The Bible has a great deal to say about how we should treat others. Passage after passage instructs us how to interact with each other--exhorting us to care for one another, help one another, meet each others needs and value others above ourselves. Yet notice the specific detail provided in 1 Peter 2:17: Show proper respect to everyone: Love the brotherhood of believers, fear God, honor the king.
Some translations use the same word honor in how we relate to others, but the message is clear. We are to treat all people with respect and to show respect to those in authority, so clearly Scripture is teaching us that everyone has value and we should treat them accordingly as people created in God's image (Genesis 1:27). We are then called specifically to love other believers; meaning that we should treat the family of God with an even greater closeness and care--bearing each other's burdens (Galatians 6:2). The church functions more effectively when we function as the body of Christ, each one of us using our spiritual gifts to benefit each other (Romans 12:4-8) and bring honor and glory to Him.
Finally, we are to fear God--not be afraid of God---but give Him a place in our lives above anything else. Proverbs 3:7 tells us: Do not be wise in your own eyes, fear the Lord and shun evil. The fear of the Lord provides many benefits to us as believers: it is the beginning of wisdom and understanding (Psalm 111:10, Proverbs 9:10), it sustains us (Proverbs 10:27), it gives us a strong confidence and place of refuge (Proverbs 14:26) and is a fountain of life (Proverbs 14:27).
The fear of God and His perfect love casts out all other fear (1 John 4:18) and allows us to claim: Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me (Psalm 23:4).
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment