The connection between the church and political involvement runs across a vast continuum. Some Christians remove themselves completely from the process, while others spend massive amounts of time in activism and political engagement. These all believe the Bible is an important guide but have widely varying perspectives.
The Bible does mention how Christians should pray and respond to worldly governments, and one phrase that gets interpreted from Scripture is for Christians to be subject to the powers that be. Looking at the context and the wider biblical testimony, what can we gather from Paul telling the Romans to obey worldly leaders?
Where Does the Bible Mention Submitting to the Powers that Be?
Romans 13:1 says, “Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God; the powers that be are ordained by God.” The apostle Paul wrote this verse as part of a larger conversation around submitting to governing authorities and how believers should live in relation to human institutions.
Paul penned Romans as a letter to the Christian community in Rome. In the letter, he outlined the key doctrines of the Christian faith and the Gospel, addressed divisions between Gentile and Jewish believers, and highlighted how the righteousness of God was revealed through faith in Jesus. Reading the book as a whole reveals a masterful arc of spiritual logic and a defense of the Gospel, including topics like sin, salvation, and God’s sovereignty.
At the end of the letter, as Paul often did, he provided more practical instructions for Christian living. Paul often organized his letters to churches with deep theology and then examples of what the truth means for every day living. In Romans, after explaining God’s mercy and salvation in earlier chapters, Paul again encourages believers to live a transformed life from the Good News. Romans 12 focuses on personal conduct with love, humility, and unity among believers in the church. Chapter 13 shifts to talk about the Christian’s relationship with the wider society and government.
Romans 13:1 establishes the theological framework for submission to local authorities through declaring God is the only power, and he holds power over all human government and leaders. Submitting to local leaders recognizes God’s sovereignty and singular Lordship. Paul calls believers to understand the role of government to maintain order and justice, which Christians should want for the good of all.
Paul’s statement connects to broader biblical principles. God is sovereign, and no authority exists apart from his will (Daniel 2:21). At the same time, the Bible provides examples of what we call civil disobedience. In the context of Romans 13, Paul teaches believers to respect authority through paying taxes (Romans 13:6-&) and living peaceably. However, the ultimate submission and obedience should be to God. In this Kingdom mindset, Christians pray for leaders (1 Timothy 2:1-2) and seek the good of their community and nation while living as citizens of a higher, eternal kingdom (Philippians 3:20).
What Were the Worldly Powers of Paul’s Day?
In historical context, for Paul and the letter to the Romans, the “powers that be” referred to the Roman Empire, likely the most powerful empire in the world. Rome ruled southern Europe, the Middle East, North Africa and beyond. When writing Romans 12, he addressed Christians living under this oppressive Roman rule.
The Roman Empire included authoritarian emperors who held near supreme authority. Paul likely wrote the letter under the emperor Nero (54-68 AD), whose reign included growing oppression against Christians and more intense persecution after the Great Fire of Rome in 64 AD. Roman governors and soldiers enforced the imperial rule. While the Roman government claimed to support justice and order, it often used violent and brutal methods like crucifixion to discourage rebellion.
People in provinces like Judea and Asia Minor (where Paul planted churches) endured heavy taxation and military enforcement. The Roman Empire’s justice system many times favored the wealthy and influential over the commoners. For Christians, their worship of Christ as Lord conflicted with the worship of the emperor. Since early Christianity wasn’t an officially recognized religion, especially as Jews outright rejected it, the Roman authorities gave believers fewer rights. However, Paul still urged Christians to submit to Roman authority, recognizing how God allowed these rulers to exist.
Despite its oppression, the Roman Empire also brought benefits, including the Pax Romana (Roman Peace), a period of stability and security lasting over 200 years. The empire’s roads, aqueducts, and legal system allowed trade and travel across the Mediterranean. This stability ensured Paul and the other apostles could spread the word of Christ. For Paul, his Roman citizenship even protected him in a crisis (Acts 22). The Roman postal system and a shared Greek language also helped Paul write letters to reach churches and cities.
At the same time, the apostles and believers had to deal with a Jewish religious hierarchy that sought to silence Jesus, his message, and the disciples who followed him and preached the Gospel.
For Christians, then, the challenge was to obey and honor God while respecting authority under often oppressive rulers. Paul himself “disobeyed” rulers to obey the Gospel while navigating the legal system in Judea and Rome. He wrote to believers under a complicated and complex situation. Looking at the Old Testament and the example of Jesus, Paul had important models to teach by.
When Does the Bible Advocate Disobeying Worldly Powers?
The Bible both upholds the idea of submitting to governing authorities and holds God’s rule as primary. When worldly powers attempt to force actions directly in conflict with obedience to God, Scripture encourages disobedience, even at great personal cost.
