The Blessing of Submission

Introduction:

Here in the United States of America, there are many things we don’t like: traffic, a late paycheck, slow service at a restaurant, people telling us to do things, and of course the list could go on practically forever. But of everything we as a people don’t like, there is one that strikes me as being worse than all others: submitting to authority.

We do not like to submit. When you think about it, our country was established on rebellion. The main reason for the revolutionary war was high taxes which the colonists would not submit to. In Christian circles, talk about submission usually ends up being about wives submitting to husbands and in many cases is not warmly accepted. Submission seems to be the universally hated subject for Christians today.

But you know, this aversion to submission does not find it’s roots in the revolutionary war. The first seed of rebellion was planted in the heart of Eve when she was tempted by the serpent in the Garden of Eden. That seed sprouted into a plant when Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit out of a desire to become equals with God. From that moment on, people have had a problem with submitting to authority.

I mention all this because our text today and for the next two or three weeks is about submission and if we are to accept what the Lord has to say to us about submission, we need to recognize that our aversion to submission is inherently sinful. We should take no joy or pride in the fact that we don’t submit or don’t like to submit. Just like lying, stealing, and murder are sins, a rebellious and non-submissive attitude is just as sinful and must be dealt with if we are to become more like Jesus.

Submit for God

Peter deals with multiple areas of submission in 1 Peter 2:13- 3:7, but he begins his teaching with submission to human institutions. Verse 13 in the English Standard Version says, “Be subject for the Lord’s sake to every human institution.” (Different translations might say “every ordinance of man (NKJV)” or “Every human authority (NASB)” or some similar variation)

Out of all the ways for us to submit, I think this one takes the cake. Especially in these days, we do not like to hear people talking about submitting to the government. But it’s not just the government…it’s every human authority: the stores you shop at, the Environmental Protection Agency, PETA, the building and code inspector, your boss at work, etc. Peter uses the example of the Roman emperor or governors sent by him so we should certainly assume submission to the President and congress and state governors and local government as well.

There is an incredibly important phrase in the first part of verse 13 that completely changes everything about submission. Do you know what it is? Christians are to be submissive FOR THE LORD’S SAKE to human authority.

This one phrase tells us that God is the highest authority for the Christian.

We are to submit to human authority FOR THE SAKE OF THE LORD, which means there is someone higher than all authorities on the earth whom we are submitting for. In Romans 13, the Apostle Paul tells us that there is no authority on earth except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God (Romans 13:1). As the highest authority, God created and put into place all governments and all authorities.

Clarification

It’s at this point that I feel the need to stop and make something clear. In the text, Peter does not give exceptions. He does not say, “submit for the Lord’s sake to every human authority except if they…” What he says is, “Submit.” My guess is that most of us are already thinking about exceptions to the rule; we are thinking about all the ways we don’t need to submit. Yes, it’s true that there may be circumstances that require us to obey God and not the authorities over us, but Peter is not talking about the exceptions. Peter’s command to submit assumes that the authority over us has not demanded we act against God. If you can, so your best not to consider all the reasons why you shouldn’t submit but consider the reasons why you should. Thankfully, Peter gives us two very good reasons in verse 15.

Reasons to submit

The first good reason for us want to submit to authority is that it’s the will of God that we do so. Because God is our ultimate authority, Peter says that it’s God’s will that we submit to all the lesser authorities he establishes, for to submit to the authorities God establishes is to submit to God himself. Often Christians wonder what the will of God is for their lives; here we have an answer: part of the will of God for all believers is that we willingly submit ourselves to governing authorities.

The second good reason for submitting to governing authorities is that we will be a testimony of Jesus to the world. Peter said, “For this is the will of God, that by doing good (that is submitting to every human authority) you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people.”

Did you know that submission reflects the life and character of Jesus? Jesus submitted to the will of the Father by being born into the world as a baby and being crucified on a cross for the forgiveness of sins; Jesus came not to do his own will but the will of the Father (John 6:38). Furthermore, Jesus submitted to the Jewish and Roman authorities and allowed himself to be falsely accused, beaten, and crucified. He had every right not to, but he did anyway. Why? For the sake of God’s will and as an example for his disciples.

When we willingly submit without grumbling and complaining, we become living testimonies of Jesus and we give people no reason to doubt or question our faith. Whenever we submit, we do so for God.

Difficult implications and application

The implication of submitting for God are not always pleasant. We have a Biblical obligation to submit to authorities when they do not demand we disobey God. What this means is that our personal preferences and desires and opinions do not give us just cause to rebel against authority. Disliking a law or mandate does not give us justification to disregard it.

Unfortunately, the structure of our government makes this all very hard to apply. Instead of an emperor or king that has near total rule like it was in Bible times, we have a complex government with different authorities that often disagree: Federal, state, and local governments. Frequently they disagree which makes it difficult for us as Christians to decide what is the right course of action. Furthermore, the established authority for our government is supposed to be the Constitution, so what are we supposed to think when an authority tells us to do something against the Constitution? What often happens is that we choose to submit to whichever authority agrees most with our points of view but that only empowers us to ignore authorities and laws we don’t like. What do we do and what are we to think?

I’m sorry to say that I have not come up with any good, all-encompassing answer and I don’t think there is one. We could debate back and forth for hours and never agree. But there are biblical truths from scripture that can help guide us.

Help from scripture

First, we should have a heart that wants to submit. Submitting to authority pleases God and is done for God’s sake. Because it pleases God and is his will for us, we should desire to submit. If we don’t want to submit and are looking for ways to get out of it because we disagree, we’re already starting off on the wrong foot.

Second, we must consider our Christian identity. Jesus was submissive to God and even to the authorities even unto death. Jesus could very well have fought tooth and nail and called out the errors of the government and sent petitions to governors and made a big fuss about all that was wrong in the world, but he didn’t. When falsely accused, he didn’t even make a defense for himself. If our identity is in Jesus Christ, and if we are being made into image of Jesus, then in whatever we do, we must be concerned with what image of Jesus we are showing to the world. The world defines us by our choices, and while it’s impossible to dictate exactly how the world sees us and by consequence Jesus, we can certainly help or hurt. The truth is, our choice to submit or not to submit reflects directly on the Lord and we will be viewed and judged by the world based on our decisions to submit or to do evil. We must consider our identity as Christians and what image we are giving to the world about Jesus.

Finally, God does not leave us helpless. God never abandons his children in their moments of need and he has promised to provide us with wisdom when we ask him (James 1:5). We must walk by faith, trusting in God as our ultimate authority who has established these lesser authorities for us to follow. He remains with us and will supply us with the wisdom to navigate life’s complexities if we prayerfully seek him.

Conclusion:

At the end of the day, we must remember that as Christians, it is our privilege to submit to authorities for the sake of the Lord Jesus. No matter who is in office, no matter what political party is in power, and no matter what economic system we live under, if we are not told to disobey God and his word, we should desire to submit as much as we are able. It is the will of God that by submitting, we silence those who would come against us through our Christian testimony. This is made possible because of God’s work within us and because of our topic for next week, freedom in Christ.

Amen.