We All Answer to God

Paul in this section seems to be addressing the Roman Christian of his time. It appears that Christians in Rome and elsewhere were under the belief that they did not have to follow the laws established by the rulers in the world. Paul reminds us that if we follow God and God has appointed the rulers, then we should live and follow the laws the authorities have developed. As we do this we are demonstrating how important our relationship with God is and how we represent God through our obedience to Him.

It is an important reminder that if you want to stay in good standing with the leaders, then abide by the laws. Paul goes on to say that if we are abiding by those laws we should not fear authority. We should remind ourselves that people in authority come from God, but not all people in authority follow God. This is where we have to have godly wisdom in our actions and interactions with the world.

This teaching not only reaches back into the first century but it also has relevance from the first century until today. Albeit as a Christian, most find this teaching very difficult at times to follow but we have to be clear on what Paul is saying. What he is saying is closely coupled to what Jesus said in (Matthew 22:21) to pay what Caesar is due to him. Everything else belongs to God. Paul is not saying that we must be obedient when it comes to breaking God’s laws or going against the biblical principles we are taught. What he is saying is that God put leaders in place who put laws in place. We should be obedient and follow the laws that are in place because if we believe everything is sifted through God’s hands then the leaders we have are also selected by God. We are to obey the law because we represent God. Our walk with Christ is not always an easy one but when following Jesus, it will be the most fruitful, spirit filled journey we could ever imagine.

There are many biblical exceptions to following man’s laws. These exceptions are experienced when we are asked to go against biblical teachings and God’s word. For example one of the most contested issues today is abortion. As true believers can never accept the world’s position on abortion. Other examples include sexual immorality and homosexuality and in recent times vaccines. These are biblical teachings that we as true believers should never compromise our relationship with God on.

The book of Daniel gives two significant examples on how God honors those who honor Him but refuse to follow or compromise their relationship with God. This is demonstrated in (Daniel 6:6-10) where the kings governors and satraps convinced King Darius to establish for a thirty day period, that no one shall worship any gods except for the king and would be put to death if non-compliant by way of the den of lions. Daniel was found guilty for disobeying this decree and put in the lion’s den. And because of Daniels faith in God, Daniel was spared from death by God for his obedience. God is a just God and his accusers were given the same punishment as Daniel and thrown into the lion's den. Another example in the book of Daniel during the reign of King Nebuchadnezzar (Daniel 3:9-18), his leaders convinced him through a decree that everyone when command shall bow down and worship the gold image. As we know from scripture Daniels friends would not comply and Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego were thrown into the fiery furnace as punishment for being obedient to God. As scripture tells us that there was a fourth person in the furnace who is like the Son of God. Fortunately, through their obedience to God, they were unharmed much to the amazement of the king.

What is it that we should take away from Paul's instructions and in the OT book of Daniel? What we should focus on is our walk with Christ? We should follow the laws that are in place. But we should also reject the laws that come against our biblical principles and our relationship with Christ. Representing who we are in Christ is the most important character trait we possess. It truly does require obedience and through God’s strength we can achieve the ultimate goal in living in the kingdom of heaven. To get there is simple, follow Christ and find heaven. We must continuously remind ourselves that our salvation does not come from man, it comes from our relationship with the Triune God.

My prayer for each one of us is that we would aligned with God’s word. That our lives would reflect how God wants us to act and how He wants us to represent Him. I prayer that we will be the light on the hill and that people will see through our relationship with Christ, that we will not compromise God’s word in following the laws that are put forth before us. I pray that in our everyday life we would evaluate every opportunity and treat it as a God given opportunity to represent Him through our actions and our words. In Jesus Mighty Name I pray Amen! Amen!