Mat 8:9 For I too am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. And I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes, and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes, and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”
As a Centurion in the Roman Army, he had known the order of authority the Lord has given for the earth.
The God we serve is the God of discipline and order. Where there is order and discipline God’s presence will be there.
1. All Authority, Including secular, comes From God .
Romans 13:1-2 — “Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed.
Jesus made it clear to Pilate when He was handed over to the Roman Governor. He succumbed to it.
”John 19:11 — Jesus to Pilate: “You would have no authority over me at all unless it had been given you from above.
God has control over all the authorities and administrative systems in this world
Daniel 2:21 — “He changes times and seasons; he removes kings and sets up kings
Proverbs 8:15-16 — “By me kings reign, and rulers decree what is just; by me princes rule, and nobles, all who govern justly”
Bible explains to us the Godly order and the biblical pattern of authorityv
2. God ordained Structure and Chain of Command
The first recorded delegation of authority is in Exodus is this.
Ex 18:21-22 — Jethro to Moses: “Look for able men… and place such men over the people as chiefs of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties, and of tens. And let them judge the people at all times”
Godly order of authority in the family, Church & Society
Ephesians 5:22-24, 6:1-4 explains about ordered relationships in families among Wives/husbands, children/parents
1 Corinthians 11:3 — “But I want you to understand that the head of every man is Christ, the head of a wife is her husband, and the head of Christ is God” — clear hierarchy/order
1 Timothy 5:17 — “Let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honor” — church authority structure
Hebrews 13:17 — “Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls.
3. Godly order of authority in the society
New Testament Christians were routinely marginalized, persecuted and even put to death by the Roman state.
Even in this climate, honoring, respecting, cooperating with and praying for Roman officials was part of being a disciple.
The Apostle Peter, who would later be executed by Rome for his Christian faith, said that in all circumstances, Christians must honor the king (1 Peter 2:17).
Titus 3:1 — “Remind them to be submissive to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good work”
1 Peter 2:13-14,17 — “Be subject for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme, or to governors as sent by him.
1Pe 2:17 Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor.
4. Order in Military/State Examples
The centurion understood authority
Luke 7:8 — “For I too am a man set under authority, with soldiers under me: and I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes”.
Jesus commended his grasp of order.
Acts 23:5 — Paul reminded the Old Testament command,
“You shall not speak evil of a ruler of your people” Exodus 22:28
5. Authority and government is layered
Ecclesiastes 5:8 — “If you see in a province the oppression of the poor… marvel not at the matter, for the high official is watched by a higher, and there are yet higher ones over them”
Let us meditate on what happens when people reject God’s ordered authority — both secular and spiritual:
1. Rejecting Authority = Rejecting God Himself
Samuel went to God to convey the message that the people had rejected all his counsels aboutappointing kings and the consequent bad effects it might bring on Israel.Israel demanded a king, rejecting Samuel. But God replied,
1 Samuel 8:7 —. “For they have not rejected you, but they have rejected me from being king over them”.
Romans 13:2 — “Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment”
Numbers 16:1-35 — Korah’s rebellion against Moses and Aaron. “You have gone too far… why then do you exalt yourselves above the assembly of the Lord?”
Result: Earth swallowed them. God called it rebellion against Him, not just Moses.
2. Chaos & Breakdown When order is rejected
Judges 21:25 — “In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes”.
Result of rejecting authority: Civil war, moral collapse, violence in Judges 19-21.
Isaiah 3:4-5 — Judgment on Judah: “And I will make boys their princes, and infants shall rule over them. And the people will oppress one another” .
It reflects thebreakdown of leadership structure.
Proverbs 29:18 — “Where there is no prophetic vision the people cast off restraint” No authority = no discipline.
2 Chronicles 15:3,5-6 — “For a long time Israel was without the true God, and without a teaching priest and without law… In those times there was no peace… nation was crushed by nation”
3. God Brings Judgment on Rebellious Nations/People.
Daniel 5:18-21 — Nebuchadnezzar was humbled when he got prideful about his authority: “until he knew that the Most High God rules the kingdom of mankind and sets over it whom he will”
Proverbs 24:21-22 — “Fear the Lord and the king, my son, and do not join with those who do otherwise, for disaster will arise suddenly from them”
Jude 1:8 — Describes people who “reject authority and blaspheme the glorious ones”. Jude compares them to Sodom, Korah’s rebellion, Balaam.
