1 Peter 2:17 Commentary - Dr Peter Masters

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1 Peter 2:17

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For ‘honour’ you may read, ‘esteem’; all men, even the wicked. You don't condone their behaviour and their lifestyle; you cannot admire them and love them deeply, but you esteem them. They are made by God. They are a million times higher than the animals. They have eternal souls. By the grace of God they are reachable. Esteem them; respect them; acknowledge them. Don’t be like the pastor and his family who spoke about the neighbourhood that they were set in, which was very difficult to reach, and he had nothing but bad to say about the people. As we were once in that position, take care. Never lose courtesy and good behaviour. ‘Love the brotherhood.’ This is something intriguing. Why doesn’t he say, ‘Love believers. Love your fellow Christians.’ Well, he does say that elsewhere in this very epistle, but here he says, ‘love the brotherhood.’ This is most important, because, yes, we are to love one another, that is the special command, `the new commandment of Christ for his people, but we are also to love the church. Now, of course, this presupposes that we are bonded together in a church which believes in regenerate church membership, Christian people in the membership. There may be all kinds of people in the public congregations, but in the membership of the church, in the brotherhood, there should only be those who have a profession of faith in Jesus Christ. Love the unit. We have talked about institutions in the state and now Peter seems to talk about institutions in the kingdom of God, the brotherhood. You are to love your church and to love all the people in it as a unit of God’s people in that place. Of course, there are faults in any church, which do need to be dealt with. This is not an exhortation which says, Love the church, no matter how bad some things may be, and never attempt to do anything to correct them. But love the brotherhood, defend the reputation of your church, pray for it, support it. ‘Fear God.’ Always be in awe of him. His eye is upon you. Then, once again, to underscore it all, ‘Honour the king’; esteem him, for in honouring the king you show reverence to God who has commanded submission to authority. Honour is expressed in different ways to different classes of people and a true respect for others in the heart will find the right expression..

Application

There are seen some social media blogs where Christian people, even eminent Reformed leaders, have been speaking about civil authorities in bloodcurdling terms: insulting language, terrible things, personal insults and comments. These are, from some well-known ministers in the USA – so free in their Internet comments – who are always saying, in effect, ‘Listen to me. I give you the pure word of God. I can be trusted.’ And yet they speak as though they don't care about disobedience to the clear laws of God. If you wish to talk about politicians, friends, and political leaders, whether it's the party you support, or the other party that you don't support, always try to speak responsibly. Keep your worst opinions to yourself. We live in a democracy; we may be critical, but we must always be courteous. You may certainly vote against them; that is your right. You may say, ‘I think this is an awful thing that has happened’, but don't insult them. Don't call them things that it's wrong to call them, because we have to esteem and honour civil authority.

Questions

Are there occasions, when Christians could sanction rebellion against the lawful authority? Well, there probably are. That is a most interesting subject, and the Reformers faced it and had to work through it. But unstable minds have argued that membership of the kingdom of God is an excuse for revolution. ‘Why should I recognize earthly kings and ministers when I know that God is going to sweep them and their temporary kingdoms into the dustbin of history? I have been enlightened to know the true nature of this world and it is not going to last. I belong to Christ’s eternal kingdom and therefore I will live according to the true light and not according to the passing darkness of this world.’ Such words come from those who are proud and unbalanced, and who has a very different spirit to that taught here. Peter tells us that while the world lasts, it is right for Christians to submit to human authority. Even Christ submitted to his human parents while he was still a child, and recognised the duly appointed authorities in the land (Matthew 23:2-3). The Christian is to be a model citizen and not a trouble maker. He should give no excuse to those looking to justify their hatred of believers, but rather be exemplary in obedience. Christ has not desire that his people should try to accelerate the coming of his eternal kingdom which only he can bring into existence, and at God’s appointed time and no other.

In the time of Peter the emperor was Nero; how could they honour Nero? How could they honour an evil ruler? Well, yes, you can, because in these verses you are called not so much to honour him personally but to honour him as the holder of his office. You do not try to pretend to yourself that Nero is a good chap and therefore he is worthy of your respect, but you do, so far as you can, honour his office.

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1 Peter 2:17 Commentary and Bible Study