18 Bible Verses about Government

"And to the minister of the Church at Laodicea write as follows: "'This is what the Amen says--the true and faithful witness, the Beginning and Lord of God's Creation. I know your doings--you are neither cold nor hot; I would that you were cold or hot! Accordingly, because you are lukewarm and neither hot nor cold, before long I will vomit you out of My mouth. read more.
You say, I am rich, and have wealth stored up, and I stand in need of nothing; and you do not know that if there is a wretched creature it is *you* -- pitiable, poor, blind, naked. Therefore I counsel you to buy of Me gold refined in the fire that you may become rich, and white robes to put on, so as to hide your shameful nakedness, and eye-salve to anoint your eyes with, so that you may be able to see. All whom I hold dear, I reprove and chastise; therefore be in earnest and repent. I am now standing at the door and am knocking. If any one listens to My voice and opens the door, I will go in to be with him and will feast with him, and he shall feast with Me. "'To him who overcomes I will give the privilege of sitting down with Me on My throne, as I also have overcome and have sat down with My Father on His throne.

For this reason I endure all things for the sake of God's own people; so that they also may obtain salvation--even the salvation which is in Christ Jesus--and with it eternal glory. Faithful is the saying: "If we died with Him, we shall also live with Him; "If we patiently endure pain, we shall also share His Kingship; "If we disown Him, He will also disown us;

For indeed the Son of Man goes on His way--His pre-destined way; yet alas for that man who is betraying Him!" Thereupon they began to discuss with one another which of them it could possibly be who was about to do this. There arose also a dispute among them which of them should be regarded as greatest. read more.
But He said to them, "The kings of the Gentiles are their masters, and those who exercise authority over them are called Benefactors. With you it is not so; but let the greatest among you be as the younger, and the leader be like him who serves. For which is the greater--he who sits at table, or he who waits on him? Is it not he who sits at table? But my position among you is that of one who waits on others. You however have remained with me amid my trials; and I covenant to give you, as my Father has covenanted to give me, a Kingdom-- so that you shall eat and drink at my table in my Kingdom, and sit on thrones as judges over the twelve tribes of Israel.

"To the minister of the Church at Thyateira write as follows: "'This is what the Son of God says--He who has eyes like a flame of fire, and feet resembling silver-bronze. I know your doings, your love, your faith, your service, and your patient endurance; and that of late you have toiled harder than you did at first. Yet I have this against you, that you tolerate the woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess and by her teaching leads astray My servants, so that they commit fornication and eat what has been sacrificed to idols. read more.
I have given her time to repent, but she is determined not to repent of her fornication. I tell you that I am about to cast her upon a bed of sickness, and I will severely afflict those who commit adultery with her, unless they repent of conduct such as hers. Her children too shall surely die; and all the Churches shall come to know that I am He who searches into men's inmost thoughts; and to each of you I will give a requital which shall be in accordance with what your conduct has been. But to you, the rest of you in Thyateira, all who do not hold this teaching and are not the people who have learnt the "deep things," as they call them (the deep things of Satan!) Only that which you already possess, cling to until I come. "'And to him who overcomes and obeys My commands to the very end, I will give authority over the nations of the earth. And he shall be their shepherd, ruling them with a rod of iron, just as earthenware jars are broken to pieces; and his power over them shall be like that which I Myself have received from My Father; and I will give him the Morning Star.

"You," they replied, "were wholly begotten and born in sin, and do *you* teach *us*?" And they put him out of the synagogue.

And now for the first time He told them, "The Son of Man must endure much suffering, and be rejected by the Elders and the High Priests and the Scribes, and be put to death, and after two days rise to life."

When morning came all the High Priests and the Elders of the people consulted together against Jesus to put Him to death; and binding Him they led Him away and handed Him over to Pilate the Governor.

He entered the Temple; and while He was teaching, the High Priests and the Elders of the people came to Him and asked Him, "By what authority are you doing these things? and who gave you this authority?"

At earliest dawn, after the High Priests had held a consultation with the Elders and Scribes, they and the entire Sanhedrin bound Jesus and took Him away and handed Him over to Pilate.

Then the High Priests and Elders of the People assembled in the court of the palace of the High Priest Caiaphas, and consulted how to get Jesus into their power by stratagem and put Him to death. But they said, "Not during the Festival, lest there be a riot among the people."

If any one is hungry, let him eat at home; so that your coming together may not lead to judgement. The other matters I will deal with whenever I come.

Then the Apostles and Elders met to consider the matter;

For it has seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to lay upon you no burden heavier than these necessary requirements--

(If a man does not know how to rule his own household, how shall he have the Church of God given into his care?)

