33 Bible Verses about Human Authority, Nature Of

Let every person be subject to the governing authorities, for [there] is no authority except by God, and those that exist are put in place by God.

And he changes the times and the seasons, and he deposes kings and he sets up kings; he gives wisdom to wise men and knowledge to [men who] know understanding.

The sentence [is] by [the] decree of [the] watchers, and the decision [by] [the] command of [the] holy [ones], {in order that} the living will know that the Most High [is] sovereign over [the] kingdom of humankind, and {to whomever} he wills he gives it, and he [even] sets [the] humblest of men over it."

{O king}, the Most High God gave the kingdom and the greatness and the glory and the majesty to Nebuchadnezzar your {predecessor}. And because of the greatness that he gave to him, all the peoples, the nations and languages trembled and feared before him; whomever he wanted he killed, and whomever he wanted he let live, and whomever he wanted he honored, and whomever he wanted he humbled. But {when} his heart became arrogant and his spirit became hard [so as] to act proudly, he was deposed from the throne of his kingdom and the glory {was taken away from him}.read more.
And he was driven away {from human society} and his mind was made like the animals and his dwelling [was] with the wild asses; [and] {he was given} grass like oxen to eat, and with the dew of heaven his body was bathed, until he acknowledged that the Most High God [is] sovereign over the kingdom of humankind, and {whoever} he wants he sets over it.

Jesus replied to him, "You would not have any authority over me unless it was given to you from above. For this [reason] the one who handed me over to you has greater sin."

For I also am a man under authority who has soldiers under me, and I say to this one, 'Go!' and he goes, and to another one, 'Come!' and he comes, and to my slave, 'Do this!' and he does [it]."

For I also am a man placed under authority, who has soldiers under me, and I say to this one, 'Go!' and he goes, and to another one, 'Come!' and he comes, and to my slave, 'Do this!' and he does [it]."

Then let them gather all the food of these coming good years and let them pile up grain under the hand of Pharaoh [for] food in the cities, and let them keep [it].

You will give to him from your authority so that the entire community of Israel will {obey him}.

And so I took the leaders of your tribes, wise and knowledgeable men, and [then] I appointed them as leaders over you [as] commanders of [groups of] thousands and commanders of [groups of] hundreds and commanders of [groups of] fifties and commanders of [groups of] tens [as] officials for your tribes.

If only this people {were in my command}! Then I would remove Abimelech, and I would have said, 'Increase your army and come out!'"

You also should be aware that it is not permitted to place tax, tribute, or duty upon all of the priests, the Levites, the singers, the doorkeepers, the temple servants, and other servants of the house of God.

{Next to them} Melatiah the Gibeonite and Jadon the Meronothite, the men of Gibeon and Mizpah who were under the rule of the governor of [the province] Beyond the River, repaired.

and I will clothe him [with] your tunic, and I will bind your sash firmly about him, and I will put your authority into his hand, and he shall be like a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem and to the house of Judah.

Then the king commanded Ebed-melech the Cushite, {saying}, "Take {with you} these thirty men and pull Jeremiah the prophet up from the pit {before} he dies."

His master said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful slave! You were faithful over a few [things]; I will put you [in charge] over many [things]. Enter into the joy of your master!'

And he said to him, 'Well done, good slave! Because you have been faithful in a very small thing, {have authority} over ten cities.'

It is like a man away on a journey, who left his house and gave his slaves authority--to each one his work--and to the doorkeeper he gave orders that he should be on the alert.

And they watched [him] closely [and] sent spies who pretended they were upright, in order that they could catch him in a statement, so that they could hand him over to the authority and the jurisdiction of the governor.

And [when he] found out that he was from the jurisdiction of Herod, he sent him over to Herod, who was also in Jerusalem in those days.

So Pilate said to him, "Will you not speak to me? Do you not know that I have authority to release you, and I have authority to crucify you?"

and here he has authority from the chief priests to tie up all who call upon your name!"

Subject yourselves to every human authority for the sake of the Lord, whether to a king as having supreme authority,

So Pilate said to him, "Will you not speak to me? Do you not know that I have authority to release you, and I have authority to crucify you?" Jesus replied to him, "You would not have any authority over me unless it was given to you from above. For this [reason] the one who handed me over to you has greater sin."

But Jesus called them to himself [and] said, "You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those in high positions exercise authority over them. It will not be like this among you! But whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be most prominent among you must be your slave--read more.
just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life [as] a ransom for many."

