The Elect and The Election: Authority
I Peter 2:13
Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human institution…
“Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether to a king as the one in authority, or to governors as sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and the praise of those who do right. For such is the will of God, that by doing right you silence the ignorance of foolish people” (I Peter 2:13 -15).
In a few days, the citizens of the United States will cast their ballots and elect the next President of the United States. I, for one, will be glad when this election is over. I am tired of the television commercials, podcast stories, and mud-slinging. Truthfully, for me, next Tuesday, November 5th cannot get here soon enough.
Regardless of the results of next Tuesday’s election, there is one thing I know for sure. Whoever is elected President of the United States and whichever party controls the House of Representatives and the Senate, we, The Elect, have the biblical responsibility to honor the authority of our nation.
Now let me be clear, that is hard for me to say because clearly there are things that both parties represent with which I passionately disagree. Regardless, as a Christian, I have the biblical responsibility to honor the authorities around me.
“Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether to a king as the one in authority” (I Peter 2:13).
Could it be any clearer? We are to honor the authorities and we are to do so for the Lord’s sake.
The original sin in the Garden of Eden was the sin of rebellion. The command of God was clear and the sin of Adam and Eve was equally clear. They simply chose to disobey the command of God and rebel against His sovereign ways. And ever since that day, rebellion has become rampant. A recent example of this is the “defund the police” movement which is nothing more than a societal rebellion against authority.
I Peter 2:13 - 20 gives us at least three principles for us, the elect of God, to know and understand.
The Priority of Glorifying God
I Peter 2:11 - 12 clearly tells us that the priority of our lives, the followers of God, is to glorify God. When we honor the authorities around us, even if we disagree with them, we bring glory to God. That is our ultimate responsibility. Every day, we are to live for the glory of God.
“Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all things for the glory of God” (I Corinthians 10:31).
And this includes honoring the authorities around us. The Westminster Shorter Confession says precisely, “The chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy him forever.”
The Problem with Human Authority
We bring glory to God when we honor the authority around us but that doesn’t mean all human authority is good. In fact, there are countless examples of human authority that are simply evil. When Peter wrote this book of I Peter, Nero was persecuting Christians. This was an act of evil. That brings us to a question:
Is there ever a time when we, the elect of God, are to not obey evil authority?
I am sure there are several examples in Scripture but for now, let’s focus on three.
When human life is at stake, we are to honor God, not man.
Do you remember the story of Pharaoh ordering the death of Jewish boys in Exodus 1? The Egyptian King ordered the Hebrew midwives to murder, to kill those Jewish boys born. And the midwives simply chose to not obey the command of the king. They chose to honor God rather than men. And so should we.
When Christians are commanded to worship false gods, we are to honor God, not man.
Just think of the Old Testament prophet Daniel, in Daniel 3, who chose to not bow before King Nebuchadnezzar. We simply cannot bow before culture’s false gods. We must take our stand and honor God.
When Christians are told we cannot preach, share, or teach the Gospel of Jesus Christ, we are to honor God, not man.
It happened in Acts 4 and Acts 5 and Peter made it clear, “We must obey God rather than men.”
These represent some biblical examples of when we must stand against the authority of man and focus our minds on Jesus. But let’s be honest, it will cost us.
The Purpose of Suffering and Persecution
When we take our stand against human authorities that contradict the holiness of God, it will likely cost us. It will cost us in the form of suffering and persecution. Regardless, we are to honor God.
In a few days this election will be over and we, The Elect, will be faced with an authority that we either do or do not appreciate. I hope these principles encourage you and give you some guidance on how we are to live.
Join me in praying for the country and join me in praying for a sweeping movement of God across our nation.