13 “For the Lord’s sake, accept all authority – the king as head of state, 14 and the officials he has appointed. For the king has sent them to punish all who do wrong and to honor those who do right. 15 It is GOD’s will that your good lives should silence those who make foolish accusations against you. 16 You are not slaves; you are free. But your freedom is not an excuse to do evil. You are free to live as GOD’s slaves. 17 Show respect for everyone. Love your Christian brothers and sisters. Fear GOD. Show respect for the king”. ~ 1 Peter 2:13-17
We are free from keeping the law as a way to earn salvation. However, we are still to obey, out of gratitude for our free salvation, the teachings of the Ten Commandments, for they are an expression of GOD’s will for us.
When Peter told his readers to submit to the civil authorities, he was speaking of the Roman Empire under Nero, a notoriously cruel tyrant. Obviously he was not telling believers to compromise their consciences; as Peter had told the high priest years before, – “We must obey GOD rather than human authority”. – Acts 5:29 – The apostles knew their priorities. While we should try to live at peace with everyone – “Do your part to live in peace with everyone, as much as possible”. – Romans 12:18 – conflict with the world and its authorities is sometimes inevitable for a Christian – “When the world hates you, remember it hated me before it hated you”. – John 15:18 – There will be situations where you cannot obey both GOD and people. Then you must obey GOD and trust HIS Word. We should let Jesus’ words in Luke encourage us: -“GOD blesses you who are hated and excluded and mocked and cursed because you are identified with me, the Son of Man”. – Luke 6:22.
In most aspects of daily life, it was possible and desirable for Christians to live according to the law of their land. Today, some Christians live in freedom while others live under repressive governments. All are commanded to cooperate with the rulers as far as conscience will allow. We are to do this “for the Lord’s sake” – so that His Good News and His people will be respected. If we are to be persecuted, it should be for obeying GOD, not for breaking moral or civil laws. However, we should never allow government to force us to disobey GOD. Jesus and His apostles never disobeyed the government for personal reasons; when they disobeyed, it was in order to follow GOD’s moral standards. Their disobedience was not cheap – they were threatened, beaten, thrown into jail, tortured, and executed for their convictions. Like them, if we are compelled to disobey, we must be ready to accept the consequences. As Christians we believe that we are to live at peace with the state as long as the state allows us to live by our religious convictions.
Father, help us in our daily lives to live by our religious convictions and be who we are in Christ. We want to obey the civil authorities of this land, but Father more importantly, we want to obey YOUR moral standards.
Source: The Life Application Study Bible
Photo: Tamarindo (Costa Rica)
Photographer: Lisa K Gonzales
Click on the photo to enlarge
