If you’ve been a Christian for any length of time, you’ve probably noticed something: passages about submission to authority tend to make us uncomfortable. We read verses like “be subject for the Lord’s sake to every human institution” and our minds immediately race to exceptions, objections, and edge cases. We bristle. It’s natural.
Pastor Josh White opened his message by acknowledging the obvious — this isn’t a popular sermon. He admitted that even he wrestled with it all week. But he also recognized something important: God made sure this passage ended up in the Bible, so it needs to be taught. And so on March 13, 2022, the congregation at Grace Bible Church of Phoenix looked at 1 Peter 2:13–16 and Romans 13:1–7 together.
Start Close to Home: Proximity Matters
When Peter writes about submitting to “every human institution,” our minds tend to leap straight to the top — the president, federal government, national politics. Josh suggested a different approach: think proximally. Think about the authorities closest to you. Your employer. Your teacher. Your HOA board. Local law enforcement. The people who actually show up in your daily life.
That’s where we live. That’s where the real test of obedience happens — not in abstract political debates, but in the small, everyday moments of submission.
Change Your Perspective: Think of Them as Babysitters
Here’s the image that gave this sermon its title: think of those in authority over you as babysitters.
When your parents go out for the evening, they bring in a babysitter. For a few hours, that person has temporary authority in your home. They enforce the rules Mom and Dad left behind. Some babysitters were strict; others let you stay up late and eat extra ice cream. You liked the permissive ones. But the point is — they were in charge because your parents gave them that authority.
Government works the same way. Romans 13 says the authorities that exist have been instituted by God. They come and go like babysitters. We like some more than others. But God is the one who set up the system, and He hasn’t called us to be rebellious tenants. We’ve been told to honor those He has placed over us.
“Be subject for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme, or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good.”
— 1 Peter 2:13–14
There’s an Exception: Obey God Rather Than Men
Does this mean we blindly obey every authority, no matter what? No — and Scripture makes that clear. The exception is when human authority tells us to do something God forbids, or forbids us from doing something God commands.
Pastor Josh pointed to Acts 4 as the textbook example. After Peter and John healed a lame man at the temple, the religious authorities told them to stop speaking in the name of Jesus. Their response was classic:
“Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge, for we cannot speak of what we have seen and heard.”
— Acts 4:19–20
Peter and John didn’t argue, strategize, or rebel. They simply recognized that God’s clear command outranked human tradition. When there’s a direct conflict between Scripture and authority, believers are called to obey God. But Josh was careful to note — this isn’t an escape hatch for every rule we don’t like. It’s a narrow exception for genuine moral conflicts, and it requires wisdom.
Why Did God Set This Up? Three Reasons
Romans 13 spells out God’s design for human government. There are three main reasons He established authority structures in this world:
1. To promote the welfare of people. God wants authorities to create environments where people can thrive, be safe, and bless one another.
2. To restrain evil. Because people are sinners, God instituted laws and consequences to hold back the chaos that unchecked sin produces.
3. To punish wrongdoing. Romans 13:4 says the governing authority is “God’s servant, an avenger, to execute His wrath on the wrongdoer.”
“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.”
— Romans 13:4
When we submit to authorities, we’re actually allowing them to fulfill the purpose God intended for them.
Trust That the Rules Are Meant to Protect You
One of the most practical points in the message was this: most rules exist to prevent harm, even when we don’t see it.
Josh illustrated this with a CrossFit story. He was training under Coach Cal, who had set a weight limit for the day. Josh felt strong — he could push past it. He did. And when he came back up, his back tweaked. Coach Cal came over and got in his face: “If you slip a disc, was that worth it?”
Josh realized in that moment: the coach had seen something he couldn’t see. The rules weren’t there to hold him back — they were there to protect him. And most of the time, that’s true of the authorities in our lives too.
Seek the Welfare of Those Around You
Jeremiah 29 contains one of the most unexpected commands in the Bible. The Jews had been taken into exile in Babylon. Their nation had been destroyed. And God told them — through the prophet Jeremiah — to do something shocking: seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you.
“Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, to all the exiles whom I have sent into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: Build houses and live in them. Plant gardens and eat their produce. Take wives and have sons and daughters… But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare.”
— Jeremiah 29:4, 7
God didn’t tell the exiles to fight Babylon or wait for liberation. He told them to be a blessing. To promote the welfare of the people around them. That’s a radical call — and it applies to us too, whether we’re navigating HOA rules, workplace policies, or civil ordinances. Instead of looking for ways to get around authority, we’re called to actively seek the good of others.
Keep Your Eyes on the Kingdom
So what happens when the rules feel oppressive? When the authorities over us make decisions we disagree with? Pastor Josh closed with two anchoring truths.
First, from Romans 14:17 — the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit. Don’t lose the big picture obsessing over the small stuff. We can get so caught up in the politics of the moment that we forget what we’re actually supposed to be doing: living as ambassadors of a different Kingdom.
Second, from Matthew 6:25–33 — Jesus says plainly: do not be anxious about your life, what you shall eat, or what you shall drink… But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
God knows what you need. Whether you have a ruler you respect or one you can’t stand, your Heavenly Father is still in control. Your job isn’t to manage Him — it’s to trust Him and keep seeking His Kingdom.
So What?
This message won’t win a popularity contest. Submission to authority is countercultural, and it should raise questions. There are times when believers must say “no” to human rules — when they directly contradict Scripture.
But for the vast majority of our daily interactions with the authorities over us, the call is the same: trust God’s design, look for ways to be a blessing, and keep your eyes fixed on the Kingdom that will never pass away.
Babysitters come and go. Someday we won’t need them at all — because the King Himself will be present. Until then, we live as strangers and aliens in this world, making the most of every opportunity to honor the One who placed us here.
Scripture References
- 1 Peter 2:13–16 — Submission to human institutions
- Romans 13:1–7 — God’s design for government and authority
- Acts 4:13–22 — Peter and John obey God rather than man
- Jeremiah 29:1, 4, 7 — Seek the welfare of the city of exile
- Romans 14:17 — The Kingdom of God is righteousness, peace, and joy
- Matthew 6:25–33 — Seek first the Kingdom of God