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morning and our focus will be on verses 13- 15. But I'm going to read uh starting at verse 11 down to 17 to set this context.
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1 Peter 2 11. Beloved, I urge you as aliens and strangers to abstain from fleshly lusts which wage war against the soul. Keep
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your behavior excellent among the Gentiles, so that in the thing in which they slander you as evildoers, they may on account of your good deeds, as they
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observe them, glorify God in the day of visitation. Submit yourselves for the Lord's sake to every human institution, whether to a king as the one in authority, or to
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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.
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Act as free men, and do not use your freedom as a covering for evil, but use it as bondslaves of God. Honor all men, love the brotherhood, fear God, honor
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the King. Let us pray. Father, we were just reminded that your mercies are forever
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and that you are always sure. And we ask that we might in your word
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have by your Holy Spirit your spoken word to us, to our hearts, to our minds, to our souls, of who you are. And that
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we would respond as a reflection of who you are in the way that we live. That the way we live our lives in our families, in our congregation, in our neighborhoods, at our work, in all times
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Some of you may be having trouble if you've bothered to look at the title of this morning's sermon. Be subject to every human.
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You may be wondering if I've misinterpreted the Greek. Uh the new American standard that I use says every be subject to every human institution.
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Some of you may find it observed that I would even type be subject to every human. Surely not all of them. And some of you may be saying I I
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respect most people but I have my limits to that. to that. The focus in chapter 2:13 down through
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chapter 3:12 I believe is what scholars call the household codes or some even go back as far as Aristotle and he used the
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phrase I'm told station codes and there seems to be this idea of in Peter and perhaps in his culture of
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narrowing that focus of the household codes or how we treat other people in their various roles in relation to us. a
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focus on the lowest of the low. Of the least of these, my brethren, to use the biblical phrase, to
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the low on the social scale, the marginalized, the marginalized, those who are mistreated, those who are most maligned.
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But I think Peter's instructions are for everyone. And what we'll see as we go through these is
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these is that Christ is central to all of them. Not just in that way of speaking, Christ is the center, but actually in the midst
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of the household codes. We'll see that po that here in 13-1 17. I believe this sets the tone or the focus for what he's
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going to say in the next verses down through 3:12 that that it is a general statement introducing these and it's for
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everyone. And then he addresses specifically the station code for slaves. But in the midst of that, it's Christ's example for us to follow.
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And then he goes back to the station codes for wives and he does not forget to address husbands as well and then
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addresses everyone again in verses 3 or 8 through 12 of chapter 3. I don't think Peter followed anybody's
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code particularly the Stoics or I don't think he reached back to Aristotilian sources but he puts his emphasis on the good and
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correct behavior within Christian households within Christian families Christian congregations.
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In verse 13 of chapter 2, the the Greek to me literally reads, "Be subject to every human creation." And there are those uh scholars and commentators will say, "Yes, but that's
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that's a the word creation there has has kind of morphed into the idea of uh from human creation to human creatures to human institutions because you have that
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adjective human. It can't be God's creation because it says human creation. And then immediately we hear uh we read Peter talking about uh the emperor or or
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the kings. the emperor being his king at the time
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and it cannot be subject to every human. And I'm not belittling your questions and concerns because I had those questions and concerns as I as I read
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and studied. Peter's readers were under pagan rule. pagan rule. And the question in general is how far and on what principles should God's
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people obey pagan rulers? How do we interpret these household or station codes within Peter's letter?
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Because it's based on, I believe, verse 12 where he says, "Keep your behavior excellent among the Gentiles." And so it may be that Peter is counseling believers. You conform to the
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social norms of your culture so that unbelievers will not criticize your behavior. Perhaps as some of the scholars write,
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the instructions were meant to provide a social cohesiveness among believers. The thought being that believers should not be men pleasers but we must obey God
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in all our relationships. And I think there is a tone as one author suggested that Peter is advocating a quote polite and cautious
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resistance to the Roman imperial authority. But Peter does
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So we must have submission in some way to all of our relations, all of the role relationships that we have in life. But again, I believe Peter says, "Be
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one of the series that I have enjoyed over the years is the HBO series uh I think Tom Hanks was the producer the band of brothers about the significant uh soldiers, the
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army men who parachutists who were very key to the victory in Europe in World War II.
