By Whose Authority?

Crosstalk America

Shahram Hadian is a former Muslim from Iran who came to the states in 1978 and committed his life to Jesus Christ. He has served as a pastor, a police officer, and a former candidate for Governor in Washington State.Some people today are conflicted when it comes to the issue of what authority we must give our allegiance/submission to in various situations. Some believe we must obey the government no matter what, while others take exception to that position.So what does the Bible say? Romans 13:1-7 lays out what our responsibility is to be to the governing authorities. However, Shahram believes there are some who have misused this passage to justify false obedience to the government, especially if the government is in violation of God's Word.The foundation for his reasoning comes from his explanation of Romans 13:1. He noted that modern translations use the phrase, "governing authorities" while the King James Version says, "Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers." He explained that the phrase, "higher powers" comes from an original Greek term (hyperecho) that refers to the highest authority. From this he contends that since government isn't the highest authority, that portion of the text must be referring to God.Shahram then moved on to explain what he referred to as the four rulers or magistrates and the program wrapped up with input from listeners nationwide.