1 Peter 2:13-15
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Silencing the Critics Through Christ-centered Living
Silencing the Critics Through Christ-centered Living
If we are to summarize Peter’s exhortation from the passage we have read it is this -
We as Christians are to live a Christ-centered and Christ-honoring life in order to stop the mouth of those who criticize our faith.
The heart of our passage this morning is found in verse 15 - To Silence the Ignorance of the foolish men by doing good/right.
15 For God wants you to silence the ignorance of foolish people by doing good.
Peter is saying that:
It is essential that you live your lives in such a way that your testimony becomes believable, that the transforming power of Christ is made evident not only by what you say but by what you are.
I believe that how you live as a Christian is the greatest testimony for the evidence of the transforming power of the Gospel.
When people see a life that is transformed, they will stop criticizing and doubting if Jesus is really true and if Christianity is really the one true faith.
Peter wrote this letter to the dispersed people of God who have gone through persecution, suffering, and hostility from the Roman government and the society. ( (4:12-14)
The Christians were seen as an enemy of the government and the society and they were reviled slandered, and hated;
1. Christian were accused of REBELLION against Rome because Christians worships only Jesus Christ, and does not bow down in allegiance to the Emperor / Caesar (another King).
2. Christians were accused as ATHEIST for refusing to worship the many gods of the Romans.
3. Christians were accused of CANNIBALISM. Because of what Jesus said, - “He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. John 6:54-56
4. Christians were accused of IMMORALITY and incestuous behavior. Because the women in the church were called sisters and the men were called brothers and have close relationship with everyone. So the pagans, in their ignorance add 2 + 2 together and came up with 6.
5. Christians were accused of WRECKING homes - the pagans said that when a wife or a husband becomes a Christian it devastated the home (nagkagubot kay managlahi na ug belief).
6. Christians were accused of LEADING SLAVE rebellion - because when a slave becomes a Christian his life is change, he has new dignity in Christ, and the pagans saw this as a problem how to keep the slaves in their place (not equal).
The early church was not only in the world, but they were living in a hostile and hateful world.
And for Peter, the only way to deny these charges and accusations is for the believers to live a GODLY LIFE to shut the mouth of the critics. To live a life that is so reach in spiritual quality that the pagans have nothing to use to slander them.
The same is true today. The world may be a little bit accepting to religions. But the world still hates the truth, they still rejects Jesus Christ, they are still hostile to Christianity, because we don’t respond with hate and violence but with love and patience.
So the challenge for us Christians is this - How can we live as Aliens/Foreigners of this world and yet Citizens of this world?
We need to remember that we need to view our lives in 2 perspectives -
1. You are aliens and strangers / exiles of this world (vv.11-12).
2. Even though you are aliens and strangers, yet you are citizens of the country you live in.
Let me illustrate, your neighbor see you as a citizen of the Philippines. And your neighbor must see you as different (positively different) because you are a citizen of heaven (a stranger to this world).
Whether you like it or not, your neighbor, your workmate, your classmates will observe how you behave and how you conduct your life.
For example, you say that “Christ transforms” but you lived a very non-transformed life. That undermines your credibility, thus tarnishing the name of Christ.
Be careful, because the moment they see that you don’t act according to what you profess, they will use that against you! They will use that against Jesus! They will use that to malign the faith!
Now let us look at our text.
First, notice the command in verse 13.
13 Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether to a king as the one in authority,
Command: Paul gave a command for believers to “submit” to any human authority.
Submit - "Put yourselves in an attitude of submission.” Peter exhorted his readers to abide by governmental laws.
So God's people were to live in a humble, submissive way in the midst of a hostile, godless, Christ-less, sinful, wicked, accusing, slandering society.
Though Christians were accused of rebellion, God never called Christians to engage in rebellion against governments, and to go to the streets to protests...
Illustration from the OT - Jeremiah 29:4 - Submission to Government Authority (even if the Government Authority is not Godly)
4 “The Lord of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel, says to all those he sent into exile to Babylon from Jerusalem,
Addressed to all the exiles from Jerusalem to Babylon, a pagan society ruled by pagans rulers. King Nebz, is pagan to the CORE. and yet God commanded them to submit and pray for the government and for the people.
5 ‘Build houses and live in them; and plant gardens and eat their produce. 6 ‘Take wives and become the fathers of sons and daughters, and take wives for your sons and give your daughters to husbands, that they may bear sons and daughters; and multiply there and do not decrease. 7 ‘Seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf; for in its welfare you will have welfare.’
