All Authority Comes from God

Verse of the day: Romans 13:1 Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God.

Here is a verse of Scripture that, although simple, can be very difficult to obey. Why?  It involves submitting to human authority.   However, what we often forget, as born again believers, is that to disobey human authority, placed in our life by God, is to disobey God.  I know that we do not always respect people who hold positions of authority in our life; be it government officials, our bosses, supervisors, managers, or in our personal relationships, such as husband and wife or child and parent, even the pastor and the church.  Nonetheless, whatever authority is God ordained is authority that comes from God, and to speak against that authority, in areas that do not go against our beliefs (and I am not speaking of personally held convictions, I am talking about clear violations of God’s Word) is to go against God Himself, who authored that authority.  When the Israelites spoke against Moses, God said that they spoke against Him, because Moses was called to lead the people by God.  Are we always going to agree with those whom we are subject to?  No.  However, God is very clear in His Word that any power that governing authorities have comes from Him.  We may not like paying taxes, but even Jesus paid them.  He set the example when He directed Peter to pay taxes for both Him, and Peter, after providing the money in the mouth of a fish.  The bottom line is that we are subject to all authority placed over us, and although we may not respect the person, we must respect the office they hold.  As long as we are being directed to do something that is not a clear violation of God’s Word, even if we personally do not like it, we are to be obedient, for the sake of our conscience toward God.  Remember, we may choose to disobey, but God also warned in this chapter that to disobey is to bring on consequences for that disobedience.  All authority belongs to God, and God alone, but He can delegate that authority to whomever He pleases, and to disobey those He has ordained to rule in our lives is to disobey Him.  The one thing that will hinder our obedience in this area of our lives is pride.  The Bible is very clear that even Jesus humbled Himself “and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross”, Philippians 2.  This was the ultimate act of obedience, and humility, by God Himself (the Son, submitting to the will of the Father, who allowed Himself to fall under the authority of His own creation, even unto death).  If that is not the greatest example set for us, then I do not know what is.