Legitimate Authority

God has ordained legitimate centers of authority, or powers that be - parents, church elders, righteous arbiters, property owners, and social functions that abide by natural law. Romans 13 has been misused by some politically motivated preachers to teach that disobeying the thieving, warmongering State is rebellion against God, when in fact, each of God's ordained centers of authority are undermined when the State claims authority it does not have in these domains.

Professing Christians betray the Kingdom of God when they obey the State instead of God. Though we may obey the laws of the State to a point, such as paying taxes, or going along with certain requirements, we do this to avoid unnecessary trouble, not because the evil State has a right to our God-given resources, and not because it has a right to claim our obedience or allegiance. We are to obey the ordinances of man not because the State is good, but to avoid being robbed, jailed, or killed by the State.