Excerpt #7 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 judges civil governments by a standard.
God judges civil governments by a standard. Being under both the general commandments given to all and also specific commandments directed at their offices, rulers and governments are judged by these commands repeatedly in Scripture. Isaiah 10:5-6 succinctly ties together God’s commanding and judgment, using Assyria to judge Israel for her unfaithfulness by commanding Assyria to attack and to destroy. This comes soon after 10:1 where it says “woe unto them that decree unrighteous decrees, and that write grievousness, which they have prescribed.” King Saul’s poor judgment is well known to most Christians from 1 Samuel 15:25-33. Daniel tells of judgment on rulers in both 4:17-25 and 5:25-28. The Psalms, specifically in 94:20-23, describe what God will do to the rulers who “frame injustice by statue” and “condemn the innocent to death”. Psalm 2 describes God’s response to those rulers who conspire in rebellion against God and His Anointed. Psalm 105:14 tells how God “rebuked kings on their account”. These rulers clearly include nations like the Chaldeans, not just Israel, as is shown by Habakkuk 2:12: “woe to him who builds a town with blood and founds a city on iniquity!” Isaiah 5:20-23, I Samuel 12:13-15, 2 Chronicles 21:17, Micah 2:2, Isaiah 1:21-26, and Ezekial 34:1-5 also support this principle of God judging rulers’ unrighteousness.
In contrast, 2 Samuel 23:3-4 describes how a just ruler, ruling in the fear of God, will be a blessing to the people. This ruler will dawn on them “like the morning light…” 2 Kings 17:1-8 then provides a specific example, describing how King Hezekiah’s obedience to God brought blessing to the people of Israel. Ultimately, after all nations and rulers have had their appointed time on earth, Revelation 11:15-16 describes how all kingdoms of the earth will become “the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever”. Here, the blessing of the archetype of the righteous ruler will be fully manifested in Christ’s full manifestation.
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