In Exodus 1:15-21, Pharoah commanded the Hebrew midwives to kill all the male babies born to Israelite women. The Egyptian king attempted to reduce the Hebrew population. Fortunately, the midwives feared God and refused to obey this order. They allowed the male babies to live and lied to Pharoah and Egyptian officials, saying the women gave birth too quickly for them to obey. God blessed the midwives’ courage with families of their own.
Centuries later, God exiled Israel and Judah due to their idolatry and disobedience. Babylon conquered Jerusalem, and the Jews endured subjugation under the next empire, Persia, as well. From Ezekiel to Daniel, Ezra, Nehemiah, and Esther, we read about how God’s people remained faithful and found favor under other governments. We also read about times when they needed to resist.
In Daniel 3, King Nebuchadnezzar had a golden statue made of himself and ordered all the people to bow down and worship it. Three Hebrew slaves, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego refused to obey since it would countermand God’s commandment to worship him alone (Exodus 20:3-5). The king had them thrown into a fiery furnace as punishment, but God miraculously delivered them.
Also in Daniel (ch. 6), King Darius of Persia signed a law forbidding prayer to anyone except himself for 30 days. Daniel continued to openly pray and defied the king’s order. His punishment was being thrown into a lions’ den. God intervened and shut the lions’ mouths, protecting Daniel. As Paul wrote in Romans 13:1, Daniel’s actions aligned with the truth of God as the only true power.
Jesus and the apostles of the New Testament had these examples and more to help guide them under the oppressive Roman government and Jewish leaders. In Acts 4:18-20, the Jewish religious authorities commanded Peter and John to stop teaching Jesus’ message and claiming Christ rose from the dead. The apostles responded, “We cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.” Later during a second conflict, they said in Acts 5:29, “We ought to obey God rather than men.” Despite the threats and beatings, they followed God’s call to preach the Gospel.
Jesus is our ultimate example, and we can see Jesus’ declaration about God’s sovereignty in his interaction with Pilate in John 19:10-11. Pilate claimed the power to crucify or release Jesus, but Jesus answered, “You could have no power at all against Me unless it had been given you from above.” Jesus replied to the Roman governor with the truth of his Father’s ultimate authority over all others.
Faithful disobedience requires discernment and courage. Christians today may face challenges when laws, cultural norms, or societal pressures conflict with biblical principles. In such cases, believers are called to obey God, trusting in His sovereignty and ultimate justice, as modeled by faithful men and women throughout Scripture. “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?” (Hebrews 13:6).
What Can Christians Learn from Submitting to the Powers that Be?
Paul writes about being subject to the powers that be to remind all Christians, including us, how God is the ultimate authority. And this challenges us to live in a way which reflects a trust in his power while honoring local and national authorities.
God remains the ultimate power to be subject to. He is the creator of the universe (Genesis 1:1), the King of kings, and the Lord of lords (Revelation 19:16). All earthly rulers and governments, even down to our own individual abilities, get their authority from God, whether they know it or not. Proverbs 21:1 says, “The king’s heart is in the hand of the Lord, like the rivers of water; He turns it wherever he wishes.”
This doesn’t justify or endorse the actions of worldly leaders. God holds them accountable and responsible for their position. Additionally, the Bible reveals how God works through all leaders to accomplish his purposes, even if they are unjust. For example, God used the Persian King Cyrus to restore the Jewish people back to Jerusalem (Isaiah 45:1-6). Since God is in control, we honor God through honoring the leaders he’s allowed to rule. This includes paying our taxes and obeying laws. Knowing God has all power and holds leaders responsible, we love these rulers by praying for them.
For many of us, we live in a constitutional republic where we vote for leaders, yet God remains in control. Elections, campaigns, and political outcomes happen under his sovereignty. While we have a great privilege in voting, God still ultimately appoints leaders. This perspective helps us trust God to care for and protect us no matter the ruler. At the same time, we can speak truth and guard against the worship of any political figure.
To be clear, the Bible doesn’t advocate resistance or disobedience in every situation. Primarily, this is reserved for direct persecution and oppression of worshipping God and spreading the Gospel. This still happens, and the Bible more than implies we will one day have to endure similar situations.
In Revelation, the Beast and Babylon works to stop people from worshipping God. Instead, like Nebuchadnezzar, these authorities demand ultimate loyalty to themselves. Both seek to silence the Gospel through persecution and fear, trying to destroy all testimony of the Lord Jesus Christ. Despite their temporary earthly power, God’s witnesses declare the truth and reveal the futility of the Beast and Babylon to stop the coming Kingdom of God and the transformation to the New Heaven and Earth. God always wins, and we have the victory in him.
Romans 13:1 challenges us to seek first the Kingdom of God while loving all people in our community and nation, where God has placed us. We bless our communities through prayer, scandalous generosity, redemptive justice, and declaring the Gospel of the Kingdom of God. Like with eating different foods, our individual engagement may look different due to the leading of the Spirit. However, our first priority must remain God’s Lordship and expressing the loving culture of the Kingdom of God.
Peace.
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