The Politics of Holiness- 1 Pet. 2:13-16

We are going to violate two warnings that we have heard in society for years. We are told that we should never talk about religion or politics. Well, this morning we are going to talk about both. Why?

Because God’s Word teaches us about religion (or, the Christian Faith) and about politics. As Christians, God has provided all things necessary for life and godliness (2 Pet. 1:3), including how Christians interact with governmental authorities.

Now, I want to make a remark before we dive into this passage because it is important. We are citizens of the United States of America. I believe it is one of the greatest countries in human history. We are a free people, and we have a the Constitution that protects our freedoms. We should praise God for this every day. However, we must be careful that our freedoms do not overcome our submission to God and His Word.

By this I mean, if the US Constitution allowed for the freedom to kill someone at will, we would follow God’s Word to preserve life. Now, I use this absurd example for the purposes of showing where our first allegiances lay: to Christ.

Holiness is to be the mark of every child of God. That holiness is to be reflected in every facet of our lives, including our relationship to governmental authorities. I summarize this section with the following:

As children of God, we are to submit to and honor God-ordained authority for His glory, for the gospel, and for holiness.

I. The Command to Submit- 2:13-14, 17

Peter begins with a command. This is not an option. Even as a citizen of this country, with the wonderful freedoms we enjoy, we are called by God’s Word to submit. In other words, it is not optional. This command is given to us in God’s holy Word, the same Word that tells us of our glorious salvation through the Triune God. Let’s look at this in more detail to find out exactly what Peter is commanding believers to do.

A. Examining this Command

The command is to submit. This word is used frequently in Scripture to denote a placing under of one’s self to a husband (if one is a woman) or to a commander in the military. For example, Jesus himself submitted to His imperfect parents’ authority in Luke 2:51. It is the same word used in James 4:7 in our relationship to God.

When the government instructs us to obey speed limits, we are to submit to that law. It is not optional. To violate the laws for speed is sin. The same can be said of stealing, or murder, or failing to pay taxes. If you are a Christian, you must submit yourselves to governing authorities.

Peter expands this command to include “every ordinance of man.” That is, the laws and rules governing that particular society or nation or even city. Now, you may say, “What if the government tells us to go against God’s Word?” The Scriptures provide us examples of what we are to do.

For example, Peter was commanded by his religious leaders not to preach or teach in Christ’s name anymore. In Acts 5:29, Peter tells these God-ordained leaders, “We ought to obey God rather than men.” In other words, if governmental authorities overstep their boundaries into God’s lanes, we obey the higher authority of God.

We see the same examples in human relationships as well. If a parent tells a child to go and murder someone, the child can biblically refuse to do so. The parent’s desire violates both human and God’s laws.

What this means is that if the government makes a law that is not unbiblical, we are commanded from the Bible to obey and submit. It does not matter how stupid you or I think a particular law is. It does not matter how unjust the law may be. We are, according to the teachings of God’s Holy Word, to submit to every ordinance.

B. Extent of this Command

Peter expands upon this command by detailing the various authorities to whom we are to submit: the king (or, emperor) and governors. There is a hierarchy of authority in almost every civilization. In our own country we have three branches that help our country. We have mayors, police officers, senators, representatives, and so on. We have a president and vice president. Though each functions in a different role, they are our leaders.

Chris read a passage from Jeremiah and a passage from Proverbs concerning submission to governmental authorities. In Jeremiah, we see the prophet’s call for the people to submit to Babylon. Babylon, if you are at all familiar with biblical history, was not a pleasant neighbor to Israel and Judah. They ended up destroying the temple and robbing the temple of its treasures. They were wicked.

Yet, Jeremiah tells Judah to submit to Babylon. “But they are wicked Jeremiah!” “They hate God’s people!” “They destroyed the temple!” I have no doubt that Jeremiah heard this rebuttals. But Jeremiah provides us with an insight into why we should submit, even to wicked governments in 27:5, “I have made the earth, the man and the beast that are on the ground, by My great power and by My outstretched arm, and have given it to whom it seemed proper to Me.”

