We Must Submit To Authority, But It Is Not A Blind Submission

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. 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, 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. Therefore one must be in subjection, not only to avoid God's wrath but also for the sake of conscience. 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 13:1-7).

This section continues to apply Paul’s call for genuine love (see 12:9, and its restatement in 13:8–10). Love for God means respecting structures “instituted by God” (13:1), such as government. Paul speaks in general terms about government in its God-given functions such as deterring bad conduct (v. 2), approving good conduct (v. 3), and administering punishment to wrongdoers (v. 4).

There are plenty of examples in Scripture of God’s servants making the difficult decision to “obey God rather than men” (Acts 5:29). The gospel does not endorse blind submission to every governmental presence or policy, especially where citizens have voting rights and must choose between candidates and ultimately between governments. For every election means a choice for one governmental option rather than another. Misguided citizenship, whether too little compliance with government or too much, can be harmful to the conscience (Rom. 13:5). Paying taxes is an expression of respect for government (v. 6).

Believers in Christ should have an open, honest, respectful, and affirming interface with governmental authorities and the forms their oversight of society takes (v. 7). Such an attitude was exemplified by our Lord (Matt. 22:21).

Adapted from the Gospel Transformation Bible