Read 1 Peter 2:13–25
Show proper respect to everyone: Love the brotherhood of
believers, fear God, honor the king.
1 Peter 2:17
True Christians submit to authority because they are first of all submitted to Christ. They use their freedom as a tool to build with and
not as a weapon to fight with. A good example of this attitude is
Nehemiah, who willingly gave up his own rights that he might help
his people and restore the walls of Jerusalem (Neh. 1:1—7:3).
If we are sincerely submitted to authority “for the Lord’s
sake” (1 Peter 2:13), then we will show honor to all who deserve
it. We may not agree with their politics or their practices, but we
must respect their position (Rom. 13:1–6). We will also “love the
brotherhood”—the people of God in the church. This is a recurring
theme. One way we show love to the brotherhood is by submitting
to the authority of the “powers that be” (v. 1 KJV), for we are bound
together with one another in our Christian witness.
We “honor the king” because we “fear God.” It is worth noting
that the tenses of these verbs indicate that we should constantly maintain these attitudes. “Keep loving the brotherhood! Keep fearing God!
Keep honoring the king!”
Something to Ponder
When you are in a position of authority, what do you do to try to earn
the respect of those under your leadership?