Pastor John, do the rather strong words in Romans 13 verses 1 through 7 indicate that civil

disobedience is always wrong for the Christian.

I don't think Romans 13 on the first paragraph there rules out all civil disobedience.

Let me read just a piece of it because it sounds like it does and I admit it's a significant

exegetical problem such as let every person be subject to the governing authorities for

there is no authority except from God.

So be subject because authorities are from God and those that exist have been instituted

by God.

Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed and those

who resist will incur judgment.

So there's the basic statement we ought to be submissive to government because government

is a God and it's a gift of God.

Sometimes people who get their back up real quick and want to plead for civil disobedience

before they think too much forget that anarchy and mob rule are horrible, horrible things.

I remember watching the movie Gundy and those couple of scenes where the mobs got

out of hand and turned on a man and the terror that came over me just watching the power

of a totally lawless mob, you are utterly helpless.

And so government in keeping a cap on the evil of the world and restraining evil and brings

some kind of order is a great gift in a world of fallenness.

So I just want to say yes to God's gift of government in a world of sin.

But we all know we're war two, Nazism, Paul Pot, all kinds of illustrations from history

that government can go wrong which makes verse three and four look really strange.

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