Podcast Summary: "God Establishes All Authorities"

Jack Hibbs Podcast – December 15, 2025
Host: Jack Hibbs (JackHibbs.com)
Theme: A biblical perspective on the origin and purpose of government authority, the Christian’s relationship to secular rule, and the need to stand for God’s truth in the public square.

Main Theme & Purpose

In this episode, Jack Hibbs unpacks the idea that all earthly authority is established by God, drawing primarily from Romans 13 and biblical history. He explores how Christians should relate to government and secular laws, and discusses what it means to obey God rather than men when government decrees contradict divine commands. Jack uses historical anecdotes, scriptural exposition, and direct challenges to the contemporary church, urging believers to live boldly and discern wisely within their cultural context.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Biblical Foundations of Authority

• Romans 13:2 – "Therefore whoever resists the authority, resists the ordinance of God and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves."
  Jack emphasizes the seriousness of resisting God-given authority:

  "If you resist God given authority, you are going to bring judgment upon yourself and it's not going to go well with you." (01:27)

• All people, regardless of faith, live under some form of law and order, which is a universal human reality.

2. Historical Perspective: America’s Christian Roots

• Jack shares the story of the Mayflower Pilgrims, highlighting their insistence on a governing document rooted in the acknowledgment of God before they set foot in the New World:

  "We're not stepping up this boat until we have governance." (03:17)

• He counters the modern narrative that America was never a Christian nation by recalling the religious and missional motives in founding documents, and even Harvard’s origin as a training ground for ministers.

3. The Extent of Earthly Authority

• Jack contrasts the Roman Empire’s claim of “all authority” with the Christian's higher loyalty to God, referencing why early believers often came into conflict with the state.
• Asserts that, for Christians, earthly rulers’ authority is limited when it contradicts God's will:

  "It's America until America or Rome disobeys the will and the word of God. And this is where I believe our nation is at and that it's heading into more of those deeper waters." (09:07)

4. Practical Application for Modern Believers

• Discusses when and how Christians should resist laws—for example, if state taxes are used to fund activities like abortion that contradict biblical principles, believers must respectfully disobey:

  "If God established government and the politics that I live under... what do we do as believers when these things go bad or against God?" (13:25) "When they say, 'Now in this area, we are going to attack families... the unborn... worship.' That’s where the church comes in and pastors come in to stand up for what is good and what is right." (15:31)

• Warns against the church yielding to government when it comes to suppressing the name of Jesus.

5. Human Government: Its Limits and Flaws

• Earthly rulers are meant to “advance what's good,” but Jack points out the futility of human attempts to define good and evil apart from God.

  "Let's be honest, humans have tried, but we fail. God has written upon every human heart the moral law." (17:01)

6. God’s Law Written on the Heart

• Using Romans 1 and Psalm 19, Jack explores how awareness of God and right and wrong are hardwired into every human being:

  "According to the Bible, God has revealed inside every human being the Trinity. That's what the word Godhead is. Isn't that wild?" (18:25)

• Mocks atheism with biblical language, tracing the word "moron" back to its Greek roots:

  "If you deny the existence of God, the Bible says you're a moron. How do you like that?" (20:03)

7. Jesus on Political Authority — “Render to Caesar”

• Unpacks Mark 12:13-17, where Jesus is asked about paying taxes to Caesar:

  "'Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's and to God the things that are God's.' And they marveled at him. They were blown away, like, what do we do with this one." (21:09)

• Jack draws a parallel between the coin’s two sides (Caesar’s image and God’s ownership of believers) and the Christian’s dual citizenship:

  "When we turn you around and look at the other side of you, do we find not Mammon, but do we find Yahweh? Do we find the God of the Bible?" (22:07)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On resisting authority:

  "God has established this absolute truth and we want to learn from this. We must be governed by laws, every single one of us." (01:35)

• On America’s origins:

  "Go way back to our founding fathers who declared, we've come here to establish this continent for the glory of the Gospel of Jesus. I'm not asking you to like it, I'm asking you to learn it. It's part of our history." (06:35)

• On government overreach and the church:

  "When the state says, 'We are going to attack the unborn, worship...' That's where you don't expect politicians, I don't expect politicians to stand up for the church. That's where pastors come in." (15:31)

• On atheism and the Bible:

  "If you don't believe in God, the Bible says you're a moron. In fact... Psalm 14, verse 1. The moron has said in his heart there is no God. How's that? Let's give God a hand." (20:12)

• On the “Render to Caesar” lesson:

  "He said, bring me a denarius that I may see it. And so they brought it. And he said to them, whose image and inscription is this? And they said to him, Caesar's." (21:23) "If you spin a coin fast enough... the image changes its identification from one to the other, but it's the same coin." (21:53)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• Intro & context: 00:00 – 01:25
• Biblical basis for authority (Romans 13): 01:25 – 03:00
• Pilgrims and American history: 03:00 – 06:50
• Authority under Rome and for Christians: 06:50 – 09:07
• When Christians must resist: 13:25 – 16:30
• Human attempts at “goodness” and God’s moral law: 17:01 – 18:45
• Jesus on taxes and the “two sides” principle: 21:09 – 22:18

Conclusion

Jack Hibbs challenges his audience to recognize both the divine origin and the practical limits of worldly authority, urging believers to be wise, courageous, and unwavering in allegiance to God. Through historical examples, scriptural teaching, and cultural critique, he insists that when earthly governments deviate from biblical commands, Christians have both the right and the responsibility to take a stand—not for religious power, but for faithfulness to Christ.

For further resources and outlines, visit jackhibbs.com/podcast.