There are nations in the world where all rule and all authority has been overthrown, nations that are under completely despotic warlords where there is virtually anarchy and starvation and not even aid agencies can get in with relief. You see the terrible tragedy and bloodshed and wickedness. The worst rule is infinitely better than no rule. God has ordained that there shall be order in this wicked world. It is a world where human beings are fallen, and they are natural and inevitable rebels, and you would have anarchy and bloodshed and wickedness all the time, everywhere, if God did not impose rule, whether good or bad. It is for the glory of God, because it brings about some form of order and peace in which the gospel may be preached, people may be saved, the elect may be called out and drawn to Christ. If God did not impose law and order of some kind, the world would have destroyed itself centuries ago. By the power of God man, who is against all authority and any authority, has had it put in his heart to say, ‘We want a government; we want order.’ Unsaved humanity is a walking contradiction. It wants government, and yet it wants its own way. God has put this desire for government and Christians should be the first of people to submit themselves to it. That does not mean to say God is responsible for appointing evil rulers but the principle of government and the existence of God is of God. Government has not only a social role, to act for the order and the comfort of the majority of people, but it has a moral rule.
We live in very particular times, when Western governments are abandoning their moral rule and they are promoting evil. In our countries all parties regard themselves as social liberals and they are inclined to promote evil and to protect it in many respects, and crooks can be rewarded and if not rewarded, left alone. These are signs of the end, the last apostasy, when long-established principles are overturned, even by politicians and leaders whose institution we must respect. In the past even godless rulers have upheld the whole gamut of basic principles, but not now. Now there is antagonism to God’s moral standards, even in the very highest places.
Does it mean literally every law they make? No, not quite, because the Scripture makes certain exceptions. Many of them are in the Book of Acts – exceptions where he will obey God rather than man. But the general rule is that the Christian, just like the worldling, is ruled by God via civil authorities. That's the scheme. Some people misunderstand it, and they greatly exaggerate this idea: ‘Is it Christ or Cesar? We are not under Cesar now; we are under Christ. In a great area of life we can do as we please.’ That is not so. The Scripture is very plain. Believers and unbelievers alike are ruled by God through civil authorities, with certain exceptions. What exceptions? Can I make them up for myself? ‘I should imagine this will be an exception, that will be an exception.’ No, all the exceptions are named in the Scripture. We can't make up additional ones, only those in Scripture. We do this first of all, because he has commanded us – ‘For the Lord's sake’.
In Romans 13 we read: ‘Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers’ – that is the civil authorities – ‘for there is no power but of God.’ Remember that when Peter wrote, and at the end of Paul's life, the power was none other than Nero. The ruling power was a usurping power. It was an aggressive conquering power. Strictly speaking, you may say, it had no right to be the ruler. Rome was not a legitimate ruler, in a sense, because it ruled by viciousness and violence and conquest. So it gained an illegitimate power over many nations. So surely we don't have to obey them! Yes we do, says the inspired word of God. ‘For there is no power [good or bad], but of God.’ He lifts up. He puts down the powers. He permits the wicked to conquer and to rule, because that's all man deserves, perhaps. There is no power, not even a conquering wicked power, having achieved its ambitions, but of God, even the unworthy ones, even the cruel ones and the unreasonable ones.