At this point in Peter's letter, his recipients are well prepared to hear his specific exhortations. Until now, his primary focus has been on who we are in Christ. Peter knew his audience was beginning to feel marginalized for their belief in Jesus, but before he told them what to do, he needed them to see how important they were to their community. As God's chosen race, holy priesthood, and holy nation, they were meant to declare God and his excellencies to their world.
And so are we, which is why God has preserved Peter's exhortations for these past two thousand years. The exhortations stand. The church is still God's special community. Peter's original hearers needed to learn how to live on the edge of society. So do we. Especially here in California, we must learn how to live an exilic Christian life, for we are exiles. This world is not our home. And this attitude formed the backbone of Peter's instructions. He said:
1 Peter 2:11–12 (ESV) — 11 Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul. 12 Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation.
It was a general exhortation, but now Peter will get into some specifics. And today, he will give some instruction on abstaining from the flesh's passions and keeping our conduct honorable as citizens. How do we interact with our nations? What kind of citizens will exile Christians need to become?
In reading Peter's answer, please activate your imagination. Think about those early believers. Threats were aimed at them. Rumors were swirling about them. And anger was growing against them. They felt the pressure, and they needed a word from their leadership to direct their next steps. What did they need to do? How did they need to behave?
Did they need to angrily fight? Did they need to flee for safer territories? Did they need to conform themselves to society so it would all blow over? No. Peter wanted them to stand firm, and here he will give them direction on how to treat the governing authorities. These are Peter's words -- not mine -- and they were just the authoritative message these early Christians needed from their apostolic leadership. And they are authoritative for us today.
13 Be subject for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme, 14 or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good. 15 For this is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people. 16 Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God. 17 Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor.
1. Exile Citizens Are Subject (13-14)
13 Be subject for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme, 14 or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good.
Not an Easy Answer
Peter's answer was not an easy one. His first exhortation is that Exile Citizens are subject. He said, "Be subject for the Lord's sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme, or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good" (13-14).
These are challenging words -- and not necessarily the ones these early Christians would've wanted to hear. We often love the concept of Jesus as the Lion Of The Tribe Of Judah, but Peter's answer is more lamb-like in orientation. He doesn't tell his followers to war against the governmental institutions or the emperor or his governors, but to be subject to them.
"Subjection" is not a popular word. But it is the framework Peter uses for his next few exhortations. Here, he tells citizens to be subject to unbelieving governments. Next, he'll tell servants to be subject to unbelieving masters. Finally, he'll tell wives to be subject to unbelieving husbands. Clearly, Peter thought he was writing to people who weren't in that society's classic positions of power. And he believed the way forward was not class warfare but submission.
We Are a Holy Nation
This plea to be subject might surprise us, given what Peter just said we are -- a holy nation (2:9). And we might imagine that God's church, this holy nation, should assert its rights and take the lead. Peter's exhortation might even sound weak to us. But he seems to see us as a holy nation meant to live in subjection to -- I don't know how else to say this -- unholy nations. So the fact that we are a holy nation, in Peter's mind, doesn't give us the right to rebel against ungodly authorities.
I'm sure you're wondering if there are exceptions to this rule -- and I will talk about that in a moment -- but don't rush there. Please allow Peter's directions to sink in. Remember, on the night Jesus was arrested, Peter produced a sword and began to fight. But then he heard Jesus' rebuke, put away his sword, and watched Jesus heal the man he'd injured. In the most extreme way, Peter watched Jesus subject himself to the unholy governmental and religious institutions of his day. As Jesus said to Pontius Pilate:
John 18:36 (ESV) — 36 “My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting, that I might not be delivered over to the Jews. But my kingdom is not from the world.”
This way of Jesus contradicts the fighting and angry spirit of our age. But Jesus is our way -- and we must prayerfully discern how to imitate Christ as citizens of his holy nation, all while also being citizens in unholy nations.
And this challenge is hard. There is much that concerns us as believers. For instance, I am grieved at what is happening to public education. What they are telling children, younger and younger, about their gender and sexuality is alarming, inappropriate, unscientific, and harmful. How do we adhere to Peter's exhortations while also navigating (and hopefully even changing) the course our world has chosen? It is hard to know. It is messy.
The Purpose of Government
In the passage, if there is an exception clause to the rule Peter lays down, it is found in his description of the government's purpose. He said it punishes evil and praises good (14). So the government has a two-fold purpose to Peter. First, it puts down evil. Second, it promotes good.
