Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake

1 Peter 2:11-25 from the daily reading in the One Year Bible

Beloved, I urge you as aliens and strangers to abstain from fleshly lusts which wage war against the soul. ¹² Keep your behavior excellent among the Gentiles, so that in the thing in which they slander you as evildoers, they may because of your good deeds, as they observe them, glorify God in the day of visitation.

¹³ Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether to a king as the one in authority, ¹⁴ or to governors as sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and the praise of those who do right. ¹⁵ For such is the will of God that by doing right you may silence the ignorance of foolish men. ¹⁶ Act as free men, and do not use your freedom as a covering for evil, but use it as bondslaves of God. ¹⁷ Honor all people, love the brotherhood, fear God, honor the king.

¹⁸ Servants, be submissive to your masters with all respect, not only to those who are good and gentle, but also to those who are unreasonable. ¹⁹ For this finds favor, if for the sake of conscience toward God a person bears up under sorrows when suffering unjustly. ²⁰ For what credit is there if, when you sin and are harshly treated, you endure it with patience? But if when you do what is right and suffer for it you patiently endure it, this finds favor with God.

²¹ For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps, ²² who committed no sin, nor was any deceit found in His mouth; ²³ and while being reviled, He did not revile in return; while suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously; ²⁴ and He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed. ²⁵ For you were continually straying like sheep, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Guardian of your souls.

In today’s text peter says:  Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether to a king as the one in authority, or to governors as sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and the praise of those who do right. For such is the will of God that by doing right you may silence the ignorance of foolish men. Act as free men, and do not use your freedom as a covering for evil, but use it as bondslaves of God. Honor all people, love the brotherhood, fear God, honor the king.   Throughout the history of Christianity, this principle has been one which has at times been difficult for believers to accept. How can you submit to and honor a human government which is evil and is even against the very faith which calls you to submit to it?   One of the keys is in the beginning of today’s text. Peter says:   Beloved, I urge you as aliens and strangers…    By always acknowledging that we are citizens of the kingdom of heaven even while we are citizens and residents of this world, we know that although we may have to submit to an evil authority, that authority is not the final authority. Jesus says:  “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.” (Matthew 28:18) Jesus is the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. He is the final authority in and of all that we do. He is the authority we submit to. He Himself gave us an example of submission to an evil and oppressive human government when He was arrested to be crucified. In Matthew 26:53 He said:  “Do you think that I cannot appeal to My Father, and He will at once put at My disposal more than twelve legions of angels?”  Again, when He stood before Pilate, Jesus submitted to human authority because it is ordained by God. John 19:10-11 says:  So Pilate said to Him, “You do not speak to me? Do You not know that I have authority to release You, and I have authority to crucify You?” Jesus answered, “You would have no authority over Me, unless it had been given you from above; for this reason he who delivered Me to you has the greater sin.”  When we recognize that God and Christ are the final authority and that our citizenship in the eternal kingdom of heaven is already established and secure, it makes the things of earth less intimidating. The psalmist says:   In God I have put my trust, I shall not be afraid. What can man do to me?(Psalm 56:11)

The other side of this call to submit to human institutions is covered when Peter says:  Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human institution… For such is the will of God that by doing right you may silence the ignorance of foolish men.  Act as free men, and do not use your freedom as a covering for evil, but use it as bondslaves of God.    It is the will of God that we do what is right. Neither our submission to human authority nor our freedom in Christ should be used as a covering for evil. Our culture and our society focuses on what is our right, what is allowed by the authority of our government and its laws. As believers we need to recognize that not everything that the government says is our right, is right in the eyes of God. There are many things which are legal and may be our right, but are not righteous. Just because something is our right, does not mean that it is right.   The text says:  If when you do what is right and suffer for it you patiently endure it, this finds favor with God. For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps… He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed. For you were continually straying like sheep, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Guardian of your souls.   The psalmist says:  Do not fret because of evildoers, Be not envious toward wrongdoers. For they will wither quickly like the grass And fade like the green herb. Trust in the Lord and do good; Dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness. Delight yourself in the Lord; And He will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord, Trust also in Him, and He will do it. He will bring forth your righteousness as the light And your judgment as the noonday. (Psalm 37:1-6)

The evil of human institutions may last and affect us for awhile. In the scheme of eternity they will wither and fade. Even earthly kingdoms which may have authority for hundreds of years are but a twinkling in eternity. So then, submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether to a king as the one in authority… Honor all people, love the brotherhood, fear God, honor the king. Most of all though, submit to and honor the King of Kings, who says:  “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.  

Heavenly Father, Lord Jesus Christ; precious Holy Spirit You are the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will first and last submit to and honor You. Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven, now as it is in eternity.  Amen.