1 Sermon Series: Faithful Living in Faithless Times 1 Peter 2: 13-24 Faithful living involves submitting Pastor Sam Parsons: October 18th, 2015 Big Idea: Faithful submission remembers Christ s mission Today we take another step in our series titled Faithful Living in Faithless Times. So far what we have seen is Peter writing a letter to Christians located all throughout Pontus, Galatia, Capadocia, Asia and Bithynia. These were all regions, which contained cultures that were faithless. As a result these Christians have been experiencing persecution and rejection. In response, Peter writes a letter to these believers to encourage them to remain faithful even in the midst of their faithless culture. So far what we have discovered over these past 4 weeks in this series is Peter encouraging believers by calling them to remember who Christ is and secondly calling them to remember who they are in Christ. Last week we learned that Paul spent time encouraging believers to remember that they are part of a bigger body of Christ that make up the church. He called them to remember that Jesus was rejected so don t be shocked when you encounter rejection. Thirdly, Peter motivates Christians by calling them to remember that they are the chosen children of God. This is who you are believers in Christ Peter says and in v. 11-12 he says So live like it. You are the children of God so abstain from sinful desires, you are the children of God so live good lives live up to who you are. This is who Christ is This is who you are so I urge you brothers and sisters to live faithful lives. Thankfully Peter doesn t just end the letter there. In v.13-24 what we will discover today is Peter taking time to describe what it looks like to abstain from sinful desires. What it looks like to live good lives. In these
2 verses Peter paints a picture of what faithful living looks like in two relationships: first as Christian communities relating to their governing authority and secondly as slaves relating to their master. In each relationship Peter takes time to not only answer what faithful living looks like in but also the why its important. So lets look at the first relationship. what does faithful living look like under government authority? Faithful lives submit to governing authorities/officials (v.13-14) The first thing we discover from Peter is that faithful living involves submitting to governing authorities and their appointed officials. Now before we even begin to dissect this and figure out how it applies to us we need to do two things. First, we need to have an understanding of what the word submit means and secondly we need to understand the context in which this instruction is placed. So what does submit mean? Does it imply total obedience? The word submit is a compound verb from the Greek words hypo (meaning under ) and tasso (meaning to order, place, appoint ). When you put it together it means: to order oneself under, or according to, a given relationship, or to live according to the governmental order. 1 Essentially, Peter is calling these communities of believers to place themselves under the order of their government, which was the Roman government at this time. Secondly, It is important that we read Peter s instruction to submit in the context of the whole letter. This call to submission fits within a greater context of a call to obey God. 1
3-1 Peter 1:2 To those who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and Sprinkling by his blood - 1 Peter 1:14 As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. - 1 Peter 1:22 Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for your brothers, love one another deeply from the heart. It seems given the context that Peter s instruction to submit to the governing authorities fits within the greater context of obeying Christ and bringing him Glory. Dr. Mcknight put it this way: Clearly here the notion of submitting to the government is secondary to obeying God (1:2, 14, 22) and to doing his will (2:15), because this group of subjects (the church) is free (2:16). That is, even though the Christians are aliens and strangers (2:11), they are to live in the order that God has ordained. As believers both than and now we need to make sure that our submission supports our obedience to God and does not contradict it. With that said, what about those instances when the governmental order contradicts that of God s word. What if our government ordered us to stop glorifying God and to renounce our faith? What does submission look like in those cases? Dr. Mcknight continues in stating: Furthermore, for Peter and the entire church, submit does not imply total obedience, for the Israelites and the early Christians participated in civil disobedience when the demands of society overrode the demands of the Lord (e.g., Ex. 1:17; Dan. 3:13 18; Acts 4:18 20; Heb. 11:23). 2 2
4 Does Peter s call to submit imply total submission? Absolutely not!!! Paul s instruction for believers to submit to governing authorities fits within our instruction to obey God first. We are called to submit as far as our obedience to God allows us. That is why I came up with the term faithful submission. Faithful submission is a type of submission that does not dismiss your relationship with God but rather incorporates it. Overall, it seems clear that Peter sees the institution of government as supervised and appointed by God. We see this in Paul s writings to the Roman church in Romans 13. His exhortation, then, is that Christians, in spite of their relative freedom, are nevertheless to live according to every sort of governmental order. The alternative would be to live in chaos. To chaos God did not call the church, therefore Peter exhorts believers to good conduct that honors God. In all of this Peter is just following Jesus example, who exhorted his disciples to be peacemakers (Matt. 5:9). 3 So what does this look like for us today? A church submitting to the Roman Emperor and governing officials looks far different than that of a church submitting to the president of the United States and its governing branches. As one commentator put it: The Roman emperor was far more dictatorial and more of a tyrant than any western leader can possibly be. Thus, the American president s hands are tied by the American body politic; he can only get done what his people (through their representatives in Washington, D.C.) permit Did noncitizens, which is precisely what these Christians were, have any choice but to submit? Of course not. Too often almost every kind of public nonsubmission met with some kind of immediate punishment. Any strategy other than 3
