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how does the new testament concept of 'governing authorities' (romans 13:1) relate to god removing/setting up kings?

Adds the setting and its conversation across both testaments.

Romans 13:1

“Let every soul be in subjection to the higher authorities, for there is no authority except from God, and those who exist are ordained by God.”

The Apostle Paul writes to Christians in Rome, a major city and the heart of the Roman Empire, around the mid-1st century CE. In this part of his letter, he is giving practical instructions for how believers should live as members of society and within the governing structures of their day.

How do we discern whether to obey, critique, or resist authorities that seem to act contrary to justice?

Then — the setting

Paul wrote this letter to the church in Rome during the reign of Emperor Nero, likely before his more tyrannical excesses were widely known. The Roman Empire, though pagan, maintained a degree of law and order, built infrastructure, and provided a framework for society. Jewish communities had often experienced tensions with Roman rule, and early Christians, seen as a Jewish sect, were navigating their place within this complex political landscape. Paul's instruction here is often understood as a call for stability and good citizenship in a time when some might have advocated for revolutionary zeal or complete withdrawal.

Across the Testaments

Romans 13:1, a New Testament text, states that all existing authority is from God. This resonates with an Old Testament theme, particularly prominent in prophetic books like Daniel (e.g., Daniel 2:21), where God is consistently portrayed as sovereign over all nations and their rulers, 'removing kings and setting up kings.' The Old Testament perspective often emphasizes God's active involvement in establishing and deposing leaders as part of his larger plan, sometimes as judgment, sometimes as blessing. While the Old Testament explicitly shows God's direct intervention in political history, Romans 13 broadens this by stating that even the *pagan* Roman authorities derive their power from God, framing their function as divinely ordained for maintaining order, punishing evil, and promoting good. This doesn't mean God approves of every action of every ruler, but rather that the *institution* of governing authority itself is part of his design for human society. Both testaments affirm God's ultimate sovereignty over human governance, though the New Testament focuses more on the *principle* of authority, and the Old Testament on specific *acts* of divine intervention in power shifts.

Keep thinking

Read alongside it

Daniel 2:21
This verse explicitly states that God changes times and seasons, removes kings and sets up kings.
1 Peter 2:13-14
Another New Testament passage advising submission to human authorities for the Lord's sake.
Acts 5:29
Peter declares, 'We must obey God rather than men,' offering a counter-point when human and divine commands conflict.

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