Be Subject for the Lord

Sermon Discussion Questions:

1. Think of both positive or negative authority figures in your life - what makes these figures good or bad?

2. What are some reasons why you think it would be difficult for the early church to submit to government? What factors can make it difficult to submit to government today?

3. What does it look like for you to be “subject to your masters [bosses, coaches, teachers, etc.] with all respect”?

4. How does proper submission point to Jesus? 

5. How does the example of Jesus help us submit to authority? In what ways does that contradict the posture of our culture?

What comes to mind when you think of authority?  Consider in your mind an authority figure or institution which is both powerful and influential.  This authority has the power to discipline or punish those under it.  Hold that picture of authority in your head.  

It could be a common institution like the police or city government.  It could be a famous authority figure like Abraham Lincoln, or maybe it’s someone you know personally – a boss or a father.

Think about the leadership demonstrated by that person or institution.  How does this authority use its power to discipline?  Would you describe the authority as more charitable or punitive?  Empowering or Power-hungry?

Now let me describe in greater detail an example of institutional authority and see if it reflects the picture you created.  This office of authority is an ordained institution by God as given in the Bible.  The highest priority of the office is to see humans flourish.  

Those under this authority feel so equipped and valued, that the hierarchy of leadership almost goes unnoticed.  Instead, those under the authority feel like equals; there is no suspicion of corruption of the leaders.  

This authority is much more interested in training and empowering those under the authority.  It does not seek to accrue more power over time.  This authority will make great effort to extend grace and second chances.  But it will not hold back justice against those who willfully seek to hurt others.

This authority is relentless in caring for its members who are hurt or abused.  Often, this means the authority will go the extra mile to sympathize and restore the hurt member.  

Now, did this description of authority line up with the picture you created in your mind?  Maybe it did – I really hope it did.  Perhaps for those who have been the recipient of benevolent authority, it makes complete sense to associate authority in a positive light.  

This could be the father or mother who was faithful to teach you the Bible, clear to set right expectations for your character development, and just to discipline when you needed correction.  All the while, never wavering in their love for you.  

Maybe some have been formed by a church that has discipled you in your faith, growing your affection for Christ, and caring for both your physical and spiritual needs.  Maybe some of you consider positive moments where government has fostered a society where good deeds are incentivized and evil is punished.

 

But my guess is that many of you, like me, are much quicker to imagine an authority structure which is unhelpful at best, or maybe even corrupt.  When you think of authority you may think about your boss who makes no effort to grow your career.  Maybe the boss plays favorites and instead of recognizing your good work, he gives all the attention to his personal friend.  

Maybe you think of a parent whose primary concern was for you avoid discomfort at all cost.  Instead of appropriate discipline, this parent gives the child everything he or she could possibly want.  Because their comfort is more important than their character formation.

Or perhaps the idea of authority instantly directs you to the heinous abuses that are sadly commonplace in our world.  Sexual abuse from those in power whether it be from business leaders, coaches, entertainment icons, or even churches and pastors.

So what happens when something we know should be good, delivers hurtful and depressing results time after time?  Is the answer to bad authority, no authority?  I believe that answer is no.  In fact, God provides us certain authorities for our good and the good of his kingdom.  And the apostle Peter helps us see that Jesus is revealed and glorified in right submission to authority.  

 

Turn your bibles to 1 Peter 2:11-25 [page 1015 in the pew bibles]

 

11 Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul. 12 Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation.

13 Be subject for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme, 14or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good. 15 For this is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people. 16 Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God. 17 Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor.

18 Servants, be subject to your masters with all respect, not only to the good and gentle but also to the unjust. 19 For this is a gracious thing, when, mindful of God, one endures sorrows while suffering unjustly. 20 For what credit is it if, when you sin and are beaten for it, you endure? But if when you do good and suffer for it you endure, this is a gracious thing in the sight of God. 21 For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps. 22 He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth. 23 When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly. 24 He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed. 25 For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls. 1 Peter 2:11-25

 

Pray

 

There are 3 examples of submission in our passage which I want us to reflect on:

Before we look at point 1, we need to take a close look at the backdrop of this entire conversation.  Before Peter calls his audience to submit to government as well as masters, he clues us in to a key reason why we should.  What a kind thing to do.  All of my professional life has been spent in manufacturing.  And maybe the most common theme I hear from leaders in manufacturing is that you’ve got to give the why.  In business, leaders recognize that team members are much more likely to retain instruction or go the extra mile to get a job done if they know why they are doing what they’re doing.

