New Testament Assignment:
Being Subject to Authority
Romans 13:1-7
In Romans 13:1-7 Paul says that as Christians we need to be subject to governing authorities. What he means is that we should obey our governments through God's word. He also points out that whoever resists authority resists what God's word and will be punished. In the context it says that a person should not only fear the punishment that may be given but more fear your conscience. Through what has been said these are the reasons why we should pay our taxes as well as our bills. I have determined that Romans 13:1-7 is a letter. Paul's letter can and is brought up a lot in today's society. The reason why is because of the all of the people wanting to go against authority, whether it be the government or even parents. The two scholars in my articles discuss authority in the government. Before reading the two articles I had some previous uncertainties but they were cleared up after reading them. Between the two articles I have discovered that we need to obey authority even if we do not always agree with what is going on. The only thing that was left unanswered is how we are supposed to deal with an issue we might have without questioning or obeying authority.
Some the uncertainties that were cleared up after I read the two articles were, did Paul think that we should or shouldn't put our government before us. The reason why that it confused me is because it made me think that the only thing that should have authority
over us is God's word. The two articles helped me understand that through God's word we should obey authority (Vonck 338). Another part of the text that confused me was when Paul discussed taxes and that authorities were servan ...