On Being a Good Citizen 1 Peter 2:13-17
As a follower of Jesus, what does it mean to be a good citizen of the United States of America? This question, what does it mean to be a good citizen of the Roman Empire, was in the minds of the followers of Jesus living under the heavy hand of Nero and scattered throughout the Roman provinces of Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia almost 2000 years ago. Peter addresses this topic in verses 13-17 of our study this morning by writing,
13 Submit yourselves for the Lord's sake to every human authority: whether to the emperor, as the supreme authority, 14 or to governors, who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right. 15 For it is God's will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish people. 16 Live as free people, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as God's slaves. 17 Show proper respect to everyone, love the family of believers, fear God, honor the emperor. (1 Peter 2:13-17 NIV)
I’m certain that many of you, when you heard me read Peter’s instructions, were troubled. You disagree with our government about one thing or another, or a whole list of things. Submitting yourself to those who are in authority over us is the furthest thing from what you desire to do.
Some of you who are here this morning come from countries which are much more authoritarian than the United States. I’ve learned so much about China from my Chinese brothers and sisters here at Britton Christian Church. Many of you, who were born between 1979 and 2015, are an only child because of the one child policy implemented by the government. I’ve only recently become more familiar with the stories of oppression and death experienced by many of you from Afghanistan. Some of the stories I’ve heard of how you tried to hide your families from the Taliban break my heart and make me so thankful that you are now safe here in America. For some of our Haitian brothers and sisters who are with us this morning, the civil unrest in your home country has kept you up at night worrying about family members back home. How do all of us, who are followers of Jesus, take seriously Peter’s instruction to submit ourselves to those who rule over us? That’s a powerful question, a very important question.
Before we get to Peter’s answer I want to also take a look at what Paul wrote to his brothers and sisters in Christ living in Rome while the same emperor, Nero, was in power. In Romans 13, Paul wrote,
1 Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. 2 Consequently, whoever rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves. 3 For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and you will be commended. (Romans 13:1-3 NIV)
A few years after Paul wrote to the followers of Jesus in Rome, he sat down and wrote a letter to a young pastor named Timothy who was leading the church in Ephesus. Paul wrote,
1 I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people-- 2 for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. 3 This is good, and pleases God our Savior, 4 who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. (1 Timothy 2:1-4 NIV)
The followers of Jesus living in Ephesus were to pray for all people, but Paul highlights the need for them to pray for kings and all those in authority. One of the reasons they were to do this was so “that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness.” I want to show you one more instance of where Paul instructed believers concerning how they were to relate to the political powers that ruled over them.
Titus, who was a Gentile, became a follower of Jesus and a traveling companion of the Apostle Paul. Titus ministered to the people of Corinth on Paul’s behalf for a time, but a few years later Paul and Titus traveled to the island of Crete, a thousand miles from Rome and just south of the Greek capital of Athens. The people of Crete were a wild bunch. Those are not my words or Paul’s assessment. In Paul’s letter to Titus he wrote,
12 One of Crete's own prophets has said it: "Cretans are always liars, evil brutes, lazy gluttons." (Titus 1:12 NIV)
Sounds like Titus was living in modern-day America doesn’t it? Regardless of who the Cretans were or how they behaved in everyday life, Paul wanted the followers of Jesus to standout from the culture surrounding them. Paul urged Titus to teach the followers of Jesus how to be good citizens of Crete in Titus 3:1-6. Read it with me.
1 Remind them to be submissive to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good work, 2 to speak evil of no one, to avoid quarreling, to be gentle, and to show perfect courtesy toward all people. 3 For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another. 4 But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, 5 he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, 6 whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, (Titus 3:1-6 ESV)
The Greek word that is translated “submit” or “be submissive” in 1 Peter 2:13, Romans 13:1, and in Titus 3:1 is the word “ὑποτάσσω” (hypotassō). This word was most often used in the context of the military. It means “to arrange in formation under the commander.” A military without order and authority is doomed for defeat and any city, state, or nation that does not have order and authority will most certainly fall into anarchy.
