The government also has the positive function "to commend those who do right" (v. 14). Some commentators doubt that this portion of the verse could apply to the original readers of Peter's letter, or for that matter, to Christians living under any form of secular government. It is unlikely that Christians would receive praise from human authorities that are hostile to their faith. At least one scholar writes that Christians should not care about it. Along with this is the observation that the phrase is perhaps part of the instruction given to governors at the time, or that Peter is reflecting how the governors' function is described by the culture.

The above line of thinking is irrelevant, and misses the point of the text. First, whatever the source for verse 14, the two aspects of a public official's responsibilities are cited by Peter as a basis for the Christian's submission. Second, the very purpose of the command is to contradict the negative ideas that non-Christians believe about the faith and its adherents.

So to note that the government might be hostile against Christians is precisely the reason, within this context, to observe that its function ought to be to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right, so that the Christians should not do wrong but do right. Whether we can expect the government (or any human institution) to do what it ought to do is a separate question, and one that we will address as we continue with Peter's letter.

In any case, here we note that Christians are not only to refrain from becoming criminals, but they are to be model citizens, so that they may make a positive impression upon society on behalf of the faith.

Posted in Expositions | Permanent Link