All Authority is
From God
Romans 13:1-7
Part One
All Authority is From God
• Romans 13:1-7—1 Every person is to be in
subjection to the governing authorities. For
there is no authority except from God, and
those which exist are established by God.
2 Therefore whoever resists authority has
opposed the ordinance of God; and they
who have opposed will receive
condemnation upon themselves.
All Authority is From God
•
3
For rulers are not a cause of fear for
good behavior, but for evil. Do you want to
have no fear of authority? Do what is good
and you will have praise from the same; 4
for it is a minister of God to you for good.
But if you do what is evil, be afraid; for it
does not bear the sword for nothing; for it
is a minister of God, an avenger who
brings wrath on the one who practices evil.
All Authority is From God
•
5
Therefore it is necessary to be in
subjection, not only because of wrath, but
also for conscience’ sake. 6 For because
of this you also pay taxes, for rulers are
servants of God, devoting themselves to
this very thing. 7 Render to all what is due
them: tax to whom tax is due; custom to
whom custom; fear to whom fear; honor to
whom honor.
All Authority is From God
• There were many Christians and Jews of
Paul’s day who didn’t care for the
government that they lived under.
• So, Paul addresses the relationship
between a believer and the government in
a very straightforward manner.
All Authority is From God
• Since God is sovereign, those who
exercise authority do so because God has
established their positions.
• As followers of Christ, we like to
acknowledge God’s sovereignty when
someone we like is in power.
• However, we’re not quite as anxious to do
that when we don’t think very highly of
those in power.
All Authority is From God
• Nero was the Roman Emperor when Paul
wrote this passage.
• Did Nero’s authority come from God?
• What about Adolf Hitler, Joseph Stalin,
Mao Tse-Tung, Saddam Hussein, Kim
Jong-Il, or Mary I of England?
• Romans 13:1 tells us that even these
authorities have been established by God.
All Authority is From God
• We can actually find several examples in
the Bible where God tells us that He did
indeed put evil people in power for His
sovereign purposes.
Pharaoh
• Romans 9:17—For the Scripture says to
Pharaoh, “FOR THIS VERY PURPOSE I
RAISED YOU UP, TO DEMONSTRATE
MY POWER IN YOU, AND THAT MY
NAME MIGHT BE PROCLAIMED
THROUGHOUT THE WHOLE EARTH.”
• God put Pharaoh in power in Egypt for His
own sovereign purposes.
Nebuchadnezzar
• Nebuchadnezzar, like Pharaoh, was an
evil arrogant ruler.
• Three times in Daniel chapter 4, God says,
“the Most High is ruler over the realm of
mankind and bestows it on whomever He
wishes.”
• Any power Nebuchadnezzar possessed
came from God.
Cyrus
• Another Old Testament example is Cyrus,
the pagan king of Persia.
Cyrus
• Ezra 1:1-2—1 Now in the first year of
Cyrus king of Persia, in order to fulfill the
word of the LORD by the mouth of
Jeremiah, the LORD stirred up the spirit of
Cyrus king of Persia, so that he sent a
proclamation throughout all his kingdom,
and also put it in writing, saying:
Cyrus
•
“Thus says Cyrus king of Persia, ‘The
LORD, the God of heaven, has given me
all the kingdoms of the earth and He has
appointed me to build Him a house in
Jerusalem, which is in Judah.
2
• This is an example of a king who didn’t
worship God, yet he acknowledged that
He was God and he obeyed Him.
Herod
• What about King Herod, the king at the
time of Jesus’ birth?
• His throne was established by God, yet he
had all the babies boys in Bethlehem
killed, in an effort to save his throne.
All Authority is From God
• Romans 13:1—…For there is no authority
except from God, and those which exist
are established by God.
All Authority is From God
• Psalm 47:6-8—6 Sing praises to God, sing
praises; Sing praises to our King, sing
praises. 7 For God is the King of all the
earth; Sing praises with a skillful psalm. 8
God reigns over the nations, God sits on
His holy throne.
All Authority is From God
• Daniel 2:20-21—20 Daniel said, “Let the
name of God be blessed forever and ever,
For wisdom and power belong to Him. 21 It
is He who changes the times and the
epochs; He removes kings and
establishes kings; He gives wisdom to
wise men And knowledge to men of
understanding.”
All Authority is From God
• In John 19:11 Jesus told Pilate, “You
would have no authority over Me, unless it
had been given you from above.”
• Psalm 103:19—The LORD has
established His throne in the heavens, And
His sovereignty rules over all.
• God is the sovereign king of the world.
All Authority is From God
• 1 Peter 2:13-17—13 Submit yourselves for
the Lord’s sake to every human institution,
whether to a king as the one in authority, 14
or to governors as sent by him for the
punishment of evildoers and the praise of
those who do right. 15 For such is the will
of God that by doing right you may silence
the ignorance of foolish men.
All Authority is From God
•
16
Act as free men, and do not use your
freedom as a covering for evil, but use it
as bondslaves of God. 17 Honor all people,
love the brotherhood, fear God, honor the
king.
• Throughout the Bible we are told that God
is completely sovereign and He alone
establishes earthly authorities.
All Authority is From God
• Several places in the New Testament,
Satan is referred to as “the ruler of the
world” (John 12:31), “the god of this world”
(2 Cor. 4:4), or “the prince of the power of
the air” (Eph. 2:2).
• All of these titles indicate that Satan has
great power and influence over the earth.
All Authority is From God
• God, in His sovereignty and for His
purposes, has allowed Satan a certain
amount of authority over the earth.
• For reasons we’ll never fully understand,
God allows ungodly individuals to have
positions of great authority on earth.
• And, He tells us that we are to be in
subjection to the authorities that govern
us.
All Authority is From God
• Romans 13:1—Every person is to be in
subjection to the governing authorities…
• Hupotassō (hü-po-tä’s-sō) was often used
as a military term referring to soldiers who
served under and were subjected to the
absolute authority of a superior officer.
All Authority is From God
• We always have to allow Scripture to
interpret Scripture.
• And, there are places in the Bible where
godly individuals did not subject
themselves to the governing authorities of
the land.