5 compliance (submission) was foolish. Thus, in bringing this text into our context, we are dealing with light years of changes. 4 This call for Christians to submit to their governing authorities looks far different than that of today. However, there are a couple of overarching principles we can apply. The, call to submit is a call to place ourselves under the governing order which God has ordained. The beauty about this country is that it contains a constitution that allows us as a church to disapprove of our governmental decisions in an orderly way. Unfortunately, during Peter s lifetime that was not the case for the church. They had no choice but to submit to the governing ruler and Peter calls them to do so? Why faithfully submit? Reason#1 Faithful submission will lift up the Church (v.15) Peter calls the church communities to submit to the Governing authorities because this submission (which is an act of living a good life) would silence the ignorant talk of both citizens and authorities in Rome. Scot Mcknight put it this way, The good conduct exhorted in 2:12 provides an opportunity for Christians to be approved by the governors, whose task it is to approve of good behavior. Furthermore, their good behavior should silence the ignorant talk of foolish men in that it will both demonstrate in their eyes the good behavior of this socially excluded group and thereby prevent the development of persecution. 5 4 5
6 By living good lives in submitting to governmental order they would be aiding the church rather than causing it any unnecessary trials. Further, faithful submission doesn t only lift up the church but it also serves God. Reason #2: Faithful submission doesn t promote chaos but serves God through governmental order. (v. 16) Peter is telling them that yes they are free in Christ but they need to use that freedom to not revolt against the government but to serve God. These socially excluded Christians are to submit to the authorities (2:13), not only because they are driven to it by their social location, but also because they are ultimately free from the jurisdiction of these authorities. Christians live under the governing order as free people, not as its slaves, for they are slaves of God, not Caesar. But they are not to use this freedom from human authorities as an excuse for living in chaos and insubordination. That kind of life will only hurt the church and will give ample justification to the persecuting powers that now threaten them. 6 Peter is informing believers that while they may be free from any institution, they now belong to Christ and are servants of God. God calls them to serve Him by faithfully submitting to order and not fueling chaos or rebellion. 6
7 Reason #3: Faithful submission loves and honors all. (v.17) Remember the submission to governing order is in the context of your obedience to God. As Christians we are called to obey God, which includes the greatest commandment of loving the lord your God and loving others. Living faithful lives through faithful submission is a call to love and honor all. Todays Application: Given the major differences between the United States Government and the Roman government. What does this type of submission look like for believers at Church of the Foothills? First, we must live as good citizens obeying the law of our land. However unlike those churches in Peter s lifetime, given our constitution in this great nation we have the ability to be good citizens while at the same time exercise civil disobedience in a peaceful God honoring way. As Scott Mcknight put it, IN light of the differences between our world and the world of 1 Peter, submission, while it remains a fundamental principle for Christian living in society, can now be understood to include obedience, protest, and at times even civil disobedience. What do I mean by this? The Christian is to be obedient to the structures of society and to live within those structures, but such obedience at times may involve a justifiable disobedience that remains within that governmental structure. 7 The beauty about living in the U.S. is that it provides an outlet for believers to protest when our government enforces laws that contradict God s. As Christian Citizens living in the US we have the ability to protest while being 7
8 under the order of our government. A great example of this is the civil rights movement as led by Martin Luther King. Secondly, I believe this passage stresses the importance of our vote. Church we have the ability to vote for our governing authorities unlike 1 st century Christians. so vote. Further, our votes should not be separated from our faith and should glorify God. As one commentator put it: Our first task is to glorify God by bringing the good news of the gospel of the kingdom to bear on our world. If our political activity is not drenched in that motivation and is instead only slightly stained (work as hard as possible to appear nonreligious and acceptable) by the message of the kingdom, then we are denying the purpose of our existence. Peter motivated the churches to good actions in their world so that they would declare forth the good news of God and demonstrate his goodness and glory, in the hope that others would want to become Christians. 8 The instruction to faithfully submit to governing authorities fits within the greater purpose of bringing God glory. After all as we saw in v. 12 the main reason we should submit is so to help others bring God glory. Live Good lives so that they may see your good deeds and glorify God. Peter makes a transition now in v. 18 from the relationship of church and government to that of slave and master. What does it look like to live a faithful life as a slave? Faithful lives submit to their master. (v.18) Again, when reading scripture it is important to have a cultural understanding of the times in which Peter is writing. It is easy for us to 8
9 read this passage in view of the United States history of slavery. However, slavery when exercised in the US was far different than the way it was exercised during Peter s time. Mcknight has this to say about that difference: Slavery was a diverse institution in the ancient world, altering itself from one culture to another. Yet the Roman and Greek worlds anchored their entire economic system in this institution slavery was not usually a permanent condition of life. Rather, it was a temporary condition on the path toward freedom. Many ancient people voluntarily chose to be slaves of a Roman citizen so that, upon being granted manumission as a result either of good behavior or adequate savings, they could become full Roman citizens. In fact, it is entirely possible that one reason Peter (and Paul) urged Christian slaves to be submissive and obedient was that by living obediently, they could be set free (if the slaves even wanted freedom; cf. 1 Cor. 7:21). 9 While some masters let their slave be free, and while some slaves chose to be such. There were those who were forced into with very abusive masters. Despite these differences many have used this text as one that is supportive of slavery. I firmly believe this is a completely wrong interpretation. Peter s intentions in these verses are to not argue for the existence of slavery nor God s approval of such an institution. Rather, Peter is writing in recognition that slavery exists and his intent is to instruct Christians who are slaves on how to live faithfully in that relationship. Why faithfully submit? 9
