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Pastor Scott L. Harris
Grace Bible Church, NY
December 4, 2022
Submission to Civil Authorities
1 Peter 2:13-17
Introduction
Thank you for your prayers and the many offers to help last week when Diane and I were sick. In the past I would have just taken some medication to calm down the symptoms and preached anyway, but I think it is important that I also abide by our request to stay home if you are sick. Since I may have still been contagious, it was best to keep from spreading it around. It is comforting to have men here that are ready to preach at a moments notice. As of Saturday night, Phil was going to fill in for me, but Cynthia and his kids were sick on Sunday morning, so he called Randy who quickly filled in.
Turn to 1 Peter 2:13-17. This passage will have direct application today due to the political events of the past two weeks. I believe most of you are aware that the U.S. Senate passed the misnamed “Respect for Marriage Act” on the night of Nov. 29 by a vote of 61-36. On December 8, the House passed the bill 258 to 169 with 39 Republicans joining all the Democrats. Mr. Biden is expected to sign it promptly. It would have been more accurately named the Disrespect for Marriage Act or perhaps the Redefinition of Marriage and Attack on Freedom of Speech and Religion Act since Senator Mike Lee’s amendment of a comprehensive religious liberty protection failed 48-49 with Joe Manchin joining the Republicans and Susan Collins joining the Democrats and three senators failing to make the vote – two Republican and one Democrat.
From past experience, I know that some are already checking out to listening to this sermon because they think I am infusing politics into it. Actually, it is politics that is infusing itself directly into your ability “to lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity” as stated in 1 Timothy 2:2. Travis Weber at Family Research Council gave this grave assessment about the bill. “It’s going to set in motion a series of events that will aim towards the marginalization of Christians from society because of their beliefs about marriage.” “These are the contested issues of today, and Christians cannot do anything but stand on them. And yet we’re seeing Republicans side with Democrats in marginalizing these believers. This is a sad moment, but we must do everything we can to call attention to what’s happening and light the way forward.”
Both Senator James Lankford’s amendment and Marc Rubio’s amendment also failed. Senator Lankford commented that the language of the bill as passed “says if someone feels they’ve been harmed” by another individual’s views of marriage, “they would now have the opportunity to be able to sue someone else because of that.” He continued “It’s fairly obvious” activists will file “countless numbers of lawsuits, testing every new definition.” Roger Severino of the Heritage Foundation pointed out that “the tax-exempt status of religious schools and non-profits is now up for debate.”
The failure to pass any freedom of conscience or religion protections demonstrate that the rhetoric about the need for this bill to ensure that all Americans will be respected are bald faced lies. There is no respect in it for anyone of any religion or philosophy that believes marriage is to be between one man and one woman. The Federal Government of the United States of America is opening hunting season on all who will continue to uphold God’s definition of marriage. The bill is designed is to suppress the discussion of Biblical morality in both public and private settings since you can be sued personally for offending someone. The predictions of the poet Yeats in 1919 and Robert Bork in 2003 of the West in Slouching Toward Gomorrah are coming true.
All of this is bad, very bad. But how are Christians supposed to respond? Our passage for study this morning, 1 Peter 2:13–17, will give us some direction. 13 “Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether to a king as the one in authority, 14 or to governors as sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and the praise of those who do right. 15 For such is the will of God that by doing right you may silence the ignorance of foolish men. 16 Act as free men, and do not use your freedom as a covering for evil, but use it as bondslaves of God. 17 Honor all people, love the brotherhood, fear God, honor the king.”
Context
The context here is critical and it is the reason that we have taken twelve sermons to carefully go over chapter one and the first part of chapter two. The submission and behavior that Christians are supposed to exhibit are all based on the believer’s identity in Christ which I have been emphasizing the last few sermons. Christians are chosen by God, sanctified by the Spirit and cleansed by Jesus, the Son. They are those who are born again by God’s mercy and redeemed by the blood of Christ. They are “living stones” being built up as a spiritual house for they are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation and a people for God’s own possession and therefore aliens and strangers in this world. The manner in which we live as Christians is to simply be an expression of who we are in Christ.
In the rest of chapter 2 and in chapter 3 Peter will point out three areas of submission and a summary of Christian behavior based on this. Christians will submit to governing authorities, workers will submit to their bosses, and wives will submit to their husbands for Christians are to be harmonious, sympathetic, brotherly, kindhearted, and humble in spirit; 9 not returning evil for evil or insult for insult, but giving a blessing instead; for you were called for the very purpose that you might inherit a blessing (3:8-9).