It is so important for us to understand that God’s Word teaches us to honor and respect those in authority, those serving in our government whether we like them or not. I want you to know that I wrote this study on the day of the debate between our two presidential candidates. The debate didn’t happen until Thursday night, but I didn’t need to watch it to know what happened following the debate. The battle lines were drawn, the talking heads took their position and began to preach their best sermons about one or the other being the spawn of Satan, based upon which news channel you watched following the debate. This will continue right up until the election.
Some of you will vote for Joe Biden and others of you will vote for Donald Trump. Some of you will probably vote for anyone other than those two candidates. If you are a follower of Jesus then I want to plead with you to remember who you are in Christ. You are not a Republican or a Democrat, you are an ambassador of Christ. Politics is so divisive in our country. Leave the political talk to those who have nothing more important to talk about. We who are followers of Jesus have something so much more important to talk about, but if we wear the team jersey and hoot and holler for our team then we will lose our ability to share what is most important with so many others who may not agree with your politics.
During the last presidential election season Connie was here on a Thursday night rehearsing with the band, getting ready for Sunday. Some of the band members started talking about Joe Biden and Donald Trump and who they were going to vote for in the election. One of the band members said, “Connie, I’ve been working with you for twenty years and I have no idea how you vote.” Connie said, “And you won’t either.” Some of you might say, “Connie just doesn’t want to deal with the conflict she would have to deal with if she were to come out of the closet and be honest with where she stands on politics.” That’s not it at all. Connie recognizes what is most important in life and it’s not some politician making empty promises they will never be able to deliver. The greatest need in our country is for people to know, love, and follow Jesus, not some politician.
There is a very important phrase that Peter included in verse 13 that is a game changer for those of us who are followers of Jesus. For the people who are not followers of Jesus, they either love and respect the mayor, governor, or President because they voted for him or her or because they champion causes that are important to them. For the followers of Jesus we are called to honor and respect those in authority over us “for the Lord’s sake.” What does this mean? What does it mean to submit to the governing authorities “for the Lord’s sake?”
John Piper wrote a powerful sermon about how we are citizens of two kingdoms, the Kingdom of God as well as the kingdom of this world. He clearly communicates that the two kingdoms are not equal in authority because God owns every kingdom, every nation on the planet. We who are followers of Jesus seek to serve in the nation in which we find ourselves because God has established the nations of the world and we serve at His command and for His glory. In his sermon, Slaves of God: Free From All to Honor All, John Piper writes,
In this way Christian submission to the institutions of this world becomes an act of tribute to God's authority over the institutions of the world. You look a king or a governor in the eye and say, "I submit to you, I honor you—but not for your sake. I honor you for God's sake. I honor you because God owns you and rules over you and has sovereignly raised you up for a limited season and given you the leadership that you have. For his sake and for his glory and because of his rightful authority over you, I honor you." (John Piper)
We honor and respect and submit to those in leadership positions not because we like them, not because they have earned our submission and respect, but we do so to honor our true King, the One who came as a humble servant and submitted Himself to the power of the Roman Empire. Let’s move on. Let’s read verses 13-14 once again.
13 Submit yourselves for the Lord's sake to every human authority: whether to the emperor, as the supreme authority, 14 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)
I’m sure you noticed that Peter said those in power over us are put there to “punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right.” That would be great if that was the way all governments worked in the world wouldn’t it? Peter wasn’t describing the day-to-day operations of Nero and the Roman governors like Pontus Pilate, the Roman governor over Jerusalem who sentenced Jesus to die. Peter’s words describe how God designed the government to operate, not how it is presently operating. God designed government to maintain order, to punish evil doers, and to commend the good citizens for the work they are doing to help foster the prosperity and flourishing of the community. This is why Paul encouraged all of the believers in Ephesus to pray for those in power so they might live peaceful and holy lives. Let’s look at verse 15 where Peter writes,
15 For it is God's will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish people. (1 Peter 2:15 NIV)
Why should the followers of Jesus seek to do good, to be a blessing to our communities, and to honor and respect those in authority over us? We’ve already talked about doing so “for the Lord’s sake,” but here Peter says that our being good citizens “will silence the ignorant talk of foolish people.” Those Peter was writing to were being accused of all kinds of evil behavior. They were subversive and undermining the Empire because they would not bow down and worship the Emperor. They were accused of being cannibals because in the Lord’s Supper they called the bread and wine the body and blood of Christ. They were accused of incest because they called one another brother and sister. Like the counsel God gave His people who were exiled in Babylon, Peter tells the scattered followers of Jesus to do good.
