--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: For earthly princes lay aside their power…" description: "\"“For earthly princes lay aside their power when they rise up against God, and are unworthy to be reckoned among the number of mankind. We ought rather ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a09/john-calvin-490_god-unworthy_for-earthly-princes-lay-aside-their-powe_70386.jpg" --- # For earthly princes lay aside their power when they rise… ![“For earthly princes lay aside their power when they rise up against God, and are unworthy to be reckoned among the number of mankind. We ought rather utterly to defy than to obey them whenever they are so restive and wish to spoil God of his rights, and, as it were, to seize upon his throne and…” quote by John Calvin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a09/john-calvin-490_god-unworthy_for-earthly-princes-lay-aside-their-powe_70386.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a09/john-calvin-490_god-unworthy_for-earthly-princes-lay-aside-their-powe_70386.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a09/john-calvin-490_god-unworthy_for-earthly-princes-lay-aside-their-powe_70386.jpg) > ““For earthly princes lay aside their power when they rise up against God, and are unworthy to be reckoned among the number of mankind. We ought rather utterly to defy than to obey them whenever they are so restive and wish to spoil God of his rights, and, as it were, to seize upon his throne and draw him down from heaven.”” [John Calvin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-calvin/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The passage argues that secular rulers who oppose divine authority lose their legitimacy and should be resisted, emphasizing that earthly power is subordinate to God's sovereignty. **In simple terms:** Secular authority must submit to divine authority. Key Takeaway Resist tyrannical rulers. Themes Authority Divine sovereignty Legitimacy Resistance Theocracy Mood Defiant Solemn Type Theological Political When to use this quote - Political oppression - Religious persecution - Civil disobedience - Reformation debates Key Concepts God's rights Human governance Moral duty Practical Applications - Theological critique of monarchy - Guidance for reformist movements Questions to Reflect On - When does civil disobedience become justified? - How should believers balance loyalty to state vs. God? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Defy Obey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/defy-obey-924907/) [Earthly Princes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/earthly-princes-390501/) [God Unworthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/god-unworthy-390498/) [Rise God](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rise-god-390500/) [Spoil God](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spoil-god-924908/) ## Related quotes > [For earthly princes lay aside their power when they rise up against God, and are unworthy to be reckoned among the number of mankind.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-calvin/for-earthly-princes-lay-aside-their-power-when-they-rise-up-against/) [John Calvin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-calvin/) > [Everybody is unique. Compare not yourself with anybody else lest you spoil God's curriculum.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/baal-shem-tov/everybody-is-unique-compare-not-yourself-with-anybody-else-lest-you/) [Baal Shem Tov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/baal-shem-tov/) > [Never betray His principles for any reason whatsoever, and take great care not to spoil God's affairs by too much haste in them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vincent-de-paul/never-betray-his-principles-for-any-reason-whatsoever-and-take-great/) [Vincent de Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vincent-de-paul/) > [Again, Rayford slid to the ground, raising his arms. "My Lord and my God, I am so unworthy." "And you, Rayford, who once were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/again-rayford-slid-to-the-ground-raising-his-arms-my-lord-and-my-god/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The essence of idolatry is the entertainment of thoughts about God that are unworthy of Him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/the-essence-of-idolatry-is-the-entertainment-of-thoughts-about-god-3/) [Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/) > [It were better to have no opinion of God at all than such a one as is unworthy of him; for the one is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plutarch/it-were-better-to-have-no-opinion-of-god-at-all-than-such-a-one-as-is/) [Plutarch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plutarch/) > [“To make any corporeal representations of God is unworthy of God. It is a disgrace to his nature.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-symington/to-make-any-corporeal-representations-of-god-is-unworthy-of-god-it-is/) [William Symington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-symington/) > [The essence of idolatry is the entertainment of thoughts about God that are unworthy of Him. The heaviest obligation lying upon the Christian Church…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/the-essence-of-idolatry-is-the-entertainment-of-thoughts-about-god-2/) [Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/) > [From within my being, life begins. The tears that flow from my eyes are not always seen, but always felt. 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I’m the wrong…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-osteen/bloom-where-you-re-planted-don-t-make-excuses-don-t-go-through-life/) [Joel Osteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-osteen/) ## More by John Calvin > [I have never seen either a drop of piety or a grain of truth or ingenuousness - nay, I have never found common sense…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-calvin/i-have-never-seen-either-a-drop-of-piety-or-a-grain-of-truth-or/) [John Calvin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-calvin/) > [But a most pernicious error widely prevails that Scripture has only so much weight as is conceded to it by the consent of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-calvin/but-a-most-pernicious-error-widely-prevails-that-scripture-has-only/) [John Calvin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-calvin/) > [For earthly princes lay aside their power when they rise up against God, and are unworthy to be reckoned among the number of mankind.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-calvin/for-earthly-princes-lay-aside-their-power-when-they-rise-up-against/) [John Calvin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-calvin/) > [It is no small honour that God for our sake has so magnificently adorned the world, in order that we may not only be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-calvin/it-is-no-small-honour-that-god-for-our-sake-has-so-magnificently/) [John Calvin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-calvin/) > [The word "hope" I take for faith; and indeed hope is nothing else but the constancy of faith.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-calvin/the-word-hope-i-take-for-faith-and-indeed-hope-is-nothing-else-but/) [John Calvin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-calvin/) > [No man can come to God but by an extraordinary revelation of the Spirit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-calvin/no-man-can-come-to-god-but-by-an-extraordinary-revelation-of-the/) [John Calvin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-calvin/) > [There is nothing in afflictions which ought to disturb our joy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-calvin/there-is-nothing-in-afflictions-which-ought-to-disturb-our-joy/) [John Calvin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-calvin/) > [There cannot be a surer rule, nor a stronger exhortation to the observance of it, than when we are taught that all the endowments…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-calvin/there-cannot-be-a-surer-rule-nor-a-stronger-exhortation-to-the/) [John Calvin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-calvin/) > [The surest source of destruction to men is to obey themselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-calvin/the-surest-source-of-destruction-to-men-is-to-obey-themselves/) [John Calvin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-calvin/) > [The whole gospel is contained in Christ.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-calvin/the-whole-gospel-is-contained-in-christ/) [John Calvin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-calvin/) > [For Scripture is the school of the Holy Spirit, in which, as nothing is omitted that is both necessary and useful to know, so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-calvin/for-scripture-is-the-school-of-the-holy-spirit-in-which-as-nothing-is/) [John Calvin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-calvin/) > [If a preacher is not first preaching to himself, better that he falls on the steps of the pulpit and breaks his neck than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-calvin/if-a-preacher-is-not-first-preaching-to-himself-better-that-he-falls/) [John Calvin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-calvin/) > [Again I ask whence it happened that the fall of Adam involved, without remedy, in eternal death so many nations, together with their infant…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-calvin/again-i-ask-whence-it-happened-that-the-fall-of-adam-involved-without/) [John Calvin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-calvin/) > [Unless God's Word illumine the way, the whole life of men is wrapped in darkness and mist, so that they cannot but miserably stray.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-calvin/unless-god-s-word-illumine-the-way-the-whole-life-of-men-is-wrapped/) [John Calvin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-calvin/) > [“But it will be asked, why are they now admonished of their duty, and not rather left to the guidance of the Spirit? 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