Crisis Management
I Peter 2:11-18
Lesson for September 22-23, 2012
Karen Locklear
Objective:
To comprehend the role of the individual and government in God’s plan.
Introduction:
If you didn’t already know, we’re electing or reelecting a president in a couple of
months. I’m amazed we got here so fast. It just seems like four years ago we elected
President Obama. Regardless, today’s lesson isn’t about politics, believe it or not.
Today we are talking about respect: for our government and for each other.
Historical Background:
Before we get to the passage, let’s discuss its setting and context. I Peter was
written by Peter the apostle in Rome approximately 64 AD, which is the end of Nero’s
sixteen-year reign (2). This was a polytheistic culture (belief in many gods) in which the
Emperor was considered a deity. Although in general Rome was accepting of a variety
of cult practices (as long as the worship of the Emperor was included in the practice),
Christianity was a problem because a monotheistic (One God) beliefs system eliminates
worship of anything outside of God, which wasn’t acceptable to the emperor under the
circumstances of first century Rome. Furthermore, Romans worshipped many gods,
and since the practice of Christianity would exclude the worship of Nero, Christians
were seen as both treasonous and blasphemous (Lyles 44).
Worship to Romans, regardless of the deity, was a very public event. Since
Christianity emphasizes the personal element of the relationship with one God, and
because of the serious concern in regards to religious persecution, Christians were
extremely secretive about their rituals in Rome, which lead to many misconceptions
about Christian practices (Lyles 44- 45).
Peter repetitively uses the term “alien” to describe how Christians should relate to
“the world”, which for him was Rome. To fully appreciate the standard of morality of the
time, here are some facts about Nero, the last emperor of the Julio-Claudian Era:

Nero came to power at the age of sixteen. He died at the age of thirty. He
committed suicide upon losing power.

His mother had her husband, Nero’s stepfather, poisoned so her son could
become emperor.

Later, Nero was responsible for ordering the assassination of his own mother. He
had a stepbrother poisoned because he was a political threat.

He accused his first wife of adultery because he wanted to marry the wife of a
friend. She was beheaded and her head was sent to his mistress.

Nero kicked his second wife to death while she was pregnant in a fit of rage (this
was the mistress who received the head of his first wife).

There were rumors throughout his reign of Nero roaming the streets after dark
with friends looting stores, attacking women and freeborn boys.

