Obey Higher Powers
Paul’s Letter to the Romans, ch. 13, v. 1
Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God.
He then goes on to talk about how great the civil authorities are. It reminds me of the line from the Church’s vax letter about how the public health authorities were wise and competent, something like that.
The odd thing is that Paul himself had contrary experience. He seems to have generally had a positive experience with the civil authorities on his missionary journeys. But then in his last journey to Jerusalem though the authorities rescued him they also didn’t let him go once they realized there was no case against him. He got held for a long time for a bribe, thrown into chains to please the Jews, and held even longer and then sent to Rome despite no legal requirement that he be so held in an act of bureaucratic buck-passing. Hardly a fantastic record. And then he was murdered while in Rome, though naturally that was after he wrote the letter. Not to mention Pilate framing up Christ and having him executed without trial because of political pressure from the Jews.
Make of it what you will.
I have a different way of reading v.1.
After v. 1, its pretty clear Paul is just talking about the civil authorities. But in v. 1, Paul just refers to ‘higher powers’ and ‘powers.’ Elsewhere in the scriptures, even in Paul’s letters, higher powers and powers refer to spiritual powers. Angels and fallen angels and such.
Isn’t it tantalizing to imagine that each dispensation or civ or nation has its own angel, and that each has its distinctive characteristics reflecting its angel, to which distinctive characteristics Paul counsels us to be subject?
The Angel of America is obviously pretty big on individualism and free will.
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Eric
August 18, 2023
Speaking of civic authorities in this context reminds me of what the Lord told the people in the Americas during the three days of darkness after the Crucifixion:
“And behold, that great city Jacobugath, which was inhabited by the people of king Jacob, have I caused to be burned with fire because of their sins and their wickedness, which was above all the wickedness of the whole earth, because of their secret murders and combinations; for it was they that did destroy the peace of my people and the government of the land; therefore I did cause them to be burned, to destroy them from before my face, that the blood of the prophets and the saints should not come up unto me any more against them.” (3 Nephi 9:9)
It’s interesting that the Lord mentions destroying the government as one of the reasons for destroying the Gadianton robbers’ chief city.
E.C.
August 18, 2023
@ Eric,
Well, Isaiah prophesied that, “unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.
“Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.”
The Lord isn’t anti-government, he’s anti-tyranny. A civil society is exactly what we are supposed to bring about as a Zion people – one where there are no poor, and where every one of us can sit beneath our own vines and fig trees and dwell safely; a society where we fear neither those who rule or our neighbors.
[]
August 18, 2023
“The Angel of America is obviously pretty big on individualism and free will.”
Maybe – or maybe Americans are so willful and individualistic we need an angel that reigns that in and channels it into communal power, and if we should fall into sin and chase that angel off we will find ourselves disorganized, lonely, bowling alone and such.
Zen
August 20, 2023
I have read ancient texts that pay a lot of attention to the activities of different angels. The Book of Enoch is a good example. I have usually regarded that as a late addition, but maybe not. It is hard to judge other dispensations by our own.
Paul also talks about
For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Eph. 6:12
There has been a lot of effort to downplay his words, but perhaps he meant what he said.