Represent
This week's study is on 1 Peter 2:13-17:
I've read these verses before, but I zoomed in on this one sentence this time: "For it is God’s will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish people." That is truth. The context of these verses is that people shouldn't be rebelling against the government and the society they're part of, just because they're part of God's kingdom. There's nothing that says "Don't pay taxes" or "Don't obey the speed laws," just because we're diplomats from another eternal society.
We're free, but from the compulsion to sin, not from being part of life. We still have to work, and to obey the laws that don't conflict with God's laws. (That is, if we're commanded to worship an idol, we can opt out, for instance.) To a great degree, at least in Paul's time, the legal authorities were sent to keep people in order. We're not going to just replace that with something else.
As God fills us with love, though, we begin to do good things for people. We're not as obsessed with imposing our own will. At that point, people who want to badmouth us have nothing to say. They can't point to us breaking the law. They can't point to us being bad people. They can only point to our belief in God, which strengthens our testimony.
God will have plenty of disruptive things for us to do. Being made to represent him disrupts the order of how people interact with each other. We shouldn't confuse that message we're sent with by being disruptive for our own sake. By doing good, as God reveals his goodness to us, we'll silence the ignorant talk of foolish people and turn their eyes to him.
Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human authority: whether to the emperor, 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 people. Live as free people, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as God’s slaves. Show proper respect to everyone, love the family of believers, fear God, honor the emperor.
I've read these verses before, but I zoomed in on this one sentence this time: "For it is God’s will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish people." That is truth. The context of these verses is that people shouldn't be rebelling against the government and the society they're part of, just because they're part of God's kingdom. There's nothing that says "Don't pay taxes" or "Don't obey the speed laws," just because we're diplomats from another eternal society.
We're free, but from the compulsion to sin, not from being part of life. We still have to work, and to obey the laws that don't conflict with God's laws. (That is, if we're commanded to worship an idol, we can opt out, for instance.) To a great degree, at least in Paul's time, the legal authorities were sent to keep people in order. We're not going to just replace that with something else.
As God fills us with love, though, we begin to do good things for people. We're not as obsessed with imposing our own will. At that point, people who want to badmouth us have nothing to say. They can't point to us breaking the law. They can't point to us being bad people. They can only point to our belief in God, which strengthens our testimony.
God will have plenty of disruptive things for us to do. Being made to represent him disrupts the order of how people interact with each other. We shouldn't confuse that message we're sent with by being disruptive for our own sake. By doing good, as God reveals his goodness to us, we'll silence the ignorant talk of foolish people and turn their eyes to him.
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