13 Be subject for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme, 14 or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good. 15 For this is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people. 16 Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God. 17 Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor.
It’s tempting for a Believer to say they won’t follow their government because they feel it is “unjust” or take the attitude of “well I didn’t vote for that!” Yet, Peter (as well as Paul in Romans 13 for that matter) says Christians who found themselves in the brutal dictatorship of the Roman Empire of the First Century should obey the government’s direction. The goal of the Christian is not to seek “freedom” for themselves, but to make the Gospel compelling to others. To show that no matter what happens to us, we will serve others. Honestly, it’s hard to do that in a “free country.” We are very blessed to (in most ways that count) live in the freest country in the history of the world, but that also makes our job hard. It’s not our primary responsibility to fight for “our rights” but to shine forth the Gospel. To hear some people talk, as long as we get people food, shelter, education, and healthcare we’re doing “God’s work.” The reality is, those fights might be taking up so much of our time, we don’t do what God has actually called us to do, the Great Commission. Just some things to consider…
