Living as Good Residents

Let me pray...

Introduction

We began a new section last week concerning how Believers are to interact in this world whilst keeping our lives holy. He, first of all, reminds us that we are sojourners and pilgrims, and in doing so Peter reminds us that we belong to God and His Kingdom. Our citizenship is in the eternal kingdom of Christ. And I think it will be good for us to remember this truth as we go through the next few weeks.

If there ever is a divisive word in today’s vocabulary it is this word ‘submit.’ As soon as people from Australia, or America, or any one of the many western nations, are told to submit, they immediately get out their pitchforks and shovels. I would say that submit is a word more despised than most cuss words. But we are told throughout the BIble to submit, and to be honest, I think one of the central themes running from the beginning to the end of the Bible is Submission to God’s authority.

When Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden the issue was whether to submit to God’s authority or to self (which is really submission to Satan). The bible shows us that God is the rightful King. In Genesis 1:1 the bible begins, In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth, and ends in Revelation 21-22 with God creating a new perfect earth, and His children in a right submissive relationship with Him once again. What the Bible is concerned with, then, is God making a way for us to get back into the right submissive relationship with Himself. This is the reason for Jesus Christ’s incarnation; His death and resurrection was to restore the relationship back to what it was before the fall.

This only happens when we submit to Him as our Lord, as our Master, and Saviour. And, because He is the King we are free to submit to every authority here on earth.

Please keep your Bible open to 1 Peter 2.

Elements of Christian Submission

The Command

1 Peter 2:13a, Therefore submit yourselves to every ordinance of man. Before I explain what submit is, let me first clarify what Peter means when he says “every ordinance of man.” Every ordinance of man has a very general meaning here and refers to every institution who has authority over us. This includes the federal government, the state government, and the local government agencies. It includes teachers and parents. It embraces Masters in 1 Peter 2:18-25, and dare I say it, wives to their husbands in 1 Peter 3:1-7. Ordinances also relates to the laws and statutes within each nation. We have federal laws that must be obeyed by all who live or visit Australia. We have State laws for those who are within the borders of Queensland. And we also have local laws that must be submitted too as well. So here in Australia it will mean that we are to obey the road rules. If the sign says 60 kilometers per hour, we don’t do 65km/hr. If the sign says to stop we come to a complete stop. If the traffic lights go orange before we get to them, we don’t put the foot on the accelerator, instead we are to slow the car down and stop before the solid white line.

Peter tells Believers that we are to submit to these institutions, so lets have a look at what submit means. In today’s society the word submit will commonly mean honour, be considerate, or respect, but the Biblical sense of the word refers to obedience. In the next chapter of first Peter we read in verse 5 and into verse 6, For in this manner, in former times, the holy women who trusted in God also adorned themselves, being submissive to their own husbands, as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord. Peter uses the word submissive in verse 5 and in verse 6 uses the word obeyed with the exact same meaning.

This must be explained. We are to submit “to every ordinance of man” unless those institutions prohibit us to something God commands, or they command us to do something God prohibits. Under these conditions, and these conditions only, we must not submit. To bring it more clear about what Peter wrote in these passages, we must understand that these are general truths. In most situations Christians are to be the most law abiding people in society. But there are times when we must disobey the ordinances of man in order to continue to conform to God’s Word. In times such as these, where Australia is in a time of flux with covid and the rejection of Biblical ethics and standards in wider society, it can be quite dificult to know when to obey and when not too. Some Churches have decided to abide with the lockdown laws as a way to witnes God’s love and care for the society as a whole, yet others have decided that enough is enough and are under fire from the authorities over their lack of submission to their laws.

Paul, in Romans 14 says that if we are going to obey or disobey we must be certain we are doing so in conviction of God’s Word. The correct response then is to recieve your orders from God. Let His Word guide you in this, but you must be sure to understand the teaching in its wider context, and make sure it does not go against other parts of Holy Scripture. God is united, and so is His Word.

The Motive

The reason why the Holy Spirit through Peter tells us to submit to every ordinance of man is 1 Peter 2:13b, For the Lord’s sake. For the sake of the Lord. Not for our own sake, and not for the sake of the preacher, or the church. The whole of the Christian life is for the Glory of the One who saves us from condemnation. The world lives for it own glory, and there is an emphasis on the importance of SELF. We are taught to have self confidence, have selfpride. The world is telling us that we can be anything we want, it is all inside us. We just need to believe in ourselves. Satan, the prince of this world, uses half truths, or just enough of the truth, to make it sound believable.

But God’s the truth is that each of us have a limit. I could never have been, nor ever will be a football star, or an olympic athelete. I do not have the intellegence to become the next Prime Minister, or the next John Macarthur, or RC Sproul. Some of us don’t have the youthfulness, and none the training to be Astronauts. But each one of God’s children have the capacity to submit to human authority because God is ultimately in control. He alone is Sovereign. The Westminster Confession of Faith says in Chapter 3, From all eternity God, by the most wise and holy purpose of His own Will, freely and unchangeably ordained whatever comes to pass. When we say that God is Sovereign we are affirming that He sits on the eternal throne, governing all of creation, from the biggest things to the smallest atom. How easy it is to submit to authority when we fully agree with them, however Peter and Paul with him tells us that it is equally important to obey authority when we disagree with them, for we do so “for the Lord’s sake.”

