Romans 13:1-4

Passage

Let every soul be in submission to the authorities who exercise control.  For there is no authority except by God, and the authorities who are by God are intentionally arranged.  Therefore, the ones who show hostility to the authorities have resisted the ordinance of God.  And the ones who resist will receive judgment upon themselves.  For the rulers are not terrors to the ones of good works but rather to the ones of evil works.  And you desire to not be afraid of authority: do good things and you will have praise out of it.  For he is a servant of God for you into good.  But if you should do evil, be afraid.  For he does not bear the sword in vain.  For he is a servant of God – one who brings punishment into wrath to the ones who practice evil.

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

Authority.  This is a word that the modern world hates almost as much as the word submit.  Notice that Paul uses these words in conjunction with each other.  Our job as human beings is to submit to those that God has put in authority over us.  From the perspective of Christian logic, this really does make sense.  If God has intentionally arranged for us to have leadership, isn’t it prudent to submit?  If God intentionally arranges for us to have leadership and we do not submit, are we not in rebellion against God?  Yet, we hate submitting.  We desire to have our own free will.  This is a topic at the core of our struggle with sin and God.

To whom do you submit?  To what authority do you have difficulty submitting?

Second Thought:

Note the words that Paul uses as he is talking about the role of an authority in your life.  The authority is a servant of God for you.  In other words, the authority is in a position of authority for the benefit of the people they are leading.  This is powerful for two reasons.  First, it reinforces why it is that we should submit to godly authority.  However, I also believe it is an indicator of how we can determine who is a godly authority.  We know godly authorities by those who work genuinely for the best interests of the people that they are leading.

How confident are you that the people in positions of authority in your life are seeking your best interests?  Do you always know what is in your best interests?

Third Thought:

However, authority is not just for the benefit of the good.  Authority also serves to bring God’s wrath upon those who practice evil.  We must not forget the lesson we learned yesterday – that those who are called to execute judgment must not go too far lest they bring God’s judgment upon themselves.  However, certainly God does call those people in positions of authority to execute justice.  This is why being in authority is so difficult.  On one hand the person of authority has the benefit of leading.  But on the other hand, they have to be careful that their leadership does not overextend God’s will for them.

How does this perspective cause you to think about those people in leadership over you?  Why is it easy to envy those in leadership without considering the burden they bear with respect to balancing good and evil?

Passage for Tomorrow: Romans 13:5-7