Submit to God

1 Peter 2:13-17
P. G. Mathew | Sunday, May 21, 2017
Copyright © 2017, P. G. Mathew
Language [Japanese]

Introduction

From 1 Peter 2:11–12, we learned that true Christians are to shine as stars in this morally dark world by living holy lives of obedience to the word of God. As we live as followers of Jesus Christ, elect sinners will carefully observe our good works and worship our heavenly Father as believers in Jesus Christ.

Now we want to examine 1 Peter 2:13–17, which introduces the subject of submission into this epistle. Peter writes about submission in 1 Peter 2:13,18; 3:1, 5, 22; and 5:5.

Submission is a divine word. It is not, as many imagine, a dirty word of the devil. We are to submit to God and resist the devil, as Jesus himself did. By so doing, he pleased his Father and triumphed over the devil (Jas. 4:7). The Greek word, hupotassô, means to be under order, to subordinate oneself, to be under authority, to submit to another’s God-given control. It means to obey.

We all must obey God and all his delegated authorities. Yet we must not obey when the authorities ask us to sin against God, who is alone our ultimate, absolute Sovereign.

Without submitting to God (i.e., obeying God), we cannot resist the devil who, like a roaring lion, desires to swallow us up. When we sin, we are giving place to the devil, who comes to steal, kill, and destroy us (John 10:10). We are to submit to all God-appointed delegated authorities of especially three institutions: the family, the church, and the state.

Everyone submits and obeys, either the God of the Bible or the devil, the father of all lies. No creature is autonomous. It is a lie to think that any creature is an autonomous being. Adam refused to obey God by obeying the devil. As a result, in Adam, all humans sinned and died. Paul speaks about this: “Sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned” (Rom. 5:12).

Every child of Adam is conceived in sin, born as a sinner, to only practice sin and die eternally. Only Jesus can save us from our sin because he alone was without sin. In his perfect righteousness, he died in our place and for our sins. Paul declares, “For the wages of sin is death [that is, eternal death], but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom. 6:23). There is no other Savior.

Because Christ died for their sins, believers can enjoy freedom from sin. Freedom from sin is, in reality, freedom to obey Jesus, who alone is our Lord. So we are able to submit to God and every God-appointed human delegated authority. We want to examine four points from this passage.

1. Submit to Every Delegated Authority (vv. 13–14)

Peter begins, “Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every authority instituted among men: whether to the king, as the supreme authority, or to governors, who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right” (vv. 13–14). This is exactly what Paul said in Romans 13:1–3. He wrote, “Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves. For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and he will commend you.”

We are to submit to the state. Jesus said, “Give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar.” Thus, we are to pay taxes and do what the government tells us to do. The nature of the government, whether a democracy or a monarchy, makes no difference. Paul does not define the nature of the state. Jesus recognized the God-given authority of Caesar and his governor Pilate. In fact, Jesus told Pilate, “You would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above. Therefore the one who handed me over to you is guilty of a greater sin” (John 19:11).

But we must not obey delegated authorities when they ask us to sin. Instead, we must be prepared to suffer punishment, if needs be, for disobedience in such circumstances. That is what the apostles did when the authorities told them not to witness. “Peter and John replied, ‘Judge for yourselves whether it is right in God’s sight to obey you rather than God. For we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard’” (Acts 4:19–20). Later, the high priest also told Peter and the other apostles, “We gave you strict orders not to teach in this name. Yet you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and are determined to make us guilty of this man’s blood” (Acts 5:28). They told the high priest, “We must obey God rather than men!” (Acts 5:29).

The midwives in Egypt disobeyed the delegated authority when they were asked to sin by killing the Hebrew boys. We read, “The midwives, however, feared God and did not do what the king of Egypt had told them to do; they let the boys live” (Exod. 1:17). This was also true of the three Hebrew children when they were commanded to worship the image of Nebuchadnezzar. We read, “Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to the king, ‘O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king. But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up’’ (Dan. 3:16–18). We must not obey when authorities ask us to sin.

