FEARING THE WRONG ENTITY
1 Peter 2:17
Honor all people, love the brotherhood, fear God, honor the king.
The problem in our society is that most people fear the government more than they fear the Lord. That’s true even for many Christians, because they fear the government’s power to punish people and coerce them into compliance. But we fear the wrong entity when we fear government above God. God not only deserves and demands our first loyalty, but we need to remember that government is under God and therefore is not to be made equal to Him.
The problem is that too many people are looking for “salvation by government.” They are putting their hope in the political realm, but God warns us what happens when we put our confidence in kings (1 Samuel 8:9–18). There is no such thing as salvation by government (Judges 8:22–23). This is why Jesus refused attempts to make Him a political Savior (John 6:15). The Democrats are looking for a Democratic savior, the Republicans are looking for a Republican savior, and the Independents are looking for an Independent savior. But God is sitting as the potentate of the universe, saying, “I am the only Savior in town.” The ultimate solutions to our culture’s problems won’t land on Air Force One. Peter wrote, “Fear God, honor the king” (1 Peter 2:17). That is always God’s order of things. Whenever a government tries to usurp the rule of God, you have a legitimate basis for protest. Man’s laws can be resisted and disobeyed when they come into direct conflict with the fundamental principles of the Word. But that resistance should always be communicated in a way that honors the position.
REFLECTION: First Peter 2:17 says, “fear God, honor the king.” How are these two (fear and honor) different? How can we balance honor for the government with greater honor for God? Everything we have comes from God’s hand. Thank God for those who lead your community—and thank Him that He limits their power. We are to fear You, Lord, above all. And we are to honor our governing authorities as well. Thank You for giving us these commands as they will be life-giving to us.
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