Honoring the Emperor

Introduction

Read 1 Peter 2:13-17.

Last week we looked at 1 Peter 2:9-12.

We saw that by God’s mercy, we are his sojourning people, who proclaim his wonderful works among the unbelieving citizens of this world.

We proclaim his excellencies by abstaining from the desires of the flesh, which wage war against our soul.

We also proclaim his excellencies by by walking in Christlike manner among the citizens of this world, who will persecute you in this life, and glorify God because of you on the day of judgment.

Today is a continuation of this last thought—walking in a Christlike manner among the citizens of the world. Peter is going to explain to us what this looks like in the context of being under a civil government.

We’re going to examine our calling in relation to civil government today under three headings:

First, the command: The Christian’s Obligation (13-14)

Second, the reason: The Christian’s Witness (15)

Third, how: The Christian’s Freedom (16-17)

1. The Christian’s Obligation (13-14)

1 Peter 2:13–14 ESV

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.

This is one of the two great New Testament passages dealing with the civil government and our relationship to it as Christians in the New Testament. The other is Romans 13:1-7. I am coming at this text this morning from the classical Protestant view, which is grounded in generations of Scriptural interpretation and understanding.

Remember, Peter just finished telling us that by conducting ourselves honorably among the Gentiles even when they persecute us we bring glory to God.

So this text is a continuation of that train of thought.

You, Christian, are to be subject—you are to be under the authority of—the civil government.

Both this passage and Romans 13 say that civil government is an institution of God. Because God instituted government, our obligation to obey the government comes from God himself.

Government: Common Grace

Government is what we call a “common grace” institution. Since expounding scripture is doing theology, sometimes we need to talk about theological terms to give us the tools to think about what we’re looking at in our passage.

Theologians have generally found it useful to think of God’s grace under two categories: Common Grace, and Special Grace (or Saving Grace).

Special Grace or Saving Grace is what we usually think about when we think about God’s grace. This God’s grace where he accomplishes and applies salvation for his people.

Common Grace is the grace God pours out on everyone, even the unbelievers.

Matthew 5:45 (ESV)

For he [God] makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.

God by his common grace gives the good gifts of the sun and the rain on the righteous and the wicked alike, for the good of everyone without exception! A trap we can fall into is that we can forget that God pours out unmerited and untold blessings in this life on the sons of men—even those in rebellion against him who will never repent or turn to him.

Common grace does not save; but it does restrain evil and promote good. Why is everyone who isn’t a Christian not Hitler? Because God’s grace—his common grace—restrains sin.

The ungodly can prosper, live outwardly virtuous lives, create great works of art, have loving families, sacrifice for others, and live to ripe old ages. These are all blessings from the Lord which he is pleased to bestow because he is a gracious God. This is what we mean when we speak of God’s common grace—not because there’s anything common about it, but because it is God’s grace for believers AND unbelievers alike—and common grace does not save. It is not saving grace.

Power of the Sword

Again, God ordained government as a common grace institution for the good of everyone in this world. Our text this morning speaks to this directly.

1 Peter 2:14 ESV

or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good.

Revolution When?

And as we see in verse 14, the government exists for our good. It punishes the evildoers and praises those who do good. This means that the purpose of government is the good of the governed. When a government ceases to serve the good of its people entirely, it is no longer fulfilling its purpose—and is no longer a government.

The government is made for us; we were not made for the government. The government is for our good, not God’s good.

Now, Romans 13:1 also tells us that all governing authorities have been instituted by God.

Romans 13:1 ESV

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.

All governing authorities have been instituted by God, for the good of everyone who lives under them.

So what did I mean a few moments ago when I said a government that has stopped serving the good of its people entirely is no longer a government?

As an example: My vehicle’s job is to get me places and carry things. That’s its purpose. When I drive it, it’s fulfilling its purpose. So yeah, the air conditioner might not work perfectly and it might be rusty and there might be a crack in the windshield and it might really need repairs and it might have recalls on it.

But it’s still doing what it’s intended to do!

But what if every time I needed to go somewhere I had to put on a harness and drag my truck behind me? Is it fulfilling its purpose? Is it doing the most basic thing it’s supposed to do? No. It’s time for a new vehicle.

It’s the same basic idea with government. When it’s not performing its most basic function, it’s no longer a government and should be replaced.

There’s an idea recently that’s become popular in some circles that the only valid form of government is a government founded on explicitly Christian principles with the purpose of serving the Lord, and that as soon as it stops actively serving the Lord it ceases to be a valid government.

Baloney.

It would be an incredible blessing to live under Christian leaders, just like it is a tremendous blessing to be born into a Christian family.

But just like a family is still a family regardless of whether the people that make it up are Christians or not, a government is still a government regardless of whether its highest officials are Christians seeking to walk in the paths of righteousness or not.

And Christian, Peter tells you to be subject to the civil government.

We’re going to discuss civil disobedience in our last point, so if you really are still stuck on the “whatabouts” and are dying to know how to disobey the government as a Christian, stick around.