The functions of the state are as follows:

The state is to punish evildoers and promote law and order. God is against anarchy in the home, in the church, and in the state.
The state is to commend law-abiding people, those who are doers of that which is good.
The state is to promote the defense and the welfare of the people.
The state is to promote the worship of the only true and living God of the Bible. All worship outside of worship of the triune God is worshiping demons. Paul writes, “The sacrifices of pagans are offered to demons, not to God” (1 Cor. 10:20).

Only Jesus Christ is given all authority by God the Father. All delegated authorities are to worship and obey him. So we read,

Proverbs 8:15–16: “By me kings reign and rulers make laws that are just; by me princes govern, and all nobles who rule on earth.”
Matthew 28:18: “Then Jesus came to them and said, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.’”
Philippians 2:9–11: “Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
Revelation 1:5: “Jesus Christ . . . is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth.” He rules all delegated authorities in this world, and he will punish everyone who will not do his will.
Psalm 2:9–12: “‘You will rule them with an iron scepter; you will dash them to pieces like pottery.’ Therefore, you kings, be wise; be warned, you rulers of the earth. Serve the Lord with fear and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest he be angry and you be destroyed in your way, for his wrath can flare up in a moment. Blessed are all who take refuge in him.”

There are also other institutions of God, besides the state, where God rules by delegated authority. For example, consider the family. It is the first divine institution. So children are to obey their parents, and parents are given authority by Christ himself to rule and govern. Wives are to be submissive to their own husbands as to the Lord in everything. But they are not to submit when they are asked to sin.

The husband’s authority comes directly from Christ. First Corinthians 11:3 tells us that the head of man is Christ. Christian parents and husbands are to exercise their authority to bless those who obey them, with physical and especially spiritual blessings. They have no right to abuse those who are under them by divine ordination.

The church is another of God’s institutions. Christ builds his church with living stones of regenerate believers upon the rock foundation of Christ himself. The gates of hell will not prevail against the true church. Jesus Christ is the glory within the church and the wall of fire around it to protect it. Jesus himself said, “For where two or three come together in my name, there am I in the midst of them” (Matt. 18:20).

Christ is in his church to rule as the head of the church. He is there to bless, and he is also there to discipline. We experience such discipline in our bodies, in our investments, and in every other aspect of life. He knows where to touch us. So Paul writes, “When you are assembled in the name of our Lord Jesus and I am with you in spirit, and the power of our Lord Jesus is present [Christ himself], hand this man over to Satan, so that the [flesh, the body] may be destroyed and his spirit [may be] saved on the day of the Lord” (1 Cor. 5:4–5). He also says, “That is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have [died]” (1 Cor. 11:30).

The Lord Jesus Christ appoints undershepherds to rule in the church. They are accountable to him, who is the Chief Shepherd and Bishop of our souls. So we read,

Hebrews 13:17: “Obey your leaders and submit to their authority. They keep watch over you as men who must give an account. Obey them so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would not be profitable for you.”
1 Corinthians 16:15c–16: “I urge you, brothers, to submit to such as these and to everyone who joins in the work, and labors at it.”
1 Thessalonians 5:12–13: “Now we ask you, brothers, to respect those who work hard among you, who are over you in the Lord and who admonish you. Hold them in the highest regard in love because of their work. Live in peace with each other.”
1 Timothy 5:17: “The elders who direct the affairs of the church well are worthy of double honor, especially those whose work is preaching and teaching.”
1 Peter 5:1–2: “To the elders among you, I appeal as a fellow elder, a witness of Christ’s sufferings and one who also will share in the glory to be revealed: Be shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care, serving as overseers—not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not greedy for money, but eager to serve.”
Acts 20:28: “Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers.” Not you, but the Holy Spirit. “Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood.”
Ephesians 4:11–13: “It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.”

Jesus Christ, our final and ultimate authority, will severely punish every delegated authority who abuses Christ’s authority. Paul writes, “He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the majesty of his power on the day he comes to be glorified in his holy people and to be marveled at among all those who have believed. This includes you, because you believed our testimony to you” (2 Thess. 1:8–10). The Hebrews writer tells us, “For we know him who said, ‘It is mine to avenge; I will repay,’ and again, ‘The Lord will judge his people.’ It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God” (Heb. 10:30–31).

