Thank you for your good comments. They are truly statements of Reformed Faith. When all the ‘extras’ are brushed away, we will always find the foundation stone of our Faith – the Word of God as preserved in the Received Text.

God bless you always.

I think we might have had this discussion earlier on, but it appears that you’re not seeing the woods for the trees: you’d generally expect Romans 11 to be consistent with Romans 13. The problem is, how is that consistent with, say, Revelations 13? Or Genesis 3? Or Luke 10? Or Colossians 5?

It’s all centered around the worship of God, not the worship of what man has created, written, or envisioned for himself (or his race). So while God might “appoint” authorities, it is non sequitur to say that these “appointments” all serve for our mutual edification. I think it might help if you revisited the passage I cited earlier.

But Perhaps that is the fallacy there – the idea that the Constitution, which makes no express mention of Jesus or the Holy Spirit, is something “ordained” by God to hold rulership over men. It is not.. it is made by men for the purpose of glorifying man – something which would hardly fall under the category of being “ordained” by God.

The correct thinking, I believe, is found not only in Romans 13 but in the Gospels as well – among other things, as pertaining to taxes, which illustrates Luke 12:27 in an attitudinal manner. Our pillar and foundation has to be God himself, not a combination of the physical, mental, and spiritual; restated, this could be read to say that the pillar of our identity consists entirely of God, not of arbitrary laws and customs.

It’s finding the balance between the two (gov’t vs. God) that’s the tricky part. Question in point: earlier in his first term of office, Bush “advised” Americans to “go out and shop.” What would you make of that?

But in everyday cases where obedience is not sin, I think submission is synonymous with obedience, as it is in v. 7 of Romans 13: “Render therefore to all their dues: tribute to whom tribute is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honour to whom honour.”

Wandered over here from My Comments and found your last comment here. I think you should reconsider what “to be subject” means – it’s not about obeying so much as it is submission or accountability. Check out these two translations and consider them in context.

By “Crown Rights,” I mean that Jesus’ right to authority over every aspect of life should be asserted (non-violently, of course, 2 Corinthians 10:3-5). He is King, after all.

Yet, at the same time, let us not forget that the True King, Jesus, told us to obey the lesser kings whom He Himself has set up (Romans 13:1-5).