The manner in which the Christian is to respond to governmental authority in verses 13-17 is simply a direct application of the instructions given in the previous verses to “abstain from fleshly lusts which wage war against the soul” and “Keep your behavior excellent among the Gentiles, so that in the thing in which they slander you as evildoers, they may because of your good deeds, as they observe them, glorify God in the day of visitation.” While the fleshy temptation would be to respond in kind or seek revenge, your best defense against slander is a life that is consistently lived in a manner that is morally good, excellent. Such a life is also a positive witness to Christ. That is true in general life and it is also true when dealing with governmental authorities. And keep in mind that it is God that determines what is excellent behavior and not the world. We do not back down nor compromise doing what is right before God in order to gain the world’s favor by going along with it.
The Command – 1 Peter 2:13
Peter begins this section with the command, 13 “Submit yourselves to every human institution . . .” Submission, uJpotavssw / hupotassō, is a compound word combining the terms for “under” with “draw up in order” and is a Greek military term meaning “to arrange in military fashion under a military leader.” The ideas of submission to orders or obedience to commands is inherent in the term because military maneuvers cannot be carried out unless the orders are followed. However, this is not a word for forced obedience. It is an act of the will. It is in the aorist tense here signifying it is an act of decision by which this policy of submission is adopted. It is to be in a condition of having been subjected.
This is contrary to the normal human bent to be autonomous, the master of your own fate, the captain of your own ship, but if everyone is a captain, the ship will never make it out of port. Submission enables there to be order and keeps chaos from developing. For any social group to function, there has to be order. You can’t play any sports game unless everyone agrees on what game is to be played and the rules by which it will be played. You can’t have a meeting unless the people present are quite to listen to the speaker. A society cannot function unless the population submits to the laws of the society and follows the leaders.
It is important to note here that Peter states that this is to be submission to every human institution with kings and governors given as examples. The word translated institution here, ktivsiV / ktisis, is actually the word for creation. Young’s Literal translates it that way – “to every human creation.” In this context, it is referring to any human creation of an organizational structure with a particular type of government given as an example, but the command would also apply to any social organization and any type of government. Again, if the people in the group will not agree to keep the rules of the organization and follow the directions of the leaders of the group, there will only be pandemonium and chaos.
Peter’s example of a king and governors is what would have been known to his readers living in Roman provinces. King could also be translated as emperor and refers to someone who has absolute authority within his realm and is able to convey that power and authority to a successor. The emperor of the Roman empire at that time was Julius Caesar who had acquired dictatorial power and hence Peter’s remark as the one in authority. Governors, such as Pontus Pilate, were appointed by the Emperor to carry out his rule in the provinces of the realm. But again, these are simply examples of what they would have known. The principle applies to every form of government – monarchy, constitutional monarchy, oligarchy, republic, democracy and even dictatorship.
The Reason – 1 Peter 2:13
The practical reason for submission to human institutions is having order instead of chaos, but Peter gives a different purpose – “for the Lord’s sake.” Christians submit themselves to human institutions because of our submission to Jesus’ Christ. Not only do we want to honor Him with the manner in which we live our lives, but we also understand that God is sovereign. Paul put it this way in Romans 13:1–2, 1 “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. 2 Therefore whoever resists authority has opposed the ordinance of God; and they who have opposed will receive condemnation upon themselves.” The reality then for us is that our submission to human institutions is tied directly to our submission to the Lord. Or to state it a different way, we submit to authority because that authority extends from God and therefore is to be in submission to Him. It is for the Lord’s sake, for His benefit. That is a very important point.
Submission is always to lines of authority that will trace back to God so that ultimately our submission is to God. That means that our submission to any authority over us must be compatible with God’s commands to us. For the most part, rules given in human institutions and governments are either in keeping with or neutral with reference to God’s commands. Laws against murder, theft, fraud and adultery all arise directly from God’s commands. Traffic laws are for the purpose of safety and fairness on the roads and so are harmonious with God’s laws. That is true for the vast majority of rules and regulations that extend from governing authorities. Some are silly showing a great lack of wisdom such as the regulation a few years ago in New York City that tried to ban the sale of larger sizes of soft drinks. It only resulted in people buying what they wanted somewhere else or doubling the amount of smaller sizes and creating more trash. Though it lacked common sense, it was neutral in terms of God’s commands.
