1 Peter 2:13-14

1 Peter 2:13-14

13 Be subject for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether it be to
the emperor as supreme, 14 or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do
evil and to praise those who do good.

These verses tell us that we should submit to our human leadership whoever they are. A similar admonition is given in Titus 3:1,

“Remind them to be submissive to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be
ready for every good work”

This teaching is expounded upon greatly in Romans 13:1-5, which tells us that we must submit to authority because all authority comes from God. God allowed everyone who is in a leadership position to be in that position. Thus we obey them because we obey God. That passage also points out the practical aspect to this; those who resist the authorities incur their wrath.

“1 Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no
authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. 2
Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and
those who resist will incur judgment. 3 For rulers are not a terror to good
conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then
do what is good, and you will receive his approval, 4 for he is God’s servant
for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in
vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God’s wrath on
the wrongdoer. 5 Therefore one must be in subjection, not only to avoid God’s
wrath but also for the sake of conscience.”

It must be added to this, however, that we are also told in Acts 5:29,

“But Peter and the apostles answered, "We must obey God rather than men.”

When earthly authority requires us to act in opposition to God’s will, we must obey God. While he has set up earthly authority, that authority is still sinful and God is still our Lord, our ultimate allegiance is to Him. The Bible is full of many examples of this being followed, Daniel refusing to stop praying, the Israelites rebelling against their captors (though God sometimes required them to stay under foreign leadership, such as Daniel), and the early Church illegally preaching the Gospel, which is the context in which Acts 5:29 is found.