Every delegated authority must rule for the glory of God and for the blessing of those under Jesus. Jesus the good shepherd leads his people, his sheep, in such a way that they lack nothing. That is what undershepherds do.

2. The Rationale

In verse 15, Peter gives the rationale for his directive in verses 13 and 14: “For it is God’s will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish men.” We as believers are to submit to every God-established delegated authority for a reason. (PGM) The reason is because it is the will of God that by our doing good works, by our obedience, we may silence the culpable ignorance of foolish people who persecute the saints of God through slander.

Unbelievers are sinfully ignorant of the knowledge of the one true God of the Bible. They constantly suppress the knowledge of God that comes to them from creation, from conscience, and from hearing of gospel. So God gives them over to depraved minds. Paul speaks about this in several places:

Romans 1:18–20: “The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse,” on the last day, when they stand before God.
Romans 2:14–15: “Indeed, when Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature things required by the law, they are a law for themselves, even though they do not have the law, since they show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts [in their consciences], their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts now accusing, now even defending them.”
Romans 1:28. “Furthermore, since they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, he gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done.” Every unbeliever has a depraved mind. It is not that unbelievers are innocent people who have no knowledge. As we said before, they have knowledge, but they suppress the knowledge that comes to them from creation, from conscience, and from the gospel.
Romans 10:3: “Since they did not know the righteousness that comes from God and sought to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness.”
1 Corinthians 15:33–34: “Do not be misled: ‘Bad company corrupts good character.’ Come back to your senses as you ought, and stop sinning; for there are some who are [culpably] ignorant of God—I say this to your shame.”

So Peter is saying that it is the will of God that we do good works, so that by our good deeds we will shut the mouths of those who slander us who are God’s holy people. We are foreordained to do good works. Paul writes, “For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do” (Eph. 2:10). Peter also says, “Therefore, since Christ suffered in his body, arm yourselves also with the same attitude, because he who has suffered in his body is done with sin. As a result, he does not live the rest of his earthly life for evil human desires, but rather for the will of God” (1 Pet. 4:1–2).

3. Live as Free Men (v. 16)

Then Peter says, “Live as free men, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as servants of God” (v. 16).

All unbelievers are slaves of sin. Their father is the devil who controls their minds, wills, and affections. They worship idols; therefore, they are worshiping demons. They cannot do what is pleasing to God. Paul writes, “The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace; the sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. Those controlled by the [flesh] sinful nature cannot please God” (Rom. 8:6–8). They are dead in transgressions and trespasses. They are busy doing the will of the devil (Eph. 2:1–3).

We can live as free men because we have been set free by truth, by Jesus Christ. We were slaves of sin, but we are no longer. Paul writes, “But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life” (Rom. 6:22). Holiness is what we do, if we are saved by regeneration. Paul also says, “Through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death” (Rom. 8:2).

God in Jesus Christ saved us from our sin and all our enemies. Now, nothing can separate us from God who is for us. We are in Christ, and we are more than conquerors. Death can only place us before God in paradise. The dying words of Jonathan Edwards, the greatest theologian this country every produced, were: “Trust God and fear nothing.” Can you say that when your hour of death comes?

But Peter also tells us, “Do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil.” Dr. William Barclay did not believe in orthodox Christianity as we do, but he did say this: “The doctrine of grace can be perverted into an excuse for sinning to one’s heart’s content.”[1] Jesus, who saved the sinful woman of John 8, told her, “Go and sin no more,” not, “Go and sin more.” Jesus saves us from sin, that we may do righteousness, good works, by the abounding grace he gives us.

God gives grace to the humble, and grace is all that we need. Paul writes, “And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work” (2 Cor. 9:8). Paul also said, “I can do everything through him who gives me strength” (Phil. 4:13).