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War II. And there was a scene depicted in there which I I believe in my reading uh the the the events were true. They just were put in a different scene in the movie
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than they actually happened. But there was the disliked army captain Soil who had once been the superior to the
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man who's now his superior, Major Richard Winters, who is the kind of the star of the band of brothers. And there is the scene in which army captain Soville is walking by Major
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Winters and it he sees him out of the corner of his eye, but he does not salute him even though Major is superior to him in rank and he appears to be
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walking by without saluting. But Winter says, "Solute the rank, not the man." Saluting in the military is a sign of
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respect. But the question is should you salute an officer you do not like or respect or in our context show respect for authority you do not like.
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One perspective was given by a blog blogger who calls himself Wesson News. He writes, "But whether you or I admire the way a person is doing their job or
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absolutely detest it, there is one basic truth that we must apply. It is this. You do not have to salute the person in the office, but remember, it is
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imperative that the office itself must be held in respect.
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On the one hand, I get that. But on the other hand, I think Peter's perspective is different from this in a very important way. important way. I think he asks us to respect the man.
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Respect the person in the role that they I know, as I've already said, he Peter's going to go on with his station codes.
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He's going to talk about slaves. He's going to talk about wives and husbands. And I I don't know any wife at all who would like for her husband to say,
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"Well, I don't have to I salute you because you're just an institution." I mean, that's where I think Peter is coming from.
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Submission is when we arrange our lives under the guidance of another. Yes, there is still freedom. We choose to submit. Peter does not mean blind obedience.
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We're free to respect and honor authority with submission, but we must obey God in either case. Wicked command is not to be obeyed.
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But in most cases in life, there's not that kind of wickedness.
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But let me be clear, and I was a little disturbed when I read this, and I haven't read it directly out of CS Lewis, but he once said that if we were to see
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someone who was a believer, who was the least of these, my brethren, if we could see what he would look like and be in glory, we would fall down now and worship him.
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Submission is not worship. So I disagree with him on that. I again it makes my skin crawl to think of that. But to kings and emperors they are supreme
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authority and ones from whom authority flows especially in Peter's day the emperor and to the governors under him and and
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they were array we read him in about them in scriptures the procurators the proconsils the magistrates all the hierarchy of authority we are to respect
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their offices but I think we're also obl obligated as we know from the rest of scripture to pray for those in positions of authority
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and there are those who believe that this is just our relation to the role of government but I think there's another reason why again why I believe that Peter is
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directing us to be subject to every Peter started with the emperor purse and then the governors because I think he
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wanted his people to understand that he's just a man who was appointed by and Peter doesn't
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say it directly to us as Paul does but every institution is under the ordinance of God. of God. He could have started by saying, "Do you
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respect this person, this slave? Do you respect this?" And go up and they might say, "Yes, I respect my parents. Yes, I respect my respect my teacher. I respect my rabbi. I" and go
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up until they got, "No, no, no, no, no. We can't respect him." I think he started with the emperor because he wanted to see all the way down. These are people
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But he does acknowledge that these governors have a two-fold task. Their first task is to maintain public order by punishing, as he says in verse
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14, the punishment of evildoers. That was their right, but it was also their obligation. their obligation. They have the right to publicly praise
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as well and to draw attention to those who do right. Peter says those who do practice good behavior.
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But the scriptures are full of definitions and explanations of what these governors of of these magistrates of those kings must do. They must defend Deuteronomy
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says their people from hostile powers. and abide by the laws of the land themselves. In Deuteronomy 17, he talks about the king and he says he he must
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actually keep a copy of their laws in front of him, looking at it, reading it every day. He says, quote, that his heart may not be lifted up above his
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countrymen and that he may not turn aside from the laws. Christopher Wright in his book on Old Testament ethics says justice is quote
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God's highest demand on human authorities. In Deuteronomy 16 we read of that they shall judge the people with righteous
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judgment. They shall not distort justice. They shall be not be partial and they shall not take a bribe. This is what we want our leaders to be.
