Pastor Tim Brown, Calvary Chapel Fremont, Sunday October 4, 2009

Download | Duration: 00:44:05

The Anatomy of Submission

1 Peter 2:13-17

The boss was complaining in the staff meeting that he wasn't getting any respect. Later that morning he went to a local sign shop and bought a small sign that read: "I'm the Boss!" He then taped it to his office door.  Later that day when he returned from lunch, he found that someone had taped a note to the sign that said: "Your wife called, she wants her sign back!"   

That’s the question: Who’s the boss?  Who am I supposed to submit to?  Submission is following someone else’s lead.  Submission means that someone else has more authority than you and that you are expected to honor that authority.  Peter has a lot to say about submission as it pertains to the state (2:13), your career (2:18), your marriage (3:1), in the church (5:5).   

The concept of submission rubs a lot of people the wrong way because it smacks of coercion/limitation/even slavery and the abuse of power.  And the fear is this: if I submit, someone will take advantage of me and limit me and I will never become truly me.  Your expectations become my limitations.  I cannot live an authentic life if I live in submission.  But the Bible teaches that if you avoid submission, you are a fool.  Consider these Proverbs -  

      The wise of heart will receive commands,    

      But a babbling fool will be ruined.  10:8

      The way of a fool is right in his own eyes,    

      But a wise man is he who listens to counsel.  12:15

      A fool rejects his father's discipline,    

      But he who regards reproof is sensible.  15:5

Each of these Proverbs describes someone who refuses to live in submission to proper authority - not following anyone else’s lead.  Do you know any fools?

We’ve seen the what of submission (following someone else’s lead) and now Peter tells us the why of submission – for the Lord’s sake.  Cf. v15 – it is the will of God that your submission will silence ignorant men.  Your submission serves God’s purposes.  Followers of Jesus are not to agitate for social revolution and overthrow governments established by God.  But one of the charges brought against the early church was that they were seditious and threats to the peace of the state.

“These men who have upset the world have come here also; and Jason has welcomed them, and they all act contrary to the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king, Jesus.”  Acts 17:6-7

Christians were to silence the accusations of ignorant men by doing right. As Christians, we’re not to be intent upon setting up our own political system, but serving the Lord in whatever political system we find ourselves in.  Tertullian tells us that the Roman populace delighted in the bloody gladiatorial games, whereas a Christian was excommunicated if he went to it at all.  When the pagans deserted their nearest relatives in the plague, Christians ministered to the sick.  When Gentiles left their dead unburied on the field of battle, and cast their wounded into the streets, it was the disciples of Jesus that ministered to them.  Ed/Suzanne Fan about Indonesia after the tsunami: Hindus helped Hindus/Muslims helped Muslims/Buddhists helped Buddhists/Christians helped all.   

Peter has given us the what/why of submission, now the who -

human government.  The Bible is very clear: God establishes human authority.   

      For not from the east, nor from the west,    

      Nor from the desert comes exaltation;

          But God is the Judge;    

      He puts down one and exalts another. Ps. 75:6-7

So Pilate said to Him, “You do not speak to me? Do You not know that I have authority to release You, and I have authority to crucify You?”  Jesus answered, “You would have no authority over Me, unless it had been given you from above… John 19:11

Every person is to be in subjection to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God.   Romans 13:1

Can legitimate authority (that established by God) exceed the boundaries of that authority?  Yes.  Acts 4:18-20; 5:27-29.   

Are we to submit to unrighteous government?  Yes.  Are we to submit to unrighteous laws?  No.  In refusing to obey an unrighteous law I can still submit to an unrighteous government by accepting whatever punishment they deem fit.  Woody Phillips and resisting Vietnam War counsel. There is a difference between disobedience and rebellion. You can submit and disobey at the same time, but you can’t submit and rebel at the same time.  Why not revolution?  1) We take the place of God – putting down one gov’t and exalting another. 2) Live by force, not faith.  3) The cause of revolution will overshadow the work of salvation.   

13  Submit | 16 Act as free men – free from sin/fear

Limits of submission - human authority can be disobeyed when it takes the place of God.  Already: Acts 4:19; 5:29; Also, Ex. 1; Daniel 3; 6.  I can disobey the one who seeks to take the place of God, but I cannot try to kill him.

Do believers disobey unrighteous laws or seek to overthrow unrighteous gov’t?  There is controversy concerning this.

Dec. of Ind.  “…whenever any form of government becomes destructive to these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or abolish it, and to institute new government…  But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same object, evinces a design to reduce them to utter despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such government, and to provide new guards for their future security.  Such has been the patient sufferance of these colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former systems of government.”

Does the D of I favor submission or rebellion?

Some great thinkers espouse rebellion - Rutherford (Lex Rex)/Schaeffer in Geisler:

The power of government is not absolute

The law is above the government (Nixon impeached)

Governments which rule contrary to God’s law are tyrannical

Citizens should resist a tyrannical government

Resistance takes two forms: protest/force

So, according to Rutherford/Schaeffer, violent rebellion is the duty of the Christian citizen when gov’t becomes tyrannical.  Is this the clear teaching of Scripture?  No.  I don’t think I could not sign the D of I.   

“Well, can believers celebrate the 4th of July?”  Geisler: I may not approve of the way a person came to be born – rape/out of wedlock – but I can celebrate that person.   

The Bible does not teach violent rebellion, but it does teach civil disobedience.  The Bible gives numerous examples of Civil Disobedience: the active refusal to obey certain laws/demands/ commands of a government/occupying power, w/o resorting to physical violence. It is one of the primary tactics of nonviolent resistance. Ex. 1/Dan. 3;6

We should refuse to obey oppressive laws but not revolt against the government.  Civil disobedience should be nonviolent resistance.  David ran from Saul even when he had the opportunity to kill this demonized king – this was tyrannical government at its worst.

In the Standard Confession of 1660, English Baptists, having affirmed their support of civil authority declared: “… we and all men are obliged by Gospel rules, to be subject to the higher Powers, to obey Magistrates, Titus 3:1 and to submit to every Ordinance of man, for the Lord’s sake, as saith 1 Peter 2:13. But in case the Civil Powers do, or shall at any time impose things about matters of Religion, which we through conscience to God cannot actually obey, then we … do hereby declare our whole, and holy intent and purpose, that … we will not yield, nor …in the least actually obey them … [but] suffer whatsoever shall be inflicted upon us…”1  

Civil disobedience in the face of unrighteous gov’t/laws does not equal pacifism.  When attacked by a foreign gov’t, we do have the right to resist forcefully (just war).

One of the reasons Jesus came to the cross is that He wouldn’t submit to the authorities of His day.  He continued doing what the Father had given Him to do.  He knew that this would get Him in trouble w/ the authorities, but He was willing to pay the price of obedience to the Father.  He could have overthrown both Jewish and Roman authorities, but He chose the way of submission.  The way of submission brought Jesus to the cross.  The way of the cross didn’t give birth to revolution, but to resurrection.  We easily understand revolution, resurrection is more difficult to wrap our minds around.  Revolution leads to a new throne.  Submission leads to a cross.  But the cross leads to resurrection and resurrection leads to a new throne.