Zambia Hunt

Part 2 of 5 — The Christian and Civil Government (Romans 13:1–2)

Every emperor from Augustus to Nero sat on Rome’s throne because the God of Israel put him there. Rome never knew it. But Paul wants his readers to know it, and to know what it means for how they live under that throne.

In the first post in this series, we looked at the background to Romans 13 and the four questions this passage answers. Today, we look at the first: who gave government its authority in the first place?

Look at Romans 13:1-2:

“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. Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment.”

Notice how inclusive this command is. “Let everyone…” no exceptions. Every Christian is to submit to the governing authorities.

Why? Because there is no authority on earth except from God. Every authority that exists has been instituted by him. So we learn two things: everyone submits to this command, and all authority comes from God. God delegates his authority to others so they can act on his behalf.

This same word for submission shows up throughout the New Testament in ways that should sound familiar. 1 Corinthians 15:28 says Jesus the Son submits to the Father, using the same word. Ephesians 5:24 says the church submits to Christ. Ephesians 5:22 says wives submit to their husbands. Ephesians 6:1 says children submit to their parents. And Romans 13:1 says everyone submits to the government.

Authority is not self-generated. All of it exists by God’s decree. The God who justifies the ungodly is the same God who providentially orders rulers and nations. Romans 11:36 says, “For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever.” Scripture teaches that God raises up and brings down leaders. He sovereignly places rulers in power and removes them, for his own purposes. Behind every system of government, in every nation, it is God who raises up leaders and deposes them.

Daniel says the same thing: “He changes times and seasons; he removes kings and sets up kings” (Daniel 2:21). Whatever government exists in whatever country you live in, Zambia included, one truth stands behind all the systems, the faces, the headlines, and the celebrations. A sovereign God raises up and removes leaders according to his will. That is the point.

Zambia had a president before Hakainde Hichilema, and it will have one after him. Governments rise and fall. Coups happen elsewhere on the continent. Elections sometimes surprise everyone. But behind all of it, remember who is really in charge.

In Isaiah 45:1, God says he appointed Cyrus, king of Persia, even though Cyrus did not know or acknowledge him. In Isaiah 10:5, God calls the wicked king of Assyria “the rod of my anger,” a tool to discipline Israel, though that king had no idea he was serving God’s purpose. Ultimately, God governs the affairs of nations and men. Every one of us must submit to the authority that comes from him.

Here’s an application worth sitting with. Civil servants, your job is honorable. We need more transformed, sacrificial Christians in government as hired employees and as elected officials alike. “Pastor, can a Christian be in politics? Is it a sin?” No. God set up government, and God gave it his authority. Serve with joy, integrity, and a sense of wonder that God chose you for this work. We are commanded to submit to the government we live under, and to pray for those who lead it:

“First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way” (1 Timothy 2:1–2).

Now notice the clarity of the command. “Subject” means to place yourself under an established order, it’s actually a military term. It means recognizing your place within a hierarchy God has set up. This is not blind obedience to every command, but submission to legitimate authority.

Peter says the same thing about Nero: submit “to the emperor as supreme, or to governors sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good” (1 Peter 2:13).

Verse two tells us what happens if we resist. “Resist” is also a military term, it means taking up arms against someone. Paul says those who resist governing authority are actually fighting against God. To resist lawful authority is to declare war on God himself.

We are called to place ourselves under the legitimate authority God has set over us, to submit out of love for God and a desire to honor him, even when the official in front of us seems far from honorable.

That raises the obvious next question. If government’s authority comes from God, what is that authority actually for? That’s where we turn next.

Previously: Part 1 — Who’s Really in Charge? | Next: Part 3 — What Government Is For