ESTABLISHED BY GOD


Romans 13:4
The authorities are sent by God to help you. But if you are doing something wrong, of course you should be afraid, for you will be punished. The authorities are established by God for that very purpose, to punish those who do wrong.
The authorities are institutional leaders that have been placed into positions of power by God. These institutions were generally established to provide rules for disciplinary purposes. Similarly, a person cannot be a disciple without understanding disciplines. There's a story I'd heard about a mother who went to court to pay a $55 traffic fine for her teenaged son. While standing before the judge, she turned to face her son and then delivered a resounding slap to his young face. The shocked judge quickly responded, “Madam, that gets you a $10 reduction on the fine.” The mother responded, “Oh that’s nothing, wait till I get him at home.” The cold hard truth is that when the authorities deliver discipline, the main purpose is to get people to behave properly and to live safely.

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