THE AUTHORITIES HAVE BEEN ESTABLISHED BY GOD

Passage: Romans 13:1-7

Key verse: 1

NIV

Submission to Governing Authorities

13 Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities,(A) for there is no authority except that which God has established.(B) The authorities that exist have been established by God. 2 Consequently, whoever rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted,(C) and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves. 3 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.(D) 4 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.(E) 5 Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also as a matter of conscience.(F)

6 This is also why you pay taxes,(G) for the authorities are God’s servants, who give their full time to governing. 7 Give to everyone what you owe them: If you owe taxes, pay taxes;(H) if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor.

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Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Source: BibleGateway

ESV

Submission to the Authorities

13 Let every person (A)be subject to the governing authorities. For (B)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 you (C)will receive his approval, 4 for (D)he 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, (E)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 (F)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 (G)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.

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The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
Source: BibleGateway

The passage tells us that all authority has been established by God. The passage tells us do what is right, and we will be commended. Our boss may be sometimes against us, and even harsh to us. But we need to trust in God’s sovereignty in all these things. We should believe that God is the one who put them in that place of authority.

Even with a bad boss, if we do what is right, God promises us that we will be commended. When we trust in God’s authority and do our best to be commended by the rulers and bosses, God will be honored and he will be pleased.

Rulers can be the governing authority, our bosses, our teachers, etc. We need to serve them and be excellent at our work before them since God put us in that place. When God trains us through our bosses or the people in authority over us, we need to humbly learn to submit to them since it is God who establishes authority.

Prayer: Lord, please help us, so we may not have a rebellious spirit but have a humble submissive spirit to those rulers you put over in our lives. We believe that you are in control and you put them in that place. Through our humble submission and serving our rulers and authorities, may your name be praised and honored.

One Word: Submit to the authority.