1 Peter 2:13-17
Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human authority: whether to the emperor, as the supreme authority, or to governors, who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right. For it is God’s will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish people. Live as free people, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as God’s slaves. Show proper respect to everyone, love the family of believers, fear God, honor the emperor. 1 Peter 2:13-17
Did I lose you at submit? Submission can be a hard pill to swallow for some. And when it comes to submitting to authorities or the government, it's not hard to find reasons why we wouldn’t want to submit to them, even when we know that God is the one who set them in that position. I’ll be the first to admit that there have been several government leaders whom I mistrusted and disliked. And as much as I am tired of their corruption, fraud, and wastefulness, it doesn’t relieve me from obeying the law or carrying out my civic responsibilities. I had to reread verse 15, “For it is God’s will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish people.”
Let’s try to wrap our heads around the “governmental” climate surrounding today’s scripture passage. I can imagine that the rulers of Peter’s Day were not easy men to respect. There was Nero, the Roman emperor who passionately persecuted Christians. There was Pontius Pilate, who handed Jesus over to be crucified. There was Felix, who put Paul in chains. Those were not easy days. Peter wrote in very difficult circumstances under very difficult-to-submit-to leaders. And he didn’t call for a revolt or violent insurrection. He called us to fit in, to cooperate, to positively contribute to the world of civic duty and responsibility. Not for the sake of the political leaders, good or bad, nor for his own sake or the sake of his fellow Christians, but for the Lord’s sake. Our motivation is that the Lord is asking us to do this!
So how do we get there? Only by the finished work of Christ on the cross and in the power of the Holy Spirit. We CAN do this, for the Lord’s sake, and we are to live as people who are free and exercise our freedom by serving God, not by breaking the rules.
We can obey the government without compromising our Christianity.
Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human authority: whether to the emperor, as the supreme authority, or to governors, who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right. For it is God’s will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish people. Live as free people, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as God’s slaves. Show proper respect to everyone, love the family of believers, fear God, honor the emperor. 1 Peter 2:13-17
Did I lose you at submit? Submission can be a hard pill to swallow for some. And when it comes to submitting to authorities or the government, it's not hard to find reasons why we wouldn’t want to submit to them, even when we know that God is the one who set them in that position. I’ll be the first to admit that there have been several government leaders whom I mistrusted and disliked. And as much as I am tired of their corruption, fraud, and wastefulness, it doesn’t relieve me from obeying the law or carrying out my civic responsibilities. I had to reread verse 15, “For it is God’s will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish people.”
Let’s try to wrap our heads around the “governmental” climate surrounding today’s scripture passage. I can imagine that the rulers of Peter’s Day were not easy men to respect. There was Nero, the Roman emperor who passionately persecuted Christians. There was Pontius Pilate, who handed Jesus over to be crucified. There was Felix, who put Paul in chains. Those were not easy days. Peter wrote in very difficult circumstances under very difficult-to-submit-to leaders. And he didn’t call for a revolt or violent insurrection. He called us to fit in, to cooperate, to positively contribute to the world of civic duty and responsibility. Not for the sake of the political leaders, good or bad, nor for his own sake or the sake of his fellow Christians, but for the Lord’s sake. Our motivation is that the Lord is asking us to do this!
So how do we get there? Only by the finished work of Christ on the cross and in the power of the Holy Spirit. We CAN do this, for the Lord’s sake, and we are to live as people who are free and exercise our freedom by serving God, not by breaking the rules.
We can obey the government without compromising our Christianity.
Posted in Devotional