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NASB | Romans 13:1 Every person is to be in subjection to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God. |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Romans 13:1 Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God [granted by His permission and sanction], and those which exist have been put in place by God. [Prov 8:15] |
Bible Question:
in light of Romans 13:1-5 ([1] Every person is to be in subjection to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God. [2] Therefore whoever resists authority has opposed the ordinance of God; and they who have opposed will receive condemnation upon themselves. [3] For rulers are not a cause of fear for good behavior, but for evil. Do you want to have no fear of authority? Do what is good and you will have praise from the same; [4] for it is a minister of God to you for good. But if you do what is evil, be afraid; for it does not bear the sword for nothing; for it is a minister of God, an avenger who brings wrath on the one who practices evil. [5] Therefore it is necessary to be in subjection, not only because of wrath, but also for conscience' sake.) what is our response to going to war to try and topple a regime that is obviously evil and corrupt but still, according to Rom 13, "esablished by God"? along the same lines, i have recently been thinking about the birth of our own United States of America out of the rebellion to an existing governing authority. was the US born out of God ordained rebellion or was it an act of human defiance not blessed by God Almighty? everything i have been brought up to believe concerning the birth of America tells me i shouldn't even ask this question but it is starting to nag me even more. i haven't even begun to form an opinion on these questions yet, but my initial reaction when reading Rom 13 is to assume that ALL governing authority means ALL regardless of apparent evil in the exercise of that authority. please help me reach an unbiased and SCRIPTURAL Truth in this matter. Christ help us, Montag |
Bible Answer: Greetings Montag! It is quite clear in Scripture that the principle of Rom. 13:1 was meant to be a general principle, not an absolute one. What do I mean by that? Simply this, even though every 'government' is established by God, not every 'government' in Scripture is in fact obeyed in every circumstance. For instance, Pharoah tried to oppress Israel and keep them from leaving Egypt, but God had other plans for Israel. Therefore, Israel disobeyed Pharoah and resisted his rule over them - at God's command. Further, 1st century Christians were told by Rome to renounce Christ and worship false gods, yet they resisted - even to death. Rom. 13:1-7 seems to be speaking of a very general principle that Christians owe taxes, obedience, and respect to the government. But, nothing in this passage (or the rest of Scripture) indicates that we are to obey the government at the expense of obeying God. If the government tells us to do something which is contrary to God's reveal will, then we can and must resist - but do so respectfully. If we take Rom. 13:1-7 to an extreme then we would have to justify the actions of Hitler, and other despots. Are we to say that the government has the right to commit genocide? In general, we must obey and respect the government, but prevailing over this attitude is the injunction of Acts 5:29: "...We must obey God rather than men!". I hope this helps! Your Brother in Christ, Tim Moran |