Meet David Sargent

All authority comes from God. That is what this short section of Scripture (Romans 13:1-7) is all about. The first five verses tell us that God established every authority, so to resist that authority is to resist what God has set in place. See Romans 13:1 (emphasis added): "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." Good and bad leaders are from God. For followers of Christ, this means that we are commanded to be subject to authority. This could be your boss, pastor, professor, or government. We are commanded to be subject to the authority God has placed over us, even when we don’t like the leader.

Romans 13:6-7 describes one way for us to subject ourselves. You pay to each person what is owed. Yes, part of paying what is owed is paying taxes. Taxes provide the resources necessary so that men and women in government may govern the land. “For because of this you also pay taxes, for the authorities are ministers of God, attending to this very thing.” (Romans 13:6) Without those resources, they cannot perform their function.

But what else does the text say? Revenue, respect, honor—pay all to whom it is owed. Do not steal what should be payed for. Do not disrespect one who is in a position deserving honor. To those in positions of leadership, even those we don’t like, we owe this. Luke 6:32 says, “If you love those who love you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them.” If we honor and respect only those leaders we like, then we are no different than the rest of the world. Just in case it hasn’t been said enough already, as followers of Christ we are held to a higher standard.