In 1 Peter 2:13-25, Peter teaches us to better understand and fulfill our mission as followers of Christ in a world that is increasingly secular, pluralistic, and even hostile toward people of biblical faith. We are to be people of respect. See what that means: “For the Lord’s sake, respect all human authority—whether the king as head of state, or the officials he has appointed. … It is God’s will that your honorable lives should silence those ignorant people who make foolish accusations against you. … Fear God, and respect the king. …

Peter uses a variety of words to describe our attitudes and actions towards people in authority. These other words —submission, fear, love, and honor — are variations on the theme of respect.

But what does that mean exactly? The dictionary tells us that to respect someone is to show deferential regard for them; to honor and esteem them. Practically speaking, it means to think highly of someone, to take them seriously, to recognize their power or position and respond appropriately.

Peter is reinforcing Paul’s teaching in Romans 13 and is telling us that all authority has been ordained by God to preserve order in society. Notice that neither Peter nor Paul endorses any particular kind of government — or, in our case, a political party. Neither do they allow us to pick and choose which authorities we want to respect and honor. We are to respect all of them for the office that they hold and the role that they play.
What makes this teaching so remarkable is that, at the time he wrote this, Peter and his readers were living in a pagan empire that was ruled by a tyrant named Nero. History tells us that Nero was a murderous, unstable, and foolish ruler. He had his own mother murdered when he got tired of her interference in his life. When the city of Rome nearly burned to the ground, perhaps by his own hand, he blamed it on the Christians and unleashed a wave of persecution against them. Chances are, it was under Nero’s rule that Peter was martyred for his faith, along with hundreds of other believers. And yet, in that setting, Peter instructed his readers to submit to those in authority; to respect their God-given place in their lives.

Notice the reason for their submission – it’s for the Lord’s sake, not because they earned respect, or because the believers agree with their agenda, but because the Lord commands it. As people of respect, we not only make a positive contribution to our society, we make the Gospel more attractive to the people around us (verse 15), that our attitude and behavior toward those in power would be so commendable that it speaks well of our faith and points people toward God.
Seven guidelines to becoming people of respect

So what does this mean, practically speaking? Let me offer seven guidelines to becoming people of respect.

1st: Pray for those in authority. Paul says in 1 Timothy 2: “I urge then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession, and thanksgiving be made for everyone—for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness.” Once again, he doesn’t tell us to pray for the ones we like or agree with, but to pray for all those in authority. He tells us to be thankful for the good work they do, to ask God to give them wisdom and skill, and to intercede before God when we sense that their leadership is taking us in a wrong direction. The goal of our prayers is that order and peace and justice might prevail in our nation and our world. And so we pray, respectfully, for those in authority.

2nd: Obey the laws of the land. The role of government is to preserve order and safety and justice, and so authorities rightfully make and enforce laws to preserve that order. As people of respect, we obey those laws even when they seem silly or inconvenient or unfair. We are certainly free to try to change those laws or to challenge their interpretation, but to do so with respect for the people and process involved.

3rd: Pay your taxes. Jesus himself, when asked about paying taxes to a pagan empire, said, “Render to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.” Again, if the government is God’s servant to do good, it is right for us to provide them with the resources to do that job.

4th: Exercise your right to vote. We respect our governing authorities when we participate thoughtfully and prayerfully in the election of our leaders and the establishment of laws that govern our land. Peter and his readers didn’t have that option. Nero never asked for anybody’s vote, and nobody ran against him. But clearly Peter wants us to participate constructively in the governance of the nation. So, in our setting, voting is the most effective and fundamental way to do that. And we should never take that right for granted.

When we vote, we show respect for the candidates who are committing themselves to public service, we show respect for the democratic society in which we live, we show respect for the people who fought and died to secure that freedom, and we show respect to God, who allows us to live in a free nation. Voting isn’t just about influencing the outcome of the election, it’s an expression of gratitude, patriotism, and responsibility. I trust we will all find a way to make it to the polls on May 10, and exercise our right to vote.

