Submission to Government | 1 Peter 2:13-17

Peter presents five reasons for Christians to submit to government: (1) the Lord; (2) order; (3) silence; (4) freedom; and (5) importance. This sermon is part 2 of “A Fisherman’s Passion,” Bryan Craddock’s series on 1 Peter 2:11-5:14. 

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Almost 2,000 years ago in AD 37 a boy named Lucius was born in a town on the west coast of Italy. Three years later his father died, but when he was eleven his mother, Agrippina, married her Uncle Claudius, who was the emperor of Rome. Five years after that, Claudius also died when he was fed a poisonous mushroom. Whether it was accidental or intentional, no one knows. But thanks to Agrippina’s shrewd political maneuvering, Lucius became emperor a few months before his seventeenth birthday under his adopted name: Nero.

Some people today might hesitate to give their seventeen-year-old the keys to the family car, but Nero was given a vast empire and a powerful army. It was said that he would disguise himself in slave’s clothing and sneak out into the city at night to engage in all sorts of appalling behavior. His mother might have rolled her eyes at his conduct, but she did not really interfere until he began to pursue a woman that she disliked. So, when he was 21 years old, Nero had his mother executed.

Historian Barry Strauss characterizes the young emperor as an entertainer. He put on games and shows for the populace of Rome and sometimes took center stage as a competitor and a performer. But he was insecure, vain, jealous, and vengeful. Over time his reign became increasingly tyrannical.

The defining moment came in the middle of July in AD 64. A terrible fire broke out in Rome that lasted five days. Fires were frequent in the city, but this was the worst they had seen. It was rumored that twenty-six-year-old Nero sang while the city burned. People became even more suspicious when he confiscated much of the destroyed downtown area to build a new palace.

To deflect the blame, Nero put on a show. He claimed that Christians were responsible for the fire. Since they were generally despised and powerless in Rome, they made an easy target. The Roman historian, Tacitus, tells us that to punish them, he arranged a garden party where some of them were dressed in animal skins and torn apart by dogs, others were crucified, and a few were burned as torches.

Nero continued his persecution of Christians until he committed suicide four years later. According to church tradition, he had both Peter and Paul executed during that time. So, the overall character of his reign makes their teaching about relating to government all the more surprising. Paul wrote to Christians in Rome early in Nero’s reign. But Peter probably wrote his first letter from Rome within a year of the Great Fire.

As we have seen, the first part of Peter’s letter celebrates the believer’s great hope for the future in Jesus Christ. But he then shifts his focus to persevering under suffering for the sake of the gospel. Since Jesus called Peter to be a fisher of men, I have titled our study, “A Fisherman’s Passion.”

In verses 11 and 12 of chapter 2, he begins this section by saying that we should relate to the world as sojourners and exiles set apart by holiness. The world will speak against us, but we should display good deeds and trust God to visit people and open their eyes to his glory. As Peter moves into verses 13-17, he then applies that strategy to describe how Christians should relate to government. As evil as Nero’s reign was, Peter still presents five reasons to submit.

Thankfully, American government is very different from Imperial Rome. It allows us to participate in a democratic electoral process and generally respects individual rights. Furthermore, at various times in American history, many people have been receptive to the gospel. The church has become accustomed to having considerable influence, but we face strong opposition. So, whether from fear or anger, some focus on gaining power through political means.

But 1 Peter challenges us with some hard questions. Are we living as sojourners and exiles? Is our passion for reaching lost souls with the gospel? Are we willing to follow the strategy that Peter gives us even if it exposes us to suffering? We need to understand his rationale for submission to government.

The Lord

My family did not attend church when I was growing up. So, when I became a Christian in my junior year of high school, I had no idea what a flannelgraph was. My new Christian friends would talk about them and about songs like Father Abraham or Zacchaeus that I had never heard. They would joke about Sunday school answers where the response to every question is Jesus or the Bible. But sometimes Jesus really is the best answer.

