13-15: Peter continues to exhort us to live well in front of others. Submit, he tells us. It is not for our sakes, or for the sake of authorities either. We do not obey those above us in order to be praised, or well rewarded by them. We do not obey our earthly authorities because they possess in themselves the right to govern. We obey for the Lord's sake, whether it be the emperor, the king, the president, the prime minister, the governor, etc. We obey because the Lord tells us to. It is the Lord we are obeying. In this we recognize that all earthly authorities derive their power, not from the people, or from position, but from God. He sets kings on their thrones, and He brings them down. He establishes crowns and courts, and He dismantles dominions. Because all authority in Heaven and on Earth has been given to Jesus. That means our current administration answers to Jesus. Our state and local authorities answer to Jesus. He owns them. He has given them authority to administer justice, to punish those who do evil, and to praise those who do good. When this does not happen, and evil is praised and good punished, those responsible will be called before the Supreme Judge, and will be held accountable for all their misdeeds. But it is not first and foremost our concern. We do not need to defend the King. He needs no lawyers. He has the power to judge, and will do so righteously. Therefore when we see injustice done, especially at a level where we can do very little, we can have a foundation of peace. We can rest knowing that justice will win. Recompense will be made.
By God's great wisdom, it is through rest and peace, and quiet living that true justice grows. The ignorance of foolish people will be silenced by our good works. The good work to be done in this context is to be subject to the powers that be. In our submission, and in our obedience to the one who rules the ruler, we prove the wisdom of the world to be ineffective in the pursuit of change. We cannot effect lasting change. For we are simple sinners, and wherever we go, there we are. But the one who rules the heavens and the earth, the one who declares, "Behold, I am making all things new," He can bring real, and lasting change. He can bring real and lasting justice. And so we trust in Him. Our weapons are not carnal. Our weapons are not merely political. They are Spirit and Truth. They encompass politics only in that they encompass all of life. We trust in the Lord of politics, the Lord of capitols, the Lord of legislations. Therefore, Christian, submit yourselves for the Lord's sake to every human institution. It is quiet submission that will turn the world upside down.
16-17: Our basis for living quiet lives is that we are in reality free. Though our external circumstances seem to be enslaving, what with taxes and regulations and inflation, we are at the core of reality, free. This requires some perspective to understand. If we really believe that Christ is Lord of heaven and earth, that indeed all authority has been given to Him, then everything we see is under His dominion. If everything is under His dominion, then that means everything. Every bill that is passed, every law that is established, every decision made by every cabinet in every country in the world. Let that sink in. Ponder the truth of that statement and how really real it is. It is not some sunday school truth that we nod at when we are six, only to realize when we are adults that, of course, its more complicated than that. Jesus is Lord. It is that simple. No fine print, no reading between the lines, not misunderstood subtext. Jesus is Lord. And here is the beautiful thing. We belong to Jesus. Here comes the perspective. If Jesus is Lord, and we belong to Jesus, and in Him is freedom, then we are free. The word Freedom has unfortunately been hijacked by our modern sensibilities. We have come to understand freedom as complete and utter autonomy, final say, total ability to choose our own destiny. Nothing could be more absurd. Not even God has this kind of freedom. He Himself is bound by His own Holiness, bound by His own nature. So we too are bound by our nature. We can only do two things: either obey God in conformance to how we were built, or rebel, and live life according to our fallen natures. Either way we are living bound lives. If we rebel, and live unto our own fleshly inclinations, then our very fabric begins to unravel, until nothing is left of us except a clump of dusty thread. But if we live by the power of the Spirit in a manner consistent with how we were created to live, then glory and freedom and peace are ours.
Peter defines freedom here as serving God. This is our creational design. To serve in the house of God as sons and daughters. True sons and daughters do not live as if some other house is their own, and follow the governance of some other father. True children serve their Father with joy, and in so doing find their freedom. Some, those whose hearts are carnal, would see the freedom grace brings, as an invitation to live in another father's house. There end is destruction. You cannot serve two masters. We are sons and daughters, a holy people, kings and queens in the House of the Lord. If that is true, then that is true now. As a plumber you are a king in the kingdom. As a nurse, you are a queen in the Holy City. Our freedom is real, for we really do belong to Jesus, and Jesus really is Lord of all. It is with this confidence that Peter tells us to, "Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor." God is God. He does not share His throne with anyone. This means the emperors of our day are simply subordinates, vice-presidents at best. Therefore Christian, know that with Jesus on the Throne, we live our lives unto Him. In this we have the ability to honor our fellows, for they are put there by the King. If God deems it prudent to place a certain someone on the throne, or in the oval office, we fear God by honoring the emperor. Our freedom does not hinge on the whims of a vice regent. Our freedom is secure in Christ. In honoring the emperor we recognize and publicly declare that he is there only because Someone higher placed him there. Only if God is God can you honor the emperor, or love your neighbor. He is. So honor and love. We need fear no man.
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