Do you recall what we went through during the COVID lockdowns, how churches were the targets of being shut down? Christian churches were considered "non-essential." Yet, biblically, the work of the church is the most essential work in the universe. Romans 13 talks about "there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God."

Today we delve into this idea of "the powers that be." The powers that be are only in a subsidiary way, the party in power or the platform of the party that's in power. The President and our Representatives take an oath of office that they will preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States. So it is the Constitution (including the Bill of Rights) for us in America, which is the power that is. Or we could say, the powers that be. Our magistrates are supposed to be ministers of God to us for good. And that of course begs the question, what is good?! And as soon as we ask this, then we are faced with God's definition of what is good. The answer we are driven to, of course, is the moral law of God. This comes out in verse 13: "For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself." Clearly the moral law of God defines what is good in the context of Romans 13. We then talk about this in some detail. Participants: Rev. Bill Shishko, Dan Elmendorf