Dear friends, since you are immigrants and strangers in the world, I urge that you avoid worldly desires that wage war against your lives. Live honorably among the unbelievers. Today, they defame you, as if you were doing evil. But in the day when God visits to judge they will glorify him, because they have observed your honorable deeds. For the sake of the Lord submit to every human institution. Do this whether it means submitting to the emperor as supreme ruler, or to governors as those sent by the emperor. They are sent to punish those doing evil and to praise those doing good. Submit to them because it’s God’s will that by doing good you will silence the ignorant talk of foolish people. Do this as God’s slaves, and yet also as free people, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil. Honor everyone. Love the family of believers. Have respectful fear of God. Honor the emperor. (1 Peter 2:11-17, CEB)
This is an interesting reading.
For the sake of the Lord submit to every human institution. They are sent to punish evil and praise those doing good. But what if they are not praising good and are upholding evil? Slavery on the North American Continent in the late 1800s and moving forward was a human institution that was pure evil. Are we to submit to that? And the genocide of the Native Peoples of the same continent by those who would say they discovered a new world was again pure evil that was a human institution. So by submitting to pure evil we will silence the ignorant talk of foolish people? It seems like the author of 1 Peter wants to keep the status quo and not rock the boat for justice. Because submitting to evil perpetuates evil.
We need to seek justice and fight against evil in every form. That is honoring God and loving God’s creation.
Loving People. Loving God.
aSacredRebel 