As Peter makes the case for submission to government, he begins with a simple Sunday School reason. He tells us to do it because of the Lord. In 1 Peter 2:13 through the middle of verse 14, he says,

“Be subject for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme, or to governors as sent by him…”

The word that Peter uses for submission probably originated in a military context. It means to put someone, in this case yourself, under the oversight and direction of another. Peter speaks broadly of every human institution, or literally every human creation. As an example of these man-made authority structures, he points to the king and his governors. The translators of the ESV use the word “emperor” since Romans did not call the emperor a king, but it all amounts to the same thing.

So, why does Peter point to the Lord as a reason for submission? He probably had in mind the Lord’s sovereignty over all things. Paul explains this idea in his teaching on government in Romans 13. In verses 1-2, he says,

Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment.

Don’t forget that Paul wrote these words to believers in Rome during Nero’s reign. It was probably around the time that Nero executed his mother. God will hold tyrannical rulers like him accountable for their evil actions. But they still exist and function under God’s sovereign hand. He uses them to accomplish his ultimate good purpose. Acts 4:27-28 records how believers in Jerusalem acknowledged this truth in prayer. They said,

for truly in this city there were gathered together against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, to do whatever your hand and your plan had predestined to take place.

So, we should submit to government because of the Lord’s sovereignty, but also because of his example. Pilate was one of those governors sent by the Roman emperor. Jesus could have led a rebellion against him. That was what many Jews were hoping for. He could have simply struck Pilate down. Instead, he submitted and suffered the injustice of crucifixion. The evil actions of the authorities in Jerusalem served the saving purpose of God. Through his death, Jesus paid the price for our sins. So, as we relate to government, we should follow the Lord’s example of submission and trust his sovereign plan.

Order

The Roman Empire stretched throughout the Mediterranean world from Syria to Britain, from German territory to the north coast of Africa. The glue that held it all together was the powerful Roman army. At Pilate’s command, it was the troops in Jerusalem that scourged Jesus, placed a crown of thorns on his head, mocked him, beat him, and crucified him. Yet Roman troops later protected Paul from a Jewish mob that wanted to kill him (Acts 21:30-36). So, even when a government is oppressive and cruel, it can still provide some beneficial order to society.

Peter presents this order as another reason for submission. Look again at 1 Peter 2:13-14. He says,

Be subject for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme, or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good.

The perfect government will punish evil and praise good, but no human government ever measures up to this standard. I am hard pressed to think of instances when governments praise good, and we do not need to look hard in history to find examples of leaders doing the opposite–praising evil and punishing good. To experience true justice, we need Jesus to come and reign over the world. But until then, we should still respect the imperfect order that government provides.

Paul makes an even stronger case in Romans 13:3-4. He says,

For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, for he is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God’s wrath on the wrongdoer.

Again, Paul was speaking of Nero’s government! It was the same government that crucified Jesus, though a different emperor was in power at the time. These Roman rulers were all idolatrous pagans who lived immoral lives, yet Paul still speaks of them as servants of God. It is still generally true that those who submit to government have nothing to fear. Yet there are exceptions. How should we respond in such times?

In 1 Timothy 2:1-2, Paul tells us to pray, yet his prayer is somewhat reserved. He does not instruct us to ask that human governments become perfectly righteous. Only Jesus can bring that about, and we should certainly be praying for his kingdom to come. But for governments here and now, Paul says,

First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way.

Paul explains this request to Timothy by saying that God desires all people to be saved (1 Tim 2:3-4). Peaceful conditions are ideal for spreading the gospel, and that must be our focus. But what should be done if government opposes that? Peter and John set the example for us as they stood before the Jewish council in Jerusalem. Acts 4:18-20 tells us,

So they called them and charged them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John answered them, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge, for we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard.”

If government forbids us from doing what God commands or commands us to do what God forbids, then we must obey God. Peter and John still maintained a sense of humility as they did so. They made their case and accepted the consequences. We should be willing to do the same. That leads us to a third reason for submitting to government.

