Submit Is (Not) a Dirty Word
“Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human authority: whether to the emperor, 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.” -1 Peter 2:13-14, NIV
“Christians obey governing authorities because such obedience is God’s will. Hence, the supreme authority for Peter was not the emperor but God Himself.” -Thomas R. Schreiner
“Our submission to authority should imitate and thus glorify God the Son (Peter makes this latter point explicit in 2:21-23). Moreover, since God has established these structures of authority (cf. Rom. 13-17) he is pleased for us to submit to them… God expects Christians to be subject even to human authorities who are neither believers nor morally upright.” -Wayne Grudem
Submission to authority is a quickly diminishing ideal in 2023. Not that humanity has ever loved submission to any authority but, we are currently cultivating a fine crop of rebels who refuse to submit to anyone or anything. We are in a moment when we can do anything we please and no one can tell us otherwise. There are few guardrails left on humanity and the few that we’ve not yet destroyed, we are in the process of removing. What we are losing in this process is beyond telling until the re-imagined future begins to unfold. In the meantime, we are trying to forge ahead on an ideology of a rule-less society. And this makes sense for those who do not yet know the saving work of Jesus and re-birth into God’s family. Afterall, this is the native tounge passed down to every human being. We are born rebels and rebellion is in our nature. Our current madness is just the fruit of the tree of humanity. From God in The Garden, to the speed limit sign on the street, we will have no ruler. We will be our own person. We will not submit.
Submission though is the way of Jesus. He modeled it (Philippians 2:1-16). Obediece to His Father was the careful living of the Son (John 6:38). His mission was to live in glad submission to His Father’s will and He did, even to His death on the cross. So, it should not shock or amaze us that submission is the will of God for us as followers of Jesus. If we are not careful, we will give way to the spirit of rebellion that dominates this moment. And while our rebellion may not work its way out in an easily identifiable refusal to submit to God, most rebellion is just that in its final reckoning. Anti-government sentiment is on the rise among Chrisitans. It should not be so. It isn’t wrong because our government is perfect or because it is doing godly or God-honoring things with its power. Its wrong because, it shows our lack of trust in the Sovereignty of God. If God is the final authority, I will obey Him. I will also obey and submit to those He puts in charge. The reason? I trust in Him. He is the author of history. He choose my place and time. He will set right every wrong. He will bring true justice in every situation. His rule and reign are not threatened by the actions of any government or government official. He does not come under the influence of the rich and powerful political class of any nation, now or ever. No deep state can frustrate His agenda. It was Peter’s firm grip on this reality that allowed him to write so boldly and plainly to the church. Submission is possible because God is Sovereign. Submission is possible because I belong to the One who is in charge of every human authority. My obedience is an extension of this reality. Rebellion is a denial of this reality. When I rebel, it screams that I do not trust God. And it puts me in rebellion not just to human authority, but to God’s authority. Obedience (when necessary tempered with proper objection) reinforces the living-breathing reality of God’s control.
In a culture rebellion obsessed and on wartime footing with one another, our duty as citizens of God’s holy nation who are otherwise resident aliens is to live differently. To live good lives as good citizens. To demonstrate our confidence in God’s sovereignty by obedience. Absolute obedience to God and qualified obedience to the government that God has placed over us will stand out. And when it stands out, then questions get asked by rebels. And rebels who ask questions should lead to more rebels becoming obedient children of the Father we know is in charge of all things.
Blog Bonus: This week, I want to share an excerpt from a newsletter published weekly by Russel Moore. I don’t always agree with everything he says, but, this week’s newsletter was helpful in shaping my thinking about 1 Peter 2:13-17. Maybe you will find it helpful too!
“If there is no eternity, then we should just fall into the same old culture-war patterns as the rest of the world. We should find an in-group and justify whatever they do—and we should identify an out-group so we can relentlessly hound them as stupid and wicked. But if there is a heaven and a hell and a Holy Spirit, then that posture is not just wrongheaded; it’s satanic.
If we are gospel Christians, entrusted with the genuinely Good News that “God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ” (2 Cor. 5:19), then our end goal cannot be to “win” an argument, much less to humiliate our opponents. Our end goal is to see people reconciled to God and to each other. Success for us isn’t defined by getting a “successful conviction” of our “enemies” on the Day of Judgment. Success is their acquittal through the blood of Christ and—even more so—their adoption into the family of God.
The frantic rage we can often display in supposedly protecting “Christian” values might feel like strength, but the world sees it for what it is: fear, anxiety, and lack of confidence. They can also see that it’s nothing like the confident tranquility of Jesus—who overturned tables inside the religious establishment but was indescribably calm before those with the authority to crucify him.”
-Russel Moore, excerpted from Moore to the Point Newsletter, March 16, 2023 edition