We're going to enter a long section of Peter where the theme is, "being willing to be subject to authority." It's a life of servanthood. And I have to say again, "I don't always love authority." You know that authority is hard for us.
If you're a parent, you know, a child will fight you because you want to put a certain healthy food in their mouth. Now, this child hasn't read a diet book but decided they want to eat a certain way. What they're fighting is authority, "My body belongs to me, and I will choose what I put in my mouth." Or a child who's clearly sleepy who will fight you when you try to put them to bed. You have got to know that there's something inside of us-sin is fiercely rebellious; sin is fiercely independent. And so, we fight authority, we fight being subject to anything.
And that's why Peter wants us to know this is a principle aspect of the Christian life, the life that God has called us to. It's a life of willing subjection to the authorities that God has placed in this life. And what Peter says is:
Be subject...to every human institution, whether to an emperor as supreme, or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good. For this is the will of God.
These authorities are sent by God. Human authority is a visible representation of the authority of God. So, God is the ultimate King, He sends kings to make His invisible authority visible. That's the model. And so, this life of submission is God's will for me. I love this. In this discussion of submission, which is introducing a whole section of 1 Peter, he also talks about freedom.
Now, we tend to think freedom is freedom from the need to submit to anything. "I'm free!" That's not what he's talking about. He's talking about a freedom that is a result of being willing to live as a servant of God and subject to the authorities He puts in my life. And Peter is going to make this practical.
Look at where he ends, "Honor everyone." If we took that seriously, Christian social media would be immediately purified. I read so much dishonoring communication from believers to believers, things that should never be communicated. "Honor everyone."
"Love the brotherhood." This cranks it up-a particular affection for the family of God that would cause me to treat my brothers and sisters with tenderheartedness, with mercy, with patience, with forgiveness, with humility.
"Fear God." This is this life shaping awe of God's; it's not terror of God, it's a life-shaping awe of God, that everything I do is shaped by the fact I live in awe of this One who is my Savior and my LORD.
"Honor the emperor," that I should treat those authorities with respect.
Now, I just have to say these four things are such a solution for the tribal and political nastiness that's all around us. "Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor," and you can do this, because God's grace doesn't just call you; God's grace empowers you to do what God has called you to do. Every command of God is accompanied by His grace!
