P5 SHOULD CHRISTIANS OBEY UNGODLY LEADERS

November 28th, 2022
by Ryan Moon

2 Corinthians 5:20 (NIV2011)
20 We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us.

Example: US Ambassadors

1 Peter 2:11-12 (NIV2011)
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.

Kingdom citizens “live good lives” as earthly citizens

1 Peter 2:13-17 (NIV2011)
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.

We live in submission to human authority

Romans 13:1 (NIV2011)
1 Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God.

Can be evil

1 Peter 2:18-19 (NIV2011)
18 Slaves, in reverent fear of God submit yourselves to your masters, not only to those who are good and considerate, but also to those who are harsh. 19 For it is commendable if someone bears up under the pain of unjust suffering because they are conscious of God.

Can be unjust

1 Peter 3:1-2 (NIV2011)
1 Wives, in the same way submit yourselves to your own husbands so that, if any of them do not believe the word, they may be won over without words by the behavior of their wives,
2 when they see the purity and reverence of your lives.

Can be unchristian or antichristian

Obedience

Exception:
Acts 4:18-20 (NIV2011)
18 Then they called them in again and commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. 19 But Peter and John replied, “Which is right in God’s eyes: to listen to you, or to him? You be the judges! 20 As for us, we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard.”

Example: Christians breaking the law
Example: FRC above reproach

Respect

Examples of speaking out:

Abortion
Same-sex marriage

Good works

Example: Jews in Babylon

Jeremiah 29:4-7 (NIV2011)
4 This is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says to all those I carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: 5 “Build houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce. 6 Marry and have sons and daughters; find wives for your sons and give your daughters in marriage, so that they too may have sons and daughters. Increase in number there; do not decrease. 7 Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the LORD for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.”

1 Peter 2:21-24 (NIV2011)
21 To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps. 22 “He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth.”
23 When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly. 24 “He himself bore our sins” in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; “by his wounds you have been healed.”

The Lord’s Supper

1 Corinthians 11:23-26 (NIV2011)  
23 For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread,  24 and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.”  25 In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.”  26 For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.

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Ruben - July 5th, 2024 at 6:45am

If I may, I would like to share an article about Bible translation options that do not honor the original text, add bias to it's understanding and fuel extrabiblical traditionalism: https://vidaemabundancia.blogspot.com/2024/07/traducoes-e-tradicoes.html (The article is in portuguese, but you may activate the automatic translation at the right top menu.)