10 Faithful submission pleases God (v.19-20) I believe Peter tells Christian slaves to submit to their master no matter how they might treat them because it is commendable. That phrase For it is commendable translates as an expression that describes whether or not one pleases someone. In this case, for it is pleasing to God. 10 In essence what Peter is telling Christian slaves to fall under the order of their master no matter how they treat you because that is pleasing to God. What good is it if you do not submit? Peter argues that it will just cause more unnecessary suffering? Instead by doing good (submitting) you will please God and you may also earn favor with your master which may give you freedom. I understand what Peter is saying but how does this apply today when the institution of slavery is non-existent in the US, let alone Cameron Park? Todays Application: Some argue that it is similar to that of an employee employer relationship, which I believe is not the case. Unfortunately, we have all read those stories of teenage girls being drugged and forced into the sex trade. Even a couple years ago we heard about the discovery of Jayce Dugard and her kidnappers that held her captive for 18 years. Heaven forbid we ever find ourselves in this scenario. However if we every find ourselves in a situation that we are suffering Peter s call is to continue to live a good life (under order) and to suffer for doing good for that is pleasing to God. 10
11 Peter so far has urged believers to submit to governing authorities but also to their masters. In both of these cases this submission involved intense persecution and intense suffering. So how do you exercise this type of faithful submission in the midst of persecution and suffering? Peter ends this section of scripture by answering that question. Remember this is your calling. (v.21a) The first way you live faithfully by submitting to your master or governing authorities in the midst of suffering and persecution is to remember your calling. It is clear in this verse that Christians can be called to suffer. Unfortunately there is a common belief amongst our culture that I believe is even creeping into our churches, which is The path of least resistance. I have had interactions with people who believe that suffering is God s way of telling them to change paths to something that doesn t cause as much pain. When life gets hard in our vocation or our relationship we can have a tendency to think God wouldn t want me to suffer, so we bail out. This type of thinking couldn t be farther from the truth. To this (suffering) you were called -1 Peter 2:21. Friends God may be calling you to persevere through that Job or that marriage relationship or that mission field in the Middle East, because he may be using you to make the gospel known despite the suffering you may endure. Our call in life isn t to avoid suffering but to glorying God. As Pastor Dillon put it we need to learn how to change our prayers from God help me get out of this suffering to Lord help my suffering glorify you.
12 Some may think that is cruel of God to have us endure suffering. However, I believe its important to note that God doesn t call us to do anything he hasn t done himself which is the next point. When suffering remember Christ our example. (v.21b-23a) Imagine if Christ had the mindset, path of least resistance. That wouldn t have led him to the cross, which wouldn t have led to his conquering of death and our abolishment of sin. Remember what we talked about last week. If we choose to embrace Christ that means we are going to embrace his life and his rejection. The way you faithfully submit in the midst of suffering is by remembering Christ and the example he laid forth in suffering. Thirdly when suffering, its important to keep an eternal perspective. When suffering keep an eternal perspective (v.23 b) Suffering is temporary and heaven is eternal friends. When you re in the trenches of suffering do not lose sight of the eternal perspective. Paul writes in Romans may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit Romans 15:13. Do you know the difference between happiness and Joy? Happiness is circumstantial where Joy is not. As Believers we have the Holy Spirit who can give us hope and instill in us joy in the midst of suffering. Remember your calling, remember Christ example, keep an eternal perspective but also and most importantly remember the mission.
13 Remember the mission (v.24-25) In suffering it is important to have an understanding that God doesn t call us to suffer for sufferings sake. Look back at v. 12 again, live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us. Our suffering serves a purpose. Christ didn t just die on the cross to die on the cross. It was part of a great purpose, which was to bridge the gap between a sinful man and a holy God. Just like Christ our suffering is used to accomplish a mission. What mission The great commission Therefore go make disciples Mt 28:19. Our suffering in faithful submission helps us serve the mission of connecting people to Jesus growing them up to love and serve him. We are not called to suffer for suffering sake we are called to suffer so that they may glorify God on the day he returns as Peter states. Remember Christ, Remember who you are in Christ and start living faithful lives submit to governing authorities Faithful lives that submit to their masters both good and evil. At times this type of submission will cause suffering, so remember your calling, remember Christ s example, keep an eternal perspective and remember his mission because faithful submission remembers Christ mission.
Bibliography Jobes, K. H. (2005). Baker Exegetical Commentary. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic. McKnight, S. (1996). 1 Peter, The NIV Application Commentary. Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House. Schreiner, T. R. (2003). 1,2 Peter, Jude; New American Commentary. Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers. 14