“Respect the Authorities”: Scriptural Framework #3 ~ A Godly Life
A Godly Life
Beloved, I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain
from fleshly lusts which war against the soul, having your conduct
honorable among the Gentiles, that when they speak against you as
evildoers, they may, by your good works which they observe, glorify God
in the day of visitation. (1 Peter 2:11-12)
At the core of Peter’s exhortation is the principle that a godly
life–honorable conduct–provides a measure of defense to strangers and
pilgrims in this hostile environment. The saints are given instructions
that have to do more with the inward life: “abstain from fleshly lusts
which war against the soul.” There follows the evidence of those working
principles in the outward life: “having your conduct honourable among
the Gentiles.” The saints, conscious of the eye of the world upon them,
ought to cultivate attractive and blameless lives. Our interactions with
those around us ought to be truly righteous. This is so that when our
religious convictions bring a measure of reproach or persecution, those
who speak evil of the children of God will be obliged to acknowledge the
practical and generally beneficial godliness of the saints.
As they see your righteous living they will be caught between their
rejection of the Christ whom you follow and the undeniable difference
that your following of Christ makes in your treatment of those around
you. They must acknowledge that your life is exemplary; that your
Christian convictions raise you above the aggressive and bestial living
that increasingly characterizes our societies; that our fundamental
neighborliness is on open but unostentatious display (Luke 10:36). Such
good works of the church will ultimately lead these critics to “glorify
God in the day of visitation.” This is a difficult phrase that some
suggest refers to a personal and searching encounter with the Lord,
perhaps prompted by or certainly driven home by the testimony of the
believers in the world. There may come a day when God deals with the
souls of our friends, neighbors, and colleagues who may presently pour
scorn on our convictions, dismiss our religion, or deride us as mere
do-gooders. In that day the honorable conduct of the saints may be one
of the means that the Lord uses to press home the realities of His
salvation in Jesus Christ. The following verses spell out what this
looks like with regard to the state:
Therefore submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s
sake, whether to the king as supreme, or to governors, as to those who
are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and for the praise of
those who do good. For this is the will of God, that by doing good you
may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men–as free, yet not using
liberty as a cloak for vice, but as bondservants of God. Honor all
people. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the king. (1 Peter
2:13-17)
You will notice that Peter establishes absolutes that are similar to
those which Paul makes clear in Romans 13. Peter explains that if the
saints are to suffer, at least it ought to be for the right reasons and
not because of their rebellion against God’s appointed authorities. What
is particularly interesting is the way in which Peter connects
lawlessness and rebellion in relation both to God and to men. As with
Paul, rebellion against the authority that the Lord has appointed is de facto rebellion
against the Lord who appointed it. Rebellion against one authority
often reflects an ill disposition to authority in general, including
divine authority. It is no surprise that a generation in which sinners
very willingly and eagerly enthrone themselves as the only authority
worth heeding tend to disregard both the laws of men and the laws of
God. Verse 17 provides a potent summary of what Peter has been
addressing: “Honor all people. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the
king” (1 Peter 2:17).
Excerpted from the book Passing Through: Pilgrim Life in the Wilderness (Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com or Westminster Bookstore or RHB).
