Christians Doubting Bush

Romans 13:1 And President Bush

Discussion

"As per Romans 13:1, God is in control. There has been no President that God has not established over us."

You're right. God is in control and ultimately the one who established every governing authority, as Romans 13:1 reads, "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."

According to this verse alone, Christians in San Francisco should have submitted themselves to Mayor Gavin Newsom's initiative to marry gay couples mentioned above. He is, after all, their governing authority. Instead, they rightfully mounted a vigorous challenge that led to Mayor Newsom's initiative being declared illegal by the California Supreme Court.

There are two points to be made. Firstly, every authority, while established by God, must remain within the will of a higher authority, with the highest authority being God, not a national leader or government. If this were not so, we could not fault the Nazi death camp guards for slaughtering 6 million Jews in submission to orders from Hitler, their national leader.

Secondly, Bible verses need to be understood within their immediate context, as well as within the context of the whole Word of God. Acts 5:27-29 records Peter as defying the High Priest in front of the Sanhedrin by declaring, "We must obey God rather than men!" How do we reconcile Romans 13:1 with Acts 5:27-29? Should we disobey God and submit to national leaders even when they are outside the will of God, or should we submit to national leaders as long as they remain within the Lord's will?

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