666P.htm

From ROMANS 13:1-10:

AGAINST BAD Æ
DEEDS ONLY

GOD'S LAWS ARE HIS Æ
AVENGING MINISTER
OF WRATH

Judge:   Public officer appointed
     to hear and try cases in
court of justice.
Of God: Supreme Arbiter.

"Let every soul be in subjection to the superior authorities, for there is no authority except by God; the existing authorities stand placed in their relative positions by God. Therefore he who opposes the authority has taken a stand against the arrangement of God; those who have taken a stand against it will receive judgement to themselves. For those ruling are an object of fear, not to the good deed, but to the bad. Do you, then, want to have no fear of the authority? Keep doing good, and you will have praise from it; for it is God's minister to you for your good. But if you are doing what is bad, be in fear: for it is not without purpose that it bears the sword; for it is God's minister, an avenger to express wrath upon the one practicing what is bad. There is therefore compelling reason for you people to be in subjection, not only on account of that wrath but also on account of [your] conscience. For that is why you are also paying taxes; for they are God's public servants constantly serving this very purpose… Love does not work evil to one's neighbour; therefore love is the law's fulfilment."

Å SUPERIOR AUTHORITIES
     EXISTING AND PLACED
     BY GOD ARE NOT MEN'S
     AUTHORITIES.

Å THE AUTHORITY
     IS OF GOD.

Å ITS PURPOSE.

Å GOD'S PUBLIC SERVANTS
     PAID FROM TAXES.
Å "And this is what love means,
      that we go on walking according
      to His commandments."
                         (From 2 John V.6).

WHO OR WHAT ARE THE SUPERIOR AUTHORITIES
PLACED IN THEIR RELATIVE POSITIONS BY GOD?

Would it be correct, for example, to be obedient to authorities such as those conducted under men like Adolph Hitler, when he was exercising his kind of authorities, or pay taxes to help such ones butcher more of mankind opposed to their regimes of power by force? There have been many such leaders: Polpot, Idi Amin, Papa Doc, Ayatollah Khomeini, and so on. The answer is of course: Certainly not! Especially so, as to paying taxes to support killings outside of the laws of the "superior authorities". One might ask: 'Are the scriptures concerning the "superior authorities" wrongly translated? Who should people obey so that they do not offend those who are God's administering public servants?'

LEGAL POINTS.

(1) The ones ruling must be administering as an "object of fear" as to punishing people's bad deeds,
and not according to their own erroneous instituted laws; but avenging with God's laws.

(2) They are those persons placed to express Godly wrath upon the one(s) practicing what is bad against others.

(3) They are not any particular individual public servant(s) avenging God's wrath upon bad deeds,
as men are not the "superior authorities".

(4) Taxes are paid so that public servants can be employed to express God's wrath on evildoers.
Therefore, we pay taxes for the prevention of lawlessness, and do so for a good conscience.

(5) But those who publicly administer laws against good, for bad deeds, are not (themselves) God's "superior authority".
      For the "superior authorities" of God are placed in their relative positions by God, and are God's laws, bearing
      the sword of justice. They are not fleshly individuals or those who administer injustice by ignoring the written
     "superior authorities" of God contained in His Holy Word. (James 4:12. 2 Tim 3:16).

11/3/81.