Does Romans 13:1-7 negate the conservative position? Does wanting less government go against God?

              In one of my previous posts, I had talked about the Old Testament indirectly showing that we as Americans should work to maintain as small a government as possible, as wanting a more worldly government was part of the Israelites’ downfall into the cycle of trouble and redemption with God. When I posted this, some acquaintances on social media mentioned Romans 13:1-7 and posed a question to me, as in the title of this post. Does the governing authority bear the mark of God as he has established the governing authorities? I think the answer depends on a case by case scenario, as I plan to demonstrate.

              I do agree with the inerrancy of scripture, and Romans 13:1-7 does ordain us to submit to the governing authorities, I don’t agree with some interpretations that say that we should let the governing powers not be held in check by the people, or to let them discourage free worship of God. It’s not just that I am an American, we have many examples of the faithful in scripture defying their government in pursuit of the higher commandments of God. We have Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego as some of the most recent Old Testament examples of people defying a government hostile to belief in God. They had rulers that banned the worship of God, or demanded the worship of their ruler above all others. So we can reason this out pretty easily, Daniel and the others recognized that there was a higher authority than their earthly rulers they were serving, and acted accordingly. They followed a civil disobedience to their rulers, and God delivered them from it.

              What about a case of a government that was loyal to God, and yet they still tried to go against the moral law of God? We can take a look at the reign of King Saul, while he was trying to preserve his place on the throne while God had anointed David to succeed him. David obviously did not allow Saul to kill him, but David did not escalate the situation by trying to kill Saul in return, even though he had the opportunity (1 Samuel 24). We can also look at the reign of David, and a case of disagreement with one of his advisors. 2 Samuel 11 describes the affair that David had with Bathsheba, the wife of one his warriors. While David was supposed to be at war, he actually remained in Jerusalem and saw Bathsheba bathing on a rooftop. When he sent out men to find out who she was, one of his men returned and told David “She is Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam and the wife of Uriah the Hittite”. Notice what the servant was trying to do here, he was trying to remind David that he was lusting after a married woman and that he shouldn’t be doing this. The man could have just as easily brought Bathsheba to David right away, but he gave David a chance to rethink what he wanted to do.

              Now, some of you might be thinking that I, once again, am relying on the Old Testament exclusively, but here is where I answer that objection. Even Jesus did not submit himself to the governing authorities all of the time, as we see him disappearing among the crowds (Luke 4:30). Now, since Jesus was the Son of God, he might have been a special case, but we also have numerous cases of the disciples (and Paul) escaping from the authorities, and preaching the gospel against their wishes.

              So what does this mean for us in the modern day? Am I in the wrong for wanting to advocate for limited government power? I would say no, as I am working within the confines of the law and the Constitution of the United States, and am using my 1^st amendment rights to do so. I am working within the framework that God established for the United States for the people to govern themselves and to elect representatives to rule over them. I am not calling for a violent revolution against our rulers, just that we vote them out and vote for people who will work to shrink the government.

              I hope that this has shown a rigorous defense of what I advocate for as far as government is concerned, and that I still honor God in the process that I have chosen. If you want to talk about it, feel free to comment or find me on social media. God bless and have a good rest of your day.