He was united in “marriages” with two of his homosexual lovers, one of which he
claimed resembled the second wife whom he kicked to death.
(From Scarre, Chris. “Nero”. Chronicle of the Roman Empire.)
Nero was also responsible for what is called the “first persecution” of Christians after
the Great Fire of 64, which destroyed most of Rome. Many Romans believed Nero was
responsible for the devastation because he wanted to clear the area for his “Golden
House”. As means of alleviating that speculation, Nero made accusation towards
Christians, which was easy to do, as they were already perceived as both treasonous
and blasphemous.
Modern scholarship mostly agrees the fire was an accident or a random act of
nature, and neither Nero nor the Christians were directly or indirectly responsible. That
being said, Nero fervently persecuted believers, who were placed in the position of
either denying Christ or dying a slow and painful death.
There is much speculation within scholarship in regards to whether I Peter was
written before or after the fire. And in reality, it doesn’t matter: the tone of this letter
holistically demonstrates Christianity was not well received in first century Rome.
Why am I bringing the first semester of western civilization into Sunday school?
Because I think it’s important for us to acknowledge that as Christians in America what
we experience on a day-to-day basis doesn’t hold a candle to the experiences of
Roman Christians in the first century. We aren’t meeting in secret. Nobody is risking jail
time to be here. Some of you might miss a text from your boss, but he’ll just have to wait
for now. This is important stuff.
Author’s Purpose:
Peter realizes and is probably experiencing the worldly hostilities towards
Christians. And although he is writing a letter addressed to a variety of churches in Asia
Minor who may or may not be living his experience of persecution the message is clear:
Peter’s is guiding Christian behavior which will both save lives and spread the message
Jesus intended, in a time and place unfathomable to most of us.
As we go through the text today consider the following statement made by Bertrand
Russell, British philosopher and historian:
“The secret of happiness is to face the world is horrible, horrible, horrible.”
Text:
Read I Peter 2:11 and 12
(“Beloved, I urge you as aliens and exiles to abstain from the desires of the flesh that
wage war against the soul. Conduct yourselves honorably among the Gentiles, so that,
though they malign you as evildoers, they may see your honorable deeds and glorify
God when he comes to judge.”)
In using the word “beloved”, Peter is reminding Christians of their identity. They
are valued, despite what appears to be quite the opposite in what they are experiencing
(28). He continues this with the phrase “aliens and exiles”, or people who customarily do
not have rights as “temporary residents” (28).
APPLICATION: Consider Lot’s wife. Upon leaving Sodom, God allowed the family to
escape. His only request was for them not to look back.
But they were leaving friends, family, a lifestyle of success and wealth. Lot’s wife’s heart
was still in Sodom. And she looked back longingly.
Apparently, she was not an “alien”.
To alienate ourselves from the world is significant. It creates a boundary emotionally. It
screams “I am not you” and “You are not me”. The segregation in and of itself saves the
hearts and the minds of Christians.
This theme of “aliens and exiles” is consistent throughout the Bible. In Psalm 39, King
David explores “the brevity of human life” (Oxford English Bible 809) and expresses his
dismay in difficult experiences:
Read Psalms 39
(I said, “I will watch my ways and keep my tongue from sin; I will put a muzzle on my
mouth while in the presence of the wicked.” So I remained utterly silent, not even saying
anything good. But my anguish increased; my heart grew hot within me. While I
meditated, the fire burned; then I spoke with my tongue: “Show me, LORD, my life’s end
and the number of my days; let me know how fleeting my life is. You have made my
days a mere handbreadth; the span of my years is as nothing before you. Everyone is
but a breath, even those who seem secure. Surely everyone goes around like a mere
phantom; in vain they rush about, heaping up wealth without knowing whose it will
finally be. But now, Lord, what do I look for? My hope is in you. Save me from all my
transgressions; do not make me the scorn of fools. I was silent; I would not open my
mouth, for you are the one who has done this. Remove your scourge from me; I am
overcome by the blow of your hand. When you rebuke and discipline anyone for their
sin, you consume their wealth like a moth— surely everyone is but a breath. Hear my
prayer, LORD, listen to my cry for help; do not be deaf to my weeping. I dwell with you as
a foreigner, a stranger, as all my ancestors were. Look away from me, that I may enjoy
life again before I depart and am no more.”)
In reality none of us are capable of complete separation from the world, but what
we should remember is this, in the words of Matthew Henry, Bible commentator and
Presbyterian minister:
If an evil thought should arise in mind, suppress it. Watchfulness in the
habit is the bridle upon the head; watchfulness in acts is the hand upon
the bridle. When not able to separate from wicked men, we should
remember they will watch our words, and turn them, if they can, to our
disadvantage (Henry Psalms 39).
Christians are held to a different standard of behavior from the rest of the world.
And why shouldn’t we be? Christ was a perfect example of behavior and, really, what is
the point of Christianity if our lives are not obviously changed?
Text:
Read 1 Peter 2:13-17
(“Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human authority: whether to the
emperor, 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. For it is God’s will that by
doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish people. Live as free people,