John Piper, in his wonderful book Providence, writes this,

“Failing to know and rejoice in the absolute rule of God over the kings of the earth is a sign that we are becoming like animals, not humans....Woven into this indestructible fabric of providence over all human authority are the golden threads of God’s peculiar glory.”—John Piper, Providence, 313-314

He goes on to write of the fear and aloneness that Daniel and the Hebrews would have faced, and no doubt the same fear believers face today.

“The humanizing truth that Daniel was most concerned about was the pervasive providence of God over kings and nations. This was probably because he and his band of Jewish exiles seemed utterly small and insignificant in the belly of pagan Babylon. But, in reality, it is the nations who are a drop in a bucket. To know that your covenant-keeping God rules the mightiest king on earth and makes him eat straw like an ox is essential to exile survival (then and now). It protects the believing exiles not only from desecrating God’s name, but also from dehumanizing their own souls.” (332-333)

Rom. 2:24 and Isaiah 52:5

Therefore, we submit to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake, because the Lord reigns over those who reign, because God has placed them in their positions (cf. Rom. 13: 1-2).

C. Esteem of this Command

Holiness, however, is not simply about actions. The act of submitting can take place with a disgruntled child who performs the task given to him by his parents. But it is not holy submission.

Holy submission takes submission a step further to honor. We are commanded to honor all people and the king (i.e., emperor). To honor means to esteem, to count worthy.

This in no way implies that the one we are honoring is worthy of that honor in and of themselves. The command to honor our parents (Ex. 20:12) is not stipulated on their honorableness. It is stipulated on God’s authority to share His perfect reign with imperfect people.

I am guilty of speaking dishonorably about our leaders. This is not godly. As followers of Jesus Christ, as exiles in this world, we are called by God to honor those whom God has placed over us.

That is the command. Now let’s look at the motivation.

II. The Motivation to Submit- 2:15-16

Peter tells us that this submission to imperfect, human authority is the will of God. As the governmental authorities are raised by God to punish evil and reward good, and we as elect exiles submitting to and honoring them, we “put to silence the ignorance of foolish men.”

That is, as we obey the Word of God we eliminate unnecessary accusations against us. We discussed the Gentiles in 2:12, how they will speak evil against us. The world hates us. Therefore, give no additional reasons for the world to hate us.

Our motivation, then, is to conduct ourselves as elect exiles (i.e., free people) in such a way that we honor and obey God’s Word in relation to the governments in which God has placed us.

We also see that this motivation includes a caveat of who we are. We have already mentioned this, but I want to spend a few minutes drawing out what Peter is teaching us.

In our submission to government, Peter tells us to do so “as free.” We are free, more free than the US Constitution, because we are children of God Almighty. However, though we are free, Peter warns us against the imbalance of refusing the submit to God’s rule through governments. Or, as he puts it, “not using liberty as a cloak for vice.” I am afraid that many Christians are using their “liberty” as a cloak for vice, the vice of natural human rebellion.

That is, we use every excuse not to submit to governmental authority. We use the imperfections of the governmental systems, individuals, or the various laws or ordinances as reasons not to submit. We will discuss some possible issues in a minute, but please here what God is telling us. Though we are free, we are not to abuse this freedom. We are free as humans on this earth, but we are bondservants (slaves) of God. Our obedience to God should drive, in other words, our obedience to governmental authorities.]

As children of God, we are to submit to and honor God-ordained authority for His glory, for the gospel, and for holiness.

Potential Issues Specific to Christians in the US

We live, as I mentioned, in a glorious country. We have wonderful freedoms that are guaranteed in the Bill of Rights. The US Constitution provides limits on governmental roles and the dividing of powers. That document, with the amendments, helps our government function in a unique way, different from the Roman empire. So, how does this change things for Christians?

We have the ability to work in and with our governments for a good end thanks to the freedoms and protections provided by our wise and imperfect forefathers. There will be issues that come up that may present a unique challenge to navigate. Here are a few principles to help:

Always live and conduct yourself in a way that glorifies God while submitting to His Word

Always aim to be peaceable and graceful with your interactions with others, especially in civil matters

Never violate the clear teachings of God’s Word—speak with grace, honor leaders, and always remember our main objective (1 Pet. 3:15-16)

As children of God, we are to submit to and honor God-ordained authority for His glory, for the gospel, and for holiness.