Doesn't this attitude from Peter strike you as highly optimistic? His words challenge me. He wasn't living in some governmental utopia, either. It was not the warmest political environment. The rule of Rome was not like the rule of Jesus. Nero hadn't yet lost his mind on the Roman populace, but he was still Nero. And Peter saw him and his governors as appointed by God for the maintenance of moral values.
The assumption is that Peter is speaking in general terms. The Roman Empire was guilty of much that contradicted Scripture, and its leaders promoted some truly terrible practices, but it generally put down evil and exalted good. And Peter also likely has the alternative in mind. To him, an unrighteous government is better than no government. Anarchy is not the answer.
But still, it is all too easy to see governments, even our own, engage in practices that are evil. They might even call these evil practices good practices. One might think of how abortion rights are considered a deeply held moral good in many quarters. It is a classic example of Romans 1:28-32 playing out -- calling evil good and championing it in the public sphere.
Exception Clause?
So perhaps there's an exception clause here: when a governing authority promotes evil, they cease to do what God made them for, so we are no longer meant to be subject.
I mention it because (clearly) there are times we must obey God rather than men. The early Christians behaved this way when it came time to offer a pinch of incense while saying, "Caesar is Lord." They wouldn't say it, and it got them into a heap of trouble, but they could not give the emperor worship that belongs to Jesus.
All this is delicate because our governmental situation seems far better than what the early Christians had. And, if we are honest about church history, governmental support and endorsement haven't been all that helpful to the mission of Christ. Once Constantine got behind the church in the third century, a malaise caused by ease infected the church. Soon, we had more of a mission to build cathedrals than we did to reach souls.
Remember, two of the most sweeping and radical movements in church history have happened under the threat of government hostility. The early church exploded during an age of persecution; that's our first example. And our second example comes from the church in China. Against a backdrop of governmental hostility, the church was forced underground, but while there, it connected to its radical gospel roots and began spreading at a rapid pace. When the hostility began a couple of generations ago, there were around 2 million believers in China. Today there are around 120 million -- in such a short time!
All this should help us understand that the church does not need governmental favor to get the job done. In fact, we seem to do better without it. And it seems clear that even if we changed the government, we would still have a nation of people to deal with. We've got to build up reservoirs of strength and truth to handle the age to come. Even if the government and the church were friends, the world is our mission field and is at odds with the gospel.
Because of the Lord
Before moving on in the passage, I want to point out a reason Peter gave for behaving this way: for the Lord's sake (13). What does this mean?
First, as I already mentioned, this is what the Lord did. He submitted, so subjection to the governing authorities is a way to imitate Jesus.
Second, the Lord is the one who established these governmental authorities, so subjection to them is a way to be subject to Christ.
Third, this is a way we witness to our world. No one else reacts like this. Everyone else is deeply divided and hostile to the "other side." So, for the sake of our Lord's mission, we must consider our response to the governing authorities.
So, prayerfully and with much consideration, let's try to do what Peter says and be subject for the Lord's sake to every human institution (13).
2. Exile Citizens Do Good (15-16)
15 For this is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people. 16 Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God.
We Must Pursue Goodness
But Peter also said Exile Citizens do good. He said, "For this is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people. Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants for God" (15-16).
I keep dragging out the prophet Jeremiah for this study, but his exhortations to Israel back when they were pulled into exile in Babylon are so perfect for us. Remember, most Israelites didn't want to listen to Jeremiah. They wanted to fight or flee, and eventually, many conformed, but Jeremiah wanted them to stand firm as good citizens in their new host culture. He said:
Jeremiah 29:7 (ESV) — 7 But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare.
Peter wanted the same. We are to be a holy nation inside unholy nations. We are to do good as a strategy to silence those who oppose the cross. As I said in a previous study, our good works won't be the sum total of our gospel preaching (we must speak), but good works are a major part of our messaging.
At times, a life of doing good will mean we are decent, law-abiding citizens who also go out of our way to find good things to do for our community. We are always meant to have a higher bar than simply keeping the law. At other times, a life of doing good will mean we have to confront the evil powers of the day and rescue people from the lies they are living under. Sometimes we have to, as Jude said, rescue people from the fire (Jude 23). But at all times, Peter wants more than private acts of piety, but a life of good works.
Peter seems to suggest living as if people are watching our lives. And they should. We are heralds of the gospel. We say God is amazing. We believe Jesus Christ changed our lives. It makes sense that people would watch our lives for evidence of those claims.
