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  COMMENTARY ON ROMANS 13-14
  by Chuck Smith
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Shall we turn in our Bibles to Romans 13.

As Christians, what should be our attitude towards government? Paul
declares,

Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power
but of God: and the powers that be are ordained of God (Rom 13:1).

The Bible does not allow for civil disobedience. For we are commanded by
the scriptures to be in obedience to those governing bodies that are
over us. Paul wrote this at the time in which Nero was ruling in Rome.
And we oftentimes, say, "Well, you know, we should be in obedience as
long as we agree with what is being legislated." I do feel that there
are rare occasions where the law of God does supercede the law of man,
and on those occasions I must be obedient to God. In this period of the
early church, when they were required to declare that Caesar was lord or
be executed, they chose death by martyrdom rather than acknowledging the
lordship of Caesar. When Peter was ordered by the magistrates, or by the
council, actually, of the Jews not to speak anymore in the name of
Jesus, he said, "Whether it is right to obey God or man, you judge, we
know that we cannot but speak the things that we have seen and heard"
(Acts 4:19-20). And so when it becomes a matter of my conscience, then I
must be obedient to God. But for the most part I am to be obedient to
those governmental forces over me. I am to obey the law. Being a
Christian does not give me an immunity from the law, for the powers that
be are ordained by God.

Now this is a issue that we sometimes are prone to question. Did God
ordain this particular government? The Bible tells us that the powers
that exist are ordained by God. It is interesting to me that
Nebuchadnezzar challenged that truth. When he was told by Daniel, who
was interpreting his dream, that the great image that he saw was the
ruling empires that would govern the world, and he said "Thou, O
Nebuchadnezzar, are the head of gold, but your kingdom is going to be
replaced by an inferior kingdom, the shoulders and the chest of silver.
And that will be replaced by yet an inferior kingdom, the stomach of
brass and that by a kingdom of iron, the legs." Nebuchadnezzar turned
right around and made an image ninety feet high of all gold and demanded
that the people worship it, which was open defiance to the declaration
that your kingdom is going to replaced by the Medo-Persian Empire. And
as a result of this defiance of God by Nebuchadnezzar, because of his
pride, the Lord allowed him insanity until seven seasons had passed over
him, until he knew that the Most High God ruled in the governments of
man and set over them those whom He would. That was the lesson that God
was teaching him during that period of insanity, where he went out and
lived with the animals in the fields and ate grass with the oxen. The
purpose of that was that he might recognize that God rules, and God
establishes those on the throne whom He will, and he was only on the
throne of Babylon by the divine decree of God. And after his insane
period he acknowledged that the God of heaven ruled, and those who exalt
themselves, He is able to abase. For he had surly been abased, but he
recognized that God is the one who establishes the kingdoms and the
thrones of man.

Why does God, then, allow evil men to reign if God is the one who
establishes it? Basically, because men want evil men to reign over them,
and in order that they might be brought to judgment, God will allow
those evil rulers to lead the people in order that they might receive
that rightful judgment of God. But I am told here as a child of God to
be subject unto those higher powers because they have been established
there by God.

Whosoever therefore is resisting the power is resisting the ordinance of
God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation [or
condemnation] (Rom 13:2).

That is, you will be brought into judgment and thrown in jail, is
actually what he telling us here.

For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to evil. Will thou then
be afraid of the powers? do that which is good, and you will have praise
of the same (Rom 13:3):

In other words, be a decent law-abiding citizen and you don\

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Source: https://sermonindex.net/speakers/chuck-smith/commentary-on-romans-13-14/
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