Find out how to "silence the ignorant talk of foolish people."
1 Peter 2:11-17 (NIV)
¹¹ Dear friends, I urge you, as foreigners and exiles, to abstain from sinful desires, which wage war against your soul. ¹² Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.
¹³ Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human authority: whether to the emperor, as the supreme authority, ¹⁴ or to governors, who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right. ¹⁵ For it is God’s will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish people. ¹⁶ Live as free people, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as God’s slaves. ¹⁷ Show proper respect to everyone, love the family of believers, fear God, honor the emperor.
Listen to passage & devotional:
Belgic Confession of Faith, Article 36: The Civil Government
We believe that
because of the depravity of the human race
our good God has ordained kings, princes, and civil officers.
He wants the world to be governed by laws and policies
so that human lawlessness may be restrained
and that everything may be conducted in good order
among human beings.
For that purpose he has placed the sword
in the hands of the government,
to punish evil people
and protect the good.
And being called in this manner
to contribute to the advancement of a society
that is pleasing to God,
the civil rulers have the task,
subject to God’s law,
of removing every obstacle
to the preaching of the gospel
and to every aspect of divine worship.
They should do this
while completely refraining from every tendency
toward exercising absolute authority,
and while functioning in the sphere entrusted to them,
with the means belonging to them.
They should do it in order that
the Word of God may have free course;
the kingdom of Jesus Christ may make progress;
and every anti-Christian power may be resisted.
Moreover everyone,
regardless of status, condition, or rank,
must be subject to the government,
and pay taxes,
and hold its representatives in honor and respect,
and obey them in all things that are not in conflict
with God’s Word,
praying for them
that the Lord may be willing to lead them
in all their ways
and that we may live a peaceful and quiet life
in all piety and decency.
And on this matter we denounce the Anabaptists, other anarchists,
and in general all those who want
to reject the authorities and civil officers
and to subvert justice
by introducing common ownership of goods
and corrupting the moral order
that God has established among human beings.
Summary
Peter begins here with two very good reasons that you need to actively fight - not just against sin, but even against the sinful desires that tempt you to sin. First of all, you need to remember your true identity: you're a foreigner and exile in this sinful world, and those sinful desires you have are not just passing temptations, but rather tools the enemy is using to wage war against your soul!
Secondly, as an exiled foreigner, that is, a citizen of the Kingdom of God living in this fallen, broken world, you need to be reminded that the eyes of the pagans you live amongst are on you. When you live a good life, they often (but not always) will improve their conduct as well.
While you live in this world, you are commanded by the Lord to submit to every human authority, nationally, regionally, and locally. Peter repeats what we learned from Paul yesterday, that our King has sent the governing authorities to punish those who do wrong and commend those who do right.
Yet the ugly fact remains that our governing authorities don't always fulfill their God given mandate. In fact, their policies and procedures often seem to be the opposite of what God intended: they punish those who do right and commend those who do wrong! And worse yet, these backward actions are praised by the ignorant talk of foolish people.
Dig Deeper
Living as a citizen of the Kingdom of God in the midst of a world in rebellion against God can often be a lonely and frustrating experience. By God's grace, your eyes have been opened to the truth of His Word - a truth that's so compelling and refreshing, a truth that not only points to eternal life in Christ, but which also makes clear how it is that God intends people to live in peace and harmony right here and now. And yet people don't just ignore this precious truth, they insult and condemn it and instead implement policies completely contrary to it.
It's so tempting to let this frustration evolve into righteous indignation against the establishment. But it's hard to stop the evolutionary process right at that point; so often it just keeps evolving into anger and resentment, which leaves both you and the people around you miserable.
God's Word demonstrates a better way to push back against sinful government policies. For it is God's will, Peter writes, that by doing good you should silence the ignorant of these fools! In other words, the best way to push back against their insanity isn't with a comment bomb or meme on social media, but rather by producing tangible evidence of what a godly life looks like.
Peter ends this section with a simple rubric to guide you in your exile:
Respect all;
love Believers;
fear God (the fact that this is listed third doesn't change the fact that it's still the top priority - Ecclesiastes 12:13)
Honor government.
ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Our Father, who established governments to punish wrongdoers and commend those who do good;
ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray that you will fulfill God's will to silence ignorant talkers by doing good;
ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED:
Read the New Testament in a year! Today: 2 Peter 3
