If Jesus is Lord that means Nero is not; our primary allegiance, as citizens of God’s kingdom is to Jesus. However, that doesn’t lead to anarchy or social breakdown but as believers we are empowered to honour our governments, trusting that their very authority is delegated by God Himself. Sadly, in history this truth has often been abused to enforce submission to injustice, like apartheid in South African or slavery in the US. We remember that ultimately God gets to define good and evil. We are model citizens but when needed we are also the most courageous citizens, choosing God’s way over any man-made laws. Civil disobedience is sometimes necessary, but its motivation is always submission to God.
