“Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right” (Ephesians 6:1).
“Servants, be obedient to them that are your masters … as unto Christ” (Ephesians 6:5).
“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. Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God” (Romans 13:1-2).
In our verses today, there are several different kinds of authority mentioned, and we are to submit to all of them. Children are to submit to parents, servants are to submit to their masters, and in general, we are all to submit to, and obey, civil authorities. (That means authorities such as the police, the teacher at school, and the municipal, provincial, and federal governments.)
It is not always easy to obey authority, and especially if the authority is not used in the right way. Sometimes the laws that are passed, and the things we may be asked to do, seem to be ridiculous. Also, governments can make mistakes, and tell us to do things that are obviously not going to work. Governments may do things for political reasons that have nothing to do with the good of the people whom they govern. What are we to do?
We must remember that all authority ultimately comes from God, and to resist that authority is to resist what God has set up. When we see the condition of some of the authorities in this world, we may question how God could have set up such a corrupt control over us. But God has often worked out His purposes over the years by allowing corrupt men or women to rule. When the New Testament was written, the Roman emperors were often not good men, and some were definitely evil and very sinful. Yet the Lord allowed them to be put into positions of power and authority.
There is only one reason that we should not obey the authorities whom God has set up over us, and that is if they tell us to do something that dishonors the Lord Himself. For example, you will remember Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, whom Nebuchadnezzar commanded to fall down and worship the golden image that he had set up. As those who knew and worshiped the true God, they refused, and were thrown into the fiery furnace. But the Lord preserved them in a remarkable way, as a testimony to the king and to all others who saw it. You can read this story in Daniel 3.
We are to respect and honor those whom God has set up in authority, but to recognize too that God must be honored and worshiped above all authorities.