Therefore submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake, whether to the king as supreme, or to governors, as to those who are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and for the praise of those who do good. For this is the will of God, that by doing good you may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men—as free, yet not using liberty as a cloak for vice, but as bondservants of God. Honor all people. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the king.

—1 Peter 2:13–17

One hallmark of the United States is that from its inception, it went against the notion of “divine right” that many sovereigns, whether just or unjust, used as validation for their rule. The Declaration of Independence eloquently asserted the truth that all men are created equal, and they have certain unalienable rights given to them by their Creator.

Today, we often take for granted the idea of unalienable rights, because we’re so accustomed to them and have never lived any other way. If we visited a country that didn’t hold these same truths, we’d likely be in for a rude awakening.

When the Apostle Peter wrote his first Epistle, Christianity had been spreading throughout the Roman Empire for about thirty years and was well established in some areas. In spite of its ever-increasing prevalence, the early Christians encountered a lot of resistance to what many considered nothing more than a new sect of Judaism.

Peter was intimately familiar with resisting both civil and religious authorities for the sake of the Gospel. We read about many of these exploits in the first twelve chapters of the book of Acts.

Peter’s Public Resistance of the Authorities

At Pentecost, Peter called the people to repentance and boldly proclaimed the resurrected Christ to the Jews gathered in Jerusalem, and “those who gladly received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added to them” (Acts 2:41). Sometime after Pentecost, Peter and John went to the temple. They healed a man who had been born lame, and the people who saw it were amazed (Acts 3:11).

Then Peter preached another powerful sermon of repentance and forgiveness. While he was speaking, “the priests, the captain of the temple, and the Sadducees came upon them, being greatly disturbed that they taught the people and preached in Jesus the resurrection from the dead. And they laid hands on them, and put them in custody” (Acts 4:1–3). As effective as the Pentecost sermon had been, even more people—five thousand men—were converted after this sermon.

The next day, when Peter and John were dragged in front of the Jewish leaders, Peter once again boldly confessed Christ. Since the Jewish leaders couldn’t deny the healing miracle that was performed, they “commanded [Peter and John] not to speak at all nor preach in the name of Jesus” (Acts 4:18). Before they were released, Peter replied, “Whether it is right in the

sight of God to listen to you more than to God, you judge. For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard” (Acts 4:19–20). Long gone was the Peter who had denied Jesus three times, replaced by a man who stood against the authorities to preach the Gospel.

The Martyrdom of James and Peter

Later in Acts, King Herod “stretched out his hand to harass some from the church. Then he killed James the brother of John with the sword. And because he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded to seize Peter also.… So when he had arrested him, he put him in prison, and delivered him to four squads of soldiers to keep him, intending to bring him before the people after Passover” (Acts 12:1–4). Although this Herod is not the king who’d ordered the murder of the male children in Bethlehem, he had the same bloodthirsty bent as his forebear.

That night, while Peter was sleeping, the Lord sent an angel to free him, and he escaped. He immediately went to find the brethren and “declared to them how the Lord had brought him out of the prison” (Acts 12:17).

God had more work for Peter to do to further His kingdom, but one day, he’d meet the fate Jesus prophesied in John 21:18–19: “‘Most assuredly, I say to you, when you were younger, you girded yourself and walked where you wished; but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will gird you and carry you where you do not wish.’ This He spoke, signifying by what death he would glorify God.”

Peter was martyred in AD 68. According to tradition, he was crucified upside down because he didn’t feel worthy to die in the same manner as our Savior. He lived out what he preached, being obedient to the civil authorities, even unto death. When the Lord saw fit to allow him to continue preaching the Gospel, he was to be a fisher of men. But when his appointed time of death arrived, he “[rejoiced] that [he was] counted worthy to suffer shame for His name” (Acts 5:41).

Submitting to Authorities and Using Our Chrisian Liberty to Serve God and Neighbor

We, too, should strive to live out what Peter commands in these verses from his first Epistle. For the Lord’s sake, we can submit to the rulers the Lord has placed over us, recognizing that their purpose is to punish those who do evil and reward those who do good—even when the rulers themselves are evil, or we disagree with their decisions or actions.

When we’re persecuted, our good works will vouch for us before the civil authorities and any false accusers, “for rulers are not a terror to good works, but to evil” (Romans 13:3). Immediately preceding today’s passage, in 1 Peter 2:12, the apostle said we should ensure that our “conduct [is] honorable among the Gentiles, that when they speak against [us] as evildoers, they may, by [our] good works which they observe, glorify God in the day of visitation,” thus revealing the ultimate purpose of our works: to bring glory to God and lead people to the knowledge of the truth of the Gospel.

And let us not use our Christian liberty “as a cloak for vice,” knowing that we are forgiven (1 Peter 2:16). As Paul wrote in Romans 6:1–2, “Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not!”

We’re to honor everyone, love our brothers and sisters in Christ, fear the Lord, and honor the king (1 Peter 2:17). How blessed we are to have examples of believers like the Apostle Peter, as we use our freedom in Christ to serve God and neighbor.

Prayer

Dear Jesus, Your apostle Peter rightly proclaimed, “We ought to obey God rather than men” (Acts 5:29). Thank You for discipling him and molding him into a bold leader with a bold confession of faith, which helped provide a solid foundation for Your church. May we be similarly uncompromising in our commitment to You, clinging fast to Your truth until the very end. Amen.

For Further Reflection

• In your opinion, what are some of the greatest sources of tension between our civil authorities and the church?
• Have you ever been in a situation when you felt it necessary to challenge someone in authority? How did you handle the situation? Should or could you have done anything differently?

Excerpt taken from One Nation Under God: 40 Devotions for Patriotic Women by Amanda C. Bauch.

Scripture taken from the New King James Version^®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Join My Mailing List!

Sign up & you’ll receive:

• My monthly newsletter, with a focus on faith, motherhood, mental health, writing, and books. And probably cats.
• Updates as I take you behind the scenes on writing, publishing, and launching a book.
• Exclusive access to special offers, such as mini devotionals you can download for free!