I am appalled at the lack of respect toward those in authority we are witnessing in our present cultural climate. It seems to me from personal observation that there is very little acknowledgement of an established order of authority, and in many cases it even appears that some have become an authority unto themselves. One entity that this observation is especially noticeable is that of law enforcement. The Bible has this to say about this matter:

“Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves. For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to evil. Do you want to be unafraid of the authority? Do what is good, and you will have praise from the same.”

Romans 13:1-3

Before making my remarks on this passage, please read carefully the following disclaimer: There are bad apples in every batch. I totally and completely understand the reality that there are bad individuals who become part of law enforcement (in all of its varied forms), who cause the reputation of law enforcement to suffer. But this is true in every area of life, and of every entity we could name. For example, there is a vast number of health professionals, working in a wide range of medical care and research, and most of them are highly reputable individuals who have the best interest of others in mind. However, there are some among that number who are “bad apples,” who are not interested in others’ well-being, but in their own self-serving agenda. Another example: there are multiplied thousands who serve churches in a variety of positions, and most of them are men and women of great character, who do what they do in service to the Lord. But then, there are some who are in those positions with less than honorable motives. So, I understand that the observations I am about to make are true across the wide spectrum of human activity.

Yes: there are bad individuals who somehow convince others that their motives are pure, and their desire is to serve the public in some area of law enforcement. But let’s focus our attention on the huge proportion of those who serve for the right reasons, with pure motives, truly caring for the well-being of their constituency. These are men and women in positions of authority. The badge they wear is testimony to the fact that they have received ample training to do their job, and to do it with the utmost integrity. They deserve our respect!

But today, in this time of massive cultural shift, we are witnessing a generation that seems to have little to no respect for those in this position of authority. Take a moment to reread the passage quoted above. In our present cultural climate, we are seeing more and more often those who break the law, and yet they somehow become the victim when they are caught and arrested. But listen to Paul: Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves. Could it be any more clear than that? If you break the law, if you resist the authority of God, you will bring judgment on yourself. And yet, we are seeing those who want to bring judgment on those who are enforcing the law.

Where does this lack of respect for those in positions of authority come from? In the opinion of this writer, it comes from a lack of respect for the authority of God. We can see this clearly as we give just a cursory look at the lack of respect for the authority of God’s Word. Just a couple of examples will be sufficient to make my point.

The Bible speaks clearly about the fact that human life is a creation of God. From the very beginning of the record of creation, we see that life began as a creative act of God as He formed Adam from the dust of the earth, and then formed Eve from Adam’s rib. We are further taught in Scripture that every human is formed by the hand of God in the womb of the mother. Still further, we see in the examples of Jeremiah, John the Baptist, and the Apostle Paul that God was personally involved in their conception, birth and life.

But now, the sanctity of human life has been replaced with a total lack of respect for the authoritative teaching of God’s Word. Abortion is often viewed as nothing more than a form of birth control. There are many who have chosen to end the life being formed in their womb rather than bring that life into the world, nurture it, care for it, and provide for it.

Then, think about the matter of human sexuality. The Bible makes it clear that God created male and female. Two – only two. But now, there are those who cry out for “inclusion” to the exclusion of those who hold to Biblical teaching. They demand tolerance while being totally intolerant to those who hold to the clear teachings of God’s Word.

And one final example before we bring this blog to a close. The subject of marriage is another hotbed of controversy, but the controversy revolves once again around the authority of the Bible. Marriage, as defined in Scripture, is to be between a man and a woman. There are no other relationships that are acceptable according to the authority of God’s Word.

These examples, along with so many others that could be cited, clearly show – at least in the eyes of this writer – that the lack of respect for authority can be traced back to a lack of respect for the authority of God and His Word.

When a nation decides to throw off the cloak of God’s Word, and refuse to submit to God’s authority, then they are open prey for any and every new thing that comes along. The one thing that will always give us clear guidance through the changing cultural climate is the established authority of the Word of God. Until we come back to respect that authority we will continue to witness the erosion of morality and integrity in our present cultural environment. Let’s pray together that we will witness a true spirit of revival as we pray for God to turn our hearts back to Him.