Reformed Doctrine Daily Devotions

Today’s devotion comes from 1 Peter 2:13-17.

 

“¹³ Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether to a king as the one in authority, ¹⁴ or to governors as sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and the praise of those who do right.  ¹⁵ For such is the will of God that by doing right you may silence the ignorance of foolish men.  ¹⁶ Act as free men, and do not use your freedom as a covering for evil, but use it as bondslaves of God.  ¹⁷ Honor all people, love the brotherhood, fear God, honor the king.”  1 Peter 2:13-17.

 

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“My son, fear the Lord and the king;
Do not associate with those who are given to change,”  Proverbs 24:21.

 

Submission to authority is doing right.  It is the will of God.  Verse 15.  It also earns the praise of those who do right.  Verse 14.  It also helps the punishment of evildoers.  Verse 14. 

 

Submission to authority helps silence the ignorance of foolish men.  Verse 15.  We may infer that submission to authority helps silence the ignorance of foolish men, because those foolish men don’t want to stick out as evildoers when everyone else is quiet and in submission.  But, submission to authority is expressly stated that it is the will of God.  

 

Submission to authority is also part of that “excellent behavior” about which we read yesterday.  “Keep your behavior excellent among the Gentiles, so that in the thing in which they slander you as evildoers, they may because of your good deeds, as they observe them, glorify God in the day of visitation.  1 Peter 2:12.

 

We submit to authority not because we are slaves to men;  but, we submit to authority, because we are bondslaves to God.  Our goal is not some personal freedom to do whatever we want.  Our goal is to best serve God.

 

We read elsewhere in Scripture that we submit to authority “so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity.”  “First of all, then, I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men, for kings and all who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity.  This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.”  1 Timothy 2:1-3. 

                                

This makes sense.

 

 

 

 

Now, there may be rare times when rebellion is the best course of action, because justice is also the will of God.  We do read about God leading the people of Israel out of slavery in Egypt. 

 

But, we also need to consider that Christ did not lead a rebellion to free the Jews from the rule of the Romans as many wanted.  We also don’t read about rebellion being the best course of action in today’s Scripture.  Instead, we read about the command to submit to authority and the reasons to do so.