18 Bible Verses about Government

"To the messenger of the church in Laodicea write: 'The Amen, the true and faithful witness, the origin of God's creation, speaks as follows: "I know what you are doing, and that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were cold or hot. As it is, because you are lukewarm and neither hot nor cold, I am going to vomit you out of my mouth. read more.
Because you say, 'I am rich, I have already become rich, I need nothing,' and you do not know that you are the very one that is wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked; I advise you to buy of me gold that has been refined in the fire, so that you may become rich, and white clothes to put on, to hide your shameful nakedness, and salve to put on your eyes, to make you see. The people whom I dearly love, I always reprove and discipline. So keep on being earnest and once for all repent. I am now standing at the door and knocking. If anyone listens to my voice and opens the door, I will be his guest and feast with him, and he with me. I will give to him who conquers the privilege of taking his seat with me on my throne, just as I have conquered and taken my seat with my Father on His throne.

For this reason I am bearing anything for the sake of His chosen people, so that they too may obtain the salvation that comes through Christ Jesus and with it eternal glory. This message is to be trusted: "If we indeed have died with Him, we will live with Him too. "If we patiently endure, we will reign with Him too. If we disown Him, He will disown us too.

For the Son of Man is going away, as it has been divinely decreed, but a curse will be on that man by whom He is betrayed!" Then they began to discuss among themselves which one it was who was going to do this. There arose also among them a contention as to which one of them should rank as greatest. read more.
But He said to them, "The kings of the heathen lord it over them and those who exercise authority over them are given the title of 'Benefactor.' But you are not to do so. On the contrary, the greatest among you must be like the youngest and the leader as the servant. Which one, indeed, is the greater, the guest at the table or the servant who waits on him? Is it not the guest at the table? But I am among you as the servant who waits on you. Yet you have continued to stand by me in my trials; and as my Father has conferred on me a kingdom, so I confer on you the privilege of eating and drinking at my table in my kingdom and of sitting on thrones and judging the twelve tribes of Israel.

"To the messenger of the church in Thyatira write: 'The Son of God, whose eyes are like coals of fire, and whose feet are like bronze refined to white heat, speaks as follows: "I know what you are doing, I know your love and faithfulness, your service and patient endurance, and I know that you are now working harder than you did at first. But I hold it against you that you are tolerating that Jezebel of a woman who claims to be a prophetess, and by her teaching is misleading my slaves to practice immorality and to eat meat that has been sacrificed to idols. read more.
I have given her time to repent, but she refuses to repent of her immorality. See! I am going to lay her on a bed of sickness, and bring down to great and pressing sorrow those who practice immorality with her, unless they repent of their practices; and I will surely strike her children dead. So all the churches will know that I am He who searches men's inmost hearts, and that I will repay each of you for exactly what you have done. But to the rest of you at Thyatira, who do not hold this teaching and have not learned the 'deep things' of Satan -- as they speak of them -- to you I say, I have no extra burden to lay on you, but keep your hold on what you have until I come. To him who conquers and continues to the very end to do the works that please me, I will give authority over the heathen; he will govern them with a scepter of iron and shatter them like earthen jars -- just such authority as I have received from my Father -- and I will give him the morning star.

Then they retorted, "You were born in total depravity, and yet you are trying to teach us!" And so they turned him out of the synagogue.

Then He instructed them for the first time that the Son of Man had to endure great suffering and be disowned by the elders and the high priests and the scribes, and be killed but rise again after three days.

As soon as day broke, all the high priests and elders held a consultation against Jesus, to put Him to death. So they bound Him, led Him away, and turned Him over to Pilate the governor.

And when He had come into the temple, the high priests and elders of the people came up to Him while He was teaching, and asked, "What sort of authority have you for doing these things, and who gave you this authority?"

As soon as it was daylight, the high priests held a consultation with the elders and scribes; and the whole council, after binding Jesus, took Him away and turned Him over to Pilate.

Then the high priests and the elders of the people met in the palace of the high priest, whose name was Caiaphas, and plotted to arrest Jesus by stratagem and put Him to death. But they kept saying, "It must not be at the feast, for a riot may break out among the people."

If anyone is hungry, let him eat at home, so that your meetings may not bring on you judgment. I will settle in detail the matters that remain, when I come.

Now the apostles and elders met to consider this matter.

For the Holy Spirit and we have decided not to lay upon you any burden but these essential requirements,

(if a man does not know how to manage his own house, how can he take care of a church of God?).