Silence

We are all familiar with mystery stories where a detective searches for clues. People are interrogated, and motives are exposed. It is rare to find a person who genuinely has nothing to hide.But that is how the Bible calls us to live.

In 1 Peter 2:12, Peter warned his readers that people would speak against them. So, he challenged them to do good deeds, acts that are beneficial, delightful, or even beautiful. As he speaks of relating to government in verse 15, however, he uses a different word for good that simply distinguishes between good and bad. He calls them to live in such a way that those who want to bring an accusation against them will not be able to find anything bad. Their goodness should leave their critics silent. Peter says, “For this is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people.”

Sometimes people have strange ideas about discerning the will of God. They rely upon feelings or look for signs without paying much attention to the Bible. But God has made his will known in his Word. We must look to Scripture as the authoritative source of guidance, and some passages like this one are emphatic. Here is God’s will for your life! He wants you to do good, to live a life that is above reproach, and the point here is to do that in relation to government.

When Peter speaks of silencing the ignorance of foolish people, he is not disparaging those people or insulting them. The word ignorance often carries a pejorative sense in English, but here it simply means that they do not know the Lord. They are foolish as Psalm 14:1 says, “The fool says in his heart, ‘There is no God.’” Satan has blinded their minds to the truth of the gospel.

Of course, Paul says in Titus 3:3 that we were all foolish. It is only by the goodness and loving kindness of God that we are saved. So, as 1 Peter 2:12 says, the hope for these ignorant foolish people is that God might visit them so that they come to know him and glorify him. But for now, our lives should be good enough that they cannot find anything to criticize. It should silence them.

In Romans 13:5, Paul speaks of another kind of silence that results from good behavior in relation to government. It also silences our conscience. He says, “Therefore one must be in subjection, not only to avoid God’s wrath but also for the sake of conscience.”

Paul often mentions his efforts to keep a clear conscience, but our consciences are not always reliable. They can be weak and overly sensitive or defiled and deadened. They need to be constantly renewed through meditation on God’s Word. Submission to government is one of those biblical standards that should guide us. As we keep a good conscience, we will behave in the right way that silences our critics.

Freedom

It’s not easy to tell whether someone is truly healthy. There may be signs on the outside that something is wrong. But doctors must use all sorts of devices from a simple stethoscope to high-tech scans to discern someone’s condition. The patient may even look fine on the outside but have serious problems internally.

A person’s spiritual condition can be even more confusing. Jeremiah 17:9 says that the heart is deceitful above all things and desperately sick. God knows our hearts, but we can fool ourselves into thinking that we are better off than we are. On the other hand, it is also possible to suffer under terrible external circumstances and thrive spiritually. Peter highlights this paradox in 1 Peter 2:16 by presenting freedom as another reason for submitting to government.

It becomes clear later in verse 18 that some of his readers were slaves. Though they had no freedom in an external sense, they still enjoyed spiritual freedom in Christ. But some might misuse that freedom, so Peter says, “Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God.”

What sort of freedom do Christians enjoy? Jesus frees us in two ways. First, he frees us from slavery to sin. Apart from him, we are not able to resist temptation. But John 8:34-36 tells us,

Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin. The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.

In addition to freeing us from sin, Jesus also sets us free from the Old Testament Law. Paul explains this freedom in his letter to the Galatians. No fallen human being can measure up to the Law’s standard of righteousness. But in Galatians 3:10-13, Paul argues that Jesus redeems believers from the curse of the Law. In Galatians 5, he explains that the Holy Spirit brings about the internal change of heart that the Law could never accomplish. So, while the Old Testament Law prescribed how to behave in lots of specific cases, the New Testament gives believers the freedom to walk by the Spirit.

But this freedom can be misused. Peter indicates that some might use it to cover up evil. Rather than submitting to some government law, they might claim the freedom in Christ to ignore it. Governments have rules about all sorts of details that are not biblical requirements. But believers should still submit, because we are servants of God.

