1 Peter 2:13-17
13 Therefore submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake, whether to the king as supreme, 14 or to governors, as to those who are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and for the praise of those who do good. 15 For this is the will of God, that by doing good you may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men— 16 as free, yet not using liberty as a cloak for vice, but as bondservants of God. 17 Honor all people. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the king.
Because we are being transformed towards being good citizens of our heavenly country, how much easier it should be to be good citizens of the earthly ones God has set in place here? We should follow the laws of the land and our rulers in the countries we are born in, knowing that God rules the rulers. If we break the laws of the land, we break God’s authority given them, unless of course the laws directly contradict God’s higher law. By the same reasoning, if we follow the laws under His hand given to men, we do well and may even be recognized for it. What we do not want to do is reject all laws of men which do not contradict God’s higher laws, for then we do not please Him any longer. To do this, we must understand God’s word in both knowledge and wisdom. By so doing good, we stop the mouths of the ignorant who are looking for reasons to slander our Lord by demonstrating a clear conscience (1 Peter 3:16-17). As His chosen people we use the freedom in Christ to serve God and not as an excuse to sin more. These are the reasons we show honor to whom it is due (Romans 13:7), love our neighbors as ourselves (Galatians 5:14), and follow the authorities as we pray for them (Romans 13:1-2, 1 Timothy 2:1-3). We submit to authority and the law of the land as a testimony of grace.
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