@Zealist @KryptoBlok @xianc78 @sickburnbro @SuperLutheran Romans 13 explains, quite clearly, that the Christian is to obey the earthly government they find themselves under, it isn't about religious authority it's about the state/ruler. Given the context of the whole chapter we don't need to do a word study to understand Paul is talking about the state/ruler rather than some religious authority.

The command of Romans 13 applies even if the ruler is not Christian and even if they actively persecute Christians. The point is that God establishes all authority and rebelling against them, even if they are persecuting you, is rebelling against God.

However, there is still a hierarchy of obedience as the Christian must follow God first, meaning that if the ruler commands you to do something which would violate God's commands prioritise obedience to God. Generally this will mean civil disobedience to the point of martyrdom, there is an argument to be made for when the use of force may be permitted, but it's important to note that Holy Scripture does not give us a checklist to determine when violent rebellion is justified.

Romans 13 is a difficult chapter of a difficult epistle and should not be approached lightly. Especially when the people reading it are subject to anti-Christian rulers and don't want to be ruled by people who hate them. There's a lot of motivation for us to read exceptions into the text nowadays, but we must resist that temptation and let the Bible speak. Go through some of that good old tentatio, it builds character.