“Obeying the Authorities”
(1 Peter 2:13-17)
Hometown Heroes Sunday
Rev. Todd A. Linn, PhD
First Baptist Church Henderson, KY
5-27-07 (AM)
- I invite you to take your Bibles and open to 1 Peter, chapter 2.
We’re going to be looking at what the Bible teaches about citizenship and how we can be good citizens. And so we’re going to look at 1 Peter chapter 2 as we listen to what God teaches us in His word. We believe the Bible is God’s word and that through His word He speaks to us today.
I heard about a young man who had been raised in a Christian home and he went off to college. And on his first day in class the teacher got up before the class and said in a demeaning tone, “I hope none of you are Christians. Surely no one in this class is foolish enough to be a Christian.” That young man looked around and saw that no one else was going to say anything, but he was a courageous young man and so he said, “Yes sir, I’m a Christian.” The professor said, “How can you be a Christian?! I’ve read the Bible and it didn’t say anything to me.” The young man said, “Sir, the Bible is God’s word to Christians. If you didn’t understand it, it’s because you were reading someone else’s mail.” Well, the Bible is God’s word to Christians and we’re going to read what He says to us this morning about being good citizens.
- Please stand in honor of the reading of the word of God.
13 Therefore submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake, whether to the king as supreme,
14 or to governors, as to those who are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and for the praise of those who do good.
15 For this is the will of God, that by doing good you may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men —
16 as free, yet not using liberty as a cloak for vice, but as bondservants of God.
17 Honor all people. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the king.
- Pray.
Introduction:
Now as we look at this passage of Scripture and we learn what it has to say about being good citizens we should first take a look at the context in which we read these verses. My text begins at verse 13, but you’ll notice that the first word in verse 13 is the word “Therefore.” Now you just don’t begin a conversation with the word “Therefore,” do you? You’re passing someone along the sidewalk and you say “Hello” to him and he responds with, “Therefore—.” No, you say “Therefore” when you’ve already been saying something else. So, as I have often said while I am preaching, “If you see a verse that begins with the word “Therefore,” then you must find out what the “Therefore” is “There for.”
Well what is the “Therefore” there for? It follows the point Peter has just made in verses 11 and 12. Look there: “Beloved, I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims [and here is a reminder that the Christian is as a pilgrim—he’s passing through this country on his way to a heavenly city. So as sojourners and pilgrims], abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul, having your conduct honorable among the Gentiles [that is, among the unbelievers], that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may, by your good works which they observe, glorify God in the day of visitation.” Peter’s point in verses 11 and 12 are, “Live before the unbelievers in a way that causes them to glorify God.” It is very similar to what he had heard Jesus say in Matthew 5:16, “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.”
So Peter has just said, “Here’s how to live before the unbeliever in this world. Live so that they will see your good works and glorify God.” Then, verse 13—“Therefore.” That is, “In light of what I have just been saying about how to live before a watching world, here now are some practical ways by which you may demonstrate good citizenship.” So how can we be good citizens? Number one:
I. By Submitting to Government (13-14)
13 Therefore submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake, whether to the king as supreme,
14 or to governors, as to those who are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and for the praise of those who do good.
Christians can be good citizens by submitting to government, submitting to the governing rulers. Peter says “Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man.” The word “ordinance” there means, “authority” or “human institution.” The idea is submitting to those in authority over you, obeying the authorities, submitting to government and governing rulers.
Now perhaps from the very beginning someone asks, “But what if the government, what if those in authority ask me to do something that’s not biblical or moral? What if I’m told to do something that goes against the law of God?” Well, just hang on. We’ll get to that in a moment. Right now, I want us to see that Peter says nothing here about whether you like those who are in authority over you or even whether you agree with everything they do. He simply says, “submit yourselves to every ordinance; every authority, of man.”
And note that Peter says do this “for the Lord’s sake.” We submit to those in authority over us “for the Lord’s sake.” The context seems to suggest that Peter has in mind the fact that the world is watching Christians to see whether they will obey the authorities. If Christians live as good citizens then they will have a positive impact for the Kingdom of God. So submitting to the government, to the rulers in authority over us, is something we do “for the Lord’s sake.” That is, we submit to those in authority for the cause of Christ so that we may not bring shame upon the name of the Lord Jesus.
But it may also be that Peter is saying to submit “for the Lord’s sake” because God Himself is the One who created and instituted the system of authority. This is the point Jesus makes before Pilate in John 19. Pilate says, “Will you not answer me? Don’t you realize I have the power to crucify you and the power to release you?” And Jesus replies, “You could have no power at all against Me unless it had been given you from above (10-11).” Authority is granted by God. It is God in His sovereignty who grants authority to people. So whether you and I agree with those in authority over us is not the point. We submit “for the Lord’s sake” because we recognize that God knows what He is doing and it is He who has granted a person authority over us and if God has allowed someone to reign in authority over us then we will submit to that authority.
