Romans 13:1-7 says to obey the law of the government because the institution of government is God’s, however, does that apply absolutely? Some say Christians must abide by the government no matter what even when it goes against God’s word. Paul, the same guy that wrote Romans 13:1-7 spent a lot of time in prison. He was never arrested for stealing, adultery, or murder, but he was involved in civil disobedience when the leaders challenged his right to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ. If the government restricts believers’ right to teach the gospel like Jesus said (Matt 28:18-20) then believers should choose civil disobedience for the kingdom of God. This action is peaceful and done out of love.
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Can Christians Be Possessed by Demons?
Believers have God’s spirit inside of them because they were made pure by the sacrifice of Jesus. They don’t need to be in a ritually clean state to enter God’s presence in a building in Israel anymore, because we are the building (temple). Paul says our bodies are the new temple in 1 Cor 3:16-17, 1 Cor 6:19-20 , & 2 Cor 6:15-18. And the Holy Spirit is only available to those who received Jesus as Lord (John 14:15-17, Rom 8:5-11). So how can an unclean spirit ever enter this “new temple” which is the body of a believer?
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Jesus says in Matthew 22:34-40 that the 2nd greatest commandment is to love your neighbor as yourself (Lev 19:18). The first is to love God with your heart soul and strength (Deut 6:4-5). 1 John 4:7-8 says that love comes from God and anyone that doesn’t love is not of God, for God is love. This means it is impossible to love God and hate your neighbor. The Great commission according to Matthew 28:18-20 is to teach all nations. The word nation in the new testament is translated from the Greek word ethnos (ἔθνος) which is where we get the English word ethnicity. This means that biblical nations aren’t specifically referring to nation-states but rather people groups (ethnicities). This goes back to the ethnic separation by language at the Tower of Babel in Genesis 10 and 11.
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