While I do not necessarily disagree with this notion, it throws out the monochrome view of the key verses. You cannot have it both ways. Either the key verses describe an unyielding set of principles we must obey as believers or there is much grey area for discussion and disagreement. No beloved, the reality is that most who cling to the key verses as some panacea for all to obey refuse to see their own hypocrisy when applying it to all areas of life. It is not longer "we must obey all authorities." Instead, what it really means is "you must obey all the authorities that I agree with." The inherent problem there of course is we get into all of our pre-bias and prejudices. We are sinners by nature and the Bible says our hearts are wickedly deceptive above all else. Not exactly the mix you want when doling out justice. Remember what the Lord requires:
He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God? - Micah 6: 8 (ESV)
We are to love kindness and walk humbly but note that we are to DO justice. Not our justice but the Lords. I am not sure what utopia Paul was writing about in the key verses but throughout history up until today we only have had imperfect systems run by imperfect men. None of which serve the cause of Christ. The notion that the key verses advocate for a police state where we lay down and allow whatever the authorities want is simply not supported within the local context or the canon of Scripture as a whole. The concluding context however might provide some more insight:
Therefore one must be in subjection, not only to avoid God's wrath but also for the sake of conscience. For because of this you also pay taxes, for the authorities are ministers of God, attending to this very thing. Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed. - Romans 13: 1-7 (ESV)
Note the example Paul gives here. It is not the military authorities he speaks power to. It is not the police state he speaks power to. It is the civil authorities. He speaks about taxes! He is saying - you live as part of the society, so don't try and cheat it! Also note however here that Paul gives qualifiers for everyone else. Revenue is one thing but honor and respect are "owed." They are earned beloved. There were plenty who had the badge of the state in Nazi Germany who were not owed honor and respect simply because they found themselves in authority. I doubt anyone would make a biblical argument that those that carried the badge enforcing segregation were anymore "due honor and respect" because they happened to find themselves in power. At some point in these end times the state will demand that all take the mark of the beast to conduct business. Are we to apply Romans 13 to mean we should? Of course not.
Which leaves us with the same questions we had when we started. How do we apply Romans 13 when it comes to living as Christians in the world? For starters I think it is crucial that we drop our myopic view of Scripture. Where we use the Bible to prop up our carnal beliefs or maybe even our hidden hatreds. That said we also need to use the remainder of the Word of God as our guide, starting with God's desire for peace:
If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, "Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord." To the contrary, "if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head." Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. - Romans 12: 18-21 (ESV)
Not coincidentally, these verses immediately precede the key verses. As far as we are concerned we are to try and live peaceably with all. We do not overcome evil with evil. None of these commands however alter the fact that we are not called to blindly submit to any authority simply based upon Romans 13. When the three Hebrew boys were told by the King to bow down to the golden statue they had no problem saying no. God may allow the rise of all kings, rulers, and authorities but that hardly means they are doing His will. We have to discern as Christians. The defense many Nazis wanted to use at the Nuremberg Trials was that they were just following orders. Exterminating an entire race of people? Just following orders. Genocide? Just following orders. Make no mistake about it beloved. Just as they could not use that defense, neither will we when we stand before Christ. We will not be able to say we were just obeying the authorities while ignoring whether the authorities were obeying God.
Please, we are talking about major issues. Nazi Germany and the days of the Civil Right movement are outliers. In our day to day mundane lives the authorities are there for a reason which is what Paul is trying to say in the key verses. We should not be trying to actively undermine them or overthrow them for minor disagreement or offense. Likewise, we should not blindly accept everything carnal authority says and does. Everything must be measured up against the plumb line of the Word of God. Lastly however, we must recognize that not all Scripture is resolved. We need to leave Scriptural myopia behind and have a frank and honest discussion about our faith and what God really is saying.
