Romans 13:1-7 Godly Government

“Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established” (Romans 13:1). Note the absolute language: no authority. None. Stated positively, every government and all government authority figures have power only because God gave it to them. Therefore, as citizens of the United States, we don’t support the government because those we voted for were elected, because we approve of the current tax policy, or even because freedom of religion is enshrined in the First Amendment. We support our government simply because it was instituted by God. Jesus himself taught that we owe respect and obedience to our government, even when it doesn’t align with our political preferences. Christians sometimes struggle with this. We see that government and rulers can be evil. Certainly, if government asks us to sin, “we must obey God rather than human beings” (Acts 5:29). But the existence of corrupt government and evil rulers does not negate what Scripture says to be true. “There is no authority except that which God has established.” Therefore, when we talk about “godly government,” we are not saying that the only legitimate governments are those who do what is perfectly godly. We are confessing our belief that the King of kings is in perfect control of all the governments of this world and that he works in all things—including tyrants and dictators—for the eternal good of his dear children.