We are called to place ourselves under the legitimate authority God has set over us, to submit out of love for God and a desire to honor him, even when the official in front of us seems far from honorable.

Every ruler, good or corrupt, holds power because God delegated it. Romans 13:1-2 makes a striking claim: to resist lawful authority is to resist God himself.

Every emperor from Augustus to Nero sat on Rome’s throne because the God of Israel put him there. Rome never knew it. But Paul wants his readers to know it, and to know what it means for how they live under that throne.

In the first post in this series, we looked at the background to Romans 13 and the four questions this passage answers. Today, we look at the first: who gave government its authority in the first place?

Look at Romans 13:1-2:

“Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment.”

Notice how inclusive this command is. “Let everyone…” no exceptions. Every Christian is to submit to the governing authorities.

Why? Because there is no authority on earth except from God. Every authority that exists has been instituted by him. So we learn two things: everyone submits to this command, and all authority comes from God. God delegates his authority to others so they can act on his behalf.

This same word for submission shows up throughout the New Testament in ways that should sound familiar. 1 Corinthians 15:28 says Jesus the Son submits to the Father, using the same word. Ephesians 5:24 says the church submits to Christ. Ephesians 5:22 says wives submit to their husbands. Ephesians 6:1 says children submit to their parents. And Romans 13:1 says everyone submits to the government.

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