However, if an authority commands you to do something contrary to God’s commands, then it would be rebellion against God to obey that human authority. A classic example of this is the answer of the apostles to the Sanhedrin in Acts 5:19 in regards to their strict orders to not continue teaching in Jesus’ name. They answered, “We must obey God rather than men.” The same is true for us because our submission to the authority of human institutions is “for the Lord’s sake.” Because our submission is first and foremost to the Lord, then we should be glad to submit to human institutions that are properly carrying out His purposes in establishing them. However, any institution that requires you to either do or refrain from doing what God commands is to be resisted at that point.
The book of Daniel has several stories that illustrate this point. In Daniel 3, Shadrach, Meshach and Abenego had to refuse to bow down to King Nebuchadnezzar’s idol in order to obey God. They would obey God, not the King whether God delivered them or not from the threat of being burned alive. The Lord did deliver them and Nebuchadnezzar’s mind was changed toward them and the God they served. In Daniel 6, Daniel would not stop his normal habit of praying three times a day in order to obey the king’s injunction to not make a petition to any god or man except the king for thirty days under threat of being cast into the lion’s den. Daniel was cast into the lion’s den, but God shut the mouths of the lions. The result was king Darius’ proclamation of praise about the God of Daniel. All four of these men were normally submissive to the Babylonian government and attained high positions though they were Jewish captives. Both their obedience and disobedience to that government was for the Lord’s sake.
Purpose of Government – 1 Peter 2:13-14
Peter strengthens this point by stating the purpose of government in verses 13-14, “whether to a king as the one in authority, 14 or to governors as sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and the praise of those who do right.” Paul states the same thing in Romans 13:3-5, 3 “For rulers are not a cause of fear for good behavior, but for evil. Do you want to have no fear of authority? Do what is good and you will have praise from the same; 4 for it is a minister of God to you for good. But if you do what is evil, be afraid; for it does not bear the sword for nothing; for it is a minister of God, an avenger who brings wrath on the one who practices evil. 5 Therefore it is necessary to be in subjection, not only because of wrath, but also for conscience’ sake.”
For the most part, even oppressive dictatorships fulfill this purpose because no society can continue to long exist when it starts doing the opposite and rewards evil and punishes those who do good. That includes our own. Contrary to popular political rhetoric, it is not democracy that gives people freedom, it is righteousness regardless of the form of government. As evil rises, freedom is lost because the government must become more oppressive in order to keep even basic order. Evil leads to societal collapse as lying, stealing and fraud destroy commerce and immorality destroys the family. It becomes more dangerous to travel and expression of thoughts and opinions becomes stilted since saying something not politically correct can result in being ostracized – our current “cancel” culture.
You must keep in mind that God has a purpose for government, and a government that does not fulfill that purpose becomes illegitimate and therefore in danger of being replaced. That is the story of history. That was the warning of the prophets to nation after nation including Israel and Judah of what would happen if they did not repent of their evil. This also helps you know what to do when there are competing lines of authority whether that is local verses state or national authorities or competing claims of authority. That is what guided the founding fathers of this nation to recognize their king was treating them as a foreign nation and was at war with them and so they finally declared their independence.
Do not take this passage or any other to mean that whatever current government exists will remain God’s means of established authority over a people. Again, both history and prophecy speak of God removing one government and setting up another. Jeremiah was cast into a cistern because he was discouraging the men of war by telling the people, “Thus says Yahweh, ‘This city will certainly be given into the hand of the army of the king of Babylon and he will capture it.’” Authority comes from God and our loyalty is to Him. There is not any command to be loyal to or submit to a governing authority right or wrong. We submit to human institutions as part of our submission to God, but if that institution is not itself in submission to God, we submit to God, not that institution.
