Romans 13, The Higher Authority

The High Authority. It's not how you think!

Every government is established by the consent of the governed. Constitutions and laws governing a nation are agreements that regulate the lives of citizens and protect their rights and freedoms. The preamble to the U.S. Constitution reads as follows:

"We, the People of the United States, in order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, ensure inner tranquility, provide for common defense, promote general well-being and ensure for us and for our posterity the benefits of Freedom, we establish and sanction this Constitution for the United States of America."

Key words likewe,we have establishedandwe sanctionspeak of the consent and agreement that each one deposits in the creation of a state. Moreover, any person who changes citizenship enters into agreements at the swearing-in ceremony and agrees to comply with the laws of the country that adopts it.

"I hereby declare, under oath, that you have renounced absolutely and completely the alliance and allegiance to any sovereign, prince, sovereignty or foreign state from which I have so far been subject or citizen; that I will support and defend the Constitution and laws of the United States of America… that I will be truly faithful and loyal to you… and who took this obligation freely without any mental restriction or purpose of evasion; I swear to God."

Every government is initially created with the good intention of establishing Justice, Order and Peace; although with the passage of time the greed created by public money and corruption end with good intentions; and both the people and the rulers, both havingthe heart exercised in greedfor the benefits obtained at the expense of their neighbor, they end up fulfilling the proverb that says:"I saw servants on horses, and princes walking like servants on earth."Public servants end up dominating those who authorize them.

Citizens freely take an obligation without any mental restriction, that is, without coercion or external force that forces them; and thus the individual gives much of his natural rights to acquire civil rights, authorizing with his vote to be governed by those he and his fellow citizens choose.

Who is the higher authority? The Universal Declaration of Human Rights reads in Chapter 21, paragraph 3, as follows:

"The will of the people is the basis of public authority"

Likewise, the US Declaration of Independence reads as follows:

"… governments are instituted among men, which derive their legitimate powers from the consent of the governed…"

Men placed in eminence and elected by the people derive their power and authority from the vote and consent of the governed. When the Apostle Paul wrote,"Submit every person to the higher authorities"He meant that the ruler, who is also a person, must be subject to his authority, that is, the will of the people.

Chapter 13 of Romans describes and limits the function of government as follows:"the magistrates are not to instil fear of the one who does good, but of the evil…"Today's magistrate is not elected to reign but to serve, without accepting bribes and without betraying those who chose him. He is there to maintain order and punish those who oppose the freedom of the people and those who do evil. If the magistrate becomes a traitor to those who elect him, the people must remember the following:

"…that whenever a form of government becomes destructive of these principles, the people have the right to reform or abolish it and institute a new government that is based on those principles, and to organize their powers in the way that they believe will offer the greatest chance of achieving their security and happiness…"