Command (vv.5-7)
Build a house, stay there, plant a garden and eat the fruit. Marry…carry on with life...
Remember they are living in a hostile society. They have been captured and exiled there. Yet God commanded them to live normal lives..
God commanded them Pray on their behalf, to seek the welfare of the city.
Have you prayed for a government that you don’t like because they are corrupt?
In the same way, we are strangers in this city, but we are commanded to pray on it’s behalf and we are to seek the prosperity and peace of this city.
We are to be God’s agent of change! We are to be bringers of change! We are to be model citizens. We are to be God’s blessing to the people around us. We are the salt and the light!
What does it look like to submit to authorities?
Government - Pay Taxes, obey traffic rules, get permits...
Work - Policies, Diligent work.
Classroom - Obey rules, agent of peace.
Church - policies, diligent service.
Household - rules, obedience to parents.
So the watching world will not accuse us of anything bad or ungodly!
13 Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether to a king as the one in authority,
Motive: for the sake of Christ.
The motivation to submit to governing authorities is “Because of the Lord” - Tungod sa akong Ginoo nga akong gihigugma, nganong mo obey ko sa balaod.
When we understand that God ordained the government (Romans 13:1), it is just right to submit. For resisting governing authority is opposing the command of God.
1 Every person is to be in subjection to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God. 2 Therefore whoever resists authority has opposed the ordinance of God; and they who have opposed will receive condemnation upon themselves.
What shall we accomplish if we submit and obey? It will create trust between the government and us, and our testimony will be believable and acceptable. The opposite will happen if we disobey.
13 Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether to a king as the one in authority, 14 or to governors as sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and the praise of those who do right.
The purpose of the civil government is to punish the evil doers and to reward those who do right.
2 Reasons why we should submit to governing authorities:
1. Because the Lord commanded me to submit, I will obey!
2. Because the Lord modeled submission, I will imitate Him!
Jesus modeled submission to the evil Jewish leaders and equally evil Roman leaders by not retaliating… look at verse 21 of chapter 2
21 For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps, 22 who committed no sin, nor was any deceit found in His mouth; 23 and while being reviled, He did not revile in return; while suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously;
Jesus was murdered by two ruling authorities who are evil, the Jewish and the Romans authorities. He was treated unjustly, yet he never attacked the government. He did not led a protest. He did not led civil disobedience. Instead, he spoke only of the Kingdom of God. He called sinners to repent and to come to Him and to enter His kingdom!
He entrusted himself to the Father, who is sovereign and that the whole world was in His control.
So when the Word of God say, “Submit yourselves because of the Lord”. We should do it because we are to OBEY Jesus and we are to Imitate Jesus!
15 For such is the will of God that by doing right you may silence the ignorance of foolish men.
To submit to governing authorities is the will of God.
But what if the government violates the Word of God? Shall we still submit?
Of course not! Remember the account in Acts 4:18-20
18 And they called them in and ordered them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. 19 But Peter and John replied, “Whether it is right before God to obey you rather than God, you decide, 20 for it is impossible for us not to speak about what we have seen and heard.”
Realize this, the Apostles never resisted arrest. Never! Peter was arrested and killed. Paul was arrested and killed. Not because they protest against the government, but because they faithfully preached the Gospel - they lived a Christ-centered lives!
They’d rather be arrested and die than live but violate and offend their Lord and Savior!
The government may allow a lot of things that we think are wrong, and that is expected and normal because they don’t have Christ in their hearts. The Roman government allowed the murder of children, abuse of women, slavery, etc…
But what does the church do? Did they protest? Did they disobey the law?
3 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, 4 for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. 5 We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ,
Realize that we are fighting on a spiritual level. We are in a spiritual war.
Our instrument of war are not of the flesh, we can’t use human means.
Our weapons (v.4), are divinely powerful! Powered by God!
God shall tear down human speculations (reasons / man made system).
We can take them captive to the obedience of Christ.
God’s full armor is available for us (Ephesians 6)
16 in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
Defense: Shield of faith, the Helmet of Salvation,
Offense: Sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God!
Conclusion:
1. Your conduct may lead others to love Christ or may lead others to hate Christ.
2. Showing our transformed lives is not just to silence the critics but also evangelistic in purpose.
Proper Response:
1. Let us show them the evidence of a life transformed under the power and influence of the Holy Spirit.
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