So look now at the scope of this submission. Peter says submit yourself to “every ordinance, every authority, of man . . . whether to the king as supreme, or to governors, as to those who are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and for the praise of those who do good.” So this obeying of the authorities is wide in its scope from the top all the way down. In Peter’s day, the King was the Emperor of Rome. And Peter is saying, “Obey the emperor and all those appointed under him. Our context would be all those in our government, from the president, to all those in authority under him and those on the state level and county and city level, to our overall balance of powers. All these are employed for the purpose of “punishing evildoers and praising those who do good.” That is, “they punish those who do wrong and commend those who do right.”
Now, you think about the historical context here and you understand that Peter really means business. In Peter’s day, the Emperor of Rome was the infamous Nero. Nero is considered the first great persecutor of Christians. He had Christians beheaded and fed to the lions. Tradition tells us he had some of the Christians sewn into animal skins and ripped to death by dogs and he impaled other Christians on poles, covering them in pitch and lighting them with fire so that they would burn and light his garden parties in the evening.
And yet Peter says in verse 13, “Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake, whether to the king as supreme, or to governors, as to those who are sent by him as those who punish wrong and commend those who do right” and yet Peter realizes that sometimes those in authority may even punish those who have done nothing wrong.
This is precisely why Peter can later say, in chapter 3, verse 17, “For it is better, if it is the will of God, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil.” That is to say, “If you suffer for doing evil, for doing wrong, then you can’t pat yourself on the back and say, ‘Look at me suffering as I am.’” If I see the posted speed limit sign says 45 miles per hour and I know that and I’m driving 60 miles per hour, Peter says when I get pulled over and given a ticket and I find out the fine is going to be well over a hundred dollars, and I start complaining about suffering, Peter says, “You deserved that. You knew better and you chose to break the law.” It’s not a commendable thing to suffer for doing bad.
So Peter says, “It is better to suffer for doing good.” And sometimes you and I suffer for doing good. Like Christians during the evil reign of Emperor Nero, you may suffer for doing nothing wrong, but for merely doing right. But when that happens, Peter does not say, “When that happens, buck the system. Rebel against authority.” He simply says, “Submit to those in authority over you.”
Now, we raised the question a moment ago, “But what if I am being told to do something that goes against the law of God?” Well, not we’re dealing with something different. We’re not talking about whether we like the person in authority or whether we agree with all of his or her policies. We submit to our authorities whether we esteem them or not. But when asked to do something that goes against a teaching of God, we must obey God rather than men. At that point, obedience to God takes precedence over obedience to man.
Perhaps the first example from Scripture is found in Exodus chapter 1. Pharaoh commanded that every Israelite baby boy born should be cast into the river and only the baby girls saved. What did the Hebrew midwives do? They said, “We must obey God rather than men.” And so they helped deliver those baby boys and kept them in hiding. Why? Because God’s word teaches that babies are human beings and are not to be killed by man.
Daniel chapter 3. We read there that delightful story about Daniel’s three friends. What are their names? Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. King Nebuchadnezzar made an image of gold some 90 feet high and he ordered that everyone must bow down and worship the image. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego refused to worship that image. They also suffered for doing right. They were thrown into the fiery furnace, but God delivered them.
Daniel chapter 6. We read about Daniel’s suffering for doing right. Men under King Darius talked the king into passing a law saying that no man could pray to anyone other than the king. Daniel knows that obedience to God takes precedence over obedience to man so what does Daniel do? He does as he had always done before, three times a day, opening the window of his upper room facing Jerusalem, he kneels and prays to the One True God. He suffers for doing good, being thrown into the lion’s den, but God delivers him.
Acts 5:29, Peter and the other apostles were commanded by the Jewish leaders not to teach in the name of Jesus, but Peter and the other apostles reply, “We ought to obey God rather than men.”
So there are occasions when it is very clear that to follow the authority will be in direct opposition to and conflict with God’s law. But again, note that submitting to authority here in verses 13 and 14 is expected no matter who is in charge and no matter whether you like that person or agree with all of the policies.
We are to respect those in authority over us. See there is a missionary aspect, an evangelistic aspect, to our citizenship. That takes us to the second way we can be good citizens. First, by submitting to authorities, secondly:
II. By Silencing with Goodness (15)
That is, our good behavior will silence those in opposition to the things of God.