Now, we know it didn’t quite go as planned. A horrible persecution broke out just a couple of years after Peter wrote this letter. Paul was beheaded and Peter was crucified upside down, but that did not prove Peter’s counsel wrong. Still to this day, regardless of whether we are being persecuted and threatened, we are called to be a blessing to those around us, those in power over us. About 150 A.D. there was a letter written, which is called, The Epistle of Diognetus. It is such a powerful testimony of how those early Christians were living, even in the face of persecution. Let me read you a portion of the letter.
As citizens, they share in all things with others, and yet endure all things as if foreigners. Every foreign land is to them as their native country, and every land of their birth as a land of strangers. They marry, as do all [others]; they beget children; but they do not destroy their offspring. They have a common table, but not a common bed. They are in the flesh, but they do not live after the flesh. They pass their days on earth, but they are citizens of heaven. They obey the prescribed laws, and at the same time surpass the laws by their lives. They love all men, and are persecuted by all. They are unknown and condemned; they are put to death, and restored to life. They are poor, yet make many rich; they are in lack of all things, and yet abound in all; they are dishonoured, and yet in their very dishonour are glorified. They are evil spoken of, and yet are justified; they are reviled, and bless; they are insulted, and repay the insult with honour; they do good, yet are punished as evil-doers. When punished, they rejoice as if quickened into life; they are assailed by the Jews as foreigners, and are persecuted by the Greeks; yet those who hate them are unable to assign any reason for their hatred.” (Ep. Diog. 5.)
What a powerful testimony! Can you imagine if you and I, those of us who are followers of Jesus, committed to living solely for His glory and embracing the call to go into all the world to make disciples instead of making a name for ourselves?
Before we leave this morning I want to point out that there is a time when we simply can’t submit to those who govern us. The same Paul and Peter who wrote the words, “Submit to those in authority…” also found themselves in situations where they simply could not submit. The reason for their refusal to submit to the political powers was because the political powers were demanding they do something or stop doing something which conflicted with God’s command.
In Acts 5, following the miracle at Pentecost in Acts 2, the Lord was using the followers of Jesus in powerful ways as they were sharing Jesus’ resurrection and the gift of eternal life found in Jesus with everyone. In Acts 5:17 we read where the high priest and the Sadducees were jealous and decided they had to put a stop to all of the people choosing to follow Jesus. They had Peter and the others arrested and threatened them. The Lord opened the prison doors and Peter and the others went back to teaching the people about Jesus. When word got back to the religious leaders they were beyond furious! Luke tells us about what happened next, in Acts 5:27-33. Read it with me.
27 The apostles were brought in and made to appear before the Sanhedrin to be questioned by the high priest. 28 "We gave you strict orders not to teach in this name," he said. "Yet you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and are determined to make us guilty of this man's blood." 29 Peter and the other apostles replied: "We must obey God rather than human beings! 30 The God of our ancestors raised Jesus from the dead-- whom you killed by hanging him on a cross. 31 God exalted him to his own right hand as Prince and Savior that he might bring Israel to repentance and forgive their sins. 32 We are witnesses of these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him." 33 When they heard this, they were furious and wanted to put them to death. (Acts 5:27-33 NIV)
When those in authority tell us that we cannot proclaim the name of Jesus, we simply cannot comply. When those in authority over us tell us we must do something that will go against what Scripture commands, we cannot submit.
I’ve shared with you about how God’s people in Jerusalem were captured by the Babylonians and carried back to Babylon back in 587 B.C.. God gave Jeremiah a message to send to them and the message was…
7 Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the LORD for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper. (Jeremiah 29:7 NIV)
During those long years in Babylon some of God’s people rose to prominent positions within the Babylonian government. Seeking the peace and prosperity of the Babylonians didn’t translate into an easy life of comfort. You know the names of some of the Jews who were both a blessing to the Babylonians and had to deal with the consequences of their allegiance to the Lord. You’ve heard their names Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. It’s interesting that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were not their real names. Their Hebrew names were Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. We don’t find anywhere in Scripture that they protested having their names changed, but they did protest having to eat food that God had prohibited them from eating.