Never administer a sharp reprimand to a man older than yourself; but entreat him as if he were your father, and the younger men as brothers;

"If any one loves me," replied Jesus, "he will obey my teaching; and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. He who has no love for me does not obey my teaching; and yet the teaching to which you are listening is not mine, but is the teaching of the Father who sent me. "All this I have spoken to you while still with you. read more.
But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit whom the Father will send at my request, will teach you everything, and will bring to your memories all that I have said to you. Peace I leave with you: my own peace I give to you. It is not as the world gives its greetings that I give you peace. Let not your hearts be troubled or dismayed. "You heard me say to you, 'I am going away, and yet I am coming to you.' If you loved me, you would have rejoiced because I am going to the Father; for the Father is greater than I am. I have now told you before it comes to pass, that when it has come to pass you may believe. In future I shall not talk much with you, for the Prince of this world is coming. And yet in me he has nothing;

If, however, the meaning of our Good News has been veiled, the veil has been on the hearts of those who are on the way to perdition, in whom the god of this present age has blinded their unbelieving minds so as to shut out the sunshine of the Good News of the glory of the Christ, who is the image of God.

"Yet it is the truth that I am telling you--it is to your advantage that I go away. For unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you. And He, when He comes, will convict the world in respect of sin, of righteousness, and of judgement; -- of sin, because they do not believe in me; read more.
of righteousness, because I am going to the Father, and you will no longer see me; of judgement, because the Prince of this world is under sentence.

Yet when we are among mature believers we do speak words of wisdom; a wisdom not belonging, however, to the present age nor to the leaders of the present age who are soon to pass away. But in dealing with truths hitherto kept secret we speak of God's wisdom--that hidden wisdom which, before the world began, God pre-destined, so that it should result in glory to us; a wisdom which not one of the leaders of the present age possesses, for if they had possessed it, they would never have crucified the Lord of glory.

Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being Governor of Judaea, Herod Tetrarch of Galilee, his brother Philip Tetrarch of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias Tetrarch of Abilene,

Five days after this, Ananias the High Priest came down to Caesarea with a number of Elders and a pleader called Tertullus. They stated to the Governor the case against Paul.

and binding Him they led Him away and handed Him over to Pilate the Governor.

After a first and second admonition, have nothing further to do with any one who will not be taught;

Among these are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I have delivered to Satan so that they may be taught not to blaspheme.

But as for me Paul, I entreat you by the gentleness and self-forgetfulness of Christ--I who when among you have not an imposing personal presence, but when absent am fearlessly outspoken in dealing with you.

I have handed over such a man to Satan for the destruction of his body, that his spirit may be saved on the day of the Lord Jesus.

Those who cling to their old sins, and indeed all of you, I have forewarned and still forewarn (as I did on my second visit when present, so I do now, though absent)

Then I saw a great white throne and One who was seated on it, from whose presence earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them.

But I tell you not to swear at all; neither by Heaven, for it is God's throne;

The seventh angel blew his trumpet; and there followed loud voices in Heaven which said, "The sovereignty of the world now belongs to our Lord and His Christ; and He will be King until the Ages of the Ages." Then the twenty-four Elders, who sit on thrones in the presence of God, fell on their faces and worshipped God, saying, "We give thee thanks, O Lord God, the Ruler of all, Who art and wast, because Thou hast exerted Thy power, Thy great power, and hast become King.

If you remit the sins of any persons, they remain remitted to them. If you bind fast the sins of any, they remain bound."

I will give you the keys of the Kingdom of the Heavens; and whatever you bind on earth shall remain bound in Heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall remain loosed in Heaven."

I solemnly tell you that whatever you as a Church bind on earth will in Heaven be held as bound, and whatever you loose on earth will in Heaven be held to be loosed.

As they journeyed on from town to town, they handed to the brethren for their observance the decisions which had been arrived at by the Apostles and Elders in Jerusalem.

Obey your leaders and be submissive to them. For they are keeping watch over your souls as those who will have to give account; that they may do this with joy and not with lamentation. For that would be of no advantage to you.

Remind people that they must submit to the rulers who are in authority over them; that they must obey the magistrates, be prepared for every right action,

Let every individual be obedient to those who rule over him; for no one is a ruler except by God's permission, and our present rulers have had their rank and power assigned to them by Him. Therefore the man who rebels against his ruler is resisting God's will; and those who thus resist will bring punishment upon themselves. For judges and magistrates are to be feared not by right-doers but by wrong-doers. You desire--do you not? --to have no reason to fear your ruler. Well, do the thing that is right, and then he will commend you. read more.
For he is God's servant for your benefit. But if you do what is wrong, be afraid. He does not wear the sword to no purpose: he is God's servant--an administrator to inflict punishment upon evil-doers. We must obey therefore, not only in order to escape punishment, but also for conscience' sake. Why, this is really the reason you pay taxes; for tax-gatherers are ministers of God, devoting their energies to this very work. Pay promptly to all men what is due to them: taxes to those to whom taxes are due, toll to those to whom toll is due, respect to those to whom respect is due, honour to those to whom honour is due.