Acts 12:21-23 — Herod accepted praise as a god, didn’t give God glory: “Immediately an angel of the Lord struck him down… and he was eaten by worms and breathed his last”
4. Rebellion in Family/Church Brings Consequences too.
Ephesians 6:1-3 — “Children, obey your parents… that it may go well with you”. Implication: it won’t go well if you don’t.
Hebrews 13:17 — “Obey your leaders… for they are keeping watch over your souls… Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you”
2 Peter 2:10 — Condemns those who “despise authority. Bold and wilful, they do not tremble as they blaspheme the glorious ones”
5. The ultimate Example: Rebellion started with Satan.
Isaiah 14:13-15 — “You said in your heart, ‘I will ascend to heaven; above the stars of God I will set my throne’”.
Result: “But you are brought down to Sheol”
Ezekiel 28:14-17 — The fall of the anointed cherub due to pride and rejecting God’s order & Pattern:
When God’s ordered authority is rejected → confusion, judgment, and God re-establishes order through discipline.
Romans 13:4 “But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God’s wrath on the wrongdoer.
How to respond rightly to bad and unjust authority? 6 steps.
- Obey God First When There’s a Direct Conflict
Acts 5:29 — “We must obey God rather than men”. The apostles refused the Sanhedrin’s order to stop preaching Jesus.
Daniel 3:16-18 — Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego: “We will not serve your gods or worship the golden image”. They respectfully disobeyed Nebuchadnezzar’s idol command.
Daniel 6:10 — Daniel kept praying though it was illegal. No hiding, no compromise on worship.
Rule: Submit to human authority until it commands you to sin.
Then you obey God and accept the consequences.
2. Show Respect, Not Rebellion — Appeal First
Daniel 1:8-14 — Daniel didn’t defy the king’s food order. He “asked the chief of the eunuchs” for permission and proposed a 10-day test. Respectful appeal, not revolt.
Esther 4:16, 5:1-2 — Esther broke Persian law to see the king, but came humbly, fasting first. “If I perish, I perish.” She risked herself, didn’t stir up riots.1 Peter 2:17 — “Honor everyone… Honor the emperor”. Written under Nero, who was burning Christians.
Rule: Honor the office even if you can’t honor the person. No slander, no insurrection.
3. Pray For Them Instead of Cursing Them
1 Timothy 2:1-2 — “I urge that supplications, prayers… be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions”. Purpose: “that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life”. Jeremiah 29:7 — To Jews exiled in Babylon: “Seek the welfare of the city… and pray to the Lord on its behalf”. Matthew 5:44 — Jesus: “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you”
4. Do Good & Keep Your Conduct Blameless
1 Peter 2:15 — “For this is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people”1 Peter 3:16-17 — “Having a good conscience, so that… those who revile your good behaviour in Christ may be put to shame. For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that should be God’s will”
Titus 3:1-2 — “Be submissive to rulers… be ready for every good work, to speak evil of no one, to avoid quarreling”
5. Leave Vengeance to God — Don’t Take It Yourself
Romans 12:19 — “Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, ‘Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord’”1 Peter 2:23 — Jesus when treated unjustly: “When he was reviled, he did not revile in return… but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly”
Proverbs 21:1 — “The king’s heart is a stream of water in the hand of the Lord; he turns it wherever he will”. God controls rulers.
6. Use Legal Rights Wisely, Without Rioting
Acts 16:37 — Paul, beaten illegally: “They have beaten us publicly… Let them come themselves and escort us out”. He asserted Roman citizenship rights, respectfully.
Acts 25:11 — Paul to Festus: “I appeal to Caesar”. He used the legal system instead of mob action.
The David Example — 1 Samuel 24 & 26
Saul was evil, hunting David unjustly. Twice David could kill him. Both times he said: “The Lord forbid that I should do this thing to my lord, the Lord’s anointed” 1 Samuel 24:6.
He cut Saul’s robe to prove he could have killed him, then bowed and called him “my lord the king”. He trusted God to remove Saul in God’s timing.
To Summarize: Key Verse Authority is just Submit joyfully.
How to respond in various situations?
Romans 13:1 Authority is harsh –Submit with respect, do good1 Peter 2:18-20
Authority commands sin – Respectfully refuse, obey God. Acts 5:29, Daniel 3:18
Authority persecutes -Pray, bless, entrust to God -Matthew 5:44, 1 Peter 2:23
Important note: No violent revolt, no slander, no joining mobs. But also no blind obedience into sin. Stand firm, suffer well if needed, and let God deal with the ruler.
Sr. Angelica