God Judges

Posted on by korgrocker

“He did not retaliate when he was insulted, nor threaten revenge when he suffered. He left his case in the hands of God, who always judges fairly.”
1 Peter 2:23 NLT

Our judicial systems in the West are very much based on the principle that if someone commits a crime then they will be punished. Of course, not everyone is found out by the authorities and many escape justice, but those who are caught will find out that there are consequences. The principle of justice in the here and now started in the Garden when Adam and Eve were found out because of their sin. In Genesis 3 we read about the consequences of sin, and God pronounced judgement, starting with the snake, then Eve and finishing with Adam. And there was that poignant moment when we read that Adam and Eve had to be clothed in skins probably from animals they knew and loved. Sin is followed by consequences and it impacts others than just the miscreant. We know the story of Cain and Abel, which we can read in Genesis 4, where Cain killed Abel because of jealousy and had to face into consequences for his sin. 

The essence of the Jewish Law, given by God through Moses, was, amongst other things, to provide forgiveness for sins committed. But as we now know, this was only until Jesus came to take on the punishment we deserve for our sin. Paul wrote to the Galatians, “Let me put it another way. The law was our guardian until Christ came; it protected us until we could be made right with God through faith. And now that the way of faith has come, we no longer need the law as our guardian” (Galatians 3:24-25). And as we know, there is no purpose in keeping the Mosaic Law to achieve righteousness, because there is a better way. Referring to the Law’s adherents, Paul wrote in Romans 10:3-4, “For they don’t understand God’s way of making people right with himself. Refusing to accept God’s way, they cling to their own way of getting right with God by trying to keep the law. For Christ has already accomplished the purpose for which the law was given. As a result, all who believe in him are made right with God“. I have marked in my Bible the verses highlighting the Good News about Jesus, “If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by openly declaring your faith that you are saved” (Romans 10:9-10).

The Apostle Paul wrote in Romans 6:23, “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord“. There will come a day when sin will have to be accounted for. Jesus suffered greatly here on earth, but He knew He could leave “his case in the hands of God, who always judges fairly“. But in this life, in the here and now, there are many who seem totally ignorant of the fact that sooner or later they will have to face into the consequences of all the bad things they have done here on Planet Earth. We live in a moral universe and the scales of justice will be balanced, either in this life or the next. All those people who abused Jesus will find out the consequences of their sin. And that is why He knew that He didn’t have to retaliate, even though He could. He had the power at His fingertips because He was and is God.

We have to turn to Revelation 20 to find out when justice will finally be administered. And the sad thing is that many people, facing justice and punishment for their crimes in this life, will face it again because God will have the final word. And all those who think they have got away with their wrongdoings, will have a nasty shock. We have an opportunity in this life, through Jesus, to put right all the bad things we have done. But when we leave this life, the opportunity will leave with us. A sobering thought, particularly when we don’t know when we will draw our last breath.

But note what Peter wrote. He said God “always judges fairly”. We will only be judged for what we know. So, for example, those people who have never heard the Gospel won’t be judged as though they had.

We pilgrims know all of this, of course. We have embraced the Son and His redemption. We keep short accounts with God. We love Him and walk each day in gratitude for all He has done for us. And we reach out to those around us with the same redemptive message.

Dear God. Thank You for all You have done for us through Jesus. Amen.

Retaliation

Posted on by korgrocker

“He did not retaliate when he was insulted, nor threaten revenge when he suffered. He left his case in the hands of God, who always judges fairly.”
1 Peter 2:23 NLT

‭‭Whenever I think of the way the Son of God was treated during His life here on Planet Earth, and particularly during His trial and execution, I become deeply saddened. It’s hard enough to see such treatment when it happens to fellow human beings, but the Son of God, Jesus Himself. …? We read about how fellow believers are treated in authoritarian states such as Afghanistan or North Korea. Christians in some parts of India suffer greatly for no other reason that their belief in God. But surely the greatest miscarriage of justice took place in Palestine two thousand years ago, in a city called Jerusalem. 