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And we ought to again, we respect their office, but we ought to pray for them and ask God to give us ones who would not distort justice or be partial or
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take a bribe. But what is it all for? Peter tells us, "For such is the will of God that by doing right you may silence the
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ignorance of foolish men." It is the will of God. Peter summons to the people, "Submit
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yourselves for the Lord's sake to every human." I in Greek, it's what's called the middle voice. I It's voluntarily
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you do this yourselves. He's well aware that the believers may or in most cases will suffer
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persecution. They will be falsely But when we submit ourselves to the governing authorities, we are carrying
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out God's will. And as I say, Peter doesn't say explicitly as Paul does in Romans 13, for there is no authority except from
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God, and those who exist are established by God. But I think it's also here in Peter that we are to honor the authorities because we
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fear God, not them. Peter doesn't speak of the source God of that authority but he speaks of its form
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and I think he speaks of the people within those forms within those
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and so to borrow a phrase from Luther's small catechism small catechism we should like Luther so fear and love God that we obey pay him by carrying out
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these injunctions. these injunctions. Yes, it is a fine balance. We're not to be mindless. We're not to be careless without considering the
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And perhaps the commentator is right when we are to use quote cautious resistance when authorities ask us anything
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and to use resistance if we are asked to violate the Lord's will. As the writer Matthew Henry wrote, "Sometimes God has to step in between
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the believer and the unbeliever." And we need to know when that is.
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Peter speaks pointedly that the reason for submission is first of all for the Lord's sake. Lord's sake. What God has willed is that his people will always be
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subject to governments. That's where we are. That's the world we live in. But ultimately the reason is that by
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doing good doing good you keep muzzling the ignorance of foolish men. foolish men. They're called ignorant because they should have more sense.
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We are to do good irrespectively of what foolish men say and do against us. Some will try to find fault in our behavior without any basis for that
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accusation. They're going to try to silence us. And as one author says, "Yeah, sometimes it will feel like they're
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constantly trying to bite us like dogs." And I don't know about you, but every time I ride in my neighborhood, there is at least one, and yesterday three, that
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wanted to bite my legs off. I don't think grandpa legs taste very good. But when I see the owner and I can see his muscles bulging as he's holding on,
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and I was very thankful that he was actually holding on, I thought of this verse or this comment trying to bite us like dogs. And I think
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that's why Peter says, "Yeah, but your good behavior will put a muzzle on them." The good behavior of Christians will
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minimize the slander and the hatred. Now many believe that this silencing as this word for muzzling could be to of
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the opposition the opposition will be mainly esqueatological in the end of time but that doesn't negate the injunction
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we must do good and I believe the main point that Peter makes is to do what is right and as far as you are able to strengthen
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the society you are in contact with. As believers, we're called to be radical
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in doing good. In Jeremiah chapter 29, when the people were in exile,
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they weren't just to withdraw and build walls about themselves. What does he say through the prophet Jeremiah? Seek the peace and prosperity of the
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city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it because if it prospers, you too will prosper.
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As the commentator Edmund Clowney wrote, quote, "The teaching of Jesus cut across revolutionary political expectations." Many of his disciples wanted Jesus to,
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you know, they asked him, "When will you bring your kingdom down? When will you reign on your throne? when will you
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But Jesus brought in his kingdom in his own way. own way. In Luke chapter 7, we're told that John the Baptist sent men to Jesus. And this is what Luke wrote. When the men came to
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him, they said, "John the Baptist has sent us to you to ask, are you the expected one, or do we look for someone else?" At that very time, he, meaning
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Jesus, cured many people of diseases and afflictions and evil spirits, and he gave sight to many who were blind. And he answered and said to them,
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"Go and report to John what you have seen and heard. The blind receive their sight. The lame walk. The lepers are cleansed. And the deaf hear. And the dead are raised up. And the poor have
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the gospel preached to them. Jesus brought about the kingdom in his own way. own way. Jesus kingdom is about doing good to
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every human creature. Let us pray. Our father, we do thank you for this word and we do ask that you would cause us to
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to think upon it, to meditate, to understand these things. But father we know that as the a one author said that we think that your
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scripture is about what we ought to do but your scripture tells us about who you are and how things ought to be. And
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so we ask, Father, that we would understand those things. That we wouldn't simply look at your scripture as a list of do this but don't do that. But we would understand who you are and
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we would be a reflection of you in your glory. We ask in Christ's name and for your sake. Amen. Would you please rise
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for the benediction from 2 Thessalonians chapter 2. Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself and the God our Father who has loved us
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and given us eternal comfort and good hope by grace comfort and strengthen your hearts in every good work and word.
