<p>2:14 <i>Or to governors as those sent by him to punish evil-doers and for the praise of those that do well</i>- This is hard to understand when not all civil leaders in history have done this; and it was soon not true at all in the Roman empire. But &quot;the king&quot; could refer to the Lord Jesus, and the governors could refer to church elders. But the more comfortable reading is that at that time and place Peter is writing about, the governors were as stated, and should be obeyed. This would then go to show that the NT letters are not always to be read as global statements for all time, but are specific to a time and place in the commands they give.</p>