Who's In Charge?

 Romans 13:1 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.

1 Πᾶσα ψυχὴ ἐξουσίαις ὑπερεχούσαις ὑποτασσέσθω. οὐ γὰρ ἔστιν ἐξουσία εἰ μὴ ὑπὸ θεοῦ, αἱ δὲ οὖσαι ὑπὸ θεοῦ τεταγμέναι εἰσίν.

This is one of those passages that some of us wish we didn't have to read.  But it's in there and we have to deal with it.  Our country elected one of the most pro-abortion candidates in history.  He also had no executive experience coming into the office.  He is a product of the Chicago political machine, which is notoriously corrupt.  Since taking office he has expanded the US government and shot us deeper into debt like a rocket.  I find very little redeeming in what he has done so far.

And yet we have this verse.  He is in power because God put him in power.  Perhaps it's a form of judgment on our country.  Perhaps her is going to do something great that we conservatives cannot foresee.  I don't claim to know why God put him in power, but there he is.  And we have to deal with Romans 13.

Keep in mind that Paul wrote this during the reign of Nero.  Most people have heard of Nero supposedly setting the fire in Rome and then fiddling while Rome burned.  Did you know that he liked to use Christians as tiki torches in his garden?  He was an unspeakably cruel man.  Despite that, Paul wrote this verse.

No matter how bad our President and Congress become they will likely never hold a candle to Nero.  We must be subject to them.  The only time we can disobey them is if they try to force us to do something antibiblical.  For example, if I were forbidden from reading my Bible or talking about it I would have to disobey.  But being forced to get health insurance is not antibiblical, as far as I can tell.  Ultimately we must remember that οὐ γὰρ ἔστιν ἐξουσία εἰ μὴ ὑπὸ θεοῦ.  It all comes from Him.