Expositor's Argument Essay

Authority Ordained by God Once God knocks on the heart of an individual to receive the gift of Christianity, one of their main responsibilities is to submit themselves to Christ, and then they are to submit themselves to the authorities that have been ordained by God, more specifically, the government. The Bible says Christians are supposed to be “subject to the government because it has been ordained by God.” Although it often seems as if the government has a yearning for money and power, the government was instituted by God in order to keep his people civilized. Peter wrote in 1 Peter 2:13-14, “Submit yourselves for the Lord's sake to every authority instituted among men: whether to the king, as the supreme authority, or to governors, who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right.” According to

However, God arranged and ordained the government the way he did and all of mankind should submit to authority for a very important reason. According to the author of the Expositor's Bible Commentary, “Christians should be obedient, submissive citizens because the power of government has been ordained of God and rulers have ministry to perform for God” (Harrison par.). As believers, our duty is to submit to Christ, and then people are to submit themselves to the authority for different purposes. The author of the Expositor's Bible Commentary also stated something else that stuck out in his book. It said, “God established civil authority meaning the government- to be a terror or restraint to evil works, to punish evildoers, and to praise the good. As long as government operates in this realm, the believer must obey its dictates, not only avoid punishment, but also to maintain a guiltless conscience for the sake of Christian testimony” (Harrison