Romans 13:1-7 Submit to Governing Authorities

In his letter to the Romans, Paul calls for Christians to submit to governing authorities, because their authority is derived from God, the State will punish those who do wrong, and bring wrath against them.

 

13:1 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. 2 Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. 3 For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and your will receive his approval, 4 for she is God's servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God's wrath on the wrongdoer. 5 Therefore one must be in subjection, not only to avoid God's wrath but also for the sake of conscience. 6 For because of this you also pay taxes, for the authorities are ministers of God, attending to this very thing. 7 pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed.

 

Christians should obey authorities because they are established by God.

Christians are called to give what they owe the state, whether taxes, debt, respect or honor. Authorities are "God's servants"; nothing more, no matter in what esteem the authorities might hold themselves in. The state's task to punish evil, something that individual Christians must not do. If the state transgresses from this role, it is not acting in accordance with its purpose. Even though God has established the authorities, they are not without judgment.

 

Romans 13:1 echoes to some extent Matthew 22:21 "Give to Caesar what is Caesar's, and to God what is God." The most common interpretation of this section is that our ultimate allegiance is to God, but this does not nullify other responsibilities, if not in conflict with our main purpose.

 

That being true, the colonies had no biblical basis for armed rebellion to England thereby forfeiting any right to consider the United States God's people.