The Will of God 1 Peter 2:15

Peter the apostle told the “scattered” Christians they were to “submit” “to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake”, and this included both the “king” and “governors” who were sent “for the punishment of evildoers, and for the praise of them that do well”. In chapter two and verse fifteen of his letter, Peter told the Christians this was “the will of God” for them where we read:

For so is the will of God, that with well doing you may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men:

The verse begins, “For so is the will of God, that with well doing...” Peter began with the word, “For” which means “that, because and since” “so is the will” or “what one wishes or has determined shall be done, the inclination, choice, desire or pleasure” “of God” who is “the Godhead bodily and trinity which is comprised of God the Father, Christ the Son and the Holy Spirit”, “that with well doing” which means “doing good, doing something that profits others, helping, doing a favor for or benefiting others”. Peter knew submission to governing authorities was “the will of God” for the “scattered” Christians, and this behavior would result in “well doing”.

The verse goes on to say, “...you may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men:” Peter added, “you may put to silence” which is one Greek word “phimoō” and means “close the mouth with a muzzle, stop the mouth, make speechless and keep in check” “the ignorance” or “not knowing” “of foolish” which means “without reason, senseless, foolish, stupid and without reflection or intelligence, acting rashly” “men” which refers to “human beings whether male or female”. When Christians are submissive to the governing authorities, they bear witness of their walk with Jesus Christ. This “closes the mouths” of those who are without the knowledge of a relationship with Him.

When we meditate upon Peter's words, there is no doubt as to what “the will of God” is for us in this area. We are to be subject to those who are in leadership positions above us, and when we do, people who do not believe in Jesus Christ will see a difference in the manner in which we behave. May the Lord Jesus by His Holy Spirit help us to know when we are in rebellion against the authorities, and let us fully understand how important our behavior is to non-believers.

Next time Peter shares how Christians are not to use their “liberty for a cloak of maliciousness”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow…there is more…

Look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, and the new devotional “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore.