Bird's-eye view
In this dense section of his letter, Peter turns from the internal life of the church to the Christian's external posture toward the world, specifically toward civil authorities. Having just described believers as a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, and strangers and pilgrims (1 Pet. 2:9, 11), he now gives them concrete instructions on how to live out that identity in a pagan empire. The temptation for a people who know they are citizens of heaven would be to dismiss the earthly institutions as illegitimate or irrelevant. Peter cuts that temptation off at the knees.
The central command is submission, but it is a radically qualified submission. It is done "for the Lord's sake," which means God is the ultimate authority, not the state. The state's authority is delegated and derivative. Peter then defines the proper function of this delegated authority: to punish evildoers and praise those who do good. This is the standard against which we measure the magistrate. He then connects this submission to the will of God, our witness to the world, and the nature of our true freedom in Christ. We are free, but our freedom is not a license to do as we please; it is the freedom of a slave of God. The passage concludes with a series of four crisp, staccato commands that summarize a Christian's social obligations: honor everyone, love the church, fear God, and honor the king. It is a masterful summary of a Christian's place in the world: engaged but not compromised, submissive but not servile, free but not an anarchist.
Clause-by-Clause Commentary
v. 13 Be subject for the sake of the Lord to every human institution, whether to a king as the one in authority,
Peter begins with a command that is as counterintuitive to the rebellious modern mind as it is to the proud heart in any age: "Be subject." The Greek word is hypotasso, a military term meaning to arrange yourself under authority. This is not a suggestion for good civic relations; it is a divine command. But notice the all-important qualification: "for the sake of the Lord." We do not submit to the king because the king is inherently worthy of submission. We do not submit because the state has original authority. We submit because the Lord Jesus Christ is enthroned over all things, and He has established various authorities in the world. Our submission is an act of obedience to Him. This one phrase completely reframes the entire exercise. We obey the magistrate in the Lord's name, not in the magistrate's name. His authority is derivative, not ultimate. This means that when the magistrate commands what God forbids, or forbids what God commands, our duty to the higher authority kicks in. As Peter himself said elsewhere, "We must obey God rather than men" (Acts 5:29). But the default position of the Christian is submission. The burden of proof is always on the one who would disobey. Peter applies this to "every human institution," or "ordinance of man." This refers to the created structures of civil society, with the king mentioned as the supreme example.
v. 14 or to governors as sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and the praise of those who do good.
The principle extends from the top down, from the king to his delegated governors. And here Peter gives us the job description for the civil magistrate, the very purpose for which God instituted civil government in the first place. They are sent "by him", meaning by the king, but ultimately by God, for two distinct purposes. First, for the punishment of evildoers. The government wields the sword, as Paul says in Romans 13, to restrain and punish wickedness. This is its primary negative function. Second, it exists for "the praise of those who do good." This is the positive function. A just government creates a stable society where righteous and productive living is honored and encouraged. Notice the objective standard here. It is not the punishment of those who displease the governor, or the praise of the governor's cronies. It is the punishment of evildoers and the praise of those who do good. This is God's definition of the job. When a government begins to punish the good and praise the evil, it has become a rogue institution. It is acting outside of its God-given charter, and at that point, Christians have a duty to call it to account, and in certain circumstances, to resist it.
v. 15 For such is the will of God that by doing good you may silence the ignorance of foolish men.
Why should we live this way? Peter says this submissive, law-abiding, good-deed-doing life is the very "will of God." The purpose is evangelistic and apologetic. By "doing good," we are to "silence the ignorance of foolish men." The word for silence here is literally "to muzzle." Christians in the first century were regularly slandered. They were accused of being atheists (because they wouldn't worship the emperor), cannibals (because of a misunderstanding of the Lord's Supper), and insurrectionists (because they confessed another king, Jesus). Peter's instruction is that the primary answer to these slanders is not a well-reasoned argument, but a well-lived life. Your quiet, peaceable, and righteous conduct is the best apologetic. It shows the pagan world that their accusations are baseless, born of ignorance and foolishness. When they accuse you of being a lawbreaker, your manifest respect for the law muzzles them.
v. 16 Act as free people, and do not use your freedom as a covering for evil, but use it as slaves of God.
Here is the great paradox of Christian submission. We submit precisely because we are free. We are not to act like slaves of the state, cowering in fear. We are to act "as free people." Our freedom has been purchased by the blood of Christ. We are freed from sin, death, and the devil. We are citizens of a heavenly kingdom, and no earthly potentate has any ultimate claim on us. But this glorious freedom is not an excuse for antinomianism or anarchy. Peter warns us not to use our freedom "as a covering for evil." The word for covering is like a cloak or a pretext. Don't say, "I'm free in Christ, so I can do whatever I want." That is to misunderstand the nature of our liberty entirely. What kind of freedom is it? It is the freedom of "slaves of God." This is the foundation of all true liberty. A man will be a slave to something. He will either be a slave to his passions, a slave to sin, a slave to the state, or he will be a slave of God. Only the last option is true freedom. When you are bound to the living God, you are liberated from all lesser tyrannies. The man who fears God is free to fear nothing and no one else. So we submit to the king not as his slave, but as God's slave, which makes us the freest man in the room.
v. 17 Honor all people, love the brethren, fear God, honor the king.
Peter concludes with four short, sharp commands that provide a framework for all our social relations. First, "Honor all people." Every human being is made in the image of God, and for that reason alone, they are due a certain level of respect and honor. This is a radical command in the hierarchical and brutal world of ancient Rome. It cuts across all class, race, and social distinctions. Second, "love the brethren." While we are to honor all, we have a special, familial love for our fellow believers. This is the covenant bond of the household of God. Our love for one another is a key mark of our discipleship. Third, "fear God." This is the foundation of the previous two commands, and the one that follows. The fear of God is not a cowering dread, but a reverential awe and worshipful submission to the sovereign Creator. It is the beginning of wisdom, and it is what keeps all our other loyalties in their proper place. Fourth, "honor the king." Notice this comes last, and it is qualified by what came before. We honor the king, but we do not love him with the special love we have for the brethren. And we certainly do not fear him with the fear that is reserved for God alone. The honor given to the king is real, but it is relative. We give him the honor due to his office, which God established. But our ultimate fear and allegiance belong to God. When the king demands the fear that belongs to God, a Christian must refuse. The fear of God is what makes us both the best subjects and, when necessary, the most resolute rebels.