Commentary on First Peter (54)

We begin with verses 13 and 14: "Submit yourselves for the Lord's sake to every authority instituted among men: whether to the king, as the supreme authority, or to governors, who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right."

The injunction refers to "every authority instituted among men" (or NASB: "every human institution"), and not only those that Peter would specify. Thus we can extend it to other authority figures such as parents, teachers, employers, and church leaders. The proper application requires a degree of care and precision, since the various authorities wield different types and levels of power. Their spheres of authority are defined according to biblical precepts and legitimate inferences from them.

The verb translated "submit" is originally a military term meaning to arrange or place under the authority of another. For this word to mean what it means, obedience is naturally implied. One submits to authority, so that one obeys that authority. Why we need to mention this at all will become clear when we come to 3:1, where Peter speaks about the submission of the wife to her husband. Right now our focus will turn to submission – and obedience – to the civil government.

At the time that Peter wrote, "the king" would have been the emperor Nero, who ruled from AD 54 to 68. According to history, he was a fair ruler for the first five years, perhaps influenced by Seneca. But afterward he threw off all restraints. In biblical discussions, he is most often remembered for the brutal persecution that he unleashed upon the Christians.

Nevertheless, Peter states that believers are to submit even to such a one, "as the supreme authority" of the land. Of course, in absolute terms, only God is "supreme" over all things. But Peter has already narrowed the discussion to "human institutions," so that he is speaking about the civil authorities, their relationship to one another, and their relationship to the citizens. And from this perspective, the king or emperor is indeed the supreme authority, and believers should honor him as such.