The right authority?

1 Peter 2:11-17

¹¹ Dear friends, I warn you as “temporary residents and foreigners” to keep away from worldly desires that wage war against your very souls. ¹² Be careful to live properly among your unbelieving neighbors. Then even if they accuse you of doing wrong, they will see your honorable behavior, and they will give honor to God when he judges the world.

¹³ For the Lord’s sake, submit to all human authority—whether the king as head of state, ¹⁴ or the officials he has appointed. For the king has sent them to punish those who do wrong and to honor those who do right.

¹⁵ It is God’s will that your honorable lives should silence those ignorant people who make foolish accusations against you. ¹⁶ For you are free, yet you are God’s slaves, so don’t use your freedom as an excuse to do evil. ¹⁷ Respect everyone, and love the family of believers. Fear God, and respect the king.

I remember seeing a video of a busker who recorded themselves at a public train station. Some people who were officials from a foreign nation were accidentally recorded in the background of the man’s video, and when they realised they had been recorded, they approached him and demanded that he delete the video, otherwise they would raise it as an issue with their government as they have a right not to be filmed. The man tried to explain that he has a right to film in a public space and their government had no authority to force him to erase his video.

The video got posted to the internet, so we know who won the argument, but it was as awkward as it was amusing to watch two people try to communicate about whose rights were more important and which authority each person was appealing to in order to enforce their rights.

But here in this passage, Peter is writing to the church to encourage them to take authority over their own behaviour, yet submit to authorities outside of their own bodies. This is as counter-cultural today as it was at the time of writing!

The key here is that Peter’s main concern is to put the forward progress of the Gospel message as the most important thing – even above people’s rights! 

Lord, help me to put your call to see more people more like Jesus together transforming our communities above my own rights to comfort, convenience and control! Help me to be obedient to your call over the desires of my flesh.

Written By Ps Justin Ware