And Jesus called them to himself [and] said to them, "You know that those who are considered to rule over the Gentiles lord it over them, and their [people] in high positions exercise authority over them. But it is not like this among you! But whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be most prominent among you must be the slave of all.read more.
For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life [as] a ransom for many."

he got up from the dinner and took off [his] outer clothing, and taking a towel, tied [it] around himself. Then he poured water into the washbasin and began to wash the feet of the disciples, and to wipe [them] dry with the towel {which he had tied around himself}. Then he came to Simon Peter. He said to him, "Lord, are you going to wash my feet?"read more.
Jesus answered and said to him, "What I am doing you do not understand now, but you will understand after these [things]." Peter said to him, "You will never wash my feet {forever}!" Jesus replied to him, "Unless I wash you, you do not have a share with me." Simon Peter said to him, "Lord, not my feet only, but also [my] hands and [my] head!" Jesus said to him, "The one who has bathed {only needs} to wash [his] feet, but is completely clean. And you are clean, but not all [of you]." (For he knew the one who would betray him; because of this he said, "Not all [of you] are clean.") So when he had washed their feet and taken his outer clothing and reclined at table again, he said to them, "Do you understand what I have done for you? You call me 'Teacher' and 'Lord,' and you speak correctly, for I am. If then I--[your] Lord and Teacher--wash your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet. For I have given you an example, that just as I have done for you, you also do.

For even if I boast somewhat more about our authority that the Lord gave [us] {for building you up and not for tearing you down}, I will not be put to shame,

Because of this, I am writing these [things] [although I] am absent, in order that [when I] am present I may not have to act severely according to the authority that the Lord has given me for building up and not for tearing down.

Do we not have the right to eat and drink? Do we not have the right to take along a sister [as] wife, like the rest of the apostles and the brothers of the Lord and Cephas? Or do only I and Barnabas not have the right {to refrain from working}?read more.
Who ever serves as a soldier at his own expense? Who plants a vineyard and does not eat the fruit of it? Who shepherds a flock and does not drink from the milk of the flock? I am not saying these [things] according to a human perspective. Or does the law not also say these [things]? For in the law of Moses it is written, "You must not muzzle an ox [while it] is threshing." It is not about oxen God is concerned, is it? Or doubtless does he speak {for our sake}? For it is written {for our sake}, because the one who plows ought to plow in hope and the one who threshes [ought to do so] in hope of a share. If we have sown spiritual [things] among you, [is it too] great [a thing] if we reap material [things] from you? If others share this right over you, do we not [do so] even more? Yet we have not made use of this right, but we endure all [things], in order that we may not cause any hindrance to the gospel of Christ. Do you not know that those performing the holy services eat the things from the temple, [and] those attending to the altar have a share with the altar? In the [same] way also the Lord ordered those who proclaim the gospel to live from the gospel. But I have not made use of any of these [rights]. And I am not writing these [things] in order that it may be thus with me. For [it would be] better to me rather to die than [for] anyone to deprive me of my reason for boasting. For if I proclaim the gospel, it is not to me a reason for boasting, for necessity is imposed on me. For woe is to me if I do not proclaim the gospel. For if I do this voluntarily, I have a reward, but if [I do so] unwillingly, I have been entrusted with a stewardship. What then is my reward? That [when I] proclaim the gospel, I may offer the gospel free of charge, in order not to make full use of my right in the gospel.

Does anyone among you, [if he] has a matter against someone else, dare to go to court before the unrighteous, and not before the saints? Or do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if by you the world is judged, are you unworthy of the most insignificant courts? Do you not know that we will judge angels, not to mention ordinary matters?read more.
Therefore, if you have courts with regard to ordinary matters, do you seat these despised [people] in the church? I say [this] to your shame. So is there not anyone wise among you who will be able to render a decision between his brothers? But brother goes to court with brother, and this before unbelievers! Therefore it is already completely a loss for you that you have lawsuits with one another. Why not rather be wronged? Why not rather be defrauded?

But food does not bring us close to God. For neither if we eat do we have more, nor if we do not eat do we lack. But watch out lest somehow this right of yours becomes a cause for stumbling to the weak. For if someone should see you who has knowledge reclining for a meal in an idol's temple, will not his conscience, [because it] is weak, be strengthened so that [he] eats the food sacrificed to idols?read more.
For the one who is weak--the brother for whom Christ died--is destroyed by your knowledge. Now [if you] sin in this way against the brothers and wound their conscience, which is weak, you sin against Christ. Therefore, if food causes my brother to sin, I will never eat meat {forever}, in order that I may not cause my brother to sin.

All [things] are permitted, but not all [things] are profitable. All [things] are permitted, but not all [things] build up. Let no one seek {his own good} but the [good] of the other.