Romans 13:2, commentary and pictures

Resisting governing power resists what God has appointed and ordained, and brings condemnation and judgment upon the resister. Civil government exists because of sin to preserve order, protect people from violence and restrain disorder, and God works through its laws to shield His people while evil still controls much of the world. Obedience to human government is a sacred duty within its legitimate sphere, with civil authority supreme in civil relations but God alone supreme in moral and religious duties. When the claims of government conflict with the claims of God, God's word stands above all human legislation and must be obeyed rather than men, even at the cost of accepting the penalty and being accused of resisting authority. Even then testimony for God is to be warmer, more decided and unflinching, yet with nothing done in a defiant spirit.

Civil Authority Ordained by God

To resist governing or civil power is to resist what God has appointed and ordained, and those who resist bring condemnation and judgment upon themselves. Every soul is to be subject to the higher powers because all power is of God and ordained by Him, so opposition to civil power is opposition to God's order. Reverence is due to rulers, yet this does not bind subjects to adopt their rulers' religion, for true religion derives its strength and authority from God alone and not from princes. The same condemnation rests on churches that have adopted the customs and practices of the world instead of remaining a peculiar, holy people representing Christ.

The state is ordained of God to preserve order and protect people from violence, and it exists because of sin, for without sin there would be no reason for it. Its mission is solely to prevent evil by evil-minded persons through fear of penalties, restraining disorder, and acting within its own sphere it is always useful and will remain so as long as sin exists. Civil rulers and laws help restrain disorder even though some laws are bad. God still has to do with the laws of the land, working by His restraining Spirit through rulers and people while mediation continues in the sanctuary, because Satan controls the great mass of the world to such an extent that without the laws of the land His people would suffer greatly.

God requires that no nation exist without an authoritative head, but leaves the form to each nation to determine, whether emperor or king or president or democratic judge, so that the voice of the people in choosing magistrates becomes the voice of God. The state is ordained in general according to the demands of the time and place of its existence, and it exercises proper jurisdiction when it attends to its own affairs in civil capacity. Citizens are therefore to show magistrates respect, reverence, and obedience within just and lawful limits, and to resist the magistrate in the just and lawful exercise of his power is to resist God. In fulfilling its highest purpose the state has no union with religion or the church, with religion having no place in its statute books and the church no recognition in its administration, having nothing to do with religion.

Damnation in the verse means judgment coming from God's disapproval and disapprobation of the resister, a sin and crime deserved by resistance to lawful authority. Order in public life and obedience to princes and civil authority are the ordinance of God. To denounce all public order and declare that obeying princes is serving both God and evil is false teaching, and to break away from all control while claiming divine sanction is itself to resist God. Rejecting obedience to rulers in the name of divine guidance leads to rebellion and sedition, bringing damnation in strife and bloodshed.

Obedience Limited by Higher Law

Human government is an ordinance of divine appointment, and obedience to it is a sacred duty within its legitimate sphere. No nation can exist without an authoritative head, with the form — emperor or king or president or democratic judge — left to each nation to determine, so that the voice of the people in choosing magistrates becomes the voice of God, and citizens owe magistrates respect, reverence, and obedience within certain limits, while to resist the magistrate in the just and lawful exercise of his power is to resist God, a sin and crime deserving damnation, meaning judgment from God's disapprobation. Within civil relations Caesar is supreme, but within moral and religious duties God alone is supreme, as with children and parents, wives and husbands, and servants and masters each within just limitation, and if the magistrate transcends civil authority and commands against conscience enlightened by the clear Word of God to do wrong, the citizen must rise to the higher law and refuse obedience.

When the claims of government conflict with the claims of God, the word of God must be recognized as above all human legislation, a Thus saith the Lord never to be set aside for a Thus saith the church or a Thus saith the state, with the crown of Christ lifted above the crowns and diadems of earthly rulers and potentates, so that God must be obeyed rather than men. The verse does not justify civil enforcement of human laws against God's law, so when authorities compel such obedience, keepers of God's commandments remain faithful to God even though accused of resisting authority. Obedience to princes does not bind subjects to frame their religion according to the appetites and beliefs of their princes, for right religion takes neither its original strength nor authority from worldly princes but from the eternal God alone, and princes are often the most ignorant of all others in God's true religion, as shown in that if Abraham's seed had held Pharaoh's religion while subjects in Egypt, or if men in the days of the apostles had held the religion of the Roman emperors, no true religion would have remained in the world.

When a human law conflicts with God's law it must not be obeyed even at the cost of accepting the consequences and penalty, such as a law requiring return of an enslaved person to an owner, because God alone is that person's rightful master, though civil rulers and laws help restrain disorder even when some laws are bad. Even when God's law is made void and the emergency demands warmer, more decided, positive, unflinching, firm and clear testimony from the true and loyal, nothing is to be done in a defiant spirit, but loyalty remains subject to God and to civil authority with the heart surrendered. Freedom from a defiant spirit comes from a heart fully surrendered to God, with the eye of faith fixed steadfastly on Jesus Christ the Captain of salvation as example, who did everything with an eye single to His Father's glory, doing as the Father gave Him commandment and working out His Father's will, so that His life manifested divine perfection and revealed God's purpose to bring man into the closest connection with Himself, without whom happiness is impossible, in contrast to the original apostasy which began in disbelief and denial of the truth. Faithful dissent does not defy authorities, but words spoken or written are to be carefully considered lest believers appear antagonistic to law and order and unnecessarily close the way, while they go forward in Christ's name advocating the truths committed to them, and if forbidden by men answering as the apostles did that they cannot but speak the things they have seen and heard.

Faithful Life Under Authority

Those who live under the protection of a government owe it the support it claims from them, conforming in all things to the laws of the state whenever that can be done without conflict with the law of God. Resisting civil authority in its rightful sphere is resisting an order established by God and brings judgment upon the resister, so believers must always answer the claims of God while remaining peaceably subject to civil law.

The same principle condemns churches that have taken up the customs and practices of the world instead of remaining a peculiar and holy people who represent Christ. Every soul is to be subject to the higher powers because all power is of God and ordained by Him, and to resist that power is to resist what He has ordained and to bring judgment on oneself.

That ordained authority extends to those placed in positions of trust over institutions, whom God honors by placing them there. Youth under their care are to submit to their discipline and regulations, because those in charge understand better what rules are essential. Parents are not to blindly sustain and sympathize with children who refuse discipline or insist on their own way against superiors, nor teach them to treat lightly the principles at the foundation of loyalty to truth, to fellow beings, and to God. In difficulty parents and youth are to go directly to those in authority to learn the truth, show confidence in their judgment, and respect their authority, teaching children to respect and honor them.

Even those who suppose they are to exercise authority are themselves men under authority. A power higher than that of any earthly potentate is to rule them while they bear a most solemn message to the world. Order in public life and obedience to princes and civil authority are the ordinance of God, so to denounce all order and declare that to obey princes is to serve both God and evil is false teaching. To break away from all control while claiming divine sanction is itself to resist God, and such resistance is rebellion against civil authority bringing condemnation in sedition, strife, and bloodshed.