Sometimes when we read commands in the Bible, we are left to wonder why it is there.  Of course we know that God is sovereign, he knows what is best for us – he did design us after all – so we should be able to rest in the fact that our loving Father is giving a command that is in our best interest to follow.  

And those with children know that it is so much sweeter when a child listens to you just because you said so –  not after they were satisfied by the endless answers to their “why’s”.  That said, when we are let in on a reason from scripture – we should cling to it.  Perhaps the Holy Spirit recognizes our difficulty in following this type command, so he graciously offers the why.  Look at v. 12 with me.

12 Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation. 1 Peter 2:12

​Notice that Peter tells the audience to keep their conduct honorable here in Chapter 2.  Now thumb back just a page or so to 1 Peter chapter 1 verse 15.  In a similar yet distinct way, Peter speaks again about our conduct.  Let’s read it together – 1 Peter chapter 1, verses 15-17.

15 but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, 16 since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.” 17 And if you call on him as Father who judges impartially according to each one’s deeds, conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile.. (1 Peter 1:15-17)

​So here in chapter 1 Peter focuses on our conduct being holy; in chapter 2 the focus is on our conduct being honorable. Why does he put a different emphasis on our conduct in chapter 2?

​The difference is the judge of our conduct.  We are called in Chapter 1 to be holy as God is holy.  The focus is our spiritual posture toward God.  God will judge whether or not our conduct is holy.  

But when Peter describes our conduct as honorable in chapter 2, the focus is our physical posture toward Gentiles or those outside the church.  The application of our entire passage is based on the fact that Gentiles will judge our conduct.  

Does that mean Peter does not want us to live holy with respect to public authority?  Certainly not.  He is just emphasizing our public behavior should look good from an outsider’s perspective.

​The commands Peter provides in our passage in Chapter 2 has an outward focus toward non-Christians.  He’s calling us to behave honorably or virtuously in a way anyone would recognize as good.

There are some things we Christians would commend and even celebrate that we see as holy conduct in others – a brother or sister praying on their knees with a genuine heart, confessing sin to a fellow church member, devoting time in scripture.  

A non-Christian may look at this conduct with indifference, maybe even disdain, or maybe it just looks weird.  But a non-Christian who sees a Christian help the poor, or covering for someone at work who is going through a tough situation, or babysitting for the neighbor who is a single mom, that person may see this type of honorable conduct and ask what makes the Christian different.  

Maybe the ministry of Jesus moves from weird to semi-attractive.  Not because it is logical, but because it is good and beautiful.  And maybe that experience becomes a small rock in the shoe of the non-Christian which slowly but surely keeps the claims of Christ on their mind until they are eventually won over by God’s grace.  

This lands us right at the goal of our conduct according to Peter – [that] “they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation.”

With that in mind, let’s move to our first point to see how living “honorably” plays out in our submission to government.

Submission to Government – Point 1

​Our first main point is Submission to Government.  Now that we’ve set the stage for why Christians should submit, let’s see how it’s applied in our relationship to government.  Right away in v. 13, Peter tells us to “Be subject for the Lord’s sake..”.  

It is not primarily for the believer’s sake to submit to government.  They’re not to submit to avoid persecution.  They’re not to submit in order to gain favor from the culture to win over political power.  They’re certainly not to submit because civil government is always righteous or even tolerant of Christianity.  We are subject, or as we will see later in this section, we respect every human institution for the Lord’s sake, not ours.  

​So for the Lord’s sake, we are to submit to government authority.  Yet, we know this type of authority is so often corrupt.  There are many in our cultural moment which think the logical conclusion to all the bad authority we’ve seen must be no authority.  So let’s first walk through 3 reasons why authority is something we should uphold rather than abandon:

 

God authorizes man to have authority.  Genesis 1:28 says, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”  

From the very beginning, God desired men and women to have certain authority even before sin entered the scene.  Do you think he granted authority to people because they were better leaders than him, or because he just had his hands too full so he had to delegate?  I think we would all be quick to say no.  So we should be quick to remember God’s design when much of the world seems to think we would be better off without institutional authority.​

So we can all say pre-fall, authority is a good thing, totally.  But post-fall, aren’t we just too corrupt to allow for human authority?  Jesus apparently did not think so.  In the gospel accounts, the Pharisees plot to trap Jesus in his words.  They ask him whether it is lawful to pay taxes to Caesar.  

If Jesus is God, then Caesar falls under Jesus’s authority – not the other way around, right?  Of course, if Jesus tells them to take a pass on their taxes, they know the Roman government will punish Jesus.  But Jesus famously says, “render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” Matthew 22:21

Jesus recognized and subjected himself to the government of his day.  He even goes on to use Pilate and the Roman government as instruments in his divine plan for salvation.  He did not concoct a way to overthrow the government and establish his kingdom.  He submitted to the government in order to establish his kingdom through his death on the cross.  

