Honor the Government

Wrapping up our collection, Free People, Ben Stuart leads us through what Scripture has to say about how the people of God respond to civil government.

Christian, there is amazing news for you today. The Holy Trinity of God the Father, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit have embraced you! In fact, look at how powerfully Peter (the Apostle who walked on water with Jesus, later denied ever knowing Jesus, and then was forgiven and established as a powerful leader of the Church by that same Jesus) put it;

But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

1 Peter 2:9-10 

For the believer in Jesus, this is an incredible business card. We have been adopted into the very family of God, and yet you may wonder why, with such a great blessing, you still feel tension and difficulty navigating life. The answer is that while God's embrace has brought you in, it has also set you at odds with the common culture of the world.

This begs the question of how we respond to that tension. How do we carry ourselves as we navigate a culture that is growing more and more divisive, discordant, and distant from the things of God? We do so in a way that honors God above all else. Said another way, our identity as sons and daughters of God informs our activity.

Recall what James, the Brother of Jesus, wrote:

Brothers and sisters, do not slander one another. Anyone who speaks against a brother or sister or judges them speaks against the law and judges it. When you judge the law, you are not keeping it, but sitting in judgment on it. There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the one who is able to save and destroy. But you—who are you to judge your neighbor?

James 4:11-12

The culture of the world is going to respond in one way; Christians are called to respond honorably and beautifully.

So, Peter has led us through what it looks like to be a Christian and live for the glory of God, and now he gets specific by addressing how we act in government.

Why did Peter even mention the government? The government was a source of consternation, difficulty, and persecution to the Believers. They felt friction with the government and struggled under a government that was against them. By the time Peter wrote this, he had been imprisoned by the government multiple times.

So how does the Christian respond to the institutions that rule over us?

In 1 Peter 2:13, we are told to "be subject," submit, and place ourselves willingly under authority with outward obedience and inward respect. Peter knows we want to resist this, so he gives some reasons to be subject. First of all, Jesus told us to. In Mark 12, Jesus said to give Caesar what is Caesar's, which was taxes with the money that had the image of Caesar on it, and give to God what is God's, meaning your life which is stamped with the image of God.

In verse 14, Peter gives the second reason: God ordained these institutions to punish those who do evil and praise those who do good. They are supposed to extract justice for those who break the law and reward those who actually do good. You aren't supposed to be able to buy your way into the reward.

Peter is not a fool; he sees unjust political systems at work all the time. He watched Jesus die, James, the disciple murdered, and believers oppressed all under sanctioned government acts. Yet, he says even these things were the will of God. God has established humanity to work within structures that are meant to allow human beings to flourish. Paul explicitly discusses this in Romans 13:1-7.

Christians are meant to actively participate in deeds that benefit society and that go beyond normal expectations in a given situation. In so doing, we silence those who speak against the people of Jesus and claim that we are people out for our own good. Slander loses its power when the Christians take up the call of Jeremiah 29:7 to seek the welfare of the city. When you are treated unjustly by someone who does not know God, remember your charge to respond beautifully and honorably. As you look into the eyes of a person who is treating you poorly, remember to pray for them. They are human beings created by the creator in His image, and while they may have lost their way, it is not our job to judge but to ask the one True Judge to have mercy on them.

Peter qualifies all of this in verse 16. We are to live as free people. We are free as Christians! Jesus holds this tension in Matthew when Peter asks if they have to pay the temple tax. Jesus determines that Kings don't tax their sons; they only tax others, and we are sons of the King. So, we are free not to have to pay the temple tax, yet so as to not cause offense, pay the tax. Men have no ultimate authority over us, and yet God has ordained that humans would structure the world- so we submit, not out of fear of man, but out of fear of God. This is what allows Jesus to remain calm when Pilate thinks he has the authority to take His life in John 19:10-11.

So what does this mean to us today as believers under the governments of the world?

We should live to what we are called to, a different standard. As children of the King, we should live like the King. If we have intimacy with the Almighty, it changes how we work in the culture. So don't use your freedom as an excuse for evil. Don't further the division and divisiveness of the day. Care deeply about the men and women in leadership and the men and women who will be affected by their decisions. Participate in the civil processes you have access to. Challenge ideas, hold great and meaningful conversations, and honor the people with whom you have them. Resist evil, yes, and respect processes. Above all else, remember that you are an ambassador of reconciliation, and you have an authority and calling to make disciples of all nations. Act honorably and beautifully, for Jesus, your King, has promised to be with you until the end of the age.