Starting with the insults levelled at Jesus in the grounds of the high priest’s home, we read in Luke 22:63-65, “The guards in charge of Jesus began mocking and beating him. They blindfolded him and said, “Prophesy to us! Who hit you that time?” And they hurled all sorts of terrible insults at him“. But there is no record of Jesus even acknowledging what His tormenters had done. The next time He spoke was in front of the Jewish High Council, the Sanhedrin. In response to a question about whether or not He was the Messiah, ” … He replied, “If I tell you, you won’t believe me. And if I ask you a question, you won’t answer” (Luke 22:67b-68). Jesus was in control but submissive to the outcome of what was yet to come. Pilate asked Jesus if He was the King of the Jews, to which Jesus replied “you have said it”. And finally we read what He said in Luke 23:34a, “ … Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing …”. Jesus was happy to leave “His case in the hands of God, who always judges fairly“.

Jesus could have called upon angels to help Him, as we read in Matthew 26:53, “Don’t you realise that I could ask my Father for thousands of angels to protect us, and he would send them instantly?” He could have used His miracle-working powers to zap all His antagonists at a stroke. But in spite of all the abuse Jesus suffered, He kept focused on the reason why He came to Planet Earth. John 3:16,“ “For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life“. Luke 19:10, “For the Son of Man came to seek and save those who are lost“.

We pilgrims can only fall down before Jesus in gratitude, that He did not flinch from the path set before Him, and He swallowed the bitter cup of death and sacrifice for the sins of humanity to the last drop. There will come a time when all those who were complicit in the trial and crucifixion of Jesus will be called to account. Perhaps, in hindsight, they realised their crime, and fell on their knees in repentance before God. Only then would they hear the Saviour grant them forgiveness. Today, there are many around us who either do not know what Jesus did, or have chosen to ignore the Good News of what happened that day at Calvary. Through their rebellion and sin they too are complicit in hammering home the nails. But we pilgrims know why we have been called, and we mustn’t flinch from fulfilling our calling, no matter what it takes. We may or may not suffer abuse. But, like Jesus, we press on to the Heavenly goal.

Dear Father God. Jesus never turned away from the Cross, even though He could have done. Please help us to follow His example. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Christ’s Example

Posted on by korgrocker

“For God called you to do good, even if it means suffering, just as Christ suffered [or died] for you. He is your example, and you must follow in his steps. He never sinned, nor ever deceived anyone.”
1 Peter 2:21-22 NLT

Jesus never sinned, as Peter rightly wrote. After all he should know because he spent three years or so with Jesus as He journeyed around the roads and paths, villages and towns, in Palestine. Those long days spent in His company would have revealed any sins, even those that were hidden, but of course there weren’t any. Paul also wrote that Jesus never sinned, as we read in 2 Corinthians 5:21, “For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ“. And 1 John 3:5, “And you know that Jesus came to take away our sins, and there is no sin in him“.

So how do we pilgrims follow someone who is sinless, when we have all this sin baggage? I suppose we must start by asking ourselves what it is that we do follow, because we all have a passion for something, if we really think about it. I’m writing this near St Andrews, one of the great golfing cities in Scotland. And there will be many today indulging their passion for golf, hitting a small white ball around some beautifully landscaped fairways and greens. Others follow football, or motor racing. The list is seemingly endless. But a passion for following Christ will, I suspect, be well down the list of things that people will follow in this secular society.

There is a cost to following Christ. He said, “If you refuse to take up your cross and follow me, you are not worthy of being mine” (Matthew 10:38). In Jesus’s day, the crowds followed Him, attracted by the miracles that He performed. Enjoying times like the day He fed 5,000 people. For those He healed, appreciating the freedom from long term disability and sickness. In modern parlance, Jesus was cool. A great guy to be around. However, people were more interested in what He did, rather than who He was. Jesus advised that prospective disciples should consider carefully what discipleship could mean. He said, as recorded in Luke 14:28, “But don’t begin until you count the cost. For who would begin construction of a building without first calculating the cost to see if there is enough money to finish it?”

