It is noticeable that, in divine wisdom, the injunctions of the early part of this chapter have a wide
application. It is right for "every soul" to "be subject to the authorities that are above him." The
believer finds himself in the sphere where divine government is set up, and he has to respect it,
but "every soul" is called upon to recognize that authority. is from God. This epistle does not
leave out of its view any of the relations that subsist between God and men, and one of those
relations is that He has set up authorities and rulers. The institution of government after the flood
(Gen. 9) was one of the greatest mercies that God has shown to men. Authority may be abused,
and often has been in the hands of man as a fallen creature, but its character is to be a terror to
what is evil and to favor what is good. The Christian is to recognize that all authority is from God.
This delivers him from the lawless spirit which despises authority. We have the personal testimony
of the Lord in this matter, as declaring that Pilate’s authority was given to him from above (John
19:11).

"For there is no authority except from God; and those that exist are set up by God" (v. 1 JND).
If one government was overturned, and another set up in its place, faith’s estimate of it would be
that it was the act of God. God’s ways in government are retributive. If governments cease to
praise what is good, or to be a terror to evil, they no longer serve the purpose for which they were
set up, and God’s retributive ways may act in setting them aside. There are moral reasons for what
God does in this way. He may scourge a nation by setting up an oppressive rule, or He may use
other nations to check wickedness or ambition. And, behind all, God ever has in view His own
work and testimony, though often His government works out in unexpected ways. For example,
Paul was imprisoned by the authorities, though he was no evildoer, but he tells us that it turned
out rather to the furtherance of the glad tidings. The Lord took a remarkable way to bring out "the
most of the brethren" in a fearless and abundant speaking of the Word of God. He put the chief
preacher in prison! I suppose the courage and confidence of Paul_even as an imprisoned
man_stirred up the brethren to be more bold than they otherwise would have been (Phil. 1:12-
14). The action of the authorities was really subservient to the designs of grace. Even persecution
has often furthered the testimony of God, so that it came to be a saying that "the blood of the
martyrs is the seed of the church." God has used the cruelties of persecution to bring about a
revulsion of feeling in the minds of men, and to secure in that way greater liberty for His people.
God has used things, severe and terrible in themselves, to further His testimony.

The authorities which exist are not viewed in Scripture as having intelligence of a spiritual order.
They are represented as "beasts" (Daniel 7); they do not generally perceive what God is doing by
their means, though Nebuchadnezzar, and particularly Cyrus, may have been personally conscious
that they were directly raised up to do certain things. Cyrus was a very remarkable person,
mentioned by name by the prophet Isaiah generations before he was raised up (Isaiah 44:28; 45:1).
God would set up a government favorable to what He had in His mind with regard to Jerusalem
and the temple. It is of much interest to note that the four empires of Daniel 7_the Babylonish,
the Medo-Persian, the Greek, and the Roman_have covered that part of the earth where God’s
people have been chiefly found, whether the Jews from the time of the captivity, or the Gentiles
as visited by grace later. All authority has to be owned as being of God, but the authorities which
have a distinct place in prophecy, as seen in Daniel 7, are those which exist in the area where

God’s people and testimony are chiefly found. The Greek empire followed the Medo-Persian, and
prepared the way by the diffusion of the Greek language over a wide area, for that extension of
the divine testimony which was intimated by Greek being the chosen language of inspiration for
the New Testament. Then God had in mind to spread His testimony westward, and He allowed
the Greek empire to be succeeded by the Roman. The special sphere of His action in government
has corresponded with the special sphere of His actings in grace. All has had in view what God
was doing, or going to do, in relation to His testimony. God has ordained these things. "So that
he that sets himself in opposition to the authority resists the ordinance of God" (v. 2 JND).

Government is God’s minister to every one of us for good if we practice what is good, but if we
practice evil it will make us suffer. So that with all right-minded persons it is not merely on
account of wrath that they are subject-that is, as being afraid of the consequences of insubjection
_but on account of conscience (verse 5). Their consciences approve of the objects which
government has in view.

So we pay tribute as to God’s officers. In the light of this it is not becoming for a Christian to
grumble_as other men often do_about tolls and taxes, or put off until the last minute paying what
is due. The Christian would not, surely, be among the last to render what is due to those whom
he has been taught to regard as God’s officers! Indeed he is to "render to all their dues." This is
one great feature of practical righteousness. There is, indeed, one debt which can never be so
discharged that we are free from its claim, but all other debts are to be paid as they fall due! "Owe
no one anything, unless to love one another" (verse 8 JND). This is to mark those who are in
subjection to God. God is much dishonored, and His way evil spoken of by men, when these
things are neglected. If a brother or sister has had to incur expenses of illness, or the like, and is
not able to pay, it is a fine opportunity for verse 13 of the previous chapter ("distributing to the
necessity of saints") to be acted on by the brethren! God does not exempt His people from
misfortunes, and sometimes believers may get involved, through no fault of their own, in liabilities
which they cannot meet. I have known believers who fail in business, but turn to God in real
exercise, and get His help so that they have been able to pay all their creditors in full. It is clear
from this chapter that God regards His people as competent to render all that is due, and faith
would be concerned to answer to this.

It is important to observe that there are no instructions to believers as to how they should exercise
authority in the world. Their place is to submit themselves to authorities which exist. They have
nothing to do with establishing the authorities; they recognize them as set up by God. We are
exhorted to subject ourselves to the authorities, and to pray for them (1 Timothy 2), but we have
no instructions to vote for them. To vote is to take the place of deciding what the powers shall be;
it is really to join with others in ruling the world. But the Christian is here to confess that all the
rights of rule pertain to the Lord Jesus Christ, and to wait in patience for Him to come and take
up His rights. And in the meantime we are to be in subjection to the powers that exist in the
ordering of God, and to honor them as God’s ministers.

(From An Outline of the Epistle to the Romans.)