Our submission, even to government, reflects Jesus’s submission.  This shows that Jesus is both revealed and glorified in our right submission.

Briefly, the early church – the church of the NT that Peter is writing to – had every reason to condemn the local government – they had just crucified their Savior. But instead of condemning the government, they actually commend all believers to respect and honor the government – just like we see here in 1 Peter.  Let’s look closer at what Peter has to say.

 

​We are told to be subject to every human institution.  What is very clear is this submission Peter is commanding is not reserved for Christian leaders – or even morally good leaders.  Verse 17 can help clarify that we are subject to every human by showing honor – we’re not subject to obey every person, but we are commanded to respect everyone.  

The fact that the emperor and governors are explicitly mentioned tells us that Peter’s audience needed to hear this command in the application of government.  And I think we need to hear it in that context for our cultural moment too.  How would your coworkers or neighbors describe your attitude toward the government.  Would they say you show a posture of honor and respect for your government?  Are you more likely to complain or pray for the government?  

I’m not lobbying you to support the policies of any current government, and there are definitely times to give criticism.  In fact, we should stand very firm for all policies that align with God’s word.  But if the early church is called to show respect to the emperor who considered himself a god, something tells me we need encouragement to show respect to government in our day.

​We’ve talked a good deal now about civil authority, but in verse 14 we come to the function of government.  Why does God institute governments?  If we try to apply that answer from an American context, it might get a little dicey.  If you surveyed a thousand Americans with the question, what is the purpose of government, would there be any consensus?  No, see Facebook for proof.

However, Peter does give us that answer.  Verse 14 summarizes the fundamental purpose of government – “punish those who do evil and.. praise those who do good”.

​We could talk all day about what that should or should not look like, but this is ultimately the purpose of civil government.  And at the end of the day, the bible calls us to submit to government.  Not because government is full of pious and honest leaders.  But because Jesus is revealed and glorified in our submission.

​Now before we move to point 2, I feel I must provide some caveats to authority.  Only God’s authority is ultimate.  God has granted authority to governments, parents, husbands, pastors, churches, and so on.  But there are limits to these authorities.  By the way, I got all of these points from Jonathan Leeman’s book on authoritywhich has been a great resource on this topic.  The elders of our church, plus me, have been reading this book together.  

So, very quickly, when should we not submit to authority?  

Now that we have covered Peter’s words on submission to government, let’s move to our second point –Submission to Masters.

 

Submission to Masters – Point 2

​When I began preparing this sermon and studying this passage in 1 Peter, there was one glaring item that made me nervous.  Well, I guess two if you count the section of wives submitting to husbands which I responded by cutting the sermon off right before we got there.  I don’t want to deprive Marc of that topic.

​The primary thing which had me nervous was verses 18-21.

Read with me 1 Peter 2:18-21

18 Servants, be subject to your masters with all respect, not only to the good and gentle but also to the unjust. 19 For this is a gracious thing, when, mindful of God, one endures sorrows while suffering unjustly. 20 For what credit is it if, when you sin and are beaten for it, you endure? But if when you do good and suffer for it you endure, this is a gracious thing in the sight of God. 21 For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps. (1 Peter 2:18-21)

Does this condone slavery?  Does it allow slavery?  Why doesn’t Peter just encourage all slaves to rebel against their owners?   

​It should be noted, the term used here in the ESV is “servant”.  The Greek word is frequently translated to slave, servant, or bondservant.  So the content of this section in 1 Peter is directed at more than just slaves.  This also applied to hired hands or apprentices in the original audience.

Even still, some might still consider this passage unhelpful to approach because of the cultural potency of slavery.  

But as believers we know, that 16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work. (2 Timothy 3:16-17).  So it is worth our time to meditate on this scripturebecause it is scripture.

For that reason, I think it would be wise to cover a few bases of slavery in the Greco-Roman world which the original audience occupies.  

​Slavery here in the first century was not race-based (per se) like the chattel slavery of America.  So the Romans did not necessarily think of slaves as inferior by nature.  They were thought of as morally human, buttheir law still regarded slaves as property.  And slavery in this culture was still rife with injustice, overwork, and abuse in many cases.

People commonly became slaves from being captured in war, for paying off debt, or because they were abandoned as children.  You might recall that one limit to authority is when the authority harms.  Obviouslyslaves were harmed in many cases, and unfortunately they did not have the physical, social, or economic capital to break free from their masters.  