Some modern evangelicals will argue, “Where sin abounded, grace abounded much more. Therefore, let us glory in grace alone by sinning more.” Paul spoke to that argument in Romans 6:1–2: “What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound?” In the Greek, his response is “Mê genoito” (“God forbid!,” KJV). It is the greatest possible negation. Paul also wrote, “You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love” (Gal. 5:13).

Antinomianism prevails in evangelicalism today. [2] The catchphrase “grace and freedom in Christ” is used as a cover for loose living. Those who champion such antinomianism forget the gospel. But we are set free from being slaves to sin to be slaves to God, to do righteousness, not saved to sin more. Jesus himself said, “Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?” (Luke 6:46).

To such antinomians, the Lord will say, “Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’” (Matt. 7:23). In other words, “Go to hell!”—hell that is prepared for the devil and his angels.

We are set free from the law’s demands that we sinners must perfectly obey God’s law (Rom. 6:23). We are set free from the guilt of the curse of the law (Gal. 3:13). We are set free from the dominion of indwelling sin, so that we may live holy lives (Rom. 6:22). Peter wrote earlier, “As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in [culpable] ignorance. But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: ‘Be holy, because I am holy’” (1 Peter. 1:14–16).

Jesus Christ did not set us free to sin all over again. The Hebrews writer says, “Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord” (Heb. 12:14).

4. Our Duty

Finally, Peter tells us what our duty is. He uses four imperatives: “Show proper respect to everyone: Love the brotherhood of believers, fear God, honor the king” (v. 17).

First, we must honor every human being because we all bear the image of God. Sixty million slaves lived in the Roman Empire. They were treated not as persons with rights but as things. In fact, most people in the early church were slaves. But in God’s family, in the church, there is no discrimination. Paul writes, “Here there is no Greek or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian [which means uncivilized], Scythian [which means little better than wild beasts], slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all” (Col. 3:11).

How dare we despise a person in whom Jesus Christ is? Our country murders millions of unborn infants in the name of women’s rights. They are treated as non-persons, having no rights. But a Christian will show respect for all persons.

Second, we must love the brotherhood, or keep on loving the brotherhood, of believers. Read 1 Corinthians 13 about love. The church consists of all people of all backgrounds, mostly poor people. Yet God in his wisdom chose the foolish, the weak, the lowly, the despised, the nothings to shame the mighty and to nullify those that are (1 Cor. 1:26–29). We are to love them all deeply, as Christ loved us and died for us.

Third, we are to fear God. We must keep on fearing God, who is the infinite, personal, holy, omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent Creator, Redeemer, and Judge. The fear of God will keep us from sinning (Exod. 20:20). Elsewhere we read, “Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole [duty] of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil” (Eccl. 12:13–14).

Fourth, we must honor, and keep on honoring, the king. The king stands for all delegated authorities. Children, obey your parents. If you do not, you will pay for it in due time. Believers, obey your pastors. If you do not, God will deal with you for despising Christ’s authority. Employees, obey your employers; students, obey your teachers; and citizens, obey the king, the president, the police, the IRS, and all other authorities, because all delegated authorities are appointed by God.

Conclusion

In conclusion, let us consider the following questions:

Have you surrendered your lives to the only Sovereign of the universe by confessing Jesus as your Lord, who was given over to death for our sins and was raised for our justification? The Philippian jailer and all his household believed and were baptized to become members of the church of Philippi. Have you also done this?
If you are disciples of Jesus, do you submit to God’s delegated authorities for God’s glory and for your eternal blessing?
Do you, as believers, shine as stars in this morally dark world, so that elect sinners may be saved by watching your life and hearing your witness?
Are you filled with the Holy Spirit? The Scripture exhorts us to be being filled with the Holy Spirit, that we may do every good work in the power of God, that is, that we may honor all people, love believers sacrificially, fear God, and obey all delegated authorities. May God help us all to do these things and be blessed.

[1] William Barclay, Letters of James and Peter, Daily Bible Study series (Philadelphia: Westminster, 1976), 207.

[2] Charles Ryrie’s Balancing the Christian Life, Zane Hodges’ Absolutely Free, and Tullian Tchividjian’s One Way Love are examples of evangelical books that promote antinomianism.