📖Scripture:
“Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether to the king as the supreme authority, or to governors as those sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to praise those who do right. For it is God’s will that by doing good you should silence the ignorance of foolish men.” – 1 Peter 2:13–15
🔎Examination:
Submission is one of the most misunderstood doctrines in Scripture — and one of the most despised by the flesh. Peter’s command, “Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human institution,” lands like a thunderclap in an age of wanton rebellion. Yet notice the motive: for the Lord’s sake. Submission is not about cowardice or blind compliance; it’s about GOSPEL witness.
This past Sunday's sermon pressed this point: A common response is, “So the Bible teaches that we’re supposed to blindly submit to the Adolph Hitlers of the world?” Not at all. Peter qualifies our submission to ‘human institutions’ by revealing the king’s rule must be just, because he sends governors out to punish those who do wrong and praise those who do right. Not based on subjective, transient human standards of wrong and right, but according to God’s Law—His immutable Word.
That qualification is essential. When civil authority acts justly, submission displays honor. When civil authority acts wickedly, submission to God’s authority often requires resistance or reformation. The prophets, apostles, and early martyrs all demonstrated this divine tension: obedience to rulers as far as they align with righteousness; disobedience when they command what God forbids or forbid what God commands.
“We must obey God rather than men.” – Acts 5:29
Daniel’s life perfectly illustrates this paradox. He willingly submitted to the king’s education, diet, and administration, as the sermon recounted. He served faithfully in Babylon under pagan kings, yet he drew immovable lines: no defiling foods, no idol worship, and persistent prayer to the One True God. Daniel’s submission did not compromise his holiness; it amplified it. His honor toward authority magnified God’s glory. Even Nebuchadnezzar, the proud conqueror, eventually confessed, “Your God is truly the God of gods and Lord of kings.”
That’s what Peter means when he says, “By doing good you should silence the ignorance of foolish men.” Kalos (Strong's Greek 2570 καλός) isn't the subjective good of the world; it's the divine goodness of Christ manifest through faithful saints. Doing good doesn't seek human approval and applause. It is often silent but always shines. Nebuchadnezzar’s decree, Darius’s conversion, and countless unnamed witnesses through the centuries prove that Christ’s servants/slaves can, and should, live honorably under corrupt pagan regimes without losing their integrity or voice.
Contrast that with the American Church’s retreat: Pastors, churches, and entire denominations that have avoided politics like the plague, not for the sake of biblical integrity or Gospel witness, but to ensure they wouldn’t jeopardize their precious tax-exempt status. That’s not submission — that’s surrender to fear. Just like the cowards who filled pulpits in Nazi Germany, American pastors caved out of fear that their ‘religious organizations’ might lose business and their religious consumers would take their business elsewhere. The problem is not government tyranny alone; it’s the Church’s theological cowardice.
The early Christians didn’t need tax exemptions to evangelize. They needed courage to die well. When persecuted under Roman emperors like Nero, rather than recanting, Christians were recorded as simply responding, ‘Christianus sum’ (I am a Christian). No defiance, no despair — just faithful allegiance to Jesus, the King of kings. Their obedience silenced their accusers and amplified the church's testimony.
That’s what Peter revealed: submission that springs from faith, not fear. A posture that honors legitimate authority while refusing to betray the Word. “Vengeance belongs to Me,” says the Lord. The Church cannot claim to be faithful while manipulating outcomes. We live honorably, by faith, and trust God to vindicate His own Name.
Submission without compromise looks like this: respectful toward authority, steadfast toward God, resilient under pressure, radiant in obedience. Whether in Daniel’s literal Babylon or our own cultural Babylon, the pattern remains the same — “for the Lord’s sake.”
🤺Action:
Examine your response to authority – “Let each one test his own work.” (Gal 6:4) Is your submission motivated by faith in Christ or fear of consequences?
Discern the boundary lines – “We must obey God rather than men.” (Acts 5:29) Identify where cultural expectations conflict with biblical commands.
Evaluate your witness under pressure – “Consider your ways.” (Hag 1:7) Are your reactions marked by honor or hostility? By reverence or rebellion?
Entrust judgment to God – “Search me, O God.” (Ps 139:23–24) When wronged by those in power, do you seek revenge or rest in God’s perfect justice?
🧠Reflection:
Submission is not silence, and obedience is not idolatry. The saints’ loyalty runs deeper than citizenship. We submit to kings for the Lord’s sake, but we never call the king “Lord.” Christ alone receives worship.
Daniel’s faith transformed kings; cowardice never will. When the Church fears losing privileges more than dishonoring God, she has already bowed to another master. But when the elect live honorably — even under unjust rulers — the Gospel speaks louder than protest ever could.
The sermon’s words still ring: Our job isn’t control. The biblical response is never apathy or anxiety, but to seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness. That's true submission — the kind that silences fools, honors Christ, and confounds the wisdom of the world. Live today as a loyal servant of Christ Jesus, whose heavenly throne no earthly empire can shake.
Click the following link for a short video version of today's post:
https://youtube.com/shorts/aD4WU1f2Vr4?si=PSv7OfhOSAyQ3nFv
Blessings & love,
Kevin M. Kelley
Pastor
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