There Is No Authority (Except from God)

Introduction

How you felt on Friday probably had a lot to do with how you voted on Thursday.

President Trump is once again President-elect Trump as the messy election cycle gives way to what is supposed to be an orderly transfer of power.

President Trump, like all politicians who get elected, claims to have a clear mandate from the people to govern our country in such a way as to make America great again. Did he really receive a clear mandate from the people?

Here is a map of our country showing the results based on the electoral college.

312-226 is a pretty clear victory. Fortunately, the popular vote was in sync with the electoral college or we would be facing renewed calls to abolish the electoral college.

The electoral college, while widely misunderstood, is a critical element to maintaining a representative form of government.

A Short Civics Lesson

One of the great obstacles our founding fathers had to overcome was the fear that large, densely populated states, like Massachusetts and Virginia, would have an oversized influence on national politics to such a degree that smaller, less densely populated states would effectively have no voice in the government. They believed that a government controlled by one or two states was not very representative. And they were right.

As the population of our country has grown and population density has soared in concentrated urban centers, that dynamic has become even more pronounced. Why? Because urban populations trend more liberal while rural populations trend more conservative, broadly speaking.

Elections that were based solely on popular vote would allow a handful of densely populated, liberal states (for instance New York and California) to effectively control the government, silencing the many less densely populated, conservative states. As our founding fathers understood, that is not very representative.

Just how bad is the disparity?

Here’s a map of election results tallied by county.

How representative would it be for the handful of blue areas to override all of those red areas. Hence the electoral college and the preservation of representative government.

A Glaring Problem

But looking at the popular vote (75 million votes for President Trump verses 71 million votes for Vice-President Harris) does highlight one glaring problem: almost half of our country is opposed to the result of the election. That is a lot of division! Given the media coverage the next four years is likely to generate, that division will probably only widen. Even in true-blue Massachusetts, roughly 1/3 of votes cast for president were for President Trump. We are not united in our blueness!

How should believers respond to the results of this election? That is the real question. And before you accuse me of trying to brow beat democrats into submission, know that his message from this text was planned before the first mail in ballots were sent out to voters. It is the same message I would have shared if we had been talking about President-Elect Harris.

Transition

The reality is that my King was not on the ballot in this country. And neither candidate represents my King. My comfort in the face of every election is a truth stated by Solomon the wise thousands of years ago.

Proverbs 21:1 NKJV

1 The king’s heart is in the hand of the Lord, Like the rivers of water; He turns it wherever He wishes.

This fact is the basis of how citizens of God’s Kingdom should respond to the rulers of this land. That response is clearly stated by the Apostle Paul to the church at Rome who lived under the leadership of Nero.

Illumination

Romans 13:1–7 NKJV

1 Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. 2 Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves. 3 For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to evil. Do you want to be unafraid of the authority? Do what is good, and you will have praise from the same. 4 For he is God’s minister to you for good. But if you do evil, be afraid; for he does not bear the sword in vain; for he is God’s minister, an avenger to execute wrath on him who practices evil. 5 Therefore you must be subject, not only because of wrath but also for conscience’ sake. 6 For because of this you also pay taxes, for they are God’s ministers attending continually to this very thing. 7 Render therefore to all their due: taxes to whom taxes are due, customs to whom customs, fear to whom fear, honor to whom honor.

Be Subject, 1

Literally arrange yourself under or get in line behind

Governing Authorities

God’s Authority

Don’t Resist, 2

Literally arranging yourself out from under or getting out of line

To resist the government is to resist God

To resist the government is to invite judgment

Do Good, 3-7

Good Works

Regardless of what others do (government or populace), invest your energy into doing good deeds

Good Conscience

Regardless of what others do (government or populace), do what you know is right to do

Good Response

Regardless of what others do (government or populace), respond as though your King rules

Fork Over Taxes (tribute paid by a subjugated people)

Fund Customs (payments made to fund public needs)

Fear Powers (Greek phobos, from which we get phobia—intense, irrational fear. Fearing powers may be irrational, but it may not be.)

Favor the Favored (recognize the value of those who govern for their place if not their person)

Conclusion

If the emperor Nero could be seen and followed as an agent of God, then an elected president of the United States certainly can be as well. They may not intentionally represent our King, but they still serve at His allowance and will ultimately contribute to bringing about His will and His Kingdom.

What will our compliance produce?

Will our government ever be grateful for our compliance? No

Will our world be better for our compliance? Maybe

Will our King be honored by the honor we bestow upon others? Yes

Will we bridge the divide that plagues our land troubles our most valued institutions and relationships? At the very least, we won’t contribute to making it worse. And maybe, by brining down the temperature around us, we can make it better in small ways.

Application

But even if nothing good ever comes from it and even though we chafe under it, our King has issued a decree;: “Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities.” Our actions must demonstrate the we trust our King do know what He is doing.