Transcript

When the apostle Peter wrote his first New Testament letter, times were troubling; there was political upheaval, moral digression, governmental corruption, rising taxation, and a lowering of the value of human life. And for Christians, the clouds of persecution were gathering. They were living under the reign of an emperor who was growing increasingly insane and more and more openly brutal and hateful toward Christians.[1]

That sounds a lot like today. How do you live in a world like that? Well, as we sail back into 1 Peter 2, God’s Word provides the answer.

First, we are given here the responsibility of Christians to their government. Look at verses 13-14:

Be subject for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme, or to governors.

This must have sounded strange, if not impossible, to these believers living under the reign of a Roman Caesar. But this advice, the same as the apostle Paul gives in Romans 13, reminds us that governmental authorities are ordained by God to ultimately bring about God’s plan for this world. Now as long as your governmental authorities are not requiring you to disobey the Word of God, you need to obey them. Pay your taxes, obey city codes and ordinances, and be a model citizen, as much as you can be for Christ.

This attitude of submission to authority applies even to political leaders you do not like, did not vote for, or do not agree with.

I have read that one-third of Christians today enjoy some form of civil freedom, but the vast majority of believers, two-thirds, live under some sort of repressive government.[2]

Just imagine what it was like in Peter’s day, living in the decaying Roman culture, where every moral standard was being erased or reversed under the emperor Nero, a man who became a cruel persecutor of Christians.  

So why should Christians submit to that kind of government that does not respect the church, must less, the Lord?

Well, Peter assumed we would be asking that question even today, so he gives two reasons for submitting. First, he writes, “For this is the will of God” (verse 15). That is pretty ironclad, is it not? This is God’s direction. Besides, God is ultimately in control of civil and political leaders. It might not look like it at times, but He is moving them to fulfill His purposes on this planet.

Second, you are not only obeying the Lord’s direction when you submit to government authority; you are also silencing the opposition. Peter writes further in verse 15 that it is God’s will “that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people.”

In other words, by being respectful citizens, you do not give your enemies any ammunition to accuse you. Now for Peter’s original readers, being a good citizen did not mean they were to obey to the point of worshiping Caesar, but they certainly were not supposed to try to unseat Ceasar. How do you silence the hostile slander of people who want to persecute the church? Not by yelling louder than they do, but by demonstrating the grace of God through the gospel. And remember, empires come and go, but the kingdom of God stands forever.

Peter turns next in verse 18 to the duties of Christian servants. He is talking about slaves, and there were millions of slaves in the Romam Empire. Slavery, however, was different from what we usually think of today.

Slaves were not Roman citizens, and they lacked the rights of citizens. If they had wicked masters, they could be treated cruelly. But many of them had chosen to sell themselves to households for a specific amount of time to pay off debts. They were effectively employees of their masters, the employers. Many of them had paying jobs, working in what we think of as a normal working-class environment. Some were household servants; some were teachers, artists, and even doctors.

Peter writes, “Servants, be subject to your masters with all respect, not only to the good and gentle but also to the unjust” (verse 18). The word translated “unjust” is skolios, which means “bent, crooked, or severe.”[3] Skolios gives us our word scoliosis, which refers to a twisted or crooked spine. This word referred to a master who was cruel and morally wicked.

Serving under such a master would have been difficult and challenging. It would mean experiencing mistreatment and suffering.

Peter then relates that kind of treatment to the treatment Jesus received:

To this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an

example, so that you might follow in his steps. He committed no sin, neither was

deceit found in his mouth. When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he

suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges

justly. (verses 21-23)

Despite all Christ endured, He never retaliated with words or threats but rather placed Himself in the hands of His Father, leaving justice and vindication to Him.

It is as if Peter is asking all his readers, “How unfairly have you been treated? How greatly have you been insulted? How deep are your wounds?” Jesus knows what you feel today—and a thousand times more. Peter writes in verse 24, “He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree.”

When we act like Jesus, the world just might recognize the transforming power of His grace in our lives.

One ministry newsletter I received some time ago highlighted something that occurred in China. And you will not read this in the news, and the Chinese government is not going to admit it.

In one particular village, regional officials were at a loss for dealing with crime, drug addiction, and poverty. One Chinese official, who refused to be named, said that half the villagers were addicted to opium, which made them unable to work. They would go to one of their priests for help, but the required animal sacrifices were expensive, which only impoverished them more. Because they were destitute, they stole from one another. All this became a vicious cycle that seemed impossible to break.

Then he said, “We noticed, that in another village nearby, it was unusually peaceful—no drug problems or stealing. So, we conducted a survey to find out why that village was different, and to our embarrassment, we discovered the key factor was that this village had a majority of Christians.”

These officials then launched a daring experiment. They asked the Christians if they would be willing to be bussed into that village—at government expense—and to share with the villagers their personal testimonies and what gave their lives purpose and meaning.

The Christians agreed. They arrived at this village of 240 people, 107 of whom were addicted to opium. The believers met with them and gave their testimony. They returned several times that year, and at the end of one year, 17 villagers had accepted Christ. They stopped taking drugs; some of them purchased sewing machines and started businesses. Three years later, in early 2002, 83 of the villagers had become Christians, and their village was transformed. This government official said—off the record, of course—“We have begun extending this strategy to many other villages since then.”[4]

Imagine that. The gospel changed individual lives; it changed families, and families changed a village. Now government officials want to impact other regions the same way.

So where do you start? Well, it might seem like you need to get rid of the emperor in Rome—change the political structures at the top. This might not sound as dramatic, but here is Peter’s inspired advice: demonstrate the humility of Christ, become a model citizen, leave vindication to God, and with your gospel testimony, reach one person at a time.