“Therefore submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake, whether to the king as supreme, or to governors, as to those who are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and for the praise of those who do good” (1 Peter 2:13-14).
1 Peter 2:13-14 introduces us to the first of two controversial subjects within this chapter. One involves our relationship to governing authorities (as we see in the passage quoted above) and the other addresses slavery (as we’ll see later in verse eighteen). We will take an extended look at these topics (beginning with our relationship to government) as we work through these subjects from a Biblical perspective.
As noted previously, the word “therefore” acts like a bridge that connects one portion of Scripture to a preceding section. In this instance, verses eleven and twelve set the foundation for what follows here in verses thirteen and fourteen…
- As sojourners and pilgrims, we should abstain from fleshly lusts that war against the soul (verse eleven).
- We should conduct ourselves honorably before those who do not have a relationship with God (verse twelve).
In light of these things, we should submit ourselves “…to every human institution for the Lord’s sake” (NET). The imagery behind this passage depicts a contingent of soldiers being arranged under the leadership of a commanding officer. (1) This directive thus applies to local jurisdictions, state or provincial governments, and/or national authorities (as represented by this reference to “the king as supreme“).
These verses also identify the motivation behind this admonition: “for the Lord’s sake.” If it seems difficult to submit to these human institutions for our own sake, then perhaps we may find it easier to do so for the Lord’s sake. Since every governmental entity is led by one or more flawed human beings, we would do well to maintain this perspective in our relationship with them.
Finally, it is worth noting that the infamous Roman Emperor Nero was the head of state when this epistle was originally authored. In commenting on Nero, Foxe’s Book of Martyrs tells us: “So prodigious a monster of nature was he (more like a beast, yea, rather a devil than a man) that he seemed to be born to the destruction of man.” (2)
History remembers Nero as a ruthless leader who subjected Christians to death in a variety of ways. Some were attacked by ravenous dogs. Others were thrown to lions. Then there were those were incinerated to death while serving as torches to light Nero’s gardens. These shocking historical realities should bring our efforts to submit to modern-day human ordinances into perspective.
(1) G5293 hypotasso https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g5293/kjv/tr/0-1/
(2) John Foxe, Foxe’s Book Of Martyrs [pg. 5] © 1981 by Whitaker House https://archive.org/details/foxesbookofmarty00foxe_1/mode/2up