Jon Rowe:
1. All tyranical governments will eventually declare the state to have absolute authority and demand total allegiance to the state. The denarius Jesus requested in the passage did just that by proclaiming the divinity of Caesar. Jesus took that denarius and essentially said that the power of government was limited. In other words, government had power over certain things but could not claim the things that belong to God – i.e. worship, absolute authority, total allegiance, etc.
2. I believe you are the one confused about Romans 13:1-7. In the text, Paul is basically elaborating on Mark 12:17. Government, based on Mark 12:17, does not have the proper authority to command a Christian to disobey God and to render to the state that which belongs to God. That is why Paul states that an authority instituted by God will (v.3) be a terror only to evil and (v.4) be a minister for good. Applying reason, any government then that is a terror to those that do good or is a minister for evil, is not a God sanctioned authority.
3. The Founding Fathers – men influenced by the Reformation and the Enlightenment – recognized the need for limited government and that government was not an authority in and of itself and could not claim absolute allegiance. You claim that unalienable rights are a-Biblical but the Founding Fathers did not believe so and neither do I. Rights come from God and their fulfillment is only found in God. Only God can revoke the rights he bestowed. Read Leviticus and Deuteronomy about the rights of men, women, slaves, children, foreigners, etc. God gave those rights and defined them. He threatened to judge anyone who violated His statues by denying someone their rights. The prophets made that clear. Jesus made the same point when he talked about how the the religious leaders of His day sanctioned the plunderng of widows,the dishonoring of parents, and the burdening of the people with oppression.
4. Government is a creation of God to restrain the evil of men. It can only fulfill its function when it reflects the moral order of the universe as revealed in Scripture. A governemnt that reflects God is pictured in Scripture as a beautiful tree which gives shelter, protection, and a chance to live free to the birds and animals. Scripture depicts a government that does not reflect God as a beast. It has power but no morality and can only devour.
5. All of this is to say that a government that does not honor God or His purpose for it cannot appeal to Scripture to keep people oppressed.
