Little Freddy is refusing to sit down at the table. His parents insist, lifting him into the chair, and yet—with his arms folded and chin raised—Freddy has the final word, "I’m still standing on the inside!” You smile, perhaps? But if we’re honest, Freddy’s attitude to authority is not foreign: it’s often our own!

Approaches to authority vary. Some lean defiant, instinctively resisting anything that feels like control. Others are more given to compliance, but can still be inwardly resentful, even simmering with anger beneath the surface. Given the very real abuses of authority—in homes, governments, and even in churches, it’s no surprise that authority often has a bad rap.

Even culturally, we feel the shift. In recent years, authority is “out” and child-led parenting is “in”. The same is true in education, and even medicine where old-fashioned views of authority have been replaced with an emphasis on personal autonomy and choice. When society was burned by a return to government authority during COVID, the next Prime Minister felt he had to promise his government would “tread more lightly” on our lives.

During COVID, Christians faced tough questions about authority and submission in society, and there is little doubt that we will have to face them again. The question is: Will we be ready?

There are many complex questions to do with the extent of government authority, and when and how Christians are permitted to reject it, but before we can tackle the exceptions—we need a solid biblical foundation. In 1 Peter 2:13–17, we find three inescapable facts that give us that foundation so that we can come to grips with more complex questions later.

1. God Authorises Authority

Authority, at its core, is the right to command, decide, and enforce obedience. It’s no small deal! But all such authority is derivative. Only God possesses ultimate authority. He is the sovereign Creator: the potter over the clay, the King of kings and Lord of lords. All authority on heaven and earth, said Jesus, has been given to him.

But why would a perfect God authorise authority for imperfect rulers? Because the alternative is far worse! Anarchy simply does not work. It doesn’t work because people are not good. As the Christiania commune in Copenhagen proved: Even communities built on ideals of human goodness quickly discover the necessity of structure, rules, and law enforcement. Even in Christiania, they call the cops when chaos breaks out.

Clearly, the problem is not authority itself—it is the human heart. After the flood, God declares that the inclination of the human heart is evil from his youth (Genesis 8:21). In response, He institutes human government (Genesis 9:3-5) with the power of the sword (Romans 13:4).

Authority, then, is not a human invention; it is a divine provision for a fallen world.  Therefore, to reject authority is to reject God’s design, for God has authorised authority.

2. God Requires Submission

“Be subject… for the Lord’s sake.” (1 Peter 2:13).

Submission is commanded by God. Peter, inspired by the Holy Spirit, doesn’t say “consider submission” or submit “when it’s convenient.” He doesn’t even say submit “if they deserve it.” He simply says, “be subject.”

Peter simply means we must adopt a default position of submission. Place yourself willingly under authority, like a soldier arranging himself by rank and file. This is to be the Christian’s default attitude to authority.

This means our posture toward authority should not be grudging. We’re not wrestled into submission. We submit willingly.

In fact, submission is woven into the very core of Christianity. Jesus himself submitted to sinful earthly parents (Luke 2:51), and the New Testament repeatedly reinforces the requirement to submit in various spheres: creatures must submit to their Creator, wives to their husbands, children to their parents, saints to their shepherds, all to one another in humility. Yes, there are qualifications. Yes, there are limits, and the Scripture addresses those. But before we rush to the qualifications, we must feel the weight of the command itself: God requires submission.

3. The Gospel Enables Submission

Thankfully, the command to submit is not left for us to figure out on our own. It is enabled by the gospel.

Peter’s letter is written to believers living as exiles in a hostile world. They are slandered, misunderstood, marginalised. And yet Peter calls them to live honourably, to do good, to respond with gentleness and respect (1 Pet 3:15). Why? Because the world is watching!

When believers live differently—when they submit, serve, and endure injustice with grace—it provokes questions. It reveals something inside them: hope.

For believers, hope is not rooted in circumstances. it is not based on things getting better this side of heaven. It is anchored in the coming revelation of Jesus Christ, in the resurrection, and in an imperishable inheritance. It’s rooted in the gospel itself!

This gospel hope enables us to submit to civil authorities without resentment and live in a way that confounds the watching world. Submission, then, is not weakness. It is witness.

Conclusion

The time will come again when this question of authority and submission to civil authorities is no longer an abstract idea, but an urgent reality for all of us. When that moment arrives, you will not be helped by instinct or opinion. You will need deep convictions rooted in Scripture. Make sure that you personally have the hope of the gospel enabling you to adopt an attitude of submission to authority as your default. Be sure, also, that you have these inescapable facts as foundations, before you delve into the more complex questions that follow.

Check out Pastor Tom's sermon on YouTube: https://youtube.com/live/Z4qMWwR3AT0?feature=share