15 For this is the will of God, that by doing good you may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men —
Peter teaches that our right living, our behaving as good citizens, will give those in opposition to the things of Christ nothing to use against us. When you live like you’re supposed to, unbelievers can say nothing evil against you. Peter says, “This is the will of God, that by doing good you may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men.”
So you can silence those who speak against Christianity by being a model citizen, by doing good.
Daniel Webster said, “Whatever makes a man a good Christian, makes him a good citizen at the same time.”
On the other hand, if you and I live as bad citizens, then we’re going to give those who are opposed to the things of Christ plenty of ammunition to use against us.
It’s like the guy weaving in and out of traffic, blowing his horn, angrily gesturing at those in his way and as he passes what do we see on the bumper of his car? “Jesus is Lord.” Really? Because I couldn’t tell by the way you were driving.
But if I live in such a way as to bring glory to God, knowing I’m not perfect, but doing my best to give no ammunition to the enemy, then I’m going to have a far greater impact upon those who don’t know Christ. Hopefully they will be drawn closer to the Lord Jesus Christ rather than being pushed further away.
We become good citizens by submitting to authority and by silencing with goodness. Thirdly, we become good citizens:
III. By Serving our God (16-17)
And here Peter is simply reminding Christians that they belong to God. Christians are servants of God and as such will live in a way that brings glory to Him.
16 as free, yet not using liberty as a cloak for vice, but as bondservants of God.
Here is a beautiful paradox. I am free as a Christian. In fact, as Peter said earlier, we are pilgrims passing through this world. This world is not our home. We’re on our way to the celestial city. We’re free. We’re slaves to no one, but we are slaves to God. We are no man’s servants, but we’re God’s servants.
So Peter says that while Christians are free and do not belong to this world, yet we are not to use our freedom “as a cloak for vice.” In other words, don’t use your freedom as a cover-up to do evil. Remember that you are bondservants of God. Use your freedom for serving God not for breaking the rules.
So if you say, “Well I don’t need to pay taxes because I am a citizen of heaven,” God may allow you to go to prison to teach you that you are also a citizen of earth. I mean, you can try it if you like. You can stand before a judge and say, “Sir, I am not paying my taxes because my kingdom is not of this world” and you just watch him laugh and rightly throw you into jail. Sometimes Christians think they can get out of things just because they’re Christians.
A few years ago we traveled to Georgia to visit family and friends. I was driving a rental car with an out-of-state tag. My friend and I were driving from his home in the country headed in toward the city to pick up a couple of pizzas for everyone. My friend kept putting these CDs into the CD player, playing these different songs and I was a bit distracted trying to listen to him, listen to the music, talk and drive at the same time. Before I knew it I was in the city limits driving like I was still in the country. I was rightfully pulled over and the officer asked for the usual license and registration. You know, I used to be a parole officer before I was a minister and it always kind of helped me to just sort of casually bring that fact up while talking to police officers! So I’m thinking, “Hey, I’m not a parole officer anymore, but I’m a minister attending seminary. Maybe that will help. It didn’t. When the officer asked where I was from and I told him I was a minister attending seminary in Louisville he just sort of nodded as if to say, “Very interesting. Now let’s get back to writing this ticket you so obviously deserve.” We shouldn’t think we Christians can get out of things just because we’re Christians. We’re not to use our freedom as a cloak for doing wrong or as a means by which we may break the rules. It doesn’t work that way.
So how do servants of God live? Look at verse 17 where Peter gives a summary application of everything he’s been talking about:
17 Honor all people. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the king.
Honor all people. Respect them. Respect those in authority over you. We’re honoring people today. Honoring our police, fire, and EMS personnel who serve this community. Respect them.
Love the brotherhood. That’s one another, our church family. Fear God. Serve Him. Do as He says in His word. Honor the king. Honor and respect those in leadership positions over you.
It’s amazing to me the way some people talk about their president and profess to be Christians at the same time. Peter isn’t saying we have to agree with all of the policies of the president or even like him, but he is saying we should be respectful when we speak of him. By the way, one of the best ways to honor those in authority over us is through our prayers. 1 Timothy 2:2 says, “Pray for kings and all who are in authority.” Why not set aside a few minutes of your week to pray for the political leaders in authority over you?
So the idea of honoring all people really says it all. If you want to be a good citizen, honor all people; no matter who they are or what they look like or what they believe.
Acts 17:26 says, “God has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on the face of the earth.” Yes, “Red, brown, yellow, black, or white. They are precious in His sight.”
Servants of God honor all people.
COPYRIGHT DISCLAIMER: The text contained in this sermon is solely owned by its author. The reproduction, or distribution of this message, or any portion of it, should include the author’s name. The author intends to provide free resources in order to inspire believers and to assist preachers and teachers in Kingdom work.