Jesus also said, “You can enter God’s Kingdom only through the narrow gate. The highway to hell is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who choose that way. But the gateway to life is very narrow and the road is difficult, and only a few ever find it” (Matthew 7:13-14). And John 16:33, “I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world“.

Peter wrote, “[Jesus] is your example, and you must follow in his steps”. Jesus trod a road that was far from easy and it led to His death at Calvary. I’m not suggesting that we pilgrims will come to a violent end, but the road to our Promised Land won’t be an easy one. But Jesus knew the secret for holding on and finishing the course. He is there to help our every step. After all He said, “But take heart, because I have overcome the world“. As we stay close to Him He will do just that. It’s all about trust and faith in Him, our loving Saviour.

Dear Father God. we know that our choice to follow Jesus won’t be easy, but we’re grateful that You will be with us, day by day. In Jesus’ name. Amen.


Suffering

Posted on by korgrocker

“For God called you to do good, even if it means suffering, just as Christ suffered [or died] for you. He is your example, and you must follow in his steps. He never sinned, nor ever deceived anyone.”
1 Peter 2:21-22 NLT

Is this another paradox in Peter’s letter? Suffering if we do good? We must break this down to understand Peter’s thoughts. Firstly, about doing good, was that for, or to, ourselves, or was it to be applied to others? Probably both, I think. Often, personal good can affect others as well as ourselves. We also need to bear in mind that Peter was addressing his advice to some slaves in the churches in the Five Provinces. The pressure of living in a “good” way as demanded by their faith in Jesus would have potentially been very difficult. The natural tendencies towards immorality, spitefulness, wanting to take revenge, cruelty, rebelliousness – they are all opposites to the “good” demanded of people experiencing the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. 

So if we pilgrims are living in a way that is “good” will that lead to ”suffering”? It could certainly lead to inconvenience or personal cost, as we help others in our families or communities. It could also mean social isolation as we shun the sinful practices of those around us. But to the first century slaves, doing good would have perhaps meant turning their lives around, a new paradigm in a sinful and cruel world. The very fact that they were slaves would have meant that their “good” behaviour might have been resented by their slave masters, and result in some form of punishment. 

Jesus said in His Sermon on the Mount, “In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your Heavenly Father” (Matthew 5:16). It is a fact that a moral stance on certain issues can cause resentment in others and even provoke them to a violent response. That will lead to suffering, for sure, particularly for those at school or in a work environment. Paul wrote in Romans 8:18-19, “Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory he will reveal to us later. For all creation is waiting eagerly for that future day when God will reveal who his children really are“. We have a choice in this life. Make it comfortable for the years we are on this earth, or plan for the future when life becomes eternal. Hopefully most of the time doing good will be appreciated by those around us, but when society brands us as “do-gooders”, contemptibly rubbishing our philanthropic deeds, we take a step back, breath in deeply, and move on, certain that one day we will be vindicated by our loving Heavenly Father.

Jesus consistently did good in His community, telling people about the Good News of the Kingdom of God and healing the sick, but even then He was condemned for His good deeds. we read in John 10:31-32, “Once again the people picked up stones to kill him. Jesus said, “At my Father’s direction I have done many good works. For which one are you going to stone me?”” That was the sort of suffering that Peter was writing about. The times when people question the good that we do, looking for an ulterior motive that perhaps exposes another agenda.

Some Christians mis

Unjust Treatment

Posted on by korgrocker

“For God is pleased when, conscious of his will, you patiently endure unjust treatment. Of course, you get no credit for being patient if you are beaten for doing wrong. But if you suffer for doing good and endure it patiently, God is pleased with you.”
1 Peter 2:19-20 NLT

Have you ever noticed that people respond or react in a bad way when they are accused of something that is false, or when they experience an injustice? For example, if someone pushes in front of them at a supermarket checkout queue, or in roadworks on a motorway. A schoolchild accused of a misdemeanour that was not their fault, and so on. We could construct a list that is endless, because we have all experienced at one time or another an injustice at the hands of another person. So how do we respond in these circumstances? The natural reaction is to lash out, probably angrily. To push back against the accusing person, sometimes violently. This is how fights develop, especially when alcohol-fuelled. 

