Posted by
Corthell on Thursday, May 14, 2009 4:12:40 PM
Let every person be in subjection to governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God.
– Roman 13:1
A pastor of a very large church recently chastised his congregation for its preoccupation with and involvement in the affairs of government. He said that politics is a Christian "brain cramp."
Using the text of Romans 13:1 and 1 Peter 2:13-17, he told the people in his flock that if they failed to submit to any governmental authority they were in rebellion against God.
The principles of respect for authority and the need for the establishment of an orderly government are repeated throughout Scripture. Without government there is chaos. The tribunal of the pagan magistrate often was all that stood between the early Christians and an angry mob.
At the time those passages were written, the Jews were a rebellious people, and the local governors lived in fear of insurrection. Paul (the author of Romans and the majority of the New Testament), Peter and even Jesus himself urged their followers to be good citizens, to obey the law and pay taxes.