Everyone must obey the state authorities. Paul is telling Christians to obey the Roman government that would soon be persecuting them. This is a paradox. The Christian is to obey whatever government rules the country where he lives. The Gentile Christians would be expected to pick up many Jewish ideas from the Jewish Christians. The Jews believed no Gentile had the right to rule over them, basing this on Deuteronomy 17:15. As believers in the Messiah, "another king, by the name of Jesus" (Acts 17:7), even Gentile Christians might feel they had no loyalty to any human government. Paul's teaching here is the same as what Jesus said in Mark 12:14-17. The point is that human governments are necessary to preserve moral order. All human governments have been put there by God. [The Book of Revelation shows us that EVERY government serves both God and Satan at exactly the same time.]

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Old Testament