Therefore Submit Yourselves—Really?

With a presidential election this year, we will see both sides slandering and disrespecting each other. Should Christians behave this way? 

Those of us in the United States are in another presidential election year. 

As candidates try to collect votes, it has become common to see news stories about these men slandering each other.

Of course, it’s not just politicians who do this. The average citizen also does it, with members of one party relentlessly criticizing the other party’s candidate. 

Should Christians engage in this kind of behavior? How should we view our leaders?

Appointed by God

We find a clue from the apostle Paul.

He told the congregation at Rome, “Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities” (Romans 13:1). Paul emphasized that Christians should obey their nation’s leaders. 

This wasn’t just his personal opinion. The apostle Peter also wrote, “Therefore submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake, whether to the king as supreme, or to governors, as to those who are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and for the praise of those who do good” (1 Peter 2:13-14). 

Both apostles echoed an instruction Jesus had given years earlier: “Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s” (Matthew 22:21).

Why would God want us to submit to leaders who are sometimes—if not often—corrupt? What does that tell us about how we should view them?

Paul explains, “For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God” (Romans 13:1). In other words, God delegates authority to specific individuals.

Daniel came to the same realization. Upon receiving the interpretation of Nebuchadnezzar’s dream, Daniel praised God and said, “He changes the times and the seasons; He removes kings and raises up kings; He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding” (Daniel 2:21; emphasis added throughout).  

God determines who rules and who doesn’t. He determines who leads a nation and for how long. As much as politicians want to say that they earned their positions or were voted in by the majority, the truth is that they wouldn’t have those positions unless God allowed it.

Why God appoints leaders

God has appointed the leaders for a purpose. 

Paul wrote, “Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves. For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to evil. Do you want to be unafraid of the authority? Do what is good, and you will have praise from the same. For he is God’s minister to you for good. But if you do evil, be afraid; for he does not bear the sword in vain; for he is God’s minister, an avenger to execute wrath on him who practices evil” (Romans 13:2-4).

God appoints leaders to discourage overtly evil works. As such, they have the authority to punish people who break the law.

Knowing that God appoints a nation’s leaders—that a leader is “God’s minister”—should impact how we speak of these individuals. Paul admonished the brethren: “Render therefore to all their due: taxes to whom taxes are due, customs to whom customs, fear to whom fear, honor to whom honor” (Romans 13:7). 

Paul practiced what he taught. Paul had barely begun to address the high priest and the council in Jerusalem when one of those present ordered him to be slapped on the mouth. 

Paul gave him a sharp rebuke. But upon learning that the man was the high priest, Paul stated, “I did not know, brethren, that he was the high priest; for it is written, ‘You shall not speak evil of a ruler of your people’” (Acts 23:5).

Had he known that he was speaking to the high priest, Paul said, he would have treated him with the honor and respect the position deserved. 

He even referred to a passage in the Old Testament to support his position (Exodus 22:28; see also Ecclesiastes 10:20).

God’s law above man’s

What about cruel and unrighteous leaders? What about leaders who disregard God’s laws? Are we to respect and obey them as well?

Let’s look again at what Paul told the Romans: “Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities.” Period. 

He didn’t say, “be subject only to the good governing authorities.” Whatever authority we find ourselves under, we are to be subject to them.

But what if the authorities pass a law that outlaws performing Christian duties? Does God still expect us to be subject to the governing authority?

When the council questioned why the apostles continued preaching the gospel after being warned not to, they all replied: “We ought to obey God rather than men” (Acts 5:29). 

They remembered Christ’s commission to “make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19). 

If our nation’s laws contradict God’s, we must continue obeying God’s laws.

We find two notable examples in the book of Daniel. The first is the example of Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego. Though they always showed respect to the king, they did not heed Nebuchadnezzar’s order to worship the statue he had erected. 

Another example is Daniel himself. After a law prohibited praying to anyone but the king, Daniel continued praying to God three times that day—even though he knew there would be consequences if caught. 

These four men, and countless other followers of God, were blessed for their obedience and commitment to living God’s way in the face of hardship.

Respect the position

We’ve seen that we are to obey the governing authorities as long as they don’t conflict with God’s laws. But what if a leader is genuinely unrighteous, corrupt and ungodly?

 God still expects us to show honor due to that individual’s position.

An example of this is David’s respect for King Saul. 

On two occasions, David had the opportunity to kill Saul, an unrighteous man and king. 

One time, David and his men hid in a cave while Saul came in to attend to his needs (1 Samuel 24:3). David’s men encouraged him to slay Saul, but David restrained himself: “The LORD forbid that I should do this thing to my master, the LORD’s anointed, to stretch out my hand against him, seeing he is the anointed of the LORD” (verse 6). 

This respect is fascinating because Saul’s life was the only thing between David and the throne of Israel.

A second incident came when Saul and his army sought David in the wilderness of Ziph. One night, when Saul and his men were asleep, David and Abishai sneaked into the camp. Abishai, seeing Saul asleep, begged David to let him strike Saul. However, David restrained Abishai, saying: “Do not destroy him; for who can stretch out his hand against the LORD’s anointed, and be guiltless? . . . The LORD forbid that I should stretch out my hand against the LORD’s anointed” (1 Samuel 26:9, 11).

In these two examples, David showed respect for Saul due to the position God had given him. He repeatedly referred to him as “the LORD’s anointed.” David was content to let God remove Saul if that was His will. 

“As the LORD lives, the LORD shall strike him, or his day shall come to die, or he shall go out to battle and perish” (1 Samuel 26:10).

David’s respect continued even after Saul had died. When a messenger informed David of Saul’s death and claimed to have caused it, David asked, “How was it you were not afraid to put forth your hand to destroy the LORD’s anointed?” (2 Samuel 1:9-14). 

David had the young man executed because he said he had killed Saul.

Let every soul be subject

How are we to treat our nation’s leaders? 

The Bible tells us that God has appointed or allowed the leaders of our nations to hold the positions they do. In this capacity, they serve at His pleasure and deserve respect and honor. 

For more insight on the dangers that politics pose to a Christian, read “3 Reasons Christianity and Politics Are Incompatible.”