The very authority you seem to be so much trying to escape, Christ placed himself under to the point of dying
That's incorrect. You've not taken the WHOLE of the passage, but rather only what you thought would support your opinion.
Let's look again:
So Pilate said to him, You will not speak to me? Do you not know that I have authority to release you and authority to crucify you? Jesus answered him, You have no authority over me at all unless it had been given you from above.
Therefore he who delivered me over to you has the greater sin.
And who was that? i.e. who delivered Jesus over?
God is sovereign over Caesar and gives authority to Caesar...
That's incorrect. Many stumble with the reality that there is a counterfeit authority seeking our obeisance. Satan said, I will be like the most High (Isaiah 14:14).
It is Satans higher power which is behind the merchants, the rich men of the earth, the present temporal governing authorities.
In reply to the blind
opinion that all kings, princes, and governments are set up and "ordained" by God, we will quote the following passage, which is spoken into the ears of Hosea by God Almighty himself. We pray that those who have eyes to see and ears to hear will no longer engage in such opinions:
They have set up kings, but not by me: they have made princes, and I knew it not. (Hos 8:4)
Also,
Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing? The
kings of the earth
set themselves, and the
rulers take counsel together,
against the LORD, and
against his anointed, saying, Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us." (Psa 2:1-3)
There's no Godly ordination there.
Pertinent questions are: for what purpose does God allow ungodly governments to exist; and what should the born again's response be to that usurper?
When scripture speaks of obeying and submitting ourselves to those who have the rule over us, Gods word is not talking about heathen governments, but those "rulers" within Jesus Christ's assembly. Notice carefully this verse says these rulers "watch for your
souls." Governments of men cannot govern or watch for anyone's
souls, for they can only govern
outward acts, not the inward
being. But true spiritual leaders
do watch for our souls
Those who "have the rule over you" at Hebrews 13:17 is specifically defined a few verses earlier in Hebrews 13:7, "Remember them which
have the rule over you, who have spoken unto you the
word of God: whose
faith follow, considering the end of their conversation."
As we can see, scripture itself defines these "rulers" as those who speak the word of God and have faith. Secular governments avoid, and often forbid, speaking the word of God within their system through outlawing prayer in their schools and replacing it with such unrighteousness as "the theory of evolution," and by taking down the "Ten Commandments" from their courtrooms. These are not the rulers we are to submit to.
Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, for he is God's servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God's wrath on the wrongdoer. Therefore one must be in subjection, not only to avoid God's wrath but also for the sake of conscience. For because of this you also pay taxes, for the authorities are ministers of God, attending to this very thing. Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed. (Romans 13:1-7 ESV)
In Romans 13, does verse 1 say, "let every soul be subject unto all governments"? Or does it say, "let
every soul (
including governing authorities such as kings, judges, police, etc.) be subject unto the Higher Power"? Who do souls belong to? God says:
Ezekiel 18:4, "Behold,
all souls are mine."
And the second part of verse 1 tells us Who the Higher Power is: "...For there is no power
but of God."
The souls of the governmental powers belong to God, and they are
not the higher powers,
the higher powers are held by Christ himself (Matthew 28:18). Is our Lord not the higher power, then, if
all power has been committed unto him (John 17:2)? Christ is the governor among the nations (Psalms 22:28). All power over earthly kings has been given unto Him (Romans 14:9). All judgment has been given unto Him (John 5:22,27). Notice the separation of Power in Romans 13:1.
All power comes from, and belongs to, God (Psalm 62:11)
and not the one exercising it. And remember that most men, especially those constituting the "governing authorities," usually deny
that power given to Jesus (2 Timothy 3:5).
If your reaction to being told that there are faults in Caesar's statutes is to rush to defend them, it is because you cannot envision life without them. This is normal for someone who can only see one kingdom: the kingdom of this world. Yet this world is passing away, as are our own bodies. There is only one thing in life more certain than Caesar's taxes. So we are really here as a test of whether we can see and then choose those things that have eternal value. Are our energies devoted to laying up earthly treasures, or treasures in heaven? Are we slaves devoted to building the kingdom of this world, or are we seeking first the kingdom of God? We cannot even know where to begin unless we can see God's kingdom, which is the true meaning of being born again.
God in his sovereignty has provided the perfect means of testing whether we can make the distinction between the two kingdoms. Caesar has usurped God's authority, but his kingdom is built entirely with our consent and by using legal fictions. His authority over us is imaginary. We do not have to render ourselves to him unless we believe that we belong to him. Most people believe with all their heart that they do, for they cannot see the alternative. But if you know that you belong to God, along with your labor, your family, and everything else you have, then you will already have a deep-seated unease with the multitude of demands Caesar makes on you.
If this is the case, then make a list of those things that rightly belong to God but you have in ignorance given to Caesar. Then develop a plan of action for returning them to their rightful owner. This is not easy, but it is necessary. You will need to learn much more about God's Law so that you can discern what true obedience requires of you. If you trust the State to provide for your needs rather than trusting God, it should be clear which master you are serving. As no man can serve two masters, you have a choice to make. Scripture is clear that obedience to God comes at a price, and we must first count the cost. But once you can see the eternal kingdom, you will realize that any price is worth it.
The kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field. (Mat 13:44)
