Sermon Tone Analysis

So, if you were asked what the message was about today, I would ask you to think it through before answering.

You see, the message of this text concerns the way in which our Christian faith alters our perspective on life, our attitude toward the world.

What he wants from us, what the Holy Spirit wants from us, is an attitude toward life in this world, toward relationships of various kinds, toward other human beings, that is profoundly, obviously, powerfully shaped and determined by the reality that we are strangers and pilgrims passing through this world.

We must have a kind of spiritual detachment appropriate to people who are such and who are living not for anything they will obtain in this world but for the glory of God (Rayburn)

Peter gives us a principle of how we are to go about this:

Principle: Be Subject for the Lord’s Sake To Every Human Institution

The command: Be subject

God has called Christians out of the world in order to serve him as his ambassadors, as his priests, declaring and displaying his rule so that those around us might come to "glorify God on the day of visitation” (2:9-12).

But, at the same time, we are to “be subject for the Lord's sake to every human institution” (v 13).

(Sanchez)

The word Peter uses here for “be subject” or “be submissive” has a military context and it may help us to understand Peter’s point here.

The idea is that when a sergeant or commander calls “fall-in,” that you get to your assigned place to fill your role and function within the unit — the idea is of a fighting formation, and each individual had their place, a role and responsibility, in relation to every other person in that formation.

So Peter’s imperative here is a command to take our place and fill-it up with the best effort we can.

To Whom Are We to Submit?

Every human institution.

The simple reading of the Greek text here would be “be subject for the Lord’s sake, to every human creature” or, in colloquial English, “be subject to everyone.”

(Rayburn)

What Peter will do in these verses and in the paragraphs to follow is to show us what that looks like in the various spheres of life.

God has created human institutions or spheres of authority to govern and order our various parts of life.

Basically, these spheres of life are the family, the church, our neighbours, and the civil government.

The Family

The Church

Our Neighbours

The State

None of us exist only in one of these spheres; we exist in several at once.

And in each of those spheres of life, we occupy a particular place/a role/a function in relation to everyone else.

We are, regarding each of these spheres , to use the old language of the Westminster Larger Catechism’s discussion of the command “honour your father and mother,” in our relations, a superior, an inferior, or an equal to everyone else.

Superior

Inferior

Equal

For instance, just to think of the sphere of the family, I am husband to Marie; an adult child of my father; a brother (the eldest brother) to my two brothers, and uncle and great uncle to their children and grandchildren; father to my adult children, and Opa to my young grandchildren.

And we won’t even begin to discuss cousins.

You probably can start figuring out the web of relationships you are in.

In each of those relationships we have duties to everyone else, but more importantly, to the Lord, Who has sovereignly placed us in those relationships.

Peter’s principle here, then, is that

Christians must live well by giving each type of relationship its due.

(Jobes)

The Reason For Our Submission: For the Lord’s Sake / Because we are free in Christ

This submission is a willing obedience to God to fill and fulfill our duties according to His Word, to be glorifying Him in every relationship we have in this life.

The reason for our submission is two-fold:

For the Lord’s Sake (v.

11)

Because we are free in Christ (v.

16)

For the Lord’s sake

everything we do, ultimately must be to glorify God.

We will do it “for the Lord’s sake.”

If I love my neighbour as myself, if I seek the benefit of one ahead of myself, the right and proper reason is because I live to do God’s bidding.

My life exists to bring honour and glory this way.

Is it that way with you?

Does our every thought, action, word, and motivation pass this test?

Because we are free in Christ

We once were enslaved in our old way of thinking and doing, before Christ.

Sin had dominion over us, according to Romans.

Now in Christ, we are freed from that tyranny.

But we must see that this freedom is a gift from God — we are freed from the tyranny of sin and Satan, and have been give a new nature that will seek to please God.

And that new nature will seek to please Him! as it was the delight of our Lord Jesus to do the will of His Father — “Behold, it is written in the Book of the Law, I delight to do your will,” so it is for us who have been born again by God’s grace.

Our freedom involved a change of heart and a change of masters.

Throughout his teaching, Peter affirms that Christians have been set free from their former way of life so that they can become slaves of God and live in obedience to him rather than as they once did.

(Jobes)

And this freedom must never be used as an excuse of cover-up to do whatever we please.

We are freed to do as we ought.

Just as when a teenager earns his or her driving license, it is a license to operate a motor vehicle responsibly, not to have the “freedom” to go hooning all over the neighbourhood!

Another analogy is helpful: If we were visiting a foreign country, we would be expected to obey its laws.

I’m from Texas, and we drive on the left side of road.

Now that I am in Queensland, I must respect the laws of this State, even if it means driving on the opposite side of the road.

If I get pulled over for driving on the left side of the road here, it will hold little weight with the magistrate if I contend that as a Texan, I’m free to drive on the left side of the road.

My freedom means that I must submit to the “powers that be” to quote Paul, because they are established by God.

Honour those in Civil Authority

In verses 13-17, Peter explains that, regardless of the type of government over us, we have a responsibility to earthly authorities.

Though we are citizens of another kingdom serving another King, during the time of our exile on this earth we must submit ourselves to every governing authority placed over us by God.

Why?

Because this is the will of God.

(Sanchez)

Something to remember about the emperor in those days — the Roman emperor—the authority—was an object of worship.

(Sanchez)

So, is Peter ordering Christians to worship the emperor?

Absolutely not.

Peter specifically distinguished one’s attitude toward God (“fear”) from one’s attitude toward the emperor (“honor”).

Peter is clear.

The emperor is not divine, so he is not to be worshiped.

No ruler is to be worshiped.

Believers are to honor the king and show him respect because of his office, but they are not to fear him.

Only God is to be feared (cf.

1:17).

Peter may have been taking a swipe at the emperor cult here.

Indeed, Peter was quite clear that his readers were not to fear other human beings (1 Pet 3:6, 14)

and that only God should be feared as the sovereign Lord.

(Schreiner)

We honor the emperor, just like we honor everyone else.

And we must honor everyone.

(Willson)

We learn from the rest of Scripture that the only absolute authority in this universe is God.

All other authorities exist by His placement of them over us in the various spheres:

They are subordinate to God, answerable to Him for their conduct.

And because they rule in the authority given to them by God, when and if they order those under their administration to do anything that is contrary to God’s Word, then they are not to be obeyed,

But that isn’t Peter’s lesson in this passage:

It may be tempting for Christian believers, especially in pagan societies, to construe their loyalty to Christ as a license for rebellion against the ungodly authorities that govern them.

In Peter’s view, Christians must be subject to even pagan authorities, even those as ungodly as the Roman emperor....

Not only must Christians be subordinate to secular authorities, but they must also “do good” (2:14; ἀγαθοποιέω, agathopoieō), for by doing so they will silence slander against Christians, as is God’s will.

(Jobes)

What Peter is teaching “... is, that obedience is due to every de facto government, whatever its origin or character...

The early Christians were not called to examine the credentials of their actual rulers, every time the prætorian guard chose to depose one emperor and install another.