The Will of God – 1 Peter 2:15
Verse 15 explains the will of God in this. 15 “For such is the will of God that by doing right you may silence the ignorance of foolish men.” Young’s Literal Translation is stiff, but the emphasis in the verse comes out better in it. “Because, so is the will of God, doing good, to put to silence the ignorance of foolish men.” As believers our desire is to do the will of God, and the will of God here is to be doing good. The word here, ajgaqopoievw / agathopoieō, is to engage in doing what is good, right. Peter uses this word four times is this epistle and he used the noun from of it in verse 14 to describe those who are distinguished by their ethical quality of doing good and therefore are praised by the governors. 3 John 11 marks this quality as an indicator of someone who is of God as opposed to those who do evil. In Luke 6:35 Jesus said this was the manner we are to treat our enemies – “But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High; for He Himself is kind to ungrateful and evil men.”
Peter points out that doing such good can silence foolish men who are ignorant. The word silence here means “to muzzle,” it causes them to have nothing to say, because what can they say? This is a specific application of what Peter said in verse 12 to “keep your behavior excellent among the Gentiles” – the unbelievers – “so that in the thing in which they slander you as evildoers, they may because of your good deeds, as they observe them, glorify God in the day of visitation.”
These are foolish men because they do not have a proper relationship with God. Psalm 14:1 states, The fool has said in his heart, ‘There is no God.’” Foolishness is acting as if God is not present or will not act even when profession is made to believe there is a God. Ignorance is simply lacking knowledge. Foolishness and ignorance often go together because a proper understanding of life can only come when it is understood from God’s perspective.
The cancel culture society that has developed functions because foolish people are easily swayed to evil, and because ignorant people will quickly join in the slander in part because they do not know any better and in part in order to prevent being cancelled themselves. By maintaining a good character demonstrated by doing what is good and right, both ignorance and foolishness can be muzzled as they observe it. The world will return evil for evil and insult for insult, but we as Christians give a blessing instead (1 Peter 3:8).
The ability to do this will depend on your attitude. If you can maintain your trust that God does indeed cause all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose as stated in Romans 8:28, then you can maintain a godly attitude even when wronged. Joseph was wronged by being sold into slavery in Egypt, but he did what was good and was put in charge of His master’s house. Then after being slandered by his master’s wife and thrown into jail, Joseph continued to do what was good resulting in him being put in charge of all the other prisoners. Bitterness could have destroyed him, instead, Joseph placed his trust in the Lord and was able to see the bigger perspective resulting in him telling his brothers, “You meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result, to preserve many people alive.”
You will be slandered, and government can turn evil as ours has to reward evil and punish good. Even so, that is not to change us or our good behavior. Our attitude is to be like Paul in 1 Corinthians 4:12-13, “when we are reviled, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure; when we are slandered, we entreat.” But also like Paul, we do not compromise the truth. We speak it with love and compassion for the sinner blinded by their sin, but we still speak it whether public or private even when it will cost us. Without being obnoxious, we still call on friends and relatives to repent and place their faith in Christ. Without being unnecessarily offensive, we still proclaim God and what He has said to the world about any subject that comes up. And in light of the misnamed Respect for Marriage Act, that will include God’s definition of marriage as one man plus one woman regardless of any perverse definitions advocated by others. What is right and what is wrong is determined by God, not the feelings of those who do not like the truth.
A Caution – 1 Peter 2:16
In verse 16 Peter again points out that their behavior is to arise from whom they are in Christ and not self interest. 16 “Act as free men, and do not use your freedom as a covering for evil, but use it as bondslaves of God.” The idea of being free and the use of freedom here is related to liberty from Satan, sin and self and not civil responsibilities. Our primary identity is being a slave of God and no longer a slave of sin as Paul explains in Romans 6. Therefore we are to live in a manner that is in keeping with that identity, which in this passage includes submission to human institutions for the Lord’s sake as I have already explained.
The danger Peter is warning about is using freedom in Christ as a pretext to for not submitting in matters that properly pertain to government. Jesus taught Peter a lesson on this in Matthew 17:25–27. “. . . Jesus spoke to him first, saying, “What do you think, Simon? From whom do the kings of the earth collect customs or poll-tax, from their sons or from strangers?” 26 When Peter said, “From strangers,” Jesus said to him, “Then the sons are free. 27 “However, so that we do not offend them, go to the sea and throw in a hook, and take the first fish that comes up; and when you open its mouth, you will find a shekel. Take that and give it to them for you and Me.” Peter would also have been present when Jesus taught that we are to “render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s” (Matthew 22:21).
One thing that must be kept in mind in this is that the source of civil authority differs in different types of governments. In the United States, authority comes from the people through the Constitution. Every government representative swears allegiance to the Constitution as part of their oath of office. It is improper to submit to government directives that are contrary to the Constitution for that violates submission to the proper source of authority.
