Romans 13:1-7
Submission to Governing Authorities
13 Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. 2 Consequently, whoever rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves. 3 For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and you will be commended. 4 For the one in authority is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for rulers do not bear the sword for no reason. They are God’s servants, agents of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer. 5 Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also as a matter of conscience.
6 This is also why you pay taxes, for the authorities are God’s servants, who give their full time to governing. 7 Give to everyone what you owe them: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor.
That’s not an effective passage to cite in this circumstance because someone will just respond with Acts 4.18-20, which limits Paul’s admonition of Romans 13.
In other words, if and when the governors order the confiscation of private weapons, we just hand them over because the police are “only following orders” of governing authorities? What about some of these recent proclamations that government should remove infected persons from our homes, but do so in a “safe and dignified manner”? That didn’t work so well for the Jews in WWII, numerous ethnicities in Soviet Russia, the nationalist Chinese and so on, all of which were “governing authorities.”
Nah, don’t think so.
I happen to believe that God had a lot to do with the creation of the United States and he expects us to honor and maintain the gift of freedom. We haven’t done so well in that regard.