By Drs. Dave and Judi Coats
a. All authority comes from God, and those in positions of authority have been placed there by God (Romans 13).
b. Authorities are God’s servants, sent for our good (Romans 13).
c. We must submit to authorities to keep a clear conscience (Romans 13).
d. Give respect and honor to those who are in authority (Romans 13).
e. And remember, in the time of Roman rule, the authorities were ruthless, underhanded, barbaric, and severe. Yet believers were admonished to respect and to honor and to submit.
f. We are “already, but not yet” under Kingdom rule in which Christ will rule and reign perfectly. Anything else will definitely be flawed severely.
g. In God’s sovereignty, we will be under the authority of some new president after the next inauguration. We need to pray for them, and we need to respect them.
h. Many Christians, respectable leaders, full of integrity, do walk the halls of Congress; we need to pray for them for wisdom as they work with authorities over them.
i. All the severely illogical, poorly written, emotionally-charged comments and articles on Facebook do not substitute for doing your own research regarding the candidates.
j. Drive or walk to the polls; vote, armed with your own research; and trust God that He is in control; and be at peace with the outcome.
k. Since righteousness exalts a nation, it absolutely must begin in our local churches as we fill our communities with salt and light.
l. Leaders of government are “sent for the very purpose of punishing those who do what is wrong” (Romans 13); pray that the candidate who wins will uphold this responsibility before God.
