So it is Inauguration Day 2021. At the time I am writing this Joseph R. Biden has been President of the United States for about 4 hours. The election results have been certified, court cases denied due to lack of evidence and Donald Trump has gone back to Florida. Yet, there are still Christians questioning the legitimacy of the Biden administration. It is no secret I was skeptical of Trump from the time he announced his candidacy and in the last days of his term a critic but I never once doubted that God had put him in the seat of power. I prayed for him and submitted to his authority like I will for Biden despite dislike for the man because scripture tells me that is what I should do.
Romans 13:1-2 states: Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those who exist have been instituted by God. Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgement.
Those are pretty strong words. There are of course obvious exceptions to this. If the government tells us to not spread the Gospel or to violate one of the two greatest commandments then sure we can disobey those laws we may still face the consequences but we can do so with a clear conscience. However in the everyday status quo we are to submit ourselves to the governing authorities.
I am sure few Christians would argue against that but the bigger argument is with the legitimacy of the Biden administration. There are arguments for the legitimacy from a legal standpoint but those won’t get us anywhere. If you believe the vote was accurate you won’t be persuaded otherwise and vice versa. I am not here to argue the merits of the cases the Trump administration tried to bring against the election results I am here to talk about the Christians submission to authority. We as Christians are called to submit to Biden’s authority. How do I know? Because as the previously stated verse tells us all authority comes from God.
Joe Biden for better or worse is the President of the United States and he got there one of two ways. Either he pulled a fast one on the all powerful all knowing God of the universe, or that God placed him in the position of authority. I don’t know about you but I am not willing to question the supremacy of God.
So what do we as Christians do? Well we obey where we can obey and if we need to violate the law we do so in a way that shows Christ’s love. We do not resist the government simply to resist God condemns that. We pray for Biden, Harris and the rest of those in power. We do our best to help them succeed because that success can lead to the blessing of those in need. We hold our leaders accountable, either by telling them what we believe they should do on our behalf or by voting them out when their name appears on a ballot. We do not take up arms against them and seek to overthrow the government. If the Apostles submitted to a government that at times actively sought to kill them we can submit to a government that disagrees with our beliefs from time to time.
What I Think 