If the accusation is correct and we have been found out for a misdemeanour, then some form of punishment or correction might be justifiable. That is the basis of our justice system. So if we are caught speeding, then points on our licences and a fine are an apt punishment for the oversight, and will help us remember that there is such a thing as a speed limit. If a schoolchild is given a punishment exercise for not doing their homework then there can be no complaint. Peter wrote you “get no credit for being patient if you are beaten for doing wrong”. In other words, God will just let things take their course. He will forgive a repentant sinner of course, but there may be consequences imposed by our earthly masters or authorities.

Peter wrote that “God is pleased when, conscious of his will, you patiently endure unjust treatment”. Jesus, of course, taught exactly that. We read what He said in Matthew 5:39-42, “But I say, do not resist an evil person! If someone slaps you on the right cheek, offer the other cheek also. If you are sued in court and your shirt is taken from you, give your coat, too. If a soldier demands that you carry his gear for a mile, carry it two miles. Give to those who ask, and don’t turn away from those who want to borrow”. And Jesus Himself exemplified His words, as we read in Matthew 26:67-68, “Then they began to spit in Jesus’ face and beat him with their fists. And some slapped him, jeering, “Prophesy to us, you Messiah! Who hit you that time?”” Jesus never reacted. He stood submissively enduring terrible abuse. But He was of course conscious of His Father’s will and acted accordingly. In fact He went even further, when, in terrible pain, He prayed for His executioners, as we read in Luke 23:34a, “Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing“.

We pilgrims will, I’m sure, never have to suffer as Jesus did. But we will be faced with many an injustice here on earth. Perhaps we need to remember those four letters WWJD – What Would Jesus Do. So before we let out a tirade of righteous anger, let’s pause a moment. Take a deep breath, and lift up our eyes to Heaven. And imagine how pleased God will be if we just turn away.

Dear Heavenly Father. Thank You for such invaluable guidance. Please help us to live the way Your Son did. In His precious name. Amen.

Slaves

Posted on by korgrocker

“You who are slaves must submit to your masters with all respect. Do what they tell you—not only if they are kind and reasonable, but even if they are cruel. For God is pleased when, conscious of his will, you patiently endure unjust treatment. Of course, you get no credit for being patient if you are beaten for doing wrong. But if you suffer for doing good and endure it patiently, God is pleased with you.”
1 Peter 2:18-20 NLT

We pilgrims read verses written to slaves with perhaps a thought that they don’t really apply to our Western societies. Occasionally a news report surfaces here in Britain highlighting the plight of a person trafficked to our shores and exploited for the benefit of another person. But much goes on that we apparently don’t know about, not only because someone in slavery doesn’t wear a badge defining their status. But there are estimates that, worldwide, there are 50 million people in slavery today, and a web search will soon reveal the extent of the problem. We know, of course, about the efforts of politicians in the 19th century, men and women who ceaselessly campaigned to have the slave trade stopped here in Britain, with the trade finally abolished in 1807 and existing slaves freed in 1833. 

In the early church, slavery was rampant, and conditions for the slaves were dire. Cruelty was common and the lot of a slave was not pleasant. Of course, the Jewish slaves were very well treated and they had rights, as we can read in Exodus 21. “If you buy a Hebrew slave, he may serve for no more than six years. Set him free in the seventh year, and he will owe you nothing for his freedom” (Exodus 21:2). But most slaves in those days were treated as no more than possessions, to be treated in any way their owners desired.

