" Pilate said to him, '... Do you not know that I have power to release you and I have power to crucify you?'"
"Jesus answered (him), 'You would have no power over me if it had not been given to you from above.'"
(Jn19:10-11)

How does human power to rule comes from God?

Divine/Human power to rule is in the nature of things established by God. No man is born by himself. A child is born into a family which must nurture and care for the child untill reaches maturity and someone must provide and harmonize the life of this primary social unit. This role has been traditionally assigned to the father who is by nature more suited to this task. The ancient Romans recognized this fact and the paterfamiglia had complete authority over his family until his death. He not only had responsibility to provide for his family but was also responsible for restraining the wrongdoers to the point of putting a member of his family to death. This was necessary in a time when the civil power had no courts or police and government did not involve itself in private morality. The paterfamiglia power was derived from the social order created by God.

As the Roman social order became much more complex, some of the paterfamiglia's power was shifted toward civil authority. They were aware that power to rule was of divine origin but some of them (e.g. Emperor Calligula) decided that they should be honored as gods. Emperor worship became a sign of loyalty to the Roman Empire, so that Christians who refused were put to death.

St. Augustine who lived toward the last days of the Western Roman Empire clearly taught the empire was a work of God's power. In chapter 21 of the City of God we read:

"It was God ... who gave power to men, to Marius and Caesar, to Augustus and Nero, to the Vespasians, father and son, who were such kindly emperors, and also do Domitian who was so cruel; and, not to mention all others, to Constantine the Christian and to Julian the Apostate -- the man whose marvelous gifts were poisoned by his lust for power."

Divine Rights of Kings