Give us your judgement therefore: is it allowable for us to pay a poll-tax to Caesar, or not?" Perceiving their wickedness, Jesus replied, "Why are you hypocrites trying to ensnare me? Show me the tribute coin." And they brought Him a shilling. read more.
"Whose likeness and inscription," He asked, "is this?" "Caesar's," they replied. "Pay therefore," He rejoined, "what is Caesar's to Caesar; and what is God's to God."

"Pay therefore," He replied, "what is Caesar's to Caesar--and what is God's to God."

Submit, for the Lord's sake, to every authority set up by man, whether it be to the Emperor as supreme ruler, or to provincial Governors as sent by him for the punishment of evil-doers and the encouragement of those who do what is right. For it is God's will that by doing what is right you should thus silence the ignorant talk of foolish persons. read more.
Be free men, and yet do not make your freedom an excuse for base conduct, but be God's bondservants. Honour every one. Love the brotherhood, fear God, honour the Emperor.

At that time one of the Twelve, the one called Judas Iscariot, went to the High Priests and said, "What are you willing to give me if I betray him to you?" So they weighed out to him thirty shekels,

Then when Judas, who had betrayed Him, saw that He was condemned, smitten with remorse he brought back the thirty shekels to the High Priests and Elders and said, "I have sinned, in betraying to death one who is innocent." "What does that matter to us?" they replied; it is your business."

Just at this time an edict was issued by Caesar Augustus for the registration of the whole Empire.

Submit, for the Lord's sake, to every authority set up by man, whether it be to the Emperor as supreme ruler, or to provincial Governors as sent by him for the punishment of evil-doers and the encouragement of those who do what is right.

Let every individual be obedient to those who rule over him; for no one is a ruler except by God's permission, and our present rulers have had their rank and power assigned to them by Him. Therefore the man who rebels against his ruler is resisting God's will; and those who thus resist will bring punishment upon themselves. For judges and magistrates are to be feared not by right-doers but by wrong-doers. You desire--do you not? --to have no reason to fear your ruler. Well, do the thing that is right, and then he will commend you. read more.
For he is God's servant for your benefit. But if you do what is wrong, be afraid. He does not wear the sword to no purpose: he is God's servant--an administrator to inflict punishment upon evil-doers. We must obey therefore, not only in order to escape punishment, but also for conscience' sake. Why, this is really the reason you pay taxes; for tax-gatherers are ministers of God, devoting their energies to this very work. Pay promptly to all men what is due to them: taxes to those to whom taxes are due, toll to those to whom toll is due, respect to those to whom respect is due, honour to those to whom honour is due.

So when he saw that he could gain nothing, but that on the contrary there was a riot threatening, he called for water and washed his hands in sight of them all, saying, "I am not responsible for this murder: you must answer for it."

Upon receiving this answer, Pilate was for releasing Him. But the Jews kept shouting, "If you release this man, you are no friend of Caesar's. Every one who sets himself up as king declares himself a rebel against Caesar." On hearing this, Pilate brought Jesus out, and sat down on the judge's seat in a place called the Pavement--or in Hebrew, Gabbatha. It was the day of Preparation for the Passover, about six o'clock in the morning. Then he said to the Jews, "There is your king!" read more.
This caused a storm of outcries, "Away with him! Away with him! Crucify him!" "Am I to crucify your king?" Pilate asked. "We have no king, except Caesar," answered the High Priests. Then Pilate gave Him up to them to be crucified. Accordingly they took Jesus;

After removing him, He raised up David to be their king, to whom He also bore witness when He said, "'I have found David the son of Jesse, a man I love, who will obey all My commands.'

"Why do your disciples transgress the tradition of the Elders by not washing their hands before meals?"

Hypocrites! well did Isaiah prophesy of you, "'This is a People who honour Me with their lips, while their heart is far away from Me; but it is in vain they worship Me, while they lay down precepts which are mere human rules.'"

Then the Pharisees, with certain Scribes who had come from Jerusalem, came to Him in a body. They had noticed that some of His disciples were eating their food with 'unclean' (that is to say, unwashed) (For the Pharisees and all the Jews--being, as they are, zealous for the traditions of the Elders--never eat without first carefully washing their hands,

Honour every one. Love the brotherhood, fear God, honour the Emperor.

He at once sent a soldier of his guard with orders to bring John's head. So he went and beheaded him in the prison, and brought his head on a dish and gave it to the young girl, who gave it to her mother.

At the same time he hoped that Paul would give him money; and for this reason he sent for him the oftener to converse with him.