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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:
1. What are the background when Paul wrote the above verse? |
Bible Answer: cklamhk: Your question is good and it is scripturally oriented. The "background" of Paul's teaching in Romans 13 about civil government can be traced all the way back to Genesis. God established human government after the flood when He decreed, "Whoever sheds man's blood, by man his blood shall be shed" (Genesis 9:6). That decree gave authority to men to judge criminal matters and to punish offenders. In every ordered society there must be authority and submission to that authority. Otherwise you have a state of anarchy and nations cannot survive indefinitely under anarchy. Government is better than no government. God instituted human government and no government exists without His will, but this does not mean that God approves of all human rulers (the Bible abounds with proof of this fact) and He never sanctions corruption or tyranny. Nontheless, "authorities that exist are appointed by God" yet Scripture makes one exception to the command to "let every soul be subject to the governing authorities" and that is when obedience to civil authority would require disobedience of God's Word. See Exodus 1:17; Daniel 3:8-18; Daniel 6:4-15; Acts 4:13-22; Acts 5:17-29. --Hank |