1 Christopher Lilley SBN 315 OT/NT3380: Biblical Theology and the Practice of Ministry Exegetical Exploration Due: October

12th, 2011 I. Introduction Within the New Testament, one of the most clearly stated sets of guidelines for the role of the Christian in relation to civil authorities can be found in the book of 1 Peter. Here, the author writes: Submit yourselves for the Lords sake to every human institution, whether to a king as the one in authority, or to governors as sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and the praise of those who do right. For such is the will of God that by doing right you may silence the ignorance of foolish men. Act as free men, and do not use your freedom as a covering for evil, but use it as bondslaves of God. Honor all people, love the brotherhood, fear God, honor the king (1 Pet. 2:13-17, NASB).1 As it stands, this passage does not present any significant textual variances, and as such, any exegetical concerns can be limited to the text as written. This passage of scripture is able to function well on its own as an independent, self contained unit due to the fact that a distinct area of behavior is introduced, specifically that of conduct in the civil arena in relation to governing authorities.2 II. Literary Analysis 1 Peter 2:13-17 finds itself nestled within a slightly larger section of text (2:133:7) functioning as a form of "household code," or a set of guidelines governing the relationships between husbands and wives, children and parents, as well as slaves and

Unless otherwise noted, all scripture quotations in this paper are from the New American Standard Version of the Bible. John H. Elliot, 1 Peter, The Anchor Bible 37B, ed. William Foxwell Albright and David Noel Freedman (New York: Doubleday, 2001), 487.
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2 masters.3 This type of household code is not unique to 1 Peter, and similar expressions of these codes of conduct can be found in Col 3:18-4:1 and Eph. 5:21-6:9. This "household code" generally recited the same general set of mutual obligations that allowed for the maintaining of proper order in the household functioning as a larger part of the society.4 These types of codes were typical of the general moral standards of the Greco-Roman world in which the epistle was written, emphasizing household order as well as conduct appropriate to one's social order and status, albeit repurposed in the New Testament "for the Lord's sake" (2:13).5 Due to the fact that the code found in 1 Peter is so similar in form and content to those found in Colossians and Ephesians, the likelihood is low that they are independent of each other.6 However, what makes 1 Pet. 2:13-17 stand out among the recitation of the usual household code is that it focuses in a distinctively outward direction, exhorting the believer to be submissive to "to every human institution" (2:13) as well as to "honor all people" (2:17).7

J. Ramsey Michaels, 1 Peter, Word Biblical Commentary 49, ed. David A. Hubbard and Glenn W. Barker (Waco: Word Books, 1988), 123.
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Ibid, 122. Elliot, 1 Peter, 485. Michaels, 1 Peter, 122. Ibid, 123.