Discern Daily
Ep. 11 – Honor Those Who Don’t Deserve It
There’s a surprising number of people who aren’t afraid to withhold honor from those in authority. From the presidency to the pulpit, Christians are called to show honor, even to those who don’t deserve it.
On this episode, we also looked at an article by Dr. Roger Barrier for Crosswalk, titled, “Should I Honor a Parent Who Doesn’t Deserve It?” Let’s dive into the discussion and seek the truth together.
Quotes From Dr. Roger Barrier
“Honoring mom and dad is the first commandment on the second tablet. God’s concern here is for the ongoing functioning and security of the family unit. As the family goes, so goes a society. Cohesive family units center around mom and dad—their actions, morals, values and beliefs. As these are passed on to children, society itself remains strong and functional. This is what ‘so that you may live long in the land the LORD your God is giving you’ refers to—a strong familial foundation for the society and culture involved.”
“I think that the operative word for you is ‘grace’. Give them grace. They don’t deserve it. You can’t respect them; they are not respectable