Viewpoints on ROMANS 13

By Michael Griego on November 1, 2024 • ( 1 )

What should Christians do when their own government leaders or agencies are evil or corrupt? Should Christians quietly acquiesce or stand in bold opposition? What does the Bible say about this? ◊

It is established in ROMANS Chapter 13 that Christians should be good citizens under their ruling authorities. The chapter tells them also to love their fellow man and understand that God is in control of everything.

Again, from the opening verse, it’s clear that God establishes and puts any governing state authority in place:

…for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. (Romans 13:1)

But what if that government is evil or corrupt?

Didn’t Jesus Resist Evil Authority?
Actually, Jesus did not fight back against evil authority. He stood up to them with courage and grace when talking to Jewish religious leaders:

“So give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s…” (Matthew 22:21)

Jesus boldly and with courage faced Pilate on the morning of His death, but He did not disrespect or fight back.

Likewise did Peter and the other disciples in Jerusalem. When mistreated and jailed, even by the Jewish leaders and the temple guard, the disciples did not fight back but allowed God to free them and then boldly resisted the commands of the leaders:

“We gave you strict orders not to teach in this name,” he said. “Yet you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and are determined to make us guilty of this man’s blood.”

Peter and the other apostles replied: “We must obey God rather than human beings! The God of our ancestors raised Jesus from the dead—whom you killed by hanging him on a cross. God exalted him to his own right hand as Prince and Savior that he might bring Israel to repentance and forgive their sins. We are witnesses of these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him.” (Acts 5:28-23)

What Does the Bible Say?
There are several wisdom passages in the Bible related to evil governments and the role of government in general:

Job 12:23 – He [God] makes nations great, and destroys them; He enlarges nations, and disperses them.
Proverbs 11:20 – The Lord detests those whose hearts are perverse, but He delights in those whose ways are blameless.
Proverbs 17:20 – One whose heart is corrupt does not prosper; one whose tongue is perverse falls into trouble.
Proverbs 29:2 – When the righteous thrive, the people rejoice; when the wicked rule, the people groan.
Proverbs 29:4 –By justice a king gives a country stability, but those who are greedy for bribes tear it down.
Proverbs 29:12 – If a ruler listens to lies, all his officials become wicked.
Proverbs 29:16 – When the wicked thrive, so does sin, but the righteous will see their downfall.

I would imagine many people are immediately thinking about former US president Donald Trump. Just as many people are immediately thinking about current president Joe Biden and replacement Kamala Harris.

The key to remember is that God allows even US presidents to be put in place. To the extent that the people have a say in their leaders – as we do here in the US – all people, including Christians, have a just right to raise up and elect leaders that are good and uphold what is right and noble.

As ruling authorities have an impact on a nation’s culture, why would Christians want anyone leading them who does not have a Biblical worldview?

What’s A Biblical Worldview?
We all have a worldview whether we recognize it or can articulate it. Your worldview is based on how you answer 5 key questions about life:

Who or what is God?
Who am I in context?
What is right and wrong?
What happens when I die?
What is truth?

Your answers will dictate whether you have a Christian or else a non-Biblical worldview. Do you have a Christian/Biblical worldview?

Answer the following questions, based on claims found in the Bible and which George Barna used in a national survey.¹

Do absolute moral truths exist?
Is absolute truth defined by the Bible?
Did Jesus Christ live a sinless life?
Is God the all-powerful and all-knowing Creator of the universe, and does He still rule it today?
Is salvation a gift from God that cannot be earned?
Is Satan real?
Does a Christian have a responsibility to share his or her faith in Christ with other people?
Is the Bible accurate in all of its teachings?

So What Do We Do?
While the data shows we have a weakening Christian base here in the US, it does not refute the truth of the Gospel, or the reality of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, or the indwelling impact of the Holy Spirit available to all believers, or the power and sovereignty of God over all things, including our governing leaders.

It does show the power of evil in the spiritual realm that impacts, influences, and seduces a naive and weak Christian church, as it solicits a more than eager hedonistic and amoral culture that would invite all around them to their happy celebration of blind destruction and insidious demise.

In light of this, stand boldly for good, for God, for Christ, and herald, lift up, and select those that perpetuate a ruling authority that is good and just.

Again, our leaders need not be perfect or even Christian. But they must be good, smart, and capable, and ones that honor and acknowledge God with reverence and respect, and honor right and wrong and justice with consistency and truth.

If Christians do vote in larger numbers this year in the US presidential election, then the Christian community will be raising up at least a new God-honoring set of leaders across the nation. Those leaders will build up staffs and populate local and national civic and agency offices with like-minded people, who, best case are God-fearing, worst case are God-respecting.

And with that, a national culture can change with leaders who do right in the eyes of the Lord.

Are you boldly standing up to an evil ruling authority?
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Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and you will be commended. – Romans 13:3b

¹NOTE: Barna’s original research study was conducted in 2020 at the start of the COVID crisis. The article link here highlights the results in a study conducted in 2023, where the number of “Integrated Disciples” lowered to only 4%, down from 6% in the earlier study. https://www.arizonachristian.edu/2023/02/28/biblical-worldview-among-u-s-adults-drops-33-since-start-of-covid-19-pandemic/

²Christian Voters Will Play and Outsized Role in US Election, by Michael O Emerson, Baker Institute, September 17, 2024. https://www.bakerinstitute.org/research/christian-voters-will-play-outsized-role-us-election