Over the past few years, I've found myself using a popular phrase more often: become ungovernable. It is a more terse way of celebrating the spirit of those who will not be oppressed or controlled by those who think they are in power. Typically when I use this phrase, I'm being sarcastic or laying into the culture meme; however, some people really pride themselves on their inability to be controlled.
This is a uniquely American concept, at least at the scale we celebrate these ideals. There are entire political parties (ironically) dedicated towards their pride in being ungovernable. This is a struggle for many of the "ungovernable" believers who are confronted with inconvenient scripture passages like what we find in 1 Peter...
Submit to every human authority because of the Lord, whether to the emperor as the supreme authority or to governors as those sent out by him to punish those who do what is evil and to praise those who do what is good. For it is God’s will that you silence the ignorance of foolish people by doing good. Submit as free people, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but as God’s slaves. Honor everyone. Love the brothers and sisters. Fear God. Honor the emperor. (1 Peter 2:13-17)
Despite how empowering it may be for many of the most animated Evangelical among us, the Bible is not a book that celebrates a rebellious and obstinate heart. It doesn't call for mass political movements and it hardly celebrates the tradition of being "ungovernable". Instead the Bible gives us a clear picture of hierarchical authorities.
The idea of a hierarchy is uncomfortable for many of us because it is so foreign to how we view our worldly leaders. It may exist in the workplace, the military, or many clubs, but we don't have the same systems of "divine authority" that most of human history has endured. Because of this, scriptures like this become difficult to relate to our modern world. We struggle to relate to Peter's words because we are culturally removed from the direct issue he is addressing.
The long-and-short of what we see in the scriptures is this: God has a plan for all of us, both the saved and those who do not yet know Christ. That plan calls certain individuals to seasons of influence and others to seasons of subservience. It is important that we remember what God has called us to be in the season in which we find ourselves so that we do not begin assuming "righteous causes" in God's name that he has not called us to. Doing so turns us into creators of our own calling which is antithetical to living a life driven by a wholly supreme Creator.
So any time you find yourself in a situation where you are tempted to become ungovernable, take a moment to keep yourself accountable to God's plan... for you and for those around you. Ensure that you are not trying to become the creator of your own "divine right" and are instead following a path designed by The Creator who knows all, sees all, and guides all for ultimate good.
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