Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether to a king as the one in authority, or to governors as sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and the praise of those who do right. For such is the will of God that by doing right you may silence the ignorance of foolish men. Act as free men and do not use your freedom as a covering for evil, but use it as bond slaves of God. Honor all men. Love the brotherhood, fear God, honor the king. – 1 Peter 2:13-17

As followers of Jesus Christ, we have been commissioned and empowered to spread the good news of the gospel. While preaching the gospel requires words, our deeds are an intrinsic and irreplaceable aspect of our witness to others. If we preach the truth about God without demonstrating those truths in our actions, why would anyone listen to us? Believers are called to imitate Christ. We are to live life above reproach. The foundation of all of our witnessing is the transformed life. How we live as Christians is the greatest defense for the evidence of the transforming power of the gospel.

Peter has already stated that believers are aliens in this world, and as citizens of heaven, we submit to a higher authority than any earthly authority. As strangers and aliens of this world, we are called to abstain from sinful desires (v11), and as citizens of heaven, we are to conduct ourselves honorably by doing good works (v12). The fact that we are citizens of heaven doesn’t negate the need to submit to human authorities.

There was great hostility against the early church. They were accused of rebelling against the Roman Empire, atheism, cannibalism, fostering slave rebellion, and many other things. The world we live in today is no different, they still hate Christ and Christians. So the only way to shut the mouths of the accusers is to live a virtuous life obeying the laws of the land.

Submit to human authorities (V13-14)

Peter commands Christians to be subject to every duly constituted office and ordinance for the Lord’s sake. He states the scope of Christian submission in verses 13 and 14. We are to submit to national leaders (emperor/king) and local leaders (governors). We don’t have to agree with what they do, we don’t have to like the policies that govern us, or we don’t have to fear the person who holds the office. All the authorities are ordained by God (Rom. 13) to promote moral behavior and to foster a just society. And we should submit to them in obedience to God’s command. Insubmission to the rulers and authorities is viewed as a rebellion against God’s authority. Our civil obedience, submissiveness, and humility, honors God.

Now, the question arises, “What if the government oversteps its boundaries and asks us to do something against the scripture?” The Bible is clear – “Do what God commands and bear the consequence.‘

Conduct righteously (v15)

The will of God is that we conduct ourselves righteously as good citizens submitting ourselves to civil authorities doing good deeds. That’s the only way you can stop the willful wild accusation of hostile people. In books, music, art, movies, news, TV forums, and internet blogs, foolish men bark against Christians. By living a life of good deeds and showing proper respect to everyone, Christians can effectively counter the accusations and criticisms of those who are ignorant and foolish, essentially silencing their negativity through positive actions.

Live as free people (v16)

Christian freedom refers to “spiritual freedom” – free conscience before God by justification. It does not refer to civil and corporal freedom. We are still in this world and we must submit to the civil authorities as God commanded. This freedom means Christ sets us free from the condemnation of the law, the fear of death, and a guilty conscience before God and men (Rom. 8:1). Believers are considered to be spiritually “seated in heavenly places” alongside Christ despite being physically on earth (Eph. 2:6). Sin is no longer our master, and we live under the freedom of God’s grace. And we have a new master who bought us at an immense cost. Now we are free to obey God, serve God, enjoy God, and serve others. We are to live as free people while still submitting to God as our master, not using our liberty to indulge in immoral behavior.

Fulfil your moral duty (v17)

“Honor all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the king.” This verse serves as a guiding principle for how Christians should conduct themselves in their relationships with others and with God. Peter gives four admonitions to the Christians.
It is worth understanding the meaning of the two original Greek words used in this verse.
  • Honor > G5092 > (timē) => the honor which one has because of rank and state of office which he holds
  • Fear/respect > G5399 (phobeō) => to be struck with fear, to reverence, to venerate, to treat with deference or reverential obedience
  1. Honor all men – God created each person in his own image. We are to treat every individual with dignity, regardless of their social status, background, or beliefs. This idea is consistent with the teachings of Jesus, who emphasized the importance of loving one’s neighbor as oneself.
  2. Love the brotherhood – This highlights the special relationship within the faith community. This love is an active commitment to the well-being of fellow Christians. Believers are brothers and sisters in Christ. As a family, we are to love one another and promote unity in the body.
  3. Fear God – This command is climatic. We are to honor all men. We are to love the brotherhood. But we are to fear God. The respectful reverential fear of God is a powerful force that motivates good behavior. This fear is not based on punishment, but rather on understanding and acknowledging the sovereignty of God. Amid the fearful trials and hostility from pagan society, Peter reminded us that God is the one we should fear not the emperor.
  4. Honor the king – It calls for Christians to show honor to the head of the state, even if he is an ungodly leader who is working to harm you. This is a very tough order from our King, Jesus. In recent times our nation’s leaders have inverted and perverted all moral standards. They exalt adultery, promote fornication, protect and encourage the homosexual lifestyle, mock faithfulness, purity, and integrity, exalt divorce and mock marriage, and call biblical teaching ‘hate speech’. Yet, we must recognize that God ordained civil authorities on this earth to keep peace and order, and He commands us to submit to them.

Scripture records times when civil disobedience was deemed necessary. But it never instructs us to practice civil disobedience. God is in full control over His creation and He owns it all. Civil government is an instrument, not an end. Men are proximate ends but only God is the ultimate end. God in His sovereignty can work through any situation and any wicked choices of His creatures to bring about His altogether righteous sovereign will.