Mon 21 Nov

Australia has a track record wit submission to authority. A nation that was built on convicts shipped out to a new land. A history of making money from the tourist dollar out of its bushrangers such as Ned Kelly and Dan Morgan. Or rebelling against a government policy such as the Eureka Stockade. However, how should the Christian respond when it comes to submitting to authority. Both Peter (1 Peter 2:13-25) and Paul (Romans 13:1-7) tackle the issue of submission to authority. The Bible instructs us to submit to the governing authorities whether that authority be a King or a Premier or an Elder or a Sunday School Teacher. Why should we submit? Peter provides two reasons. Other writers will say we submit to make it easier for leaders or we submit to allow good governance to take place. Peter would say we submit for the Lord’s sake. In other words, we submit so that our Lord will be praised and honoured. Second, Peter indicates we submit due to the example our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ set for us. At any point in time Jesus could have called on any number of angels to save Him from the agony of the cross. But Jesus didn’t. Instead, he submitted to the sentence handed down by the governing body. In doing so, Jesus also submitted to the will of His Father. The question to contemplate is when do we submit and when do we obey the will of our heavenly Father? For that we need to ask our heavenly Father for wisdom.