Im convinced that the “authorities” Paul speaks of in Romans 13 are believers who hold a position in the church. But 1 Peter 2:13 seems to speak directly about obedience to civil authority?
A. 1 Peter 2:13-14 says, “Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake: whether it be to the king, as supreme; Or unto governors, as unto them that are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers, and for the praise of them that do well.” Peter, like Paul, was one of the founding fathers of God’s government on earth. And Peter, too, was killed for his allegiance to the Kingdom of Heaven. “Submit to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake” cannot mean “Obey all the Roman statutes.” Otherwise Peter is contradicting his actions in Acts 5:29. Remember when Peter and some of the apostles were examined by the council? When they were asked why they disobeyed the command not to teach Jesus, Peter answered, “We ought to obey God rather than men.” Look at the verses leading up to 1 Peter 2:13. Peter is reminding the congregation that they are “an holy nation, a peculiar people” (verse 9). They were “in time past not a people, but are now the people of God” (verse 10). They