Paul gives a prime example of one of these government requirements in Romans 13:6-7. He says,

For because of this you also pay taxes, for the authorities are ministers of God, attending to this very thing. Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed.

Of course, American government allows us to vote on some issues such as taxation, and people often get worked up about such things. They become belligerent and defiant. Our system allows for that and even provokes it. But as Christians, we should still conduct ourselves as humble servants of God. Our behavior should reflect that we have been freed from sin and that we are walking by the Spirit, bearing his fruit. Paul’s mention of honor leads us to one more reason for submitting to government.

Importance

When athletes receive an Olympic medal, they take their place on an elevated podium. First place is the highest, and that priority is often expressed in other ways. People pay more attention to gold medalists. They are the ones who get corporate sponsorships and advertising deals. That does not happen as much with silver and bronze medalists.  Athletes who competed well but came farther down the list receive even less recognition.

We find the same dynamic at work in society. Those who are powerful and successful are often exalted. In fact, some Roman emperors were treated as deities to be worshiped. Christians could not submit to such demands, and they faced persecution for it. But even situations like that did not justify rebellious behavior.

Peter calls believers to maintain a submissive attitude from a radically different perspective of people’s importance. In 1 Peter 2:17, he says, “Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor.” People in positions of authority should be shown honor. But we should also treat everyone with that kind of respect and dignity.  Rich or poor, famous or infamous, agreeable or disagreeable, all human beings are made in the image of God. So, our holy fear of him should guide how we treat them.

Paul makes a similar point as he advises his coworker, Titus, on how to lead the church. He mentions submission to government, but then moves on to how believers should relate to everyone else. In Titus 3:1-2, he tells Titus,

Remind them to be submissive to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good work, to speak evil of no one, to avoid quarreling, to be gentle, and to show perfect courtesy toward all people.

Does our interaction measure up to that standard? As James 3 says, it is not easy to control our tongues. But it is even harder if you spend all your time listening to quarrelsome, vindictive people. Perhaps that is why Peter tells us to love the brotherhood. To maintain that spirit of honor, we need the encouragement that comes from fellowship with other believers who fear God and walk by the Spirit. So, when we meet it is not a time to complain about the world. We must lovingly build each other up so that we become more and more like Jesus. Our relationships with other believers should go beyond honor to loving devotion.

We should also note that the emperor or king is to be honored, but God alone is to be feared. As Jesus says in Matthew 10:28, don’t fear the one who can kill the body but not the soul. The Lord holds your eternal destiny in his hand, and he cares for you. Trust him and live in a way that reflects a humble confidence in his sovereignty and his grace.

__________

So, if we have a Christ-like passion for reaching the lost, we must submit to government. Do it because of the Lord’s sovereignty and because of his example. Do it because even a very imperfect government still maintains some order. Do it to be above reproach and to silence critics who try to define us in political terms. Do it to display your freedom from sin and to show the honor that all people should receive because of their importance as those who are made in the image of God.

As Christians, we often fall short of this standard. Sadly, I have spoken with people who hear nothing from Christians but talk about morality and politics. But biblical Christianity is focused on the gospel message that though we are all sinners, we can be forgiven through the death and resurrection of Jesus. We can be changed through the power of the Holy Spirit. So, if you have never done so, I invite you to believe in Jesus and to start following him. If you would like to learn more about the gospel and about how it shaped the lives of the first Christians, I encourage you to read the fourth chapter of the book of Acts.

Christian, do you have a submissive heart? We can come up with a thousand excuses for not being submissive to government, but none of them overcome the reasons that Peter has given. We need to recognize that defiant impulse for what it really is, a sin. Repent and adopt a submissive heart. Commit yourself to treating everyone with honor. May God give us the courage to trust him and obey him!

Reflect

Does this passage change your view of government? If so, how?

Which of these reasons are most challenging for you? Why?

How might the Lord use governmental opposition to the church for good?