I Peter 2:13-17

We are to submit to every ordinance of man—to the king and the governor. We are to honor all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God, and honor the king. All of this is seen in the light of two reasons that are given in this context. In verse 16, "but as the servants of God" is reason number one—because we are the servants of God. And, in verse 13, "for the Lord's sake."

I will summarize. Peter is saying that we, as citizens of another Kingdom, living as pilgrims under a government that is not ours—we must never forget who we are! We are servants of the Most High God. We are involved in a spiritual process that is transforming us into the image of Jesus Christ. And government—response to government, and relationships to government—is very important to this process. So, our citizenship is in heaven. We are ambassadors here. We must take these relationships seriously. "For the Lord's sake" means out of regard for Him.

I Peter 2:15-16

Physically, freedom is possible within limits, but humanity cannot agree on those limits because it has rejected the source of righteous standards—God! Without limits, freedom leads to confusion and then to chaos.

Freedom and limits are often perceived as incompatible, but a healthy middle ground exists where freedom is balanced with acceptable limits. This liberty can only be provided by God who first frees us from a life of sin. The true spiritual enemies from whom God through Christ liberates His people are revealed to be sin, Satan, and death, as I mentioned earlier. And when freed from the enemy, we are in a state of Christian liberty.

I Peter 2:13-23

There was His faith; God would vindicate Him. If we go back to verse 13, Peter says, "every ordinance." God does not give us the right to pick and choose which one we are going to submit to and which one we are not. "Oh, I like the traffic laws, but I don't like the IRS." Or "I like the laws regarding littering, but I don't like the laws regarding traffic." We are supposed to submit (hupotasso), make ourselves subject to, control ourselves, control that human nature, and govern ourselves so that it does not go beyond the parameters of what God has said in His Word.