Now, why didn’t NT authors explicitly prohibit slavery?  I cannot possibly provide a sufficient response in our time here.  So briefly, first we can know the Bible is anti-slavery since embedded in creation is the fact that all humans are made equally in God’s image.  And in the new heavens and new earth we are told people from all tribes, nations, and tongues will worship God together.  

So if that is true, why did Peter and Paul not make that argument to the slaves they wrote to?  Why not remind Christians that slavery is a reflection of the world’s brokenness – not its design, so do everything you can to be free?  

Well, Christianity was a small (albeit growing) movement.  But it had no political or social power.  In fact, it was made up largely with women and children and slaves.  Physically and economically, early Christian slaves could not successfully revolt against slaveowners and sustain their own freedom.  Not to mention, the institution was so established that slaves made up approximately 30% of the Roman empire.  

So what would advance the gospel more – or – to put it in the language from our passage, what would help Gentiles see good deeds and glorify God more?  Commanding all slaves to rise up against their masters in mutiny?  Or encouraging servants to respect and endure suffering graciously in front of their masters?

Again, so much more could be said.  But I am convinced the Bible did much more to undermine, and eventually end, widespread slavery by planting seeds of truth over time.  As opposed to the NT authors attempting to blow up slavery in the short term.

Okay, now that we’ve built out some context to slavery in this culture, let’s get back to our passage in 1 Peter which outlines our submission to masters.

It would be very easy to submit to masters who are kind and benevolent.  But consider a believer who works with all their might, is cruelly treated and even beaten by their master.  And yet he or she still relates to their master with respect and gentleness.  How much more is Christ revealed and glorified through that believer?  

Notice that Peter uses the term gracious two different times to characterize the act of enduring suffering for doing good.  He could have easily used a different word.  Read with me v. 19:

19 For this is a gracious thing, when, mindful of God, one endures sorrows while suffering unjustly.

​Could he not have said,

​“For this is a noble thing..”

​“For this is a loving thing..”

​“For this is a useful thing..” – perhaps this kind of behavior will get you one step closer to a better life.  

​No, gracious here refers to credit with God.  It’s the positive result of bearing suffering for Christ’s name.  It’s contrasted with v. 20 when Peter asks what credit is it if you endure suffering for your own sin.  The answer there is – there is no credit.  But God is glorified when we endure suffering unjustly.  

​This encouragement falls right in line with 1 Peter’s message.  God’s people being set apart or being exiles is a constant theme right from the beginning of the book.  So it is no wonder that when he speaks into the normal day-to-day lives of his listeners, the application is something that will set them apart in their communities, in their homes, in their workplaces.

​One pitfall to approaching this passage is to look at it, see servant/master language, and gloss over the very messy circumstances so many Christians physically faced and are still facing day-to-day.  We may be tempted to quickly put our 21st century American lenses on and only consider this concept in our lives in the workplace, in the classroom, on the sports team, or some other innocuous activity.  

​But if we don’t recognize the serious pain, injustice, and power imbalance that Peter’s audience faced, we will only take away a small sliver of the radical beauty the Holy Spirit is communicating.  This doesn’t mean we cannot apply this ethic to our lives.  On the contrary, if the early church was called to respect masters and endure suffering for doing good even when physical violence was the result, how much more onus is on us to respect our bosses, our coaches, our teachers with gentleness?

​I think we can extend this application beyond just a hierarchical relationship.  What about the suffering you are experiencing right now?  Do you use your suffering as a reason to resent others or even God?  Fight that internal desire to let your suffering be cause for you to sin.  

A beaten slave certainly did not restrain anger and endure sorrow with no effort.  Likewise, we can endure suffering because of Christ.  As Christians, we take up our cross in faith.  When we do that we can say, “it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.”

​Our hope is that proper submission will see our non-Christian neighbors glorify God.  Christ is revealed and glorified in righteous submission.  This is why it is so easy for Peter to root this command in a reminder of Christ’s example.  This takes us to our last point – Submission to the Father.

 

Submission to the Father – Point 3

​Let’s read v. 21.

21 For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps. (1 Peter 2:21)

​So right after servants are told to submit respectfully even when the cost is physical punishment, we are given this verse.  It puts into a spiritual context why we are to endure suffering.  We can see 3 clear reasons from v. 21 why we should expect to suffer:

1.)  For to this you have been called.

​One thing which stands out to me is the word “called”.  When you are called to do something, it’s often not something you were already planning to do.  If I’m called on to work overtime, it’s not because I was planning to work overtime that I do it.  I do it because there is a task which someone above me sees as necessary for me to do.  Calling is something delegated beyond our own choice.  It does not necessarily mean we are coerced into doing it.  There is a purpose in us doing it.