Later, they got in lots of trouble because King Nebuchadnezzar made a huge statue of gold and ordered that everyone must bow down and worship the image. The Hebrew boys couldn’t do it. They could serve the Babylonian king as his officials, but they could not bow down and worship an image made of gold. Word got back to Nebuchadnezzar and he was furious. He had the three young men brought in and told them to bow down or they would be thrown into a blazing furnace. In Daniel 3:16-18 we can read their answer to the king.
16 Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to him, "King Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. 17 If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and he will deliver us from Your Majesty's hand. 18 But even if he does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up." (Daniel 3:16-18 NIV)
God can save us from the fire, but even if he does not, we will not bow. There are Christians all over the world today who are being forced to make that same decision because they will not bow, they will not renounce their faith in Jesus, or pledge their allegiance to any other faith.
We are so blessed to live in a country which gives us the freedom to come together and worship the Lord without fear of government authorities taking us to jail or executing us. You and I need to pray for those who have authority over us that they will continue to give us the freedom to study God’s Word together and worship together. I know that this will probably sound extreme to some of you, but we can’t take this freedom for granted. If the day comes when our government says we can no longer read Bibles in America, we can no longer speak the name of Jesus, or we can no longer assemble for worship then we will have a decision to make and the decision should be very easy to make even though the consequences may be very severe. John Stott wrote,
Given that the authority of rulers is derived from God, what happens if they abuse it, if they reverse their God-given duty, commending those who do evil and punishing those who do good? Does the requirement to submit still stand in such a morally perverse situation? No. The principle is clear: we are to submit right up to the point where obedience to the state would entail disobedience to God; but if the state commands what God forbids or forbids what God commands, then our plain Christian duty is to resist, not to submit; to disobey the state in order to obey God. (John Stott)
We do not have to agree with those in authority to submit to them, to honor and respect them. Jesus didn’t agree with all of the laws governing the citizens of the Roman Empire and yet He said, “Give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and give to God what belongs to God” (Matthew 22:21 NIV) Jesus never picketed, protested, or organized marches on Jerusalem over any of the societal wrongs taking place in His day. We picket, protest, and march about everything under the sun. Let me ask you an honest question, “What lasting change have they produced?”
I want to close by giving you some great insight into how you can be the best citizen of Oklahoma City and of the United States. What do you think you would need to do to be the best version of yourself as a citizen of our city and country? I’m sure we could come up with a long list of actionable items, but the advice I would give you is this: Become a citizen of the Kingdom of God. There is no list our mayor, governor, or president could give us that would exceed the lifestyle of selfless service we are called to live as followers of Jesus.
Some of us who are here this morning are not citizens of the United States. You have been given green cards, Special Immigrant Visas, or maybe a Temporary Worker Visa, but you are not a citizen. If you would like to become a citizen of the United States of America there is a process you will have to go through and Graciela can help you with that. She has been through that process and is now a citizen of the USA. I’m not going to tell you it’s going to be easy. It’s going to require a lot of work on your part, but it’ll be worth it when, after you say the oath in the ceremony, you hear those words, “Congratulations, you are now a citizen of the United States of America!”
Becoming a citizen of the Kingdom of God is not like becoming a citizen of the United States. To become a citizen of the United States you will have to pass a background check. Your character and past behavior will be thoroughly examined and if you fail the test you will have no one to blame but yourself. To become a citizen of the Kingdom of God there is no background check because your background is well known. We are each and every one sinners who have failed miserably! Our background is sullied and our character is suspect at best. Like those who fail the background check to become a citizen of the United States, we have no one to blame but ourselves. But, here’s the difference. For those who are here this morning, who desire to become a citizen of the Kingdom of God, you have someone who is willing to stand in your place. His background is pure and holy, more holy than anyone who has ever lived. And His character is spotless. God so desires for you to become one of His sons and daughters that He sent His sinless Son to stand in your place, to pass your test. Paul put it like this:
8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God's wrath through him! 10 For if, while we were God's enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! (Romans 5:8-10 NIV)
I want to invite you this morning to become a citizen of the Kingdom of God by confessing your sins and accepting Jesus’ free gift of salvation. Won’t you come?
Mike Hays
Britton Christian Church
June 30, 2024
