Romans
13:1 Everyone must submit himself to the
governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has
established. The authorities that exist have been established by God.
I scare myself sometimes. I do not like wearing a
seat belt. For several years after that became the law, I drove my car and
never put it on. I do not like driving at the speed limit. I prefer to go as
fast as I can when driving, unless of course there are too many other cars on
the road and I must drive slower. I like to complain about the laws that our
government create because they do not make sense to me, they seem quite
unpractical and self-serving. I liked to skip class when I was in school
because the teacher was boring and I had more fun with my friends. I could go
on, but you get the message. Your list is probably similar to mine, isn’t it?
Oh, I almost forgot, I don’t particularly like this chapter in Romans, either.
I have learned over the years the truth about this
passage. I learned it the hard way of course. Every time I bucked the system or
disobeyed the law I was rewarded. I got my license suspended for too many
speeding tickets. I got suspended from school for skipping classes. I got
thrown in jail for selling illegal drugs. I complained to my teachers about
their style of teaching and received added homework and detention. I got a ticket
for not wearing the seat belt. I could
do everything my way and I did. I also got everything that was due me by my
disobedience to authority.
Christians can be no different than unbelievers when
it comes to authority. But we should know better. Like the law of physics
states: every action has an equal and opposite reaction. You and I can never go
against gravity. Jump off a building and you will never soar away up into the
clouds. No matter how much you want to soar, you will always fall to the
ground. God has ordained gravity to always bring you down.
All authority is from God. The authorities in the
home, mom and dad, your boss at work, the police, the judges, the federal
government are all authorities ordained by God to act on His behalf. Like
gravity, when you fight them you will always and eventually get the reward that
disobedience promises. Really, it’s true. I know because I spent years bucking
them all. Not anymore.
