Question:

In reference to Romans 13:1, ("Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God.")  I feel perfectly willing to obey God and submit to the authorities, as much as it is within my power to do so.  But I can easily see how torn and confused I would be if I were living back in the 60's right now.  How does one justify the civil rights movement and the work of Dr. Martin Luther King, in light of this passage.  Was it all wrong? 

Answer:

I believe that the Bible allows for a peaceful and lawful expression of speech about a concern or injustice, and certainly the segregation and treatment of many Blacks was absolutely unbiblical and illegal under our constitution.  But any illegal protest would also be a violation of Scripture.  Sincere, devoted prayer to the Father will do more then any protest.  The American Revolution movement was also wrong.  Some may say, "Well without it where would we be today?"  Who knows, but God could have brought us a more perfect freedom without all the bloodshed.  Likewise, the freedom and rights of the Blacks could have been done through Christ, however, many times the masses of people who get involved in these kinds of protests are not Christians, so it would have been difficult to stop.

As Christians we are not called to fight against our society, but to be their friends and show them Christ.  So there is no place for yelling or screaming at the opposition, or even outright violence. Rather, stay within the law, and pray to the Sovereign God for justice.

Added to Bible Bulletin Board's "Tony Capoccia's Questions and Answers" by:

Tony Capoccia
Bible Bulletin Board
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