“To this you were called, because the Messiah suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps.” ~Apostle Peter

Tags

1 Peter 2, Apostle Peter Sayings, Authority, Government, Obey, Respect, Romans 13

Kingdom of God

I am to show respect to everyone. It starts with the fear of God. It continues with love of my brothers and sisters. It extends to honoring government authorities.

That is pretty straightforward. It is my calling.

It may lead to trouble. Jesus shows the way for He was killed unjustly. He submitted however. He did it for us so as to redeem us. Now that is some good news. I am excited.

“Show proper respect to everyone: Love the brotherhood of believers, fear God, honor the king. For it is commendable if a man bears up under the pain of unjust suffering because he is conscious of God, if you suffer for doing good and you endure it, this is commendable before God. To this you were called, because the Messiah suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps.” (1 Peter 2:15, 17-21)

Perhaps the most widely-quoted and well-known verse regarding this matter comes from Paul in Romans 13. God advises us to submit to “governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established” (Romans 13:1).

We are further advised in the Bible that rebelling against authority is rebelling against God (Romans 13:2).

This is all tough. It starts with respecting and obey God. There may come a time when we have to obey Jesus, the King of God’s country, rather than obey men. Again, Jesus is out example. He obeyed God. It got Him killed.