Never reprove an older man, but always appeal to him as a father. Treat younger men like brothers,

Jesus answered him, "If anyone really loves me, he will observe my teaching, and my Father will love him, and both of us will come in face-to-face fellowship with him; yes, we will make our special dwelling place with him. Whoever does not really love me does not observe my teaching; and yet the teaching which you are listening to is not mine but comes from the Father who has sent me. "I have told you this while I am still staying with you. read more.
But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send to represent me, will teach you everything Himself, and cause you to remember everything that I have told you. I now leave you the blessing of peace, I give you the blessing of my own peace. I myself do not give it in the way the world gives it. Stop letting your hearts be troubled or timid. You have heard me say that I am going away and coming back to you; if you really loved me, you would rejoice over my telling you that I am going to the Father, because my Father is greater than I. And now I have told you this before it takes place, that when it does take place you may believe in me. "I shall not talk much more with you, for the evil ruler of this world is coming and he has nothing in common with me,

If the meaning of the good news I preach is covered up at all, it is so only in the case of those who are on the way to destruction. In their case, the god of this world has blinded the eyes of the unbelievers, to keep the glorious light of the good news of Christ, who is the likeness of God, from dawning upon them.

Yet it is nothing but the truth I now tell you, that it is better for you that I should go away. For if I do not go away, the Helper will not come into close fellowship with you, but if I do go away, I will send Him to be in close fellowship with you. "And when He comes, He will bring conviction to worldly people about sin and uprightness and judgment; about sin, because they do not believe in me; read more.
about uprightness, because I go away to the Father so that you can no longer see me; about judgment, because the evil ruler of this world has been condemned.

Yet, when among mature believers we do set forth a wisdom, but a wisdom that does not belong to this world or to the leaders of this world who are passing away; rather, we are setting forth a wisdom that came from God, once a covered secret but now uncovered, which God marked off as His plan for bringing us to glory. Not one of this world's leaders understands it, for if they had, they would never have crucified our glorious Lord.

In the fifteenth year of the reign of the Emperor Tiberius, when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, and Herod was governor of Galilee, and his brother Philip was governor of the territory of Iturea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias was governor of Abilene,

Five days later, the high priest Ananias came down with some elders and a prosecuting attorney, Tertullus, and through him they presented their case against Paul before the governor.

So they bound Him, led Him away, and turned Him over to Pilate the governor.

After one or two warnings to a man who is factious, stop having anything to do with him,

Among these are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I have turned over to Satan to be so disciplined that they will stop their abusive speech.

Now I appeal to you in person, by the gentleness and fairness of Christ, I, Paul, who am so "condescending when face to face with you, but so courageous toward you when far away!"

to turn such a man as this over to Satan for the destruction of his lower nature, in order that his spirit may be saved on the day of the Lord.

I have already warned those who formerly committed shocking sins, and all the rest, and though so far away I warn them now, as I did on my second visit, that if I come back I will not spare them,

Then I saw a great white throne and Him who was seated on it, from whose presence earth and sky fled away, no more to be found.

But I tell you not to swear at all, either by heaven, for it is God's throne,

Then the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and loud voices were heard in heaven, saying, "The sovereignty of the world has come into the possession of our Lord and His Christ, and He will reign forever and ever." Then the twenty-four elders who were seated on their thrones before God fell on their faces and worshiped God, saying: "We give you thanks, Lord God Almighty, who are and were, because you have assumed your great power and begun to reign.

If you get forgiveness for people's sins, they are forgiven them; if you let people's sins fasten upon them, they will remain fastened upon them."

I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you forbid on earth must be what is already forbidden in heaven, and whatever you permit on earth must be what is already permitted in heaven."

I solemnly say to you, whatever you forbid on earth must be already forbidden in heaven, and whatever you permit on earth must be already permitted in heaven.

As they journeyed on from town to town, they delivered to the brothers to keep the decisions reached by the apostles and elders at Jerusalem.

Continue to obey and to be submissive to your leaders, for they are ever watching in defense of your souls, as men who will have to give account of their trust. Treat them in this way, so that they may work with joy and not with grief.

Constantly remind people to submit to and obey the rulers who have authority over them, so as to be ready for any good enterprise,

Everybody must obey the civil authorities that are over him, for no authority exists except by God's permission; the existing authorities have been established by Him, so that anyone who resists the authorities sets himself against what God has established, and those who set themselves against Him will get the penalty due them. For civil authorities are not a terror to the man who does right, but they are to the man who does wrong. Do you want to have no dread of the civil authorities? Then practice doing right and you will be commended for it. read more.
For the civil authorities are God's servants to do you good. But if you practice doing wrong, you should dread them, for they do not wield the sword for nothing. Indeed, they are God's servants to inflict punishment upon people who do wrong. Therefore, you must obey them, not only for the sake of escaping punishment, but also for conscience' sake; for this is the reason why you pay your taxes, for the civil authorities are God's official servants faithfully devoting themselves to this very end. Pay all of them what is due them -- tribute to the officer to receive it, taxes to the officer to receive them, respect to the man entitled to it, and honor to the man entitled to it.