But Peter wasn’t dealing with the rights and wrongs of slavery. He was focused on the behaviour of those who were Christian slaves. The essence of the Gospel was unity and the common bringing together of people of any status in life under the headship of Christ. Paul wrote in Galatians 3:28, “There is no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male and female. For you are all one in Christ Jesus”. The same applies in our relatively slave-free society today. Our churches are made up of people from all walks of life. Rich and poor. Blue collar and white collar workers. Young and old, married and single. And people from all races and nations. We are indeed all “one in Christ Jesus“.

Peter wrote a hard message to those early Christian slaves. They had, he wrote, to treat their masters with respect, even if it wasn’t reciprocated. If they were treated badly, and didn’t react unsubmissively, then God would be pleased with them, Peter wrote. It was a difficult message for the slaves to take on board. But one having to be accepted amongst Christians all over the world, then and now. People may not be enslaved in the same way as they were in Peter’s world, but as they suffer persecution for the sake of their faith, God is pleased with them. They are banking treasure in Heaven, and one day there will be a celebration as it is cashed in.

Dear Father God. We will one day hear You say “Well done”, as we stay the course through this life. We praise and worship You today. Amen.

Respect Everyone

Posted on by korgrocker

“Respect everyone, and love the family of believers. Fear God, and respect the king.”
1 Peter 2:17 NLT

There are four instructions in this short verse. Two refer to being respectful and the others to love and fear. So a lot to consider.

Respect is in short supply in society today. It seems that everyone has their own ideology or set of views and they insist that whatever they think is supported and affirmed to the detriment of everyone else. As an example, strident calls are being made about gender issues, and woe betide anyone who disagrees with the multi-gender adherents. Those who disagree are branded with all sorts of unpleasant and totally unfounded names. They are pilloried on social media and no-platformed in public speaking engagements. There are many other issues in which debate and mutual respect are denied. Perhaps the root cause is society’s abandonment of Christian teaching and rejection of God, with a new morality, false in its content, emerging to replace it. An anything-goes morality that is based on a form of self identification and a declaration that the person concerned is his or her own god. Scotland, where I live, has the reputation of being the most secular country in Europe, and we are starting to see the down side of that in the legislation being produced by confused and godless politicians. But where at one time people were respected for their views – not necessarily agreed with, but respected at least – now there is little or no acceptance of another’s views. Respect is a commodity in very short supply. 

Back in Exodus 20:12 we read, “Honour your father and mother. Then you will live a long, full life in the land the Lord your God is giving you”. Respect starts in the home by being implanted in children through good parenting, but with so many broken families, basic teaching like this doesn’t seem to count for much these days. And the lack of respect spills over into the classrooms, with teachers being abused just for trying to do their jobs, educating the next generation of adults in our societies. In Matthew 7:12, Jesus taught about the “Golden Rule”, “Do to others whatever you would like them to do to you. This is the essence of all that is taught in the law and the prophets”. 

Respect is based on grace. Our Heavenly Father has graciously accepted us pilgrims, warts and all. With all our funny ideas and sin-ridden ways, we can, through Jesus, approach His throne with boldness. He sees our struggles to make sense of a complex and evil world. He sees us agonising over the abuse of a child, or the ill-treatment of another human being. And we know that He is also saddened by the behaviour of mankind. But God had a plan and Jesus came for damaged and confused people, who were, as He said, like sheep without a shepherd. But we have a Shepherd now, and God’s plan is being worked out through His children, fellow pilgrims such as us.

Dear Father God. We are Your children, saved by grace. Please help us reach out to others, extending Your grace to those without. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Free or Slave

Posted on by korgrocker

“For you are free, yet you are God’s slaves, so don’t use your freedom as an excuse to do evil.”
1 Peter 2:16 NLT

Here is a paradox, if ever there was one! How can we be enslaved and free at the same time? But from a spiritual perspective, we are either slaves to sin or slaves to righteousness. We can’t be both. Romans 6:16, “Don’t you realise that you become the slave of whatever you choose to obey? You can be a slave to sin, which leads to death, or you can choose to obey God, which leads to righteous living”. The problem is that we look at the word “slave” from a natural perspective and an image forms in our mind consisting of prison cells, or chains, or oppressive authoritarian controls. Here in the West we consider ourselves to be free to do what we want, and consequently we are not slaves. But is that really the case? We are bounded by the laws of the land, which are mostly there for the benefit of the citizens, but we can also be restricted by our natural abilities, or lack of them. For example, someone who has lost the use of their legs, forcing use of a wheel chair, may consider that they are slaves of their disability. 

