Romans 13 gives us an interesting discussion around the issue of civil authorities. I know this might be a sensitive topic at present in our global season. May I gently remind us, the government of Paul’s day was by no means righteous? They had a number of unjust and ungodly laws and yet God authorised them and commanded the church through Paul to obey civil authorities. Let’s explore a few points on this…⠀⠀
Authority if for our protection
First, authority is from God for our own protection. Civil authorities are not God Himself. We must not view them as such but we must respect the laws of the land. If we don’t, Paul warns us we will be subject to the judgement of the governing authorities.⠀⠀
“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. Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment.”
Romans 13:1-2 ESV⠀⠀⠀
Authorities bring judgement⠀⠀
Second, civil authorities are authorised to bring about the judgement of God. They effectively execute God’s judgement. They are also authorised to carry weapons, something average citizens (especially in Australia) are not free to do. ⠀⠀
“Those in authority are God’s servants for the good of society. But if you break the law, you have reason to be alarmed, for they are God’s agents of punishment to bring criminals to justice. Why do you think they carry weapons?”
Romans 13:4 TPT⠀⠀
Honour is a kingdom principle⠀⠀
Finally, we need to honour civil authorities as honour is a pillar of the kingdom. There’s no way around it folks, we must pay our taxes. Now we may disagree with how our government governs. (This is why we get to vote in a democracy.) But we need to show honour to our government leaders and civil authorities. Let this be a gentle reminder for all of us to be praying for our leaders before we criticise them. The Lord has placed them there for reasons we may not yet understand.⠀
“For because of this you also pay taxes, for the authorities are ministers of God, attending to this very thing. 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 13:6-7 ESV⠀⠀
Do you pray for your leaders and civil authorities? We’d love to hear from you. Drop us a comment…