The socio-political relevance of 1 Peter 2:13-17 in Nigeria

Abstract

Governance, an integral part of society, cannot be overlooked, every citizen treasures good leadership. Experience, however, reveals that not all leaders provide good governance hence they are referred to as bad leaders. Previous researchers on 1 Peter 2:13-17 have focused on its literary connection with Romans 13:1-7 and on the relationship between the Church and State without giving much attention to the socio-political context of 1 Peter 2:13-17. On the other hand, 1 Peter 2:13-17 has been interpreted variously. Firstly, that Christians be subordinate to their rulers, as long as that subordination does not place them in violation of God’s will, Secondly, that they respect the superior order, and not implying loyalty. Yet, some Christians are being taught to disregard every order from political leaderships that don't meet Christ's standard in their leadership style. Hence, to be subject to every human institution for the Lord’s sake becomes a dilemma, not only within the political space, but even within the church. This paper, therefore, carried out an exegetical analysis of 1 Peter 2:13-17 using the socio-historical method. This is to garner social, historical, and cultural information necessary to better understand the text. Opinions on being subject to good/bad leadership were gathered using the social media handles, Twitter and WhatsApp. Collected data were exegetically and content analysed. it is expected that the results of this would direct the contemporary Nigerian Christians towards right attitude to political and church leaders, as well as civic responsibilities.