but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as God’s slaves. Show proper
respect to everyone, love the family of believers, fear God, honor the emperor.”)
Application:
The four injunctions of verse seventeen are invaluable:
“Show proper respect to everyone, love the family of believers, fear God, honor the
emperor”
What the Christian relationship to government should look like is very clear in the New
Testament. In I Timothy 2:1-2 Paul urges “supplications, prayers, intercessions, and
thanksgivings be made for everyone, for kings and all who are in high positions, so that
we may lead a quiet and peaceable life and is acceptable in the sight of God our Savior,
who desires everyone to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.”
Notice Paul said “everyone”. Not just the politician who shares your ideology.
In Titus 3:1-2, Paul reminds the church to “be subject to rulers and authorities, to be
obedient, to be ready for every good work, to speak evil of no one, to avoid quarreling,
to be gentle, and to show every courtesy to everyone.”
Again, not just the guy you agree with.
Here’s the interesting part: submitting to authority in government isn’t about the
government. Here, Peter is reminding the reader “government has a valid and
necessary God-appointed purpose. The presence of political corruption should not blind
us to the legitimate role of government that God-ordained” (30).
Again, first century Rome is the epiphany of corruption and immorality in government.
For Peter to make this statement considering the circumstances of Rome says
mountains regarding the importance of respecting those offices.
That being said, Peter also “believed that there was a proper place for civil
disobedience” (30). In Acts 4:19-20, “Peter and John answered them, ‘Whether it is right
in God’s sight to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge; for we cannot keep
from speaking about what we have seen and heard.’”
If the laws of man make obeying God an impossibility, we should obey God first.
However, it is imperative to understand there will be Earthly consequences for
disobedience of government. The approach should be carefully considered.
There are Christians who take “the position that believers are free to disobey their
governments if the government permits conduct that is contrary to God’s will” (31). This
is the logic behind bombing abortion clinics. But scripturally speaking, disobedience to
government should be civil. It is absolutely not violent.
The book Unplanned: The Dramatic True Story of a Former Planned Parenthood
Leader’s Eye-Opening Journey Across the Life Line, is Abby Johnson’s narrative about
her experiences running one of the largest Planned Parenthood clinics in the state out
of Bryan, Texas and her conversion from pro-choice to pro-life.
The book is controversial because of the circumstances circling Johnson’s sudden
change of ideology, but that to me isn’t the importance of the book.
Johnson documents the evolution of the pro-life movement over the course of her
tenure working for clinics in Texas. What started out as an incredibly hostile and
boisterous demonstration, which broke every semblance of peace in the neighborhood,
evolved into a peace-loving, prayerful association working towards ending abortion. It
focused on the individual. They listened to women who intended that day to enter the
clinic. They prayed for them and with them. They showed compassion.
This approach saved lives. This approach is how Christians should handle all conflict:
through love and prayer.
As Americans, living in a democracy, we pride ourselves frequently on dissent. Our
history as a country is based upon the idea of “no taxation without representation”. And
although the concept is legitimate, somehow in this seemingly Christian nation we have
forgotten the messages of peace and minimal conflict considered in the New
Testament.
Government is a representative body of people. It is complex and riddled with the good,
the bad, and the ugly. The idea one side is completely right and the other is completely
wrong is a fallacy.
And, yes, historian Howard Zinn is right when saying, “Dissent is the highest form of
patriotism”. But dissent doesn’t have to be violent. It doesn’t have to be hostile, either.
Above all else, it should be out of great love for both God and country and the sentiment
should be communicated clearly.
But instead in this Christian nation, we have a tendency to name call, condescend, and
assume anyone who disagrees with us, even in the slightest, is “Un-American”, which is
a bit ironic, considering we are a country originated by dissent.
Part of the significance of Christianity is we are free from the “tyranny of Satan. We are
no longer his slaves. We should not use this freedom to sin, but to refrain from sinning”
(32), which is why, first and foremost, respect for all is imperative.
I would like to encourage you to spend time between now and the election doing two
things: first and foremost praying for our leaders and potential leaders. Regardless as to
who is elected, through God anything is possible; they are merely a vessel.
Second, I would like to point out the importance of seeing the world as threedimensional. Consider the argument from “the other side”. What is the motivation
behind those views which seems so obtuse from our perspective? There are very bright,
God-fearing Democrats, Republicans, Libertarians, conservatives and liberals. What is
their logic? And what separates us fundamentally, other than a bunch of caustic talking
heads featured on the cable news channels?
Something to consider
(This is a good opportunity to close with a prayer for our country and the upcoming
elections.)
Resources used in this preparation:
New International Version Bible
Oxford English Bible
Constable Notes 1 Peter
Lyles, C.J. “Persecution of Christians in Rome”
Scarre, Chris. Chronicles of the Roman Emperors