GRAVE TO GOSPEL
GRAVE TO GOSPEL narrates the continuous story of Christ from Genesis to Revelation. Every action we take is driven by this life-giving message, reminding us that faith in Christ goes beyond mere knowledge, rituals, numbers, or programs. Expanding upon this foundational principle involves sharing and deepening our experience of Christ’s love through the Gospel, making each new endeavor a powerful echo of the Good News. Without the gospel, ministry loses its pulse; with it, every heartbeat carries the life of Christ into the world.
Let's move His gospel forward with every beat, because Christianity is not about Christians, it’s about Christ.
GRAVE TO GOSPEL
Open Your Bibles to Romans 13 1-7
Use Left/Right to seek, Home/End to jump to start or end. Hold shift to jump forward or backward.
Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, for he is God's servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God's wrath on the wrongdoer. Therefore one must be in subjection, not only to avoid God's wrath but also for the sake of conscience. For because of this you also pay taxes, for the authorities are ministers of God, attending to this very thing. Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed.
Romans 13:1-7
After exploring our duties within the church and toward our enemies, Paul now turns our attention toward the world’s structures. In this week’s episode of Open Your Bibles, we tackle a challenging question: Who has authority?
In a world of political division, we often forget that there is no power on earth that did not first pass through the hands of the Sovereign King. Subjection to authority isn't about the worthiness of the leader, but about the worthiness of the God who placed them there.
In this episode, we talk about:
- The Sovereign Appointment: Why we believe that every ruler—whether they acknowledge Him or not—is a "servant of God" (a diakonos) ordained for His specific purposes.
- The Sword and the State: A Reformed look at the role of government. We discuss how God uses the state to restrain evil and maintain order, serving as a temporal "avenger" of His justice.
- Conscience Over Convenience: Why our obedience to the state is actually an act of worship to God. We explore the "Third Use of the Law" as it applies to our civic duties, like paying taxes and showing honor.
- The Limits of Subjection: We briefly discuss the "Magistrate's Boundary"—what happens when an earthly authority commands what God forbids?
When we see that the King of Kings is the one who establishes earthly thrones, we can live with peace and integrity, knowing that our ultimate citizenship is secure in Christ.
Grace and Peace