In the universe God is the source of all authorities. All authorities on earth are set up by Him. As such, they represent God’s authority and even possess God’s authority. God Himself has set up systems of authorities for His expression so that when man meets these authorities he will meet God Himself. When the presence of God is available, man can know God through His presence. When the presence of God is absent, man can meet God by meeting His authority. In the garden of Eden when God’s presence was there, man could know God. When God was not present, man could remind himself of God’s commandment, which was the prohibition concerning the eating of the fruit. This was another way for man to know God. It is not often that man meets God in the world. (This, of course, does not include the fact that in the church, when man lives in the spirit, he can contact God all the time.) God’s manifestation is seen most frequently in His commandments. Only the foolish vinedressers need the personal appearance of the owner of the vineyard. In reality, the servants and the owner’s son were enough to represent him (Mark 12:1-9).
Some are set up by God to give commands and to be authorities for God. All those in authority are ordained by God. Hence, all authorities that God has set up should be honored. Today God has entrusted authority to man. After entrusting man with authority, many on earth have been set up by God to manifest His authority. If we want to learn submission to God, we should know to whom the authority of God is entrusted. If we understand God’s authority as being only in Himself, it is very likely that we will offend God’s authority more than half of the time. How many people are there in whom we see God’s authority? There is no such thing as making a choice between God’s direct authority and His deputy authority. Not only do we have to submit to God’s direct authority, we must also submit to His deputy authority because there is no authority that is not from God.
Concerning earthly authority, Paul gave not only a positive word about submission, but also a negative warning that resisting authority is the same as resisting God’s personal commandment (Rom. 13:1). For man to reject God’s deputy authority is for him to reject God’s own authority. In the Bible authority bears only one nature. There is no authority that is not of God. To resist authority is to resist God. God will not overlook this. Those who oppose will receive to themselves judgment. It is impossible for us to rebel without being punished. Hence, for man to resist authority is to incur death. In the matter of authority there is no choice.
At the time of Adam, God committed governmental authority to man and charged him to rule the earth (Gen. 1:28). At that time man ruled only the animals. It was not until the time of the flood that God entrusted to Noah the governmental authority to rule over man. He said, “Whoso sheddeth man’s blood, by man shall his blood be shed” (9:6). From that time on, God committed to man the authority to rule over man. From the time of Noah, God began to set up governments, and He put man under governments.
In Exodus 20, after God’s people left Egypt and had come to the wilderness, the Ten Commandments were given. Following that, there were the ordinances concerning the people’s conduct. Among these ordinances, one says, “Thou shalt not...curse the ruler of thy people” (22:28). This proves that God had placed them under governmental authorities. Therefore, even in the time of Moses, we can already see that the Israelites’ resistance to authority was their resistance to God.
All of the nations on the earth have rulers. Although they do not believe in God, and although their entire kingdoms are under Satan, the principle of authority is still there, having been established by God. The kingdom of Israel was God’s kingdom. King David, of course, was set up by God. But the king of Persia was also set up by God (Isa. 45:1). When the Lord was on the earth, He likewise submitted to the government and to the authority of the high priest. This is why the Lord paid the tax and why He said that what belongs to Caesar should be rendered to Caesar. When He was judged by the high priest, who adjured Him by God, He had to obey. The Lord recognized them as earthly authorities. He never tried to stir up a revolution.
In Romans 13:4 Paul showed us that all rulers are the servants of God. At that time the government was in the hand of the Romans. Humanly speaking, there is no need to submit to foreign aggressors. But Paul did not tell us to rebel against a foreign government. Not only do we have to submit to our own nation and to our own race, we have to submit to the government wherever we are as well. I cannot disobey a local government just because I am of another nationality. The law is not a terror to the good, but to the evil. No matter how different the laws of the various nations are, they are all from the law of God. Their basic principle is still the rewarding of good and the punishing of evil. Every government has its laws, and the function of the government is to maintain and execute the laws so that the good would be rewarded and the evil would be punished. They do not bear the sword in vain. Although there are governments that uphold evil and suppress good, they must of necessity change the truth, calling the evil good and the good evil. At any rate, they cannot say that they are upholding such and such because they are evil or that they are punishing such and such because they are good. To this day all governments uphold the principle of the reward of good and the punishment of evil. This principle is irrevocable. For this reason we say that the governments still adhere to God’s principle. One day when the lawless one (the Antichrist) appears, he will overturn all authorities. That will be the end of the world. By then the good will, indeed, be taken as evil and the evil as good. The good will be killed and the evil will rule.
There are four signs of submission to authority on earth: rendering (1) tax to whom tax is due, (2) custom to whom custom is due, (3) fear to whom fear is due, and (4) honor to whom honor is due.
For a Christian, abiding by the law is not something done out of fear of punishment but out of the exercise of his conscience before God. If he does not submit, his conscience will be condemned. This is why we have to learn to submit to our local government. God’s children cannot criticize or revile the government lightly. Even the policeman on the street is a God-established authority. He is God’s officer attending constantly to this very thing. What should our attitude be when it comes to paying taxes and revenue? Do we consider our local government as God’s authority? Are we submissive to it? If man has not met authority, he cannot submit. The more you ask such a one to submit, the harder it is for him to do so. Second Peter 2:10 refers to “those who go after the flesh in the lust for defilement and despise lordship. Daring, self-willed, they do not tremble while reviling dignities.” There are many whose power has been lost and whose life has drained away through reviling. Man must not fall into anarchy. The way that God deals with an unrighteous government is not our concern. Of course, when we pray for God to execute His righteousness, it is a different matter. But for us, any disobedience to authority is disobedience to God’s authority. If we are not submissive, we are actually strengthening the principle of the Antichrist. When the mystery of lawlessness operates, are we its restraints or are we its helpers?
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