Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. Consequently, whoever rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves. For rulers hold no terror for those who do right but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right, and you will be commended. For the one in authority is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for rulers do not bear the sword for no reason. They are God’s servants, agents of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer. Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also as a matter of conscience. This is also why you pay taxes, for the authorities are God’s servants, who give their full time to governing. Give to everyone what you owe them: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor. Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for whoever loves others has fulfilled the law. The commandments, “You shall not commit adultery,” “You shall not murder,” “You shall not steal,” “You shall not covet,” and whatever other command there may be, are summed up in this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Love does not harm a neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law. And do this, understanding the present time: The hour has already come for you to wake up from your slumber because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy. Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the flesh.

If you've ever watched a police procedural television show, you've probably seen some form of this scene: A big-city federal agent shows up at a small-town crime scene. He waves his badge and tells the small-town sheriff that this is now his jurisdiction and he is in charge now. The idea is that people or agencies have special authority in certain circumstances, but that authority is removed when circumstances (or locations) change. Questions regarding Biblical authority have sprung up again in recent years, bringing up the issue of what authority belongs to parents, to the church, and to the government. The main issue is whether Christians are to either submit to legitimate authority or resist illegitimate authority, depending on the circumstances. The basic question way back then was this: "In what ways should Christians submit to the authority of Rome, and in what ways should Christians stand in defiance of the Roman government?" As we will see in the next 300 years of the early church, there were instances where Christians were some of Rome's finest citizens and other instances where Christians stood in defiance of Rome to the point of death. In today's passage, Paul begins to lay out this coming dilemma and clarify the right stance so that Christians know how to stand rightly no matter what comes. His basic argument summarizes that since governments have authority from God, we are bound to obey them unless, of course, they order us to do something in contradiction to God’s law. Then, we are commanded to obey God before man, as Peter modeled in Acts 4. Paul's goal in today's passage is to define what the authority of government is and where that authority ends. A wrong interpretation of this passage is: I have to do what the government says, no matter what they say, because God established that authority, and they have been put in place by God. A better understanding is that God establishes authority, meaning that authority exists because of and is under the authority of God.

Throughout Scripture, God refers to five spheres of authority. The first sphere of authority is God Himself, who has ultimate authority over all creation. God is sovereign over all, and all authority falls under him. The second sphere is the individual. This authority was given by God to mankind, and we see how God gave Adam and Eve rule and dominion over the animals and creation. Spheres three through five are spheres that man institutes under God's direction, and they are Family, Church, and Government. Each of these spheres has a specific purpose that God designed and instituted through man, and each sphere, Individual, Government, Family, and Church, has a unique set of defined boundaries or limitations that God himself does not have. When each institution operates according to God's design, the result is flourishing, harmony, and success, but when any one sphere overreaches into another, the result is abuse and the disruption of God's intended plan. When any one sphere fails in or abdicates its responsibility that comes with authority, the result is neglect, which creates a void, often leading to another of the spheres filling that void. For these spheres of authority to work in balance, they must stay within their allotted boundaries as God designed. There are many examples in Scripture as well as human history that show the horror of when this goes wrong through neglect, abuse, and overstepping. Communism is an example of when this goes wrong. The Inquisition, Holy Land Crusades, and even the Salem Witch Trials are all further examples of when one sphere stepped in and forced authority where it wasn't designed to.

God institutes spheres through fathers: Family Fathers, Founding Fathers, and Church Fathers. God has given each sphere specific responsibilities that it has not given the others. Individuals are involved in leading the three spheres, and at times, one individual could be a leader in all three. For example, a mayor could be a parent and also a deacon at a church. But, we need to keep in mind that the jurisdictions or authorities are separate and within the scope of each separate sphere. The family's authority and mandated responsibility is procreation, health, provision, nurturing, education, and spiritual instruction. The head of the family are the parents. The head of the marriage is the husband. The government and the church do not have jurisdiction, authority, or responsibility here. The Government has no right to exert authority in procreation, health, education, and spiritual instruction, but obviously, over the years, the government has wrongly stepped into all of these areas, and even certain denominations of the church have also overstepped their role here. The church's responsibility is doctrine, spiritual formation, practice, church discipline, and governance. The leadership of the church is delegated by Christ to pastors and elders. The family and the government do not have that jurisdiction, authority, or responsibility. However, it is the individual who has the authority and responsibility to plant churches or dissolve them. The government's responsibility is to protect rights, economic order, civic order, justice, and the defense of the nation. The government sits on the shoulders of Jesus. When governments operate in submission to God, they will operate under the guidelines of the Ten Commandments. Families and churches do not have this jurisdiction, authority, or responsibility. Only the government carries the authority of the sword, meaning it is only the government, under the authority of 'we the people,' who declare war and carry out capital punishment. God has given the individual the right and authority to form a government or dissolve government the same way the individual forms or dissolves families or churches. By design, each of these spheres has things that fall outside of their authority: things they are not supposed to do. The role of the family is for the raising of children. This is not the role of the government or even the church. The role of government is to maintain societal structure and the sword and not to interfere with the church. The role of the church is to provide spiritual discipline and not to execute criminals or impose rules on a family. The role of the government is not to infringe on individual rights or take responsibility from the family or church. The role of the church is for community care and not for the government to set up tax-funded charities. Today in our world, we are seeing a massive attack on spheres of authority. Especially the attack of the government stepping into spheres of the Family, Church, and Individual and setting itself up as the authority (or God) over all other spheres. This encroachment may come through confusion, or it may be very intentional, but either way, it causes destruction. Historically, within every evil empire that has ever existed: Greece, Rome, Assyria, Egypt, Babylon, etc, we see how one sphere imposed itself as holding authority over all the other spheres, which always leads to incredible corruption and destruction.

In summary, no authority exists except that which comes from and originates from God, meaning that if you step outside of God's boundaries and what he has established, your authority is lost. Abuse of authority equals loss of authority. If a father rebels and abuses his family, his authority as a father is lost and forfeited. If a pastor or church leader rebels and abuses their church, their authority as a church leader is lost and forfeited. If an individual rebels and abuses their authority, their authority is lost and forfeited. In the same way, if a government rebels, abuses, or overreaches its authority, that authority is lost and forfeited. As citizens, we need to listen to the government because it has been established and functions under God's design. However, when they step outside God's principles and laws, then we must obey God rather than men. There are many examples in Scripture of Godly people rightly disobeying governmental authorities who abuse authority. Pharaoh commanded the midwives of Egypt to kill male babies (Exodus 18). They refused. Daniel refused to stop praying, even when commanded to. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego disobeyed the Babylonian rulers and refused to worship idols. The Apostles continued to preach when various rulers forbade them (Acts 5, Acts 20:23). Early Christians refused to bow and worship the Emperor and were fed by lions because of it. Christians refused to receive a Roman Libellus, which was proof of sacrifice to false gods. Many Christians were commanded by government leaders to recant their faith, which they refused. Obedience to government is only valid when the government is functioning under the authority, and will of God or within his set course or when obeying government does not conflict with your ability to obey and live out God's principles.