June 2, 2022
Honor all people. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the king. 1 Peter 2:17
The command for followers of Christ to honor all people calls for a discerning thoughtfulness and clear show of respect toward everyone. The quickest way to fortify the barrier between unbelievers and God is to exhibit negative behaviors, expressions, or even a subtle attitude of disrespect. The expansion of God’s kingdom—winning hearts to Him—is a large part of what our personal transformation is all about. God’s sanctification of His people is for the benefit of all. While it is a tall order to be consistently respectful, we have the ongoing help of the Holy Spirit to help us view others as God sees them: each one is precious to Him. He sees in everyone the potential for heavenly citizenship.
Our opening verse consists of four brief commands. Love the brotherhood comes on the heels of Honor all people. Our relationships with fellow believers represent blessings from God in several facets. How encouraging to have fellowship with like-minded people! God’s people are to be a support network, loving and caring for each other. Healthy relationships in the fellowship of believers keep the door open for ongoing learning and uplifting conversation that affirms the true doctrines of Jesus. In “fleshing out” the great lessons of the Bible, we help each other steer clear of pitfalls: straying to the right by adding to God’s word or to the left by disregarding selected passages (see Deuteronomy 5:32, Revelation 22:18-19). Babylon is a deadly concoction of both right and left teachings. By our example we are influencing others, for good or for evil. A sobering thought! We are in need of sensitivity for the challenges and hurts that people struggle to overcome. All things are possible with God!
Fear God. Here we are given the foundational paradigm for acknowledging the leadership of His Holy Spirit. When interacting with those around us, we will be correctly led to genuinely and sincerely honor all people. I am thankful for the examples among our God-fearing brethren that have been a positive influence on me. I have been instructed, loved, and forgiven for my many blunders. I am motivated to do the same for others.
And above all things have fervent love for one another, for “love will cover a multitude of sins.” 1 Peter 4:8
The string of simple instructions in our opening verse are strongly connected. If we truly desire to live for Jesus, we will earnestly long for others to know Him. We will be ready to forgive others as the Lord has forgiven us. A balanced Christian life is meant to be like a ‘slice of heaven’ for others to taste. To seek first His kingdom and His righteousness (Matthew 6:33) means actively ‘creating an atmosphere’ that is inviting to others.
The last instruction, honor the king, is a simple way of reminding that we are to pray for those in authority, regardless of our personal opinion about their policies and agenda. God’s agenda is the one that will prevail. Let us remember the great lesson of the conversion of Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon. The roles of God’s people in the book of Daniel are examples to us. Once King Nebuchadnezzar was fully convinced of the love and power of God, his testimony became a precious treasure for the rest of earth’s history until the end . . .
“Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, worship, magnify, and glorify the King of Heaven. All His works are truth, all His paths are justice, and He is able to humble all who walk in pride. Daniel 8:37