2. The Christian’s Witness (15)

1 Peter 2:15 ESV

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

Doing Good = Unbeliever’s Silence

Today, Peter says that it’s God’s will that by doing good—the good he has in mind now is submission to the government authorities—you will shut the mouths of ignorant, foolish people who are calling you evildoers and persecuting you.

Let’s also put back in our minds Peter’s exhortation in 2:12 from last week:

1 Peter 2:12 ESV

Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation.

These two thoughts are tied together.

From verse 12: Conduct yourselves like Christians; they will speak against you, calling you evildoers, and persecute you, but they will also see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of judgment for them.

Then in verse 15 Peter repeats the thought—but this time he says by doing good—specifically, submitting to the governing authorities--you will silence the ignorance of the foolish people who speak against you.

This link should fascinate us, and should make us think.

“Do good,” Peter says. “They’ll speak against you in this life, but on the day of judgment they will acknowledge the good deeds you did and God will be glorified.”

Now, Peter says “This good deed in particular you do—submitting to the governing authorities—will silence those who speak against you IN THIS LIFE.”

Now, just like the proverbs, this is not a mechanical cause-and-effect that if you “pay your taxes the unbelievers will stop speaking against you.”

But there is a connection there between the way we submit to our governing authorities and the amount that unbelievers speak against us.

Illustration: Jan 6th

Let’s get spicy this morning and use January 6th as an illustration. Forget the narratives from the right and from the left for a moment—they’ll muddy the illustration. Just think about this basic point with me.

It came out that a number of people who participated in January 6th were active duty military. Suddenly right-wing extremism in the military became a national talking point that had to be addressed through training and answering to Congress, and so on. I still see references to it in articles discussing the fallout from January 6th.

Members of the military did not submit to the governing authorities, and it caused many civilians in our country to speak against the military. I definitely suffered through that awful extremism training we had to take as a result.

The point is that refusing to live in right relationship to the government is an especially fast way to make ourselves an especially attractive target to unbelievers.

IF THEY MALIGN US, LET THEM MALIGN US FOR CHRIST’S SAKE.

But our text says that they will see the way we live in relation to our government, and it will silence the ignorance of foolish people.

At this point, you may still be saying, “Woah, we are to submit to the government, no matter what it does?”

Let’s look at our final point this morning.

3. The Christian’s Freedom (16-17)

1 Peter 2:16–17 ESV

Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God. Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor.

Christian Liberty 101

Saints, you are to live as people who are free.

So what does Peter mean by freedom?

So many times when I hear people say “Christian liberty” they’re using the wrong definition. When the unbeliever says liberty—especially in the American context—what he means is that men and women are allowed to do whatever we has the desire and the physical ability to do.

So again, here’s the wrong definition: freedom to do whatever you have the desire and the physical ability to do. This isn’t true liberty; this is just license to do evil. It’s a free country, so I can go become a woman. It’s a free country, so I can get a divorce for any reason I want to. It’s a free country, so love is love is love.

Christian Liberty, brothers and sisters, is so much richer than that.

It’s freedom FROM: the dominion of Satan, the guilt of sin, the wrath of God, the sting of death...

It’s freedom TO: have free access to God, as children to a Father who is able and ready to help us. It’s the freedom—the ability—to obey God from a child-like love and a willing mind.

Although these concepts in their entirety make up Christian Liberty, what I’m going to be most specifically speaking about is our freedom to live for God; to do whatever we have a moral right to do. Again, Christian liberty is freedom to live for God; to do whatever we have a moral right to do.

I have a moral right to love God, and my neighbor.

A more thorough explanation of what this love for God and my neighbor looks like is summarized in the Ten Commandments. This is what living for God looks like.

Peter says to live as people who are free. Live in keeping with your Christian liberty.

But because he knows we are prone to sin and to abuse our liberty, he immediately warns us against abusing our liberty. We aren’t to use Christian liberty as a cover up for evil.

It seems to me that replacing Christian liberty—the freedom to live for God and to do whatever I have a moral right to do—with American liberty—freedom to do whatever I have the desire and the ability to do—is exactly the sort of thing Peter is warning against here.

We are to live as children and servants of God.

Obedience Despite Suffering

OK, so what does this look like in practice, especially in the face of living in a sinful world and under a government that in some cases calls good evil and evil good?

That’s a great question.

Remember, the purpose of government is the good of the governed.

A theoretically perfectly just and upright government would create and enforce laws that allow us to exercise our Christian Liberty perfectly. Under a perfectly just government, I would be free in every way to live for God and to do do whatever I have a moral right to do. This also means that I would be restricted from sinning.

The government doesn’t “create” the rights of our Christian liberty. The government recognizes them. The government doesn’t decide what a family is, or what marriage is, or what the Church is. A just government recognizes these institutions and ensures you are free to enjoy their blessings.

So first, let’s ask ourselves the question of how we as Christians are to react when the government takes away our Christian Liberty.

