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| Italia: Ernest Hepnar photo |
Another sermon from Grace Baptist Church
1 Peter 2:17 New American Standard Bible (NASB) 17 Honor all people, love the brotherhood, fear God, honor the [a]king. Footnotes: a 1 Peter 2:17 Or emperor
Romans 13: 1-2 New American Standard Bible (NASB) 13 Every [a]person is to be in subjection to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except [b]from God, and those which exist are established by God. 2 Therefore [c]whoever resists authority has opposed the ordinance of God; and they who have opposed will receive condemnation upon themselves.
Footnotes: a Romans 13:1 Or soul b Romans 13:1 Lit by c Romans 13:2 Lit he who
Cited from sermon notes
(In regards to the western Christian Church)
We no longer respect our leaders-unless they're in the same party we are or implement the policies we support.
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Bluntly, many Christians on the left, centre and right, biblically and theologically, should be more respectful to politicians and leaders that they dislike and disagree with. Like it or not, persons are under divine sanctioned authority. As a Christian scholar, theologian and philosopher of religion, I have to agree with 1 Peter and Romans, in context that I, and others in the Christian Church, should honour the government (s) and its leaders. We are to obey the State, as it maintains law and order.
However, for balance to what Michael Phillips preached on in the sermon, Jesus Christ did call King Herod 'that fox' in Luke 13: 32...
Bible Hub
Thayer's Greek Lexicon STRONGS NT 258: ἀλώπηξ ἀλώπηξ, (εκος, ἡ, a fox: Matthew 8:20; Luke 9:58. Metaphorically, a sly and crafty man: Luke 13:32; (in the same sense often in the Greek writings, as Solon in Plutarch, Sol. 30, 2; Pindar Pythagoras 2, 141; Plutarch, Sulla 28, 5). Strong's Exhaustive Concordance fox. Of uncertain derivation; a fox, i.e. (figuratively) a cunning person -- fox.
ἀλώπεκι
Bible text.com
Part of Speech: Noun Case: Dative Gender: Feminine Number: Singular
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Based on the Lord's example as God-incarnate, there is some room for negative, intellectual rebuke of political leaders by those within the Christian Church, perhaps? If we view Jesus Christ as 'the' example here.
Back to the sermon
Cited
Are you willing to turn off the radio talk shows, walk away from the gossip, and simply obey Jesus Christ because you are His disciple?
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Concerning Romans 13, F.F. Bruce writes that human government is a divine ordinance and has the powers of coercion and commendation which it has been given by God. By Christians obeying the state, they are serving God. Bruce (1987: 221). Bruce reasons that Paul does not deal with the issue of unrighteous government here, but as with Acts 5: 29, Christians must obey God and Christ and not the state when the state claims divine honours. Bruce (1987: 221).
Cranfield explains that in Romans 13, Paul is not asking for an uncritical obedience to the state, but rather that God has placed the state in authority over persons. Cranfield (1992: 321).
Mounce states that in Romans 13, that there is a divinely sanctioned role of government and that Christians are responsible to that government. It did not make any difference that the governing authorities were secular. God is the sole source of authority and established the authority for the state. If the government oversteps its rightful domain, then according to Mounce the Christian should not obey the ruler and he notes this was done in Acts 4: 9 and 5: 29.
Concerning 1 Peter 2 13-15, Barclay explains that the concept of anarchy by the Christian is far from New Testament thought. Barclay reasons what belongs to Caesar (the state) should be given to it, and what belongs to God should be given to God (Matthew 22: 21). Barclay (1976: 205). Both Cranfield and Barclay mention that Paul is discussing the concept of submitting to an authoritarian state, as in the Roman Empire of the New Testament era. Barclay (1976: 206) Cranfield (1992: 321). Barclay correctly point out in my view that in our modern West the need for Christians to participate in democratic government as it is for and by the people, at least idealistically. Barclay (1976: 206).
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And what about "honor the king"? We have no king in America, yet the word is not limited to a king, but it stands for all men in authority. We know this by comparing our verse to others very much like it. Just a few verses before, Peter says we're to "Submit ourselves to every ordinance of man, whether to the king as supreme or to governors."
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Paul makes the same point in Romans 13, where he lumps together kings, governors, judges, and even tax collectors, as "the governing authorities".
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Including the Caesars of Imperial Rome. Yet it was these men Peter had in mind when he told his readers to "honor the king". If you know the history of Rome at all, you know the men who got to the throne were-without exception-bad men. Every one of them demanded worship for himself; most of them persecuted the Church and some of them were perverts! If you want to look up the names, start with Nero and Caligula! Jesus Christ commands us to honor such men.
Archives accessed for article
BARCLAY, WILLIAM (1976) The Letters of James and Peter, Philadelphia, The Westminster Press.
BRUCE, F.F. (1987) Romans, Grand Rapids, William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company.
CRANFIELD, C.E.B. (1992) Romans: A Shorter Commentary, Grand Rapids, William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company.
MOUNCE, ROBERT H. (1995) The New American Commentary: Romans, Nashville, Broadman & Holman Publishers.
