Submission to Authority for the Lord’s Sake
📖 Passage
1 Peter 2:13–17
Read 1 Peter 2:13–17 (NKJV)
🧠 Context & Background
Persecution and slander tempted believers to reject governing authorities, but Peter exhorts them instead to live as faithful witnesses by submitting for the Lord’s sake. Human institutions, though imperfect, are part of God’s providential order to punish evil and commend good. Christian submission is not blind allegiance but obedience rooted in trust that God is sovereign. Their good conduct silences critics and demonstrates that true freedom is found in serving God, not self. The section concludes with four concise commands shaping Christian social ethics.
🌿 Key Themes
- Submission to Authority — Christians honor God by respecting human institutions.
- God’s Purpose in Government — Authorities restrain evil and uphold good.
- Witness by Doing Good — Obedience silences slander and ignorance.
- True Freedom — Freedom in Christ is expressed in service, not rebellion.
- Four Commands — Honor all, love the church, fear God, honor the king.
📖 Verse-by-Verse Commentary
1 Peter 2:13–14 — Submit for the Lord’s Sake
“Therefore submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake…”
Submission is not mere civic duty but an act of faith in God’s order. Kings and governors are appointed to restrain evil and promote good.
1 Peter 2:15 — Silence by Doing Good
“For this is the will of God, that by doing good you may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men…”
The believer’s integrity and good works serve as the most powerful answer to slander.
1 Peter 2:16 — Live as Free, Yet Servants
“As free, yet not using liberty as a cloak for vice, but as bondservants of God.”
Christian freedom does not abolish authority but transforms obedience into willing service to God.
1 Peter 2:17 — Four Commands
“Honor all people. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the king.”
Peter sums up Christian duty in four imperatives. Reverence for God grounds respect for all and special love for the church.
🔍 Trusted Insight
“To fear God and honor the king are not contradictory duties. The fear of God is supreme, and from it flows reverence to rulers and love to brethren.” — Charles Spurgeon
Spurgeon stresses that obedience to authority is anchored in fearing God first. Submission is not compromise but a testimony of trust in God’s providence.
Summary: Christians live as free servants of God, showing honor, love, and reverence in a hostile world to display the transforming power of the gospel.
🧩 Review Questions
- What does it mean to submit “for the Lord’s sake”?
- How does doing good silence the ignorance of critics?
- How should Christians understand freedom in relation to authority?
- Why are the four commands in verse 17 significant for Christian witness? ---
🔍 Definitions
- Submission — Voluntary yielding in obedience to God’s appointed order.
- Liberty/Freedom — Deliverance from sin and self, not from God’s authority.
- Bondservant — One who belongs fully to God and lives in His service.
- Honor — To value and respect, treating with dignity.
🙋 Application Questions
- How can submission to imperfect authorities be an act of faith in God?
- Where might you be tempted to use freedom as an excuse for self-will?
- How can you practically “honor all” and “love the brotherhood” this week?
🌍 Worldview Connections & Common Objections
1. Submission to Authority vs. Absolute Autonomy
- Worldview clash: Modern culture often equates freedom with rejecting authority.
- Peter’s teaching: Believers submit “for the Lord’s sake” to every human institution, seeing government as ordained by God.
- Common objection: “Isn’t submission to rulers oppressive or naïve, especially if leaders are corrupt?”
- Gospel response: Christian submission isn’t blind obedience; it’s rooted in honoring God above all. Where rulers demand sin, “we must obey God rather than men” (Acts 5:29).
2. Freedom to Serve vs. Freedom to Indulge
- Worldview clash: Freedom is often seen as doing whatever one wants.
- Peter’s teaching: Christians are free in Christ but must not use freedom as a cover for evil; true freedom is serving God.
- Common objection: “Isn’t Christianity restrictive, taking away freedom?”
- Gospel response: The gospel liberates from sin’s bondage and empowers joyful service, the highest expression of freedom.
3. Honor for All vs. Conditional Respect
- Worldview clash: Society tends to respect people selectively based on status, wealth, or agreement.
- Peter’s teaching: Believers are called to honor everyone, love the brotherhood, fear God, and respect the emperor.
- Common objection: “Why should I honor people who don’t deserve it?”
- Gospel response: All people bear God’s image, and Christians honor even enemies as a witness to God’s transforming grace.
🔤 Greek Keywords
- ὑποτάσσω (hypotassō) — to submit, place under in order.
- ἐλευθερία (eleutheria) — freedom, liberty; release from bondage.
- δοῦλος (doulos) — servant, slave; one bound to another.
- τιμάω (timaō) — to honor, value, revere.
- φοβέομαι (phobeomai) — to fear; here reverence toward God.
📚 Cross References
- Romans 13:1–2 — Let every person be subject to governing authorities.
- Titus 3:1 — Be submissive and ready for every good work.
- John 8:36 — If the Son sets you free, you are free indeed.
- Galatians 5:13 — Do not use freedom as an opportunity for the flesh.
- Proverbs 24:21 — Fear the Lord and the king.
📦 Next Study
Next Study → 1 Peter 2:18–25 – Christ’s Example in Suffering