Let’s get spicy with it again and talk about mask mandates. Again, forget about the narratives. Think narrowly with me about these specifics. The calculus may change when we add variables… Let’s just think about the basics.

Is a mask inherently evil or wicked? No.

Is wearing a mask inherently sinful? No, it’s pretty morally neutral.

If wearing a mask does absolutely nothing for anyone’s health, is the act of wearing one inherently sinful? No.

Is it silly-looking and does it make me suffer because masks are terrible and make it hard to breathe? Yes.

Are either of these things sinful? No. Is causing me to suffer for no reason just?

No, but SUFFERING IS NOT SINFUL.

So then does the government mandating I wear a mask require me to sin against God or my neighbor? No. So obey the governing authorities. And get it changed through civic engagement in a manner befitting a Christian if you can.

But, if a mask protects and preserves my own life and the life of my neighbor, it is actually of the essence of Christian liberty to wear one.

Notice, I didn’t say that a mask DOES preserve or protect life. I said IF a mask protects and preserves life.

Does the government mandating that I wear a mask require me to sin against God and my neighbor? No, not really. Even if my leaders are sinning by taking away my right to not wear a mask, I am not sinning by obeying them. I’m suffering because of their sin, but I’m not sinning. I’m obeying them, which is what God has called me to do.

Christian, you must obey laws which take away your Christian liberty as long as they do not require you to positively sin. And like I said a few moments ago, seek to get them changed through civic engagement.

Our duty to obey the government doesn’t come from our agreement with the law. It doesn’t come from the government’s being the one we voted for.

Remember, back to our first point, our duty to obey the government comes from the fact that government is God’s ordinance. It also comes from the fact that he has placed us under it, just like he placed us under our parents when we were young.

So what about when the government enacts a law that requires us to sin against God or our neighbor?

Obedience to God, not Man

Here, we cannot follow. It’s one thing to suffer because of someone else’s sin, including the sin of our leaders. It’s another thing entirely for me personally to engage in sin. Let’s think back to Peter and the Apostle’s example in Acts 5 to see what this might look like.

Remember, in Acts 5:28-29 Peter and other apostles with him are hauled in front of the council for preaching about Jesus, and the council charges them,

Acts 5:28–29 ESV

saying, “We strictly charged you not to teach in this name, yet here you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching, and you intend to bring this man’s blood upon us.” But Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than men.

The council deliberates, and in Acts 5:40-42

Acts 5:40–42 ESV

and when they had called in the apostles, they beat them and charged them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go. Then they left the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name. And every day, in the temple and from house to house, they did not cease teaching and preaching that the Christ is Jesus.

In this case, their Christian liberty was to love God and their neighbor by fulfilling the great commission.

The council commanded them to sin by not doing what God had commanded.

They refused to obey the council, because this would require sin.

But they submitted to the council’s punishment—they were beaten for disobeying—and they rejoiced that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for Jesus’s name. And they kept on obeying the Lord.

When we as Christians disobey the government, it can never be from a spirit of defiance towards the government. It must always be from a spirit of submissiveness and love toward our God and our Savior.

Fruits of Christian Liberty

We’re going to close this morning by looking at verse 17, which really shows us what the fruits of living our our Christian liberty looks like.

First, we will show honor to every one.

Honor everyone.

All men and women and children are made in the image of God, and no matter how broken that image may be in them by sin, we are to treat them as valuable. We are to consider them as important, and we are not to consider ourselves as more important or valuable than others.

Love the brotherhood.

We show honor to all, but we are to love our fellow Christians like family, because we are brothers and sisters in Christ.

Fear God.

We are to show honor and respect to the authorities, and submit to them, but we are to fear God. As Joshua explained to us a few weeks back when he was preaching out of 1 Peter 1:17 fearing God means reverence, awe, and love.

He is our Father--but he is not daddy God. He is the sovereign creator of the universe. We would do well to remember the line from Chronicles of Narnia about Aslan: Aslan was not a tame lion. But he was good.

Honor the Emperor.

Peter isn’t talking about a democratically-elected, God-fearing President at the head of a Christian government with Christian laws and a Christian population. He’s telling them to honor the Emperor of Rome. You know, in this same letter, Peter refers to Rome as Babylon, in 1 Peter 5:13. Something to chew on as we conclude this morning.

Conclusion

We examined our calling in relation to civil government this morning under three main points:

First, the command: The Christian’s Obligation (13-14)

We are to submit ourselves to earthly civil authorities.

Second, the reason: The Christian’s Witness (15)

Submission to the civil authorities is part of our witness to the world, and silences unbelievers who would speak evil of us and of God.

Third, the how: The Christian’s Freedom (16-17)

Christian liberty, friends, is the freedom to live for God by doing what you have a moral right to do.

Christian, you must obey laws which take away your Christian liberty as long as they do not require you to positively sin. With that, of the blessings of our system of government is that we are free to seek to get them changed through civic engagement.

We do not defy tyrants; we submit in love to the Lord, and we rejoice when he counts us worthy of suffering for Christ.