Should a person’s faith influence our vote? Of course. It’s not that my faith tells me who to vote for, but it tells me what to consider as I make my decision. We know from the Bible that God cares about justice for the oppressed, about the sanctity of life, about peacemaking, about the institution of marriage, about the welfare of children, about stewardship of the Earth, about the dignity of human beings; he cares about preserving a moral order, about caring for the poor. The election is about all of these issues and which candidates in our opinion can most faithfully and effectively address those issues in our city and state and nation and world. The church’s role is not to tell people how to vote, but to provide them with a biblical framework for determining their vote.

Now we know that no candidate will meet all our requirements. All the candidates are flawed and fallible human beings. But we have to make the most intelligent, responsible decision we can make. There are reasonable, godly, Christ-following people on every side of this election. And we shouldn’t be surprised or troubled by that. The world will not be impressed by who we vote for. They’ll be impressed by the intelligent, respectful way we exercise that right, and the way we handle our disagreements within the body of Christ. Remember what Peter calls us to in verse 17: “Love the brotherhood of believers.” That’s a good reminder for all of us in the upcoming May 10 elections.

5th: Speak and act honorably toward those in authority. “Honor the king,” Peter tells us in verse 17. Whether you approve of the person or not, whether you agree with their politics, our words and actions should communicate respect.

I’ve heard Christians making reckless attacks and accusations about our current President. I am saddened because that kind of talk does not reflect well on us as followers of Christ and representatives of the gospel. On top of that, it’s bad for our souls to talk that way. Certainly we need to be discerning about a candidate’s character and competence, but we need to refrain from public attacks and accusations, and from passing judgment on the condition of their hearts.

Remember again that Nero was ruling Rome at the time Peter wrote these words. There was little to commend about the man’s character or competence, and he was as godless as they come. But we never hear Peter or Paul—or Jesus, for that matter—speaking disrespectfully about the governing authorities. We need to follow their examples and their teaching, speaking and acting honorably toward those in authority over us.

6th: Resist righteously when the circumstances demand it. Generally speaking, submission to those in authority will pose no conflict for followers of Christ. But there will be occasions in which we cannot support or cooperate with those holding office. When the government requires us to violate our Christian convictions, or when it leads in a direction that is contrary to God’s purposes, it is our responsibility to resist—to speak out, to petition, to boycott, even to protest. But we are to do so in a way that does not compromise the gospel of Christ.

Peter reminded us that we are free people; free to obey God rather than any human authority. Throughout Scripture, we find examples of people who righteously refused to cooperate with the authorities: the Hebrew midwives who defied Pharaoh’s order to kill all the male newborns; Daniel and his friends who refused to eat from the king’s table because it was unclean. Peter himself, the author of the letter, refused to stop speaking in the name of Jesus when he was so ordered by the governor. But in all these situations, the believers maintained a posture of respect for those in office and willingly accepted the consequences of their disobedience.
7th: Pledge ultimate allegiance to God. Peter reminds his readers that the king is to be honored, but God is to be feared. Peter makes it very clear, as does Paul, and Jesus, that ultimately our loyalty, obedience, and submission is to God. He is the one who has final authority over our lives. He is the one who establishes earthly authorities to serve his purposes. And he is the one who rules and over-rules, so that his purposes are accomplished, even when those authorities are foolish, incompetent, or wicked. That’s why we are able to respectfully submit to those in authority, because we know God is sovereign.

On May 10, let’s all go to the polls and elect our next leaders. At this point we don’t know who those leaders will be. But whoever they are, they deserve our respect. Whatever the outcome, for the next four years and beyond, we are to be people who pray for those in authority, who obey the laws of the land, who pay our taxes, who exercise our right to vote, who speak honorably of those in authority, who resist righteously when the circumstances demand it, and who pledge ultimate allegiance to God.

Note: A considerable portion of this material is taken from Bryan Wilkerson’s sermon titled: R-E-S-P-E-C-T. F. Bryan Wilkerson is pastor of Grace Chapel in Lexington, Massachusetts.