So give us your opinion on the question: Is it right to pay Caesar the poll-tax, or not?" But Jesus saw their malicious plot, and so asked, "Why are you testing me so, you hypocrites? Show me a poll-tax coin." read more.
And He asked them, "Whose likeness and title is this?" They answered, "Caesar's." Then He said to them, "Pay Caesar, therefore, what belongs to Caesar, and pay God what belongs to God."

He said to them, "Then pay Caesar what belongs to Caesar, and pay God what belongs to God!"

For the Lord's sake submit to all human authority; to the emperor as supreme, and to governors as sent by Him to punish those who do evil and to reward those who do right. For it is God's will that by doing right you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish people. read more.
Live like free men, only do not make your freedom a pretext for doing evil, but live like slaves of God. Show honor to everyone. Practice love for the brotherhood; practice reverence to God and honor to the Emperor.

Then one of the Twelve, whose name was Judas Iscariot, went to the high priests, and said, "What will you give me to turn Him over to you?" Then they paid him thirty pieces of silver.

Then Judas, who had betrayed Him, as he felt condemned, in remorse brought back the thirty pieces to the high priests and elders, and said, "I did wrong in turning an innocent man over to death." But they said, "What is that to us? You must see to that yourself."

Now in those days an edict was issued by the Emperor Augustus that a census of the whole world should be taken.

For the Lord's sake submit to all human authority; to the emperor as supreme, and to governors as sent by Him to punish those who do evil and to reward those who do right.

Everybody must obey the civil authorities that are over him, for no authority exists except by God's permission; the existing authorities have been established by Him, so that anyone who resists the authorities sets himself against what God has established, and those who set themselves against Him will get the penalty due them. For civil authorities are not a terror to the man who does right, but they are to the man who does wrong. Do you want to have no dread of the civil authorities? Then practice doing right and you will be commended for it. read more.
For the civil authorities are God's servants to do you good. But if you practice doing wrong, you should dread them, for they do not wield the sword for nothing. Indeed, they are God's servants to inflict punishment upon people who do wrong. Therefore, you must obey them, not only for the sake of escaping punishment, but also for conscience' sake; for this is the reason why you pay your taxes, for the civil authorities are God's official servants faithfully devoting themselves to this very end. Pay all of them what is due them -- tribute to the officer to receive it, taxes to the officer to receive them, respect to the man entitled to it, and honor to the man entitled to it.

So Pilate, since he saw that he was making no headway with them, but that a riot was about to break out instead, took some water and washed his hands before the crowd, and said, "I am not responsible for this man's death; you must see to it yourselves."

Because of this Pilate kept on trying to set Him free, but the Jews shouted, "If you set Him free, you are no friend to the emperor. Anyone who claims to be a king is uttering treason against the emperor!" On hearing this Pilate had Jesus brought out and had Him sit on the judge's bench at the place called the Stone Platform, or in Hebrew, Gabbatha. It was the day of Preparation for the Passover, and it was about noon. Then Pilate said to the Jews, "There is your king!" read more.
But they shouted, "Kill Him! Kill Him! Crucify Him!" Pilate said to them, "Must I crucify your king?" The high priests answered, "We have no king but the emperor!" So Pilate then turned Him over to them to be crucified. Then they took Jesus,

Then He deposed him and raised up for them David to be king, to whom He bore this testimony, 'I have found in David, the son of Jesse, a man after my own heart, who will do all that my will requires.'

"Why do your disciples break the rules handed down by our forefathers? For they do not practice washing their hands when they take their meals."

You hypocrites! Isaiah prophesied beautifully about you, when he said: "'This people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far, far away from me; Their worship of me is an empty show; the things they teach are only men's precepts.'"

The Pharisees met about Him, and also some scribes who had come from Jerusalem. They had noticed that some of His disciples were in the habit of eating their meals without first giving their hands a ceremonial washing to make them clean. For the Pharisees and all the Jews practice the customs handed down to them from their forefathers,

Show honor to everyone. Practice love for the brotherhood; practice reverence to God and honor to the Emperor.

and so at once ordered a soldier of his guard to bring his head. The soldier went off and beheaded John in the prison and brought back his head on a platter, and gave it to the girl, and the girl gave it to her mother.

At the same time he was hoping to get money from Paul, and so he kept on sending for him and talking with him.