Peter, in our verse today, was writing about spiritual freedom. And his fellow Apostle Paul wrote in Romans 6:17-18, “Thank God! Once you were slaves of sin, but now you wholeheartedly obey this teaching we have given you. Now you are free from your slavery to sin, and you have become slaves to righteous living”. Paul really had a gift of clarity, and in Romans 6:19 we read, “Because of the weakness of your human nature, I am using the illustration of slavery to help you understand all this. Previously, you let yourselves be slaves to impurity and lawlessness, which led ever deeper into sin. Now you must give yourselves to be slaves to righteous living so that you will become holy”. And Romans 6 finishes with the well know reason for why we need to choose very carefully who or what we allow ourselves be enslaved to. “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23). 

The internet throbs with testimonies of people in slavery but who are really some of the most free people we are likely to meet. People living in prison camps, or being persecuted with their homes burnt down, or excluded from all but the most menial of jobs. People who are trafficked to other countries where they are forced to work long hours as slaves. A quote from gotquestions.org, “Slavery has come to mean degradation, hardship, and inequality. But the biblical paradigm is the true freedom of the slave of Christ who experiences joy and peace, the products of the only true freedom we will ever know in this life”.

In John 8 we read what Jesus said about slavery. “Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave of sin. A slave is not a permanent member of the family, but a son is part of the family forever. So if the Son sets you free, you are truly free” (John 8:34-36). In Christ we have the freedom we were designed to have. A life enslaved to sin is a life counter to God’s creation plan, but a life enslaved to God guarantees us a life that will never end. A final word for us pilgrims from Romans 6:4, “For we died and were buried with Christ by baptism. And just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious power of the Father, now we also may live new lives”. Faced with such a stark choice, we pilgrims have chosen the way of eternal life. There is no other way.

Dear Father God. We thank You that You have laid before us a choice, made possible through Jesus Your Son. Please help us to echo Joshua’s declaration, “…as for me and my family, we will serve the Lord”. Amen.

Honourable Lives

Posted on by korgrocker

“It is God’s will that your honourable lives should silence those ignorant people who make foolish accusations against you.”
1 Peter 2:15 NLT

Society is full of people who make accusations. It seems that the minute someone behaves in a way that doesn’t fit with someone else’s opinion, then an accusation follows, whether to the police, or the council or the tax authorities or whoever. The great majority of accusations and allegations are of course totally groundless, but they are made all the same. Neighbours fall out because one accuses the other of failing to remove their weeds, or playing their music too loud. Accusations and complaints, one against another abound.

We have in the current times another insidious source of accusations. Certain ideologies are supported by people who think that everyone else should agree and support the way they feel or think, and if they don’t, then accusations of bias, hate or causing offence are made to whoever will listen. We can see that with the current fixations around sexuality and gender. For example, if a woman dares to put her head above the parapet and claim that toilet spaces should only be designated and used in accordance with a person’s biological sex then a storm of abuse and accusations erupt through social media and beyond, driven by the “keyboard warriors” who blight our society today.

But none of this was the focus of this verse in Peter’s first letter. The first century believers were accused of all sorts of things because they followed a faith different to everyone else. For example, there were accusations of cannibalism made against Christians because they shared the body and blood of Jesus in their communion services. A lack of understanding became inflated to a terrible result. There were also accusations of gross immorality made against believers because they were instructed to love one another. Again, misunderstandings were blown up out of all proportion. And then we have accusations around issues such as poverty, self-righteousness and so on. The list was seemingly endless.

