1 Peter 2:13-17

1 Peter 2:13–17 (ESV)

13 Be subject for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme, 14 or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good. 15 For this is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people. 16 Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God. 17 Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor.

Your relationship with God determines the nature of your relationship with everyone else.

At this point in the letter Peter begins framing for them what it looks like to live as sojourners and exiles in their relationship with one another.

Another way to look at this is that Your actions flow from your identity, or your identity determines your lifestyle.

God’s goal for our lives is that the lost people around us would glorify God on the day of Christ’s return. Look at 1 Peter 2:12… the only way that the current lost people around us will glorify God then is if they come to know Jesus now. And, as we mentioned last week, we are called to be honorable… the word translated honorable means more than doing the right thing, it means being the right kind of person… it means that your life is true.

Your relationship with authorities is a reflection on the ultimate authority.

“13 Be subject for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme, 14 or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good.”

“Subject for the Lord’s sake”

“Subject" means submission… it does not mean submission greater than to God, because of the phrase “for the Lord’s sake.” But, it does mean more than just take notice of or live in deference too. It means to be in a posture of submission to authorities as one who is in submission to the Lord. God’s people are to be known as peaceable and have good reputations because they represent Him to the world…

“To every human institution (creature)”

“Institution” can be read, translated, or understood to refer to “creature”… meaning that the emperor or king is not a god or endowed with divine power as the Roman culture would have believed, instead Peter is making it clear that they are humans, and as such are below the one true God.

We don’t translate it that way because of what comes next, which is reference to the governing authorities… emperor and governors. They are human institutions or authorities, not divine rulers. But, they are operating under the divine sovereign will of God.

Every =’s “emperor as supreme, 14 or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good.”

Aside/further explanation on the role of government and how it worked in their day- “to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good.”

Your relationship with difficult leaders and authorities demonstrates the truth of the gospel

15 For this is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people.

“This is the will of God”

This refers to submission to those in human positions of authority, and those who represent them.

Obedience, or goodness, also serves to your advantage… it also serves to shame those who falsely accuse you.

Citizenship in God’s kingdom is not the same thing as diplomatic immunity

16 Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God.

You have been set free from your sin to live as slaves to Christ. What you do and who you are is a reflection of serving God. The evil being mentioned here is in relation to the emperor and his emissaries. Christians are not to use their citizenship in the Kingdom as an excuse to disobey those in authority.

It does mean that Christians should I’ve like God is their ultimate authority… and in doing so they must obey him where the laws of the land go against Him. But, they must also accept the consequences of their obedience to the Lord.

Your relationship with God determines the nature of your relationship with others.

17 Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor.

What this means is that there are ways that we relate to others because of our relationship with God, and there are also ways that we don’t relate to others because of our relationship with God.

“Honor everyone” (all people are made in the image of God and as such are deserving of the same honor. Imago Dei)

James 3:9 (ESV)

9 With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God.

“Love the brotherhood” (the distinct relationship between believers is one of familial love and commitment)

1 John 3:14–18 (ESV)

14 We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers. Whoever does not love abides in death. 15 Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him. 16 By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. 17 But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him? 18 Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.

This seems simple enough, but it’s like a line is being drawn around those who are saved. When someone is saved they are brought into the kingdom, and inside the lines… they are who you love, and you love them in the same way the Son has loved you.

“Fear God” (only God)

Luke 12:4–7 (ESV)

4 “I tell you, my friends, do not fear those who kill the body, and after that have nothing more that they can do. 5 But I will warn you whom to fear: fear him who, after he has killed, has authority to cast into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him! 6 Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? And not one of them is forgotten before God. 7 Why, even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not; you are of more value than many sparrows.

This is a massive statement against the religion and culture of the day… and its the same today as it was then… only God is to be feared. You can honor others, you are to love the brotherhood, and even honor those in authority… but only God is worthy of worship and your life. This distinction keeps your focus on the one who matters more, and undergirds the instructions to be subject for the Lord’s sake to ever human institution… be subject men as an act of your submission to God.

“Honor the emperor” (not fear because he isn’t God)

Moving into a time of political drama and an election year this is something that I would hope our members would take to heart.

Remember that your relationship with authorities is a reflection of your relationship with God, the ultimate authority. And we have to be able to live and act according to our identity as Christians in the midst of this chaos.

3 ways to live for the glory of God in the current political chaos:

Pray, actually pray, for those in leadership.

Praying for those in leadership reveals a great deal. If you don’t pray, then you are revealing where God actually is in your mind and heart.

Praying is not just what we do because we can’t do anything else… Prayer is the act of those who trust God more than they trust any other person or process.

Be informed, equipped, and engaged.

“Politics is too important to be left to the politicians.”

Know the issues and open your eyes to the truth of what is happening around you. This means that you need to know what is going on in the concentric circles of your life. You need to know what is happening in your city, in your county, in your region, in your state, in the country, etc.

Too many people are up to speed with what is happening nationally but completely ignorant of what is happening in the city they live in.

Be equipped means more than just knowing the issues… its actually more important that you are able to process and think about the issues of our day through a Christian or Biblical worldview.

Be engaged means that you need to be involved at the basic levels and more. MS just had its lowest number of voters in a primary election since 2007. Did you know that in 2020 there were 257 million Americans old enough to vote, there were 239 million eligible to vote, and yet only 159 million voted… but the number of people who voted in 202 was over 20 million more than in 2016. One of the things contributing to the chaos of the political landscape in our country is the massive increase in the number of people who are engaged.

In 1980 there were only 159 million people eligible to vote, and of that number 86 million voted. This means that over 40 years there has been an increase of close to 100 million eligible voters, and an increase of close to 75 million actual voters.

The answer for Christians cannot be to pull back from political engagement, instead it means that as we are prayerfully dependent on the Lord, we will also be people those around can depend on to be engaged and do our part to make our city, county, state, and country as good as it can be.

1 Peter 2 reminds us that in all of our political engagement, including our social media statements and posting, and including our private conversations, we are to act and handle ourselves honorably and in a manner that glorifies the Lord.

You cannot hide behind the idea of telling the truth, you must hide your truth telling behind the cross and address people and issues with a tone that reflects Christ.

Use your voice and your vote for good in a way that glorifies God

Serve others and share the gospel

Christians who say they care about the people and going on’s around them will show it in their service to others and their passion to share the gospel.

Jesus is our example…

Jesus served

Jesus shared

Your relationship with God determines the nature of your relationship with everyone else.

Thoughts, Commentary, Notes:

God’s Will

Fitting in where you can for the sake of society and your personal life

Focused on pleasing God in your relationship with one another and those outside the church

Freedom in Christ means that you are bound to do the will of God

Living for Christ means an awareness that you belong to Him and reflect Him in what you do.

Following God means that we follow the