God,
attending to this very thing.
7 Pay to all what is owed to them:
taxes to whom taxes are owed,
revenue to whom revenue is owed,
respect to whom respect is owed,
honor to whom honor is owed.
[Romans 13:1 ESV]
1 Let every person be subject to the governing authorities…
[Romans 13:5 ESV]
5 Therefore one must be in subjection…
The statement is not
How does God want me to respond to authority?
What is the Biblical purpose of governing authorities?
To
[Romans 13:3 ESV]
3 For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad…
[Romans 13:4 ESV]
4 … But if you do wrong, be afraid…
To
[Romans 13:4 ESV]
4 … But if you do wrong, be afraid,
for he does not bear the sword in vain.
For he is the servant of God,
an avenger who carries out God’s wrath on the wrongdoer.
To
[Romans 13:4 ESV]
4 for he is God’s servant for your good…
[1 Timothy 2:1-3 ESV]
1 First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, 2 for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. 3 This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior…
[1 Peter 2:13-15, 17 ESV]
13 Be subject for the Lord’s sake to every human institution,
whether it be to the emperor as supreme,
14 or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil
and to praise those who do good.
15 For this is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people. …
17 Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God.
Honor the emperor.
[Luke 2:1-6 ESV]
1 In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. 2 This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria. 3 And all went to be registered, each to his own town. 4 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, 5 to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. 6 And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth.
Why are we to submit ourselves to authority?
[Romans 13:1 ESV]
1 Let every person be subject to the governing authorities.
Here is the primary reason of why:
For there is no authority except from God,
and those that exist have been instituted by God.
[Romans 13:2 ESV]
2 Therefore whoever resists the authorities
resists what God has appointed,
and those who resist will incur judgment.
[John 18:36 ESV]
36 … “My kingdom is not of this world.
If my kingdom were of this world,
my servants would have been fighting,
that I might not be delivered over to the Jews.
But my kingdom is not from the world.”
[Daniel 2:20-21 ESV]
20 Daniel answered and said:
“Blessed be the name of God forever and ever,
o whom belong wisdom and might.
21 He changes times and seasons;
he removes kings and sets up kings…
[Romans 9:17 ESV]
17 For the Scripture says to Pharaoh,
“For this very purpose I have raised you up,
that I might show my power in you,
and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.”
[John 19:10-11 ESV]
10 So Pilate said to him, “You will not speak to me?
Do you not know that I have authority to release you
and authority to crucify you?”
11 Jesus answered him, “You would have no authority over me at all unless it had been given you from above…
[Romans 13:5 ESV]
5 Therefore one must be in subjection,
not only to avoid God’s wrath
but also for the sake of conscience.
… to avoid God’s
…
… for the sake of
.
[Romans 13:4 ESV]
4 … But if you do wrong, be afraid,
for he does not bear the sword in vain.
For he is the servant of God,
an avenger who carries out God’s wrath on the wrongdoer.
[Romans 13:6 ESV]
6 For because of this you also pay taxes,
for the authorities are ministers of God,
attending to this very thing.
[Romans 13:7 ESV]
7 Pay to all what is owed to them:
taxes to whom taxes are owed,
revenue to whom revenue is owed,
respect to whom respect is owed,
honor to whom honor is owed.
Is there ever a time when we do not subject ourselves to authority?
Yes, when obedience to the governing authorities
means disobeying God, Who is the ultimate Authority.
[Exodus 1:15-17, 20-22 ESV]
15 Then the king of Egypt said to the Hebrew midwives,
one of whom was named Shiphrah and the other Puah,
16 “When you serve as midwife to the Hebrew women and see them on the birthstool, if it is a son, you shall kill him,
but if it is a daughter, she shall live.”
17 But the midwives feared God and did not do as the king of Egypt commanded them, but let the male children live.
… 20 So God dealt well with the midwives.
And the people multiplied and grew very strong.
21 And because the midwives feared God, he gave them families.
[Daniel 3:14, 16-18 ESV]
… 14 Nebuchadnezzar answered and said to them,
“Is it true, O Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, that you do not serve my gods or worship the golden image that I have set up? … 16 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered and said to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. 17 If this be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king. 18 But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.”
[Daniel 6:7, 10 ESV]
… whoever makes petition to any god or man for thirty days, except to you, O king, shall be cast into the den of lions. … 10 When Daniel knew that the document had been signed, he went to his house where he had windows
in his upper chamber open toward Jerusalem.
He got down on his knees three times a day and prayed
and gave thanks before his God, as he had done previously.
[Acts 5:28-29 ESV]
28 … “We strictly charged you not to teach in this name,
yet here you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching,
and you intend to bring this man’s blood upon us.”
29 But Peter and the apostles answered,
“We must obey God rather than men.
[1 Peter 4:14-16 ESV]
14 If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. 15 But let none of you suffer as a murderer or a thief or an evildoer or as a meddler. 16 Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian,
let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in that name.
How does God want me to respond to authority?
[Romans 13:1-7 ESV]
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.