1st Peter 2:13-17
SUBMIT TO GOVERNMENT AUTHORITY The way Christians behave in a community is of great importance to people who watch us from day to day. Christian attributes are not always admired in the "me first" society in which we live. For a person to be submissive, meek and humble is to most people a sign of weakness. These may seem at first glance foolish to those who are determined to "stand up for my right." To those who recognize they are under the supreme authority of our Lord, we can understand the reason He has ordained civil authority. There has to be a form of rule and authority to maintain an orderly structure in a society of any kind.
Three areas of society to which the doctrine of headship applies are the civil government, the local assembly and the private home. In each of these areas of human living there is a divinely appointed leadership. "Emperors" are those who lead nations and "governors" are leaders in a more localized section of society. "Elders" are divinely appointed leaders in assemblies to whose leadership we submit. Husbands are appointed by the Lord as the "head" and are the guides in individual households. In each of these areas of life, God's purpose is orderly and successful living.