The Christian & the government

By: Richard Land

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)--What does a government ordained by God look like? For the Apostle Paul writing to the Romans, it was the Roman Empire -- not what you would call an enlightened regime. You and I wouldn't like it even if we had been Roman citizens. Yet Paul referred to these pagan rulers as governing authorities established by God, and he instructed persecuted Christians to submit to them "for conscience sake":

"Everyone must submit to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except from God, and those that exist are instituted by God. So then, the one who resists the authority is opposing God's command, and those who oppose it will bring judgment on themselves" (Romans 13:1-2 HCSB).

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