Jesus Himself had accusations levelled against Him. We read in Luke 6:7, “The teachers of religious law and the Pharisees watched Jesus closely. If he healed the man’s hand, they planned to accuse him of working on the Sabbath”. To His listeners, Jesus said, “The Son of Man, on the other hand, feasts and drinks, and you say, ‘He’s a glutton and a drunkard, and a friend of tax collectors and other sinners!’ But wisdom is shown to be right by its results” (Matthew 11:19). But the greatest miscarriage of justice ever was carried out on Jesus even though He was not guilty of any crime, let alone one that deserved a capital punishment. We read in John 18:29, 38, “So Pilate, the governor, went out to them and asked, “What is your charge against this man?” …  “What is truth?” Pilate asked. Then he went out again to the people and told them, “He is not guilty of any crime”. 

Accusations against the early Christians were commonplace. It was, and still is today, easy to make accusations based on half-truths and innuendo, assumptions and bigotry. Conspiracy theories were just as prevalent then as they are today. But Peter encouraged his readers with the truth that their “honourable lives” would silence the accusers. It would be difficult, he wrote, to make accusations against someone whose life was above reproach. We pilgrims today should also take heed and be careful that we live in a way that will silence any accusations by “ignorant people”. It’s a high bar to achieve, but one possible as we depend on the Holy Spirit’s wisdom and guidance.

Dear Lord Jesus. You know at first hand the pain of false accusations. Please help us to respond in a way that shows the complainants a better way. In Your precious name. Amen.

Submit to Authorities

Posted on by korgrocker

“For the Lord’s sake, submit to all human authority—whether the king as head of state, or the officials he has appointed. For the king has sent them to punish those who do wrong and to honour those who do right.”
1 Peter 2:12-14 NLT

That’s all right, I hear some say. We don’t have a “head of state” who is a king. So these two verses perhaps don’t apply to us here in the UK.  However, we need to remember that although King Charles is our purely constitutional head of state, the ability to make and pass legislation resides with an elected parliament, whose members sit in our House of Commons after a democratic process. A better attitude to this verse is to consider that all government, whether involving a king or otherwise, must be submitted to. So we need to interpret the spirit behind Peter’s entreaty.

The government of our land passes laws that are supposed to be for the benefit of the citizens, and those who break the laws are doing wrong, thus inviting punishment for their lack of submission. Those who do right are honoured in a way that lets them get on with their lives without state interference. 

But then we think of those countries that have a malevolent government. Totalitarian rulers who want to control the behaviour of the inhabitants, and who severely restrict the citizen’s activities. And then there are governments riven by corruption with leaders who divert the country’s wealth into their own pockets.

But regardless of where we live and what our government is like, Peter wrote, “submit to all human authority”. We have an obligation to observe and follow the laws of the land in which we live, regardless of whether we like them or not. The only conflict that will arise is if the law we object to contravenes the law of God. He is the higher authority. Such an issue occurred for the early Apostles, as we read in Acts 4:18-20, “So they called the apostles back in and commanded them never again to speak or teach in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John replied, “Do you think God wants us to obey you rather than him? We cannot stop telling about everything we have seen and heard””. 

Laws have been passed here in the Uk that subvert the law of God. Probably the most high profile is the one that was passed in 1967, applicable to abortion. We Bible-believing Christians know that this directly contravenes the sanctity of life from the point of conception, as we read in Psalm 139:13-16, “You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb. Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvellous—how well I know it. You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion, as I was woven together in the dark of the womb. You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed”. Faced with such a conflict, we know which is the right choice. Also, the Scottish Government passed a law in 2022 allowing 16-year olds to change their gender by signing a declaration, again a law that offends God’s Word, which declares there are only two genders – male and female (Genesis 1:27). 

But Peter adds a sweetener to his submission verse – “for the Lord’s sake”. We obey the authorities willingly and submissively because Jesus wants us to. That’s enough for me. And if a conflict emerges between to laws of the societies in which we live and God’s laws, we pray for wisdom. The Holy Spirit will lead us in the right way.

Dear Father God. We Thank You for Your wisdom and blessings. We worship You today. Amen.