The sovereign citizen concept is moving and gathering grass-roots force in certain elements of this nation. Even more importantly it is a growing danger to some within the church of God because members are being deceived into ignorantly opposing the government of God by becoming part of this movement. These people are refusing to pay their income tax among other things. The sovereign citizen people say that the government of the United States is illegal. The sovereign citizenship group feels that the U.S. government is illegal. Jesus was not at all unfamiliar with illegal governments. The direct issue here in this example of our Lord and Savior who was the Creator is that every Jew over twenty was required to pay a half shekel per year called the temple tax. Jesus looked beyond a legal technicality to the true ruler the Father. It is His earth. Since God undoubtedly passed on what had occurred there in Judea both in terms of the temple and the land itself Jesus looking beyond that submitted to God not to the Romans and not to Caiaphas and Annas those who were sitting in the temple. This is not exactly the same context in I Peter 2 as in Matthew 17 but the principle applies in terms of our response to unjust treatment by governmental authority. Jesus did not defy them nor did He attempt to overthrow them. God gave Pilate the authority to sit in the seat of highest authority within the land itself and though it was technically illegal because the Romans got there by conquest Jesus Christ committed Himself to Him who judges rightly. Therefore He understood that God permitted it or maybe even brought it to pass the Romans seated in power in governmental authority at that time. It is very easily seen that Jesus considered God's overriding purpose as having first priority and He did not want to put Himself in a position of defying it even to the death. It does not matter to a son of God whether the government of his homeland is lawful or let's say lawful in actual fact or let's say technically illegal. What matters is that the Christian recognizes the sovereignty of God and knows that if it has occurred God was not asleep. God was not looking the other way. He is fully cognizant of what is going on and He permitted it. If He permitted it this One who is aware even of the sparrow falling He then passed on it or brought it directly to pass because of His purpose the purpose that He is working out and that is all that matters. God is ruling His creation and that is what we are here to learn. Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man. For so is the will of God that with well doing you may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men as free and not using your liberty for a cloak of maliciousness but as the servants of God. Honour all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honour the king. Nowhere does it say anywhere in God's word that we are to obey the king honour the king submit to the king only if the government is legal. It is not there. In the long view it is legal because God said it is legal. He passed on it. Now these people are giving Christianity a bad name. They are unwittingly bringing governmental persecution upon the true Christians through a guilty by association principle. In other words if you are also Christian and your loyalty is to God above you must be just like these other folks who are rebelling against the government. We are going to be stamped painted with the same brush. There is no wisdom nor understanding nor counsel against the Lord. There is nothing that can supersede His genius His wisdom His love His purpose. There is no counsel against God that will stand. The horse is prepared against the day of battle. There can be all kinds of military preparations. But safety is of the Lord. I am going through this because I do not want us to somehow or another get caught up in the excitement of what these sovereign citizen people are doing and end up fighting God when He is bringing about some measure of governmenta

The material presents God's sovereignty as extending comprehensively over human governments, with all authorities existing only by His appointment and permission. This principle is illustrated through biblical examples showing that rulers, whether lawful or not in human terms, operate under divine oversight, as when Jesus submitted to Roman civil authority and the corrupt temple tax system despite His rightful exemption. The text warns that the sovereign citizenship movement, with its growing grassroots support in America, deceives some into resisting these governing powers. Such resistance is portrayed as opposition to God's own ordinance, since He actively determines national boundaries, times of rise and fall, and the implementation of policies. Paul's instructions in Romans 13 are thus grounded in this sovereignty, requiring subjection not merely to avoid wrath but for conscience, because rulers function as God's ministers. The movement therefore endangers believers by encouraging them to fight against the very governance through which God works out His purpose, contrary to the recognition that nothing succeeds against the Lord and that all must acknowledge His hand in directing the steps of even the most powerful.