Romans 13:1  Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God.
2  Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation.
3  For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same:
4  For he is the minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil.
5  Wherefore ye must needs be subject, not only for wrath, but also for conscience sake.
6  For for this cause pay ye tribute also: for they are God’s ministers, attending continually upon this very thing.
7  Render therefore to all their dues: tribute to whom tribute is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honour to whom honour.

In verse 2 God warned of the danger of resisting the power. We need to keep in mind Who is the power. Verse 1 tells us that the power is God. He gives authority to kings and presidents, etc. Thus we need to remember that our governments need to submit to God’s power. I do not know one country today that is submissive to God’s authority. He is limiting the governments.
Even in Nigeria where the Muslims are slaughtering “Christians”, God is limiting the damage they can do. Over the weekend the U.S. attacked the Muslim part of Nigeria to put out a warning. The U.S. sent the planes and the rockets, but God is limiting the power of the Muslims. The Nigerian government is either unable or unwilling to control the Muslims.
God is the judge and He has an accurate record of world events at all times. He does not confuse anything. Those who want to resist Him will suffer the consequences. In Acts 12 we see how God dealt with King Herod when he resisted the power that had put him in his position. God does not always act that way, but all those who resist Him will face the lake of fire eventually. There is no escaping that judgment for the unrepentant.
In verse 3 we see that rulers are not designed to be a terror to good works. They are supposed to punish evil. Those who want to commit evil should be afraid of the rulers. Sadly, in our country that is not true. Criminals are getting out and recommitting offences. Other people are being arrested and imprisoned because they will not submit to the corrupt laws of the rulers.
We need to pray for our rulers. We also need to remind them Who is in charge. If you want to write to your M.P. or your M.L.A., be sure to use an appropriate Bible verse that can help them to remember they are accountable to God for their decisions. They may not care to hear that, but God’s Word is powerful. He will do His Work.
If we would remind people of Who is in charge, it would help to put some fear into them. If our rulers would fear God as they ought to, we would have far less crime in our country. The reason being that they would punish the true law-breakers.
If our rulers would uphold the laws as they should, they would have a solid foundation to stand upon and they would gain the respect of many people.
In verse 4 we read that the ruler is the minister of God for good. He is to be reminder of the importance of doing good. As we noted before, God’s design is for a Theocracy. God is in charge, and all rulers are under His authority. The lie of separation of church and state is just that, it is a lie. The state is trying to control the church. We have witnessed that in communist countries. We see that in China and in Venezuela and in North Korea, and even in Canada!
God is the One Who declared the need for capital punishment. He has set out the basics of what is wrong and what is right.
Every person has a conscience. In that conscience every person knows the basics of right and wrong. The danger is that man can sear his conscience. Churches and governments are there to remind people of the difference between right and wrong. Churches are to exercise church discipline in the areas God has given them. The state is to exercise discipline in the areas God has given it.
The state bears the sword, not the church. The state needs to use that sword to keep order. Again, in Canada this is not the case. The sword is being used to silence justified complaints against the corruption. Too often the criminals are getting away with their crimes. That includes government officials who have broken the law and are not being punished.
We see that the ruler is the minister of God, the revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil. That is his responsibility. Our rulers are in trouble with God for whitewashing sin and justifying evil.

Isaiah 5:20  Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!
21  Woe unto them that are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight!

That was a problem in Israel when Isaiah wrote those words. It is a problem in Israel today, but it is also a problem in Canada today. When we have politicians declaring that certain parts of the Bible are hate speech, they are certainly seeing themselves as being wise, but they are in defiance of the true God.
Verse 5 begins with the word “wherefore”. That word connects what is coming with what has been stated. We need to be subject, not out of anger, but because our conscience tells us so. Keep in mind, God directed the apostle Paul to write those words. He found himself in front of Roman law more than once. He was beaten and imprisoned. However, he was not in defiance against God’s law. He was obeying God’s law. The Roman law was in defiance against God’s law.
We need to remember that Rome fell due to its immorality. It will rise again, and it will be crushed by the Lord Jesus Christ.
In verse 6 we see that taxation is to be used to support good government. We would be under far less taxation if we had good government. There are millions of dollars wasted by government officials without any consequence. One example was the arrive-scam app. It has been proven that there was massive fraud involved in that whole affair. I have not heard that anyone went to jail for that, or that anyone was commanded to pay back the theft. Our governments do not care because it is not their money. They think we, the taxpayer, have an endless amount of money and they can blow the money and just tax us more.
We must pay taxes, but again it is good to remind politicians that they will be held accountable for the abuse of power they are involved in. We must also be reminded that God is aware of all that is taking place. He will not demand money for the corruption. The eternal torment in the lake of fire can never be paid off. To gain a few million dollars now and build a fancy house and live a luxurious lifestyle will never cover for the eternal fires that are awaiting the wicked.
It is important to take God’s Word as the righteous standard. Jesus lived in a time of corrupt government. He sent Peter to catch a fish that had the right amount of money in its mouth to pay their taxes. Jesus did not walk around with protest signs. He taught the truth and He knew that the officials that were corrupt would suffer for all eternity if they did not repent toward God and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation.
Hell will be a crowded place. Not because God wants it that way. He gave us His Word so we can know the truth and we can avoid the wrath of God. It is wise to take heed to God’s Word and serve Him faithfully.
Today is the Lord’s Day. Will you submit to His authority and attend a true, Bible-believing church today? Remember God is the authority, not man. His Word is true. Submit to Him and learn of Him. He has a blessing in store for all who will humbly trust in Him.
Pastor Bartel