Not only do we submit to human authority for the Lord’s sake, but Peter adds in 1 Peter 2:15, For this is the will of God. One of the most popular questions asked by new and old Believers alike is the question, How can I know God’s will? In some ways God’s will can not be known by His creation, it is beyond our understanding. But God has revealed His Will for how His people are to obey Him, and part of this is submitting to those in authority over us.

The Extent

Peter has told us that God expects us to submit to human authority because it is God’s will and for His sake. Peter now presents the effective boundaries of submission. 1 Peter 2:13c-14, whether to the king as supreme, or to governors, as to those who are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and for the praise of those who do good. As we survey the world around us we can see structure and order. In the animal kingdom, we see some animals higher up the social ladder than others, and on top is the alpha. The animal in charge of the whole troop. we see this in elephants, and horses, and dogs, and even chickens. The same is seen in the humnan kingdoms of the world. Here in Australia, as I have said we have local government, State government, and federal government. Over them, at least theoretically, is the queen of England. God is a god of order and not chaos. He has given us ten commandments and not ten suggestions. At the top of the hierarchical ladder in Peter’s day was the emperor. The emperor was the notorious Nero, who reigned from about AD 54 - 68. Nero was not a fan of Christianity, He used to light his gardens at night by setting alight Christians. He would send them into the colosseum to be eaten be wild animals, for etertainment.

Yet here in 1 Peter we see the Apostle giving instruction to submit to every ordinance of man. We are not yet near this level of persecution and cruelty in Australia. But the mandate is the same, submission to authority is not an optional extra, it is neccessary for Believers to obey, whether the authority is good or bad.

The Reason

Why does Peter give this instruction? Well he tells us in 1 Peter 2:15, that by doing good you may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men. By doing what is right under the law, the worst they can accuse us of is being law abiding residents. Unfornutely, this is meant as an insult and often taken that way. How many of us have been going 100 kilometers per hour along the road, just to have someone fly up behind us flashing lights, blowing his horn, and throughing abuse? It happens all the time. Yet if we are following the law and submitting to the powers over us, we are doing nothing wrong, the people who do such things will most likely get a ticket when the police do catch up. In verse 15 Peter calls them foolish men, they will be silenced, by Christians doing what is right.

Doing good is self explanitory as meaning submitting to every ordinance of men. The ignorance Peter speaks of here is not the lack of knowledge, but speaks to those who willfully reject the truth with hostility. By rejecting Believers these people are really willfully and bitterly rejecting God, and as such are foolish for doing so. In most insitances when the Bible speaks of being wise it refers to those who know and trust what God says. The foolish people are those who reject and oppose what God says.

The Attitude

Our attitude, as Believers, is very important as we live among the non-beleivers. Why? Because it’s through our attitude, as we react, to various situations and people that we either display the Gospel or show the Gospel to be a lie. Peter says in 1 Peter 2:16, as free, yet not using liberty as a cloak for vice, but as bondservants of God. We have been freed from the bondage of sin and death. Paul says to Titus in Titus 3:1-3, Remind them to be subject to rulers and authorities, to obey, to be ready for every good work, to speak evil of no one, to be peaceable, gentle, showing all humility to all men. For we ourselves were also once foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving various lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful and hating one another. Christians are to be people of integrity. A problem of qualifications for Elders and Pastors, in First Timothy and Titus, should be the attitude and life of every person who has tasted that the Lord is good. Part of this attitude is not to become conceited in our new positions as children of God. It goes back to last week when I mentioned the fruit of the Spirit.

I think if we are really adverse to slave then the word bondservants of God is ok. It shows that we as new creations are bound to Him in servanthood. We do not belong either to this world, nor to ourselves. The result of having the right attitude in our slavehood is sanctification. Romans 6:19-20, now present your members as slaves of righteousness for holiness. Holiness is the same word for sancification and some of your Bibles will use that word instead.

Conclusion

The Applicaiton

Peter tells us one of the ways we are to be in God’s will. Submit to every ordinance of men. As we submit to the institutions above us, willingly and for the Lord’s glory, we display the Gospel of Christ. 1 Peter 2:17, Honor all people. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the king. We are to honour all people, including those in authority. Jesus says it best when he says that we are to love others as we would have them love us. As we submit to God we give Him the glory as our Master, and we recieve sanctification. Our freedom does not give us the right to abuse the authorities, or disregard the laws, that were established by God’s will. The only time God directs us to disobey is when the authority forbids what God commands, or commands what God forbids.

Here then we see Peter directing us back to 1 Peter 1:15, be holy in all your conduct.

Let us pray