I mentioned earlier how we thrive on knowing the ‘why’ to a specific command or outcome.  But I think simply resting in God’s command is actually a skill all Christians should always be sharpening.  Sure, it can be helpful to explain theological reasoning to many of the Bible’s teachings.  Are you struck by believers who can walk through deep suffering and still humbly say, it is well with my soul.  Not because they know the answer to the ‘why’, but because they know God does.

Okay, second reason for why we should expect to suffer:

2.)  Because Christ also suffered for you

One great aspect of the Christian faith is that God does not call us to do something that he is unwilling to bear himself.  False religions look to gods who are strong and powerful.  Maybe these gods are thought to have won great battles.  Maybe that will motivate its followers.  Maybe they are encouraged to take on great tasks.  But what happens when they encounter suffering.  

​I’m not sure what kind of leadership style motivates you.  But I think many people lose motivation when they learn their leader is unwilling to suffer with them in trials.  A leader who is detached from the pain of his members will quickly see his members wilt under pressure and give up on him.  But that’s not the case for our God.

Third reason for why we should expect to suffer:

3.)  Christ left us an example so that we might follow in his steps

​It is a great thing to suffer because God tells us we will, and because Christ first suffered for us.  But we’re not left there.  We are following in his steps.  What does that imply?  

Imagine a deep bed of snow as a kid.  And let’s imagine a man who is carrying a heavy weight already walked ahead of you.  Because you’re a child and he’s a grown man, the footprints are much bigger than your feet.  Plus, he’s carrying a heavy weight, so his footprints clear the snow all the way down to the ground.  When you follow in his steps, the path is not only clearly identified, but it is easier to travel because someone alreadywalked before you.

So in a sense, we are freed up to follow Christ because of the example he set even though the path involves suffering.  But the fact that Jesus is the example and he already forged the path means that we are getting closer and closer to Jesus the more we follow in his steps.  

I think this reality is captured in the term sanctification.  Our suffering in the model of Christ should sanctify us.  After all, sanctification means growing in Christ-likeness.  Following his example seems to me a perfect demonstration of this.  

It is no coincidence that Paul also connects slavery and suffering to sanctification.  Here he is in Romans 6 verse 22:

22 But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life. Romans 6:22

​We can follow in Jesus’s steps because he has set us free from sin.  We were once slaves to sin, but now we are slaves of God.  

​We should expect to suffer because we have been called to suffer, Christ suffered for us, and we grow in our Christ-likeness through righteous suffering.  Jesus is revealed and glorified in right submission.  There is no greater example of perfect submission than that of Jesus submitting to the Father’s will on the cross.

​Read v. 24-25 of our passage with me:

24 He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed. 25 For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.

 

[Closing]

​To state the obvious, we have a God who is perfect in every way.  He is all-powerful, all-knowing, all-present.  Even still, God deemed it worthwhile to take the form of human, sinful flesh but without sinning.  

Jesus did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped or held onto, but instead he emptied himself by taking the form of a servant.  As a servant, he subjected himself to people who were not good and gentle.  He was beaten – not because of his own sin, but because of the sin of others.  And not only that, he was obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

​Jesus illustrates perfect submission to the Father’s will.  Of course, God the Father is the ultimate authority.  And God the Son is the ultimate example of submission.  Jesus does not submit because he is weak.  He submitted in order that we might be saved.  

He bore the cross in perfect submission because we showed time and time again that we could not – and we still demonstrate that today in our sin and brokenness.  It was not just cruel leaders and corrupt government authorities that sent him to the cross – it was you and me.

But praise God, now that he has borne the penalty of our sin, we can live freely to submit ultimately to Him.  And by the power of the Holy Spirit we can even faithfully submit to those in authority in our day.  Not because a president or prime minister or CEO deserves glory.  But because our submission, when it is in step with Scripture, reveals and glorifies Christ.

1 Peter is written to the church.  The audience reading this were brothers and sisters who are in Christ. Recall, the purpose of Christian submission to government and masters was so that the non-Christians would see good deeds and glorify God.  That is still our goal today.  

By submitting faithfully to government, to leaders at work, to teachers, to pastors, we are evangelizingto the lost.  This call to action is not here to simply make life more convenient and less confrontational.  We want to see our families, our communities, our workplaces, and our schools come to know Christ and glorify him.  Christ is revealed and glorified in right submission.

For any in here who do not have a relationship with Christ, you will not achieve salvation by submitting to government.  There is one way to access eternal life and that is through Christ’s finished work on the cross.  Believe in Him and repent of your sins and you get Jesus forever.

 

 

 

References:

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