One verse quite easily taken out of context is Romans 13:1, which says, “Let everyone submit to the governing authorities, since there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are instituted by God.”
The authority of the government was established by God to bless those who do good and restrict sin because of the reality that we live in a world broken by sin.
For God to be glorified, His followers must live in a humble, submissive way no matter how the rest of the world behaves. Our attitude toward those we may disagree with is a testimony to the world and a tool for evangelism.
This verse instructs us to obey the laws instituted by the government because it has authority over us. Above all, God has authority over the government just like He has authority over the church. He created both to give us structure as we go about our lives.
Even though we are citizens here on earth, followers of Christ are true citizens of heaven. Leaning into that truth, it is our job to put the right people into the position of government.
God tells us His standards for people in leadership. We need to support officials who will protect our rights as Christians and the values that we stand for.
While we are not a Christian nation, we were founded on biblical values. Perhaps this is because God‘s order of things will always work out best.
It is our job as citizens here and in heaven to stand for biblical values in the political world. If God says something is wrong, we shouldn’t be ok with letting the government justify it. We are not supposed to gladly accept a defeat. If God says something is sacred, the government should be protecting it, not exploiting it.
The world will preach that the times are changing and so should our policies. While change can be good, if something is changing by moving away from how God intended us to live, we cannot sit back and watch the government attempt to erase God piece by piece from our nation’s founding principles.
When faced with opposition and evil, Jesus found comfort in His Heavenly Father. So no matter what, we can rest in the promise that the government has no fight against the sovereignty of God.
