In Peter's first epistle, we learn that God has called us to bear unjust authorities with patience.

You have to seek to love the very person who is injuring you.

Isn't that what Christ teaches?

And isn't that what Jesus did?

It is so hard, but that is the radical ethic of the gospel.

No matter who you are or where you live, there are systems of authority over you.

But what of those leaders put you through unjustified hardship or suffering?

The question then becomes how far does your submission go?

Today and over the next couple of days here on Renewing Your Mind, RC Sproul will take

us to the book of First Peter to help us learn what submission looks like.

Where do you find problems of submitting to authority?

We've seen this thing here, expounded by Peter in his first epistle.

And isn't it a strange thing that this section on submissiveness that forms so much a portion

of this epistle is linked to and flows out of the comforting words that the Apostle

gives us about the hope that is ours in the midst of suffering.

Well, I think there's a link here.

One of the links is that being submissive at times is the occasion for our affliction

and the occasion for suffering.

While we've seen already, Peter's admonition to be submissive in general to the ordinances

of men, and then he gets specific, and he speaks to specific groups and we'll look at these

briefly today.

In chapter 2, verse 18, he says, servants, be submissive to your masters with all fear,

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