1 Peter 2:13 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Be subject for the Lord 's sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme,

NIV: Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human authority: whether to the emperor, as the supreme authority,

NASB: Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether to a king as the one in authority,

CSB: Submit to every human authority because of the Lord, whether to the emperor as the supreme authority

NLT: For the Lord’s sake, submit to all human authority — whether the king as head of state,

KJV: Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake: whether it be to the king, as supreme;

NKJV: Therefore submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake, whether to the king as supreme,

In the previous two verses, Peter has referred to Christians as aliens and strangers on the earth. He urges us to abstain from the sin we want to do and to choose to lead good lives, instead. One result of this is that even those falsely accusing Christians of wrongdoing will give God glory.

It's possible that some early Christians had argued that if, a) they were being falsely accused and b) they were spiritual "foreigners," perhaps they were not under the authority of human governments. They may have suggested that being a Christian gave one immunity from human laws and judges. Peter rejects this approach. In fact, he tells Christians to submit to every human authority, including the emperor. Why? For the Lord's sake. The reputation of Christ is built by His followers, and Peter insists that His followers should be known as people who submit to human authorities.

At the time Peter wrote these words, the emperor may well have been Nero. Many Roman emperors were notorious for cruelty and injustice, especially to Christians. As is clear in the following verses, Peter is not telling Christians to submit to authorities because those leaders are necessarily good, but to show that Christ is good.

As passages such as Acts 5:28–29 show, "submission" is not necessarily "obedience." Accepting the government's punishment for obeying God is, in and of itself, a form of appropriate submission to human authority.

1 Peter 2:13–25 reveals God’s will for those who are free in Christ: to willingly submit to every human authority for God’s sake. This includes emperors, governors, kings, and even slave masters. Peter does not endorse slavery, but he does instruct Christian slaves to endure unjust suffering, as Jesus did for our sake on the cross. He does not expect us to ''obey'' when the instructions are sinful. Rather, Christians are called to imitate Christ by suffering for doing good. Because Jesus was willing to do so, we lost sheep are now under the protection of our shepherd.

Peter gets specific about what it means to live as God’s set-apart people. Christ is the foundation stone of the spiritual house God is building. We must engage in battle with our selfishness and desire to sin. This includes submitting to human authorities, no matter how evil or harsh. It means enduring suffering, as Christ did for our sake when He died on the cross. Our role is not to fight a physical war for justice here; we will be going home soon.

First Peter 1 described the glorious reality of our present and future as God’s children, by His grace and through our faith in Jesus. He called us a holy people redeemed by God for new purposes. That means believers must live differently than those in the world around us. In this chapter, Peter narrows down exactly what it means to lead a holy life, including doing battle with our own desire to sin. This also means suffering under human authorities, even unjust ones.

Some 30 years after the resurrection of Jesus, Christians are facing greater persecution for their faith. How should they respond? How should we respond to suffering today? The apostle Peter writes this letter both to comfort believers and to encourage them to stay strong. He urges them to put all their hope in their perfect future with Christ, and to obey and trust Him in the present, even in their suffering. Christ suffered greatly; now the Christ-followers have the opportunity to follow Him even in this, showing His grace and power in their hopefulness, obedience, and faith.