That's fair, and I agree that Romans 13 shouldn't simply be mapped onto the modern IRS, police, or government without considering the original language, audience, and the context of Romans 12–13.

My point wasn't that Romans 13 gives modern governments unlimited authority. Quite the opposite: I think the broader biblical pattern is that human authority is never ultimate. We obey God first, submit where obedience is appropriate, and don't confuse political authority with divine authority.

So perhaps the real question isn't simply “Christ or the State,” but what belongs to God, what legitimately belongs to human authority, and where does human authority overstep its limits? That's the part I find worth wrestling with.

Or maybe I'm one of those gray-ish humans.😬