However, I don't mean to suggest that a life of good works is somehow a hassle that we have to put on because people are watching. Jesus doesn't like hypocrisy, and that would be hypocritical. But when you are a true child of God, when the Holy Spirit lives inside you, you are being conformed into Jesus' image. So when you pursue good works, the deepest and innermost, you will be pleased because it's what God is trying to do in you. He sets you free from so many besetting sins when you pursue good works. Flaws like self-centeredness, greed, discontentment, laziness, and lust all weaken and fade when we engage in good works because the good works displace the bad ones.
Many western believers have experienced this in major (and often temporary) ways when going to developing nations on a mission. While in the new place, they tell themselves, "I am never going to be discontent again. I have so much." Or, "I am so happy filling my time serving and helping. I am never going to watch as much television as I used to." Or, "It feels incredible to tell people about Jesus. I am going to do this at home." What has happened in these cases is our serving has brought out Christ's nature in us.
But the thing is that we need this stimulation constantly. We must feed the Spirit, not the flesh, and a life devoted to good works continually feeds the Spirit. So keep praying about ways you can help our community with good works, then sign up, volunteer, and go get it!
You Are Free To Serve
All this is why Peter makes sure to tell us we have been set free so that we can serve God (16). This pattern is always God's way. Remember the book of Exodus? God set Israel free from Egypt, not so they could be liberated, but so they could serve him. Over and over again, God said (through Moses), "Let my people go, that they may serve me."
And we are very much set free. We are sons and daughters of the King of Kings. We belong to a new kingdom. We are a holy nation. The powers of the day do not have ultimate jurisdiction over us. But, still, we use our freedom to do good. We don't use our freedom as a cover-up for evil. Instead, we serve God by doing good works for our community.
I hope these passages serve as a great motivation for you who are working in our governmental system in some way. You can execute your work as a service to God. He instituted the governmental authorities. They ultimately stem from him. And, now, you are free in Christ to serve God by serving your nation.
3. Exile Citizens Treat Everyone Well (17)
17 Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor.
A Nod to Tensions
Peter closes this section on Exile Citizens by telling us that Exile Citizens treat everyone well. He said, "Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor" (17).
This cluster of quick exhortations contains a nod to the tensions we will feel as Exile Citizens.
First, there is the tension between the community of our society (the one everyone lives in and the emperor rules over) and our new believing society (the one the brotherhood and God are in).
Second, there is the tension between God and the emperor. Though the governmental authorities (kings, presidents, governors, and emperors) should be honored, God should be feared (respected).
Third, there is the tension between kingdoms. We are meant to care about everyone, about benefiting our earthly kingdoms, but we are also meant to care about the invisible kingdom, about benefitting our brotherhood.
So as believers, we live in this place of tension. But each of these closing exhortations helps us navigate the tension well and even make good decisions when one group must be prioritized over another. Let's think for a second about each category.
Honor for Everyone
First, Peter said we should honor everyone. Exile Citizens, believers, know that every person is made in God's image. No matter how radical their ideology has departed from God's ways, every human on earth today has the echoes of God's design reverberating within them. This means they will do some good things, make some cool stuff, and are worthy of honor. This is why, for instance, you will hear Christians champion religious rights for people of other faiths. It isn't that we agree with their religion. It isn't even that we think if they aren't protected, neither will we. It's that we believe everyone should be honored.
Love for God's People
Second, Peter said we should love the brotherhood. Exile Citizens love God's family. We have a new, special family that we are called to embrace.
Fear for God
Third, Peter said we should fear God. We've thought about this in a previous study (1 Peter 1:17). Peter isn't saying we should live in terror of God, but respect for God.
Honor for Government
Fourth, Peter said we should honor the emperor. We should be people who give honor to the governing authorities. It isn't so much that they are people worthy of honor or that they make honorable decisions at all times, but that they also are made in God's image, and their position is one God has ordained. Exile Citizens might disagree, but we are good and respectful in our disagreement.
Conclusion
These are hard words from Peter. They challenge us and should make us think cautiously about what we say or think about governmental authorities. Exile Christians should not respond impulsively but thoughtfully, strategically, and respectfully -- all while maintaining good works.
One last exhortation: don't fixate too much on the government. Jesus didn't. He was in the thick of Roman oppression -- and had a few comments about it -- but was focused on his mission. Fixation on the government or politics is often a sign that a society's churches and families have devolved. What we should get from relationships and the community of faith, we often start looking for from the government. But what the government does or doesn't do can lead to disappointment, and when we devote too much of our time observing its behavior, our spirit generally erodes along with our character.