B18-devotions

1 Peter 2:13-17

Devotions for Wednesday 9th July

Given everything Peter had just said about the amazing calling of God’s people to be a ‘holy nation, a royal priesthood ...’ (2:9), it was natural for people to ask whether they should still give allegiance to earthly authorities. Why should Christians have any need to pay respect to Emperors if they rejoiced in the calling of Almighty God? Peter had just preached to the baptised converts that their highest allegiance was indeed to God and to Jesus Christ, the ‘cornerstone’ (2:6); they were a people living in this world as temporary residents until they came to the heavenly Kingdom of God (2:11,12). In response to such preaching it is easy to see why some Christians had scant regard for the authorities of the day and refused to pay taxes or be subservient to Rome.

Peter was aware of these attitudes, however, and in this passage, he speaks to warn people that their mission in this world will be compromised if they do not pay due respect to earthly authorities. The principle he describes is clear, and is for all Christians. God is our highest authority, and we must respect Him totally, but the earthly institutions which govern the earthly life we lead require our allegiance, so that we may have the freedom and opportunity to live at peace and preach the Gospel as God has commanded us.

This passage of scripture is very similar to Romans 13:1-7, and both Peter and Paul had arrived at similar conclusions because of their experiences in spreading the Gospel in the early days of the church. Both of them were able to preach the Gospel because of peace within the Roman Empire which allowed them to travel anywhere and preach. When there was trouble, both Peter and Paul still had their difficulties with the authorities, but frequently it was not the authorities who were the problem but people who rioted or made trouble. So Paul made use of the authorities and Roman laws to escape personal danger on several occasions (for example, at the riot in Ephesus in Acts 19). Both Peter and Paul taught respect for earthly authorities, whilst reserving the highest allegiance for God the Father.

Here, Peter describes the purpose of worldly authority in maintaining peace (2:14), in maintaining social cohesion and acting as a means of exposing foolishness (2:15). We may argue whether social structures and authorities do in fact perform these admirable duties according to our own experience, but there is no doubt that at their best, they do just this. Peter goes on to advocate exploiting the liberties we have to live as ‘servants of God’ rather than ‘as a cover for evil’. By this he means that it opens the door to sin and evil to believe that freedom in Christ gives people permission to do what they want. Such self-centredness is the very antithesis of the Gospel.

All this seems very reasonable, but such advice is only appropriate where a Christian lives in a society tolerant of Christianity and posing no direct threat to the Gospel and the Kingdom of God. It seems obvious but necessary to say that if people live in a repressive society which is not free, where there is no official respect for basic human freedoms or where the Gospel is forbidden, then ‘submission to the authorities’ may not be the best way to live as a Christian or proclaim the Gospel. Those who live in such circumstances require the constant prayers and support of others who live in more peaceful, free societies.

13 Submit yourselves to every human institution, for the Lord's sake: whether to the Emperor, as the highest authority, 14 or to governors, who are appointed by Him to pass judgement on criminals and to approve those who do right. 15 For it is God's will that by doing good in this way you should silence the ignorant and unspiritual words of foolish people. 16 Live as people who are free, without using this freedom as a cover for evil; live rather as servants of God. 17 Show due respect to everyone; love the family of God’s people; fear God; and respect the Emperor.

To read more about this passage of scripture: go to the Bible study page

To read the questions and discipleship challenges for this text: go to the discipleship page

Grant peace this day, Lord Jesus Christ, to our families and all we love. Our lives are vested in their happiness, and we rejoice to see in them the fruits of family love and care. Help us forgive them when they hurt us; and may we always accept them by trusting that they are in Your hands, not ours, and in You they find their fulfilment, not in us. Through Jesus Christ we pray: AMEN

Come, Lord Jesus, come!

Break this faulty, evil world of ours

by Your glorious Gospel of peace and love;

Transform the hearts and souls and minds

of those who have been entrapped by sin.

Remove the stubborn selfishness

which has robbed the world of its heart today;

Root out the foolish, perverse attitudes

through which Satan gains his footholds everywhere.

Forgive our tired and repentant hearts,

restore us now, and our hurting world around us;

Wipe clean the sins we know about,

and teach us more of the moral truth of Your Word.

Restore the life of Christ within your servants,

to freshen up their spirits and lift their eyes up higher!

Bring back the outrageous zeal of youth again,

inspiring us to all the greater things of heaven!

Come Lord Jesus, come!

Weekly Theme: the sick in mind

Pray today for those who are facing the prospect of mental illness because of stress, anxiety or pressure. Pray for any people you know who are off work with such illness.

On-going prayers

Give thanks for the work of teachers in schools and colleges
Pray for those worst affected by rising food prices and poverty
Pray for recent converts to Christ

Going Deeper: (what you will find on the Bible study page)

There are a number of interesting words and phrases in this passage which give us food for thought, for example, the silencing of ‘the ignorant and unspiritual words of foolish people’ (2:15) and also the idea of being ‘free’ but also a ‘servant’ (or slave) of God (2:16). The key to the disciplines of Christian life are really found in verse 17, as we will now find out.

For the full Bible study, click link above,

or for a brief review, scroll page down.