Indeed there is the most comprehensive treatise on citizenship beginning there in the book of Acts. Interestingly there is a plain-sight/plain English codification in the KJV:
Quote:
Act 17:16 Now while Paul waited for them at Athens, his spirit was stirred in him, when he saw the city wholly given to idolatry.
Act 19:21 After these things were ended, Paul purposed in the spirit, when he had passed through Macedonia and Achaia, to go to Jerusalem, saying, After I have been there, I must also see Rome.
Act 20:22 And now, behold, I go bound in the spirit unto Jerusalem, not knowing the things that shall befall me there:
Act 21:4 And finding disciples, we tarried there seven days: who said to Paul through the Spirit, that he should not go up to Jerusalem.
Act 23:9 And there arose a great cry: and the scribes that were of the Pharisees' part arose, and strove, saying, We find no evil in this man: but if a spirit or an angel hath spoken to him, let us not fight against God.
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One finds that there are general spirits (ours) and of course the Holy Spirit mentioned
in specific. It was Paul's spirit that ignored warnings from the Holy Spirit to stay out of Jerusalem. Many Jew's including James the Just were to become very angry with Paul, not so much for teaching the law (as given to Jews) was dead and replaced with the Seven Noachide Laws - the Jews understood that to be true. They were annoyed with Paul for spending a large amount of alms intended for the Ebionite widows (wives and families of the missionaries teaching First Advent in Asia Minor [Turkey]). Paul spent this on a get-out-of-flogging card, citizenship into the municipal structure (Paul declared Tarsus, not Celicia) and then lying about it. Well as convincing testimony came in, like from Mnason the Cypriot Jew (Paul had told James that the ship steered completely clear of Cyprus) many Jews became so mad at Paul he had to flee out windows by rope and several even entered a starvation pact to kill the filthy coward.
Understanding citizenship under the biblical model renders Romans 13 to mean exactly what it says and exactly what the 501(C)(3) Christians believe it says. Paul was fashioning from house arrest/captivity in the heart of the Roman Empire, the passive-resistant weapon that quite nearly brought Rome to extinction within 300 years. [Delivered a severe headwound and moved the capital from Rome to Istanbul (
Constantinople)].
Regards,
David Merrill.