The God-Given Limits for Civil Authorities

God has given clear and unmistakable limits to civil rulers today. It would be wise for Christians to understand these things more clearly. Here are a few thoughts to consider:

To begin with, Romans 13 and 1 Peter 2 do NOT authorize civil authorities to rule with ABSOLUTE authority.

Because rulers have been instituted by God, we have clearly been instructed to submit to our civil authorities. In this way, submission to civil rulers is essentially submission to God. But that is often as far as people get with their application of this passage.

However, not only do these passages instruct citizens on how to relate to the state…they also describe how the state should relate to its citizens. For example, Romans 13 tells us that, “rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad,” and “he is an avenger who carries out God’s wrath on the wrongdoer.” This famous passage even refers to civil rulers as “servants of God,” and “ministers.” 1 Peter 2:14 further clarifies that the ruler is obligated to “punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good.”

These passages in no way authorize governors to rule with unlimited authority.

Since Romans 13 does not give civil rulers ABSOLUTE authority over their citizens…what limits do they have?

The God-given limits on civil authorities can be summarized into 3 main categories:

First, rulers have been granted limited territories where they are to exercise their authority.

A king is not granted jurisdiction over those who are not in his territory. His rule has physical boundaries in which he is to exercise his authority.

So if you were to receive a letter in the mail from the Austrian revenue department demanding that you pay your annual income taxes for last year—or else—you could promptly discard the letter and disregard the warning. The reason is obvious: you are not a citizen of Austria, but of the United States. As such, that government has no jurisdictional authority over you here.

It is God who establishes both rulers and their regional boundaries. Of course, He does this through earthly means all the time. But the Bible tells us that God, “made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place,” (Acts 17:26) and, “the Most High rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom he will,” (Daniel 4:32).

Second, God demands that rulers agree with Him and govern accordingly.

The Bible is incredibly clear that Jesus alone has all authority, and earthly governors are to obediently steward what is rightfully His. It says, “For kingship belongs to the LORD, and he rules over the nations,” (Psalm 22:28).

Whether or not a particular government wants it to be true, they are God’s servant (Romans 13:4). A servant doesn’t get to say to his master, “I refuse to acknowledge the authority of my master. I disagree with him, so I’m going to do things a different way.” The Bible even explicitly commands kings, “Now therefore, O kings, be wise; be warned, O rulers of the earth. Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling,” (Psalm 2:10-11). They are obligated to submit to King Jesus as their master.

Jesus has delegated specific responsibilities to His civil servants. They are commanded by Him to “punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good,” (1 Peter 2:14). He has not left it up to civil rulers to determine good from evil. He has already done that in His Word.

In fact God continually condemns mankind for not agreeing with and submitting to His established moral code. He says, “Woe to those who call evil good and good evil,” (Isaiah 5:20) and, “He who justifies the wicked and he who condemns the righteous are both alike an abomination to the LORD,” (Proverbs 17:15).

A king/governor/senator/judge is not in the position to declare right from wrong. He must recognize what God has established and rule according to those judgments. He is limited by God to not rule contrary to the orders he has been given.

Third, rulers are not authorized to impose arbitrary laws on the people.

Kings have been given the sword in order to execute justice according to God’s holy standard provided in His Word. The ruler may not wield that sword for anything beyond “punishing evil and praising/protecting good.” That is its only authorized use. So while it may be good for a king to be “committed to cultivate fields,” (Ecclesiastes 5:9) (i.e to invest surplus tax income into building up a national economy) he may not shed blood (nor threaten the shedding of blood) in his pursuit of that goal. In other words, he has not been granted any enforcement powers in the area of fiscal prosperity.

The principle here is quite simple: A king may not make demands in areas where he is not authorized to execute justice with the sword. This means that a king may not impose on his people with arbitrary laws (those which are not sufficiently addressed in God’s Word).

For example: Imagine a governor who loves the color blue so much that he makes a law requiring his people to wear the color blue, from head to toe, every Monday, from sunrise to sunset. This would qualify as an “arbitrary” law. It is amoral. God’s Word in no way prohibits the wearing of the color blue. It would not be sinful for us to comply.

But in this (admittedly odd) scenario, would citizens be required by God to submit to that law? Absolutely not. Because the governor has not been authorized by God to enforce such laws. While it is possible that a person would choose to comply—for a variety of different reasons—he is not obligated by God to do so.