What is important for us as Christians is that when that happens, we must maintain a proper decorum of respect for the office even when, as pointed out in Psalm 15:4, the reprobate is despised in our eyes. Paul is a good example of this in his many dealings with government officials treating him improperly whether it was the high priest in Acts 23:3 or Roman magistrates in Acts 16:37-40. While keeping that balance can be hard to do in the heat of a moment, it was for Paul, it is much easier to do when you remember your identity in Christ including that you are His slave. Jesus bought you with the price of His own life, so do not become the slaves of men or of sin,
Four Commands – 1 Peter 2:17
Verse 17 gives four commands that will help you keep balanced. 17 “Honor all people, love the brotherhood, fear God, honor the king.”
Honor all people, is in the aorist tense laying down this principle as a definite rule to be accepted at once and applied. To honor is to give proper value, to show proper respect and recognition. Certain people may be due additional honor because of position such as in the command to honor your mother and father (Matthew 19:19) and the king (1 Peter 2:17), but all people are to given honor for we are made in the image of God and therefore have value whatever the individual strengths and weaknesses may be.
Love the brotherhood is directly from Jesus’ command for Christians to sacrificially love one another as He has loved us for by it all men will know we are His disciples (John 13:34-35). In humility you regard them as more important and look out for their interests. The present tense shows this is something to be continually done.
Fear God is also in the present tense showing it is something they are to continue to do. Since Peter is writing to professing believers, this is the fear of profound reverence, respect and awe instead of the dread fear that non-Christians should have for God for He is judge and is able to destroy both body and soul in hell (Matt. 10:28). This is a primary command since according to Proverbs 1:7 and 9:10, the fear of the Lord is the beginning of both knowledge and wisdom.
Honor the king is also something they were to continue to do. This is a specific extension of honoring all men to a particular individual because of his position. Part of that honor is showing proper submission to his authority in fulfilling God’s purpose for him as a minister who gives praise to those who do good and is “an avenger who brings wrath on the one who practices evil” (Romans 13:3-4).
Conclusions
Your identity in Jesus Christ should make all the difference in the manner in which you live. Christians are chosen by God, sanctified by the Spirit and cleansed by Jesus, the Son. They are born again by God’s mercy and redeemed by the Christ’s blood. They are “living stones” being built up as a spiritual house for they are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation and a people for God’s own possession and therefore are aliens and strangers in this world. Christians are also slaves of Jesus and therefore our submission is always to Him first and foremost and then extends from there to those He has placed in positions of authority. We are to maintain a respectful demeanor toward the office of an authority even when the individual may be despicable. When a governmental authority steps away from God’s purpose for it in punishing evil doers and praising those who do right, we respectfully do not comply while declaring what God has said about the matter. That was the example of the prophets in dealing with the kings.
Our nation has been shaking its fist against God for a long time, so it is not surprising that God has turned it over to depravity as described in Romans 1. The only hope for individuals and for the nation is revival, but that will require Christians to live for Christ instead of self which includes declaring the gospel and God’s truth though it is unpopular and you may be persecuted for it. Live as a slave of God. Do what is right before Him and in that way show Him reverence. Value everyone which includes telling them the truth in love. Sacrificially love other Christians. Show respect to authorities. Your life is to demonstrate that you are a follower of Jesus Christ.
Sermon Notes – December 11, 2022
Submission to Civil Authorities – 1 Peter 2:13-17
Introduction
Context
Christians are chosen by God, sanctified by the Spirit, cleansed by Jesus, born again by God’s mercy, and redeemed by the blood of Christ. They are “living stones” being built up as a spiritual house for they are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation and a people for God’s own possession & therefore aliens and strangers in this world
The ___________in which the Christian lives is to simply be an expression of who he is in Christ
The Christian response to government is simply a direct _______________of the instructions in verses 11-12
The Command – 1 Peter 2:13
Submission, uJpotavssw / hupotassō, – “to arrange in military fashion __________a military leader”
For any social group to function, there has to be _________, and submission enables there to be order
every human institution – ktivsiV / ktisis = _________. Any human creation of an organizational structure
A king and governors are ___________of what would have been known to Peter’s readers
The Reason – 1 Peter 2:13 – “for the Lord’s sake.”
