Tuesday, August 05, 2003
Freedom and Respect
From Sunday, 8/3/03
It’s been a long time since I’ve had a quiet time. Life has had me busy with the Shakespeare in The Park play. It’s been good, but it’s also been challenging.
With this study, I read until I find something interesting in the scripture, then I write on it. I pray before for God’s wisdom and my open heart to hear what he has to say.
So… On with I Peter
“Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every authority instituted among men: whether to the king, as the supreme authority, or to governors who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right. For it is God’s will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish men.” Live as free men, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as servants of God. Show proper respect to everyone: Love the brotherhood of believers, fear God, honor the king.” – I peter 2:13-17
Peter is commending us to show respect to EVERYONE, and to submit to every authority. In the process for Much Ado About Nothing, I have seen the exact opposite of this taking place with some of the actors in our cast. And it definitely rests more on the shoulders of a few actors who have little to no respect for our director. Their disrespectful behavior has been most disruptive throughout the course of rehearsals and I believe has affected a few of their performances quite negatively. Though the show received THREE stars from the Detroit Free Press.
Anyway, Peter’s command to respect EVERY authority includes our bosses, our teachers, our directors, our principals, and even the employees who work at the establishments we visit.
As someone who works in a service industry I see so many people who disrespect and give no sense of authority to service people at restaurants, coffee shops, theatres, etc. Likewise I see employees who are the same way with their guests.
How peaceful would this world be if we all showed profound respect to everyone we met! How fast would the truth of the Gospel spread if Christians did not look down on people of other faiths or non-believers, but respected them on the whole! I believe that those people would see the reality of God’s love, see the truth in our lives and be compelled to seek Him out for themselves. When we condemn others, we drive them further from Christ and defeat the purpose of sharing our faith.
But I also want to examine verse 16…
“Live as free men, but do not use you freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as servants of God.” – I Peter 2:16 NIV
“As free, and not using your freedom for a cloak of wickedness, but as bondservants of God.” – I Peter 2:16 ASV
I love the ASV here: “A cloak of wickedness…” What a fabulous set of words to describe using the freedom we have in Christ to do all things wicked – to indulge in our sinful nature.
Instead of indulging, we are to count ourselves bondservants to Christ. Peter has spoken of this kind of concept several times already, and I know that he will speak of it more to come. I think it raises a very interesting perspective. We often refer to our faults and mistakes as “sins,” as things guilty of sending us to Hell. And certainly if there were no Christ, such things would send us to Hell. But if we have put our faith in Christ, if we believe he truly took our guilt and our shame and left them in Hell when he rose from the dead, then such sins and mistakes no longer have the power to condemn us! All the errors of our ways no longer hold us or set us to fear, for they have all been covered by the death and resurrection of Christ!
It is then in such freedom and great joy of knowing with all confidence that we will NEVER be separated from the wonderful presence of God, that we live our lives as humble servants to Him who saves us with his own blood. We no longer worry about sin, but look with eager anticipation for ways to bring glory and praise to the one who saved us. Our focus must no longer be on sin, which is dead, but on Christ who is alive!
From Sunday, 8/3/03
It’s been a long time since I’ve had a quiet time. Life has had me busy with the Shakespeare in The Park play. It’s been good, but it’s also been challenging.
With this study, I read until I find something interesting in the scripture, then I write on it. I pray before for God’s wisdom and my open heart to hear what he has to say.
So… On with I Peter
“Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every authority instituted among men: whether to the king, as the supreme authority, or to governors who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right. For it is God’s will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish men.” Live as free men, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as servants of God. Show proper respect to everyone: Love the brotherhood of believers, fear God, honor the king.” – I peter 2:13-17
Peter is commending us to show respect to EVERYONE, and to submit to every authority. In the process for Much Ado About Nothing, I have seen the exact opposite of this taking place with some of the actors in our cast. And it definitely rests more on the shoulders of a few actors who have little to no respect for our director. Their disrespectful behavior has been most disruptive throughout the course of rehearsals and I believe has affected a few of their performances quite negatively. Though the show received THREE stars from the Detroit Free Press.
Anyway, Peter’s command to respect EVERY authority includes our bosses, our teachers, our directors, our principals, and even the employees who work at the establishments we visit.
As someone who works in a service industry I see so many people who disrespect and give no sense of authority to service people at restaurants, coffee shops, theatres, etc. Likewise I see employees who are the same way with their guests.
How peaceful would this world be if we all showed profound respect to everyone we met! How fast would the truth of the Gospel spread if Christians did not look down on people of other faiths or non-believers, but respected them on the whole! I believe that those people would see the reality of God’s love, see the truth in our lives and be compelled to seek Him out for themselves. When we condemn others, we drive them further from Christ and defeat the purpose of sharing our faith.
But I also want to examine verse 16…
“Live as free men, but do not use you freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as servants of God.” – I Peter 2:16 NIV
“As free, and not using your freedom for a cloak of wickedness, but as bondservants of God.” – I Peter 2:16 ASV
I love the ASV here: “A cloak of wickedness…” What a fabulous set of words to describe using the freedom we have in Christ to do all things wicked – to indulge in our sinful nature.
Instead of indulging, we are to count ourselves bondservants to Christ. Peter has spoken of this kind of concept several times already, and I know that he will speak of it more to come. I think it raises a very interesting perspective. We often refer to our faults and mistakes as “sins,” as things guilty of sending us to Hell. And certainly if there were no Christ, such things would send us to Hell. But if we have put our faith in Christ, if we believe he truly took our guilt and our shame and left them in Hell when he rose from the dead, then such sins and mistakes no longer have the power to condemn us! All the errors of our ways no longer hold us or set us to fear, for they have all been covered by the death and resurrection of Christ!
It is then in such freedom and great joy of knowing with all confidence that we will NEVER be separated from the wonderful presence of God, that we live our lives as humble servants to Him who saves us with his own blood. We no longer worry about sin, but look with eager anticipation for ways to bring glory and praise to the one who saved us. Our focus must no longer be on sin, which is dead, but on Christ who is alive!
