Excerpt #1 of “Analysis of Romans 13:1-7 in Light of the Analogy of Scripture”
Given the length of the full paper I recently published on this site, I am posting excerpts which emphasize specific principles within the paper. Hopefully, these excerpts will not only encourage you to read the actual paper, but also think more deeply about the role of Romans 13:1-7 in our response to both Godly and ungodly civil government in our day and time. A proper understanding and obedience to Scripture is critical today as always. This particular Scripture has been mishandled in so many ways that a methodical approach to its exegesis is needed to avoid further error by both individual Christians and the broader church. The pressures being exerted upon true Christianity by the contemporary civil government demand a Biblical response informed by Romans 13:1-7 and the other Scriptures addressed within this paper.
(These excerpts are posted in the order as found in the paper, but do not include the entirety of the paper which combined. Only the PDF contains all sections of the paper.)
God as Ultimate Authority: The First Broad Principle
The nature of authority, as portrayed Biblically in both propositions and narrative descriptions, indicates that God remains the ultimate authority throughout all time. Civil authority, which is a beneficial institution for mankind, originates with God and is then delegated by God who has divided this authority into earthly jurisdictions and directs it through His revealed law.
Authority originates with God and is therefore delegated by God. Romans 13:1-7 addresses this directly in verse one, “For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God.” In addition, rulers are called a “servant” (diakonos) of God in verse four and “ministers” (leitourgoi) of God in verse six, indicating that they owe their allegiance to the One from whom their authority was derived (Logos software). … It is inconsistent with the Scriptures to claim that human governments arise primarily from any “social compact” or “consent of the governed” (Bromiley, 545). Human governments are God ordained for righteous ends even if enacted through human secondary means. In addition, men are intended to be in subjection to earthly authorities,….
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