Christians submit themselves to human institutions because of our ______________to Jesus’ Christ
We submit to authority because that authority extends from _______and therefore is to be in submission to Him
Submission is always to _____of authority that will trace back to God so that ultimately our submission is to God
If an authority commands you to do something contrary to God’s commands, it would be rebellion to ________it
Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego and Daniel are examples of godly _______________to authority (Daniel 3, 6)
Purpose of Government – 1 Peter 2:13-14, Romans 13:3-5
Government is to reward good and punish evil. No society can long exist that does the _____________
________________is the source of freedom regardless of the form of government
A government that does not fulfill its God given purpose becomes _____________& in danger of being replaced
When there are competing lines of authority, you submit to the one that does what is __________before God
History and prophecy speak of God _____________one government and setting up another – See Jeremiah
The Will of God – 1 Peter 2:15
The will of God is for Christians to be doing _________, engage in what is right before God
Doing good is an indicator of being of God (3 John 11), and Christians even do good to our ________(Luke 6:35)
Doing good can silence / muzzle / shut the mouths of __________& ignorant men
Foolishness is believing or __________as if there was no God. Ignorance is being without knowledge on the issue
Foolishness & ignorance enable “___________ culture” to exist
The ability to do right depends on ___________ God – Romans 8:28; the example of Joseph
Paul’s ___________- bless when reviled, endure when persecuted, entreat when slandered (1 Cor. 4:12-13).
A Caution – 1 Peter 2:16
Being free and the use of freedom is related to liberty from Satan, ________and self and not civil responsibilities
Matthew 17:25–27 – an example of ___________ a misuse of freedom
The source of authority differs in various governments. In the U.S.A. it is the people through the _____________
It is improper to submit to government directives that are _____________ to the Constitution or God’s laws
Christians are to maintain respectful decorum for the office even when the individual is _____________(Ps 15:4)
Remembering you are simply the __________of God makes it easier to maintain a proper balance
Four Commands – 1 Peter 2:17
Honor all people – all people are made in the image of God and therefore _________and to be treated with respect
Love the brotherhood – directly from Jesus’ ___________in John 13:34-35 to love one another as He loved us
Fear God -for believers this is profound ___________, respect, awe of God. Unbelievers should have dread fear
Honor the king – a ____________extension of honoring all men
Conclusions
Your identity in Jesus Christ should make all the difference in the ___________in which you live
The only hope for individuals or the nation is _______- which must begin with Christians boldly living for Christ
Live as a __________ of God doing what is right before Him regardless personal emotions or the rest of society
KIDS KORNER
Parents, you are responsible to apply God’s Word to your children’s lives. Here is some help. Young Children – draw a picture about something you hear during the sermon. Explain your picture(s) to your parents at lunch. Older Children – Do one or more of the following: 1) Write down all the verses mentioned in the sermon and look them up later. 2) Count how many times the word authority is mentioned. Talk with your parents about submission to authority and why that must begin with submission to God.
THINK ABOUT IT!
Questions to consider in discussing the sermon with others. What are the dangers of the misnamed Respect for Marriage Act? What is the context of 1 Peter 2:13-17? List out what Peter has already marked as part of a Christian’s identity in 1 Peter 1:1-2:12. What does it mean to submit? Why does Peter talk about human institutions instead of governments? What is the reason Christians should submit to human institutions? How does that reason limit the submission? What are you to do if a government commands you to do something God prohibits or not do something God commands? What is God’s purpose for human institutions including governments? What is the basis for freedom for a people? What does history teach about what God does to nations that do not fulfill His purposes? What is the will of God in verse 15? Give examples of doing good / doing right. How can that shut the mouths of foolish and ignorant men? What makes men foolish? What makes them ignorant? How do foolishness and ignorance fuel “cancel culture.” How can that be fought? How did Joseph respond to being wronged – sold into slavery, slandered & jailed? How did Paul respond to being wronged – reviled, persecuted, slandered? What was Jesus’ lesson to Peter in Matthew 17:25-27. What is the source of civil authority in the United States? Why is that important to know? How should Christians behave toward a civil authority who is also despicable? How do the four commands in verse 17 enable the Christian to carry out the commands in the previous verses? Are you prepared to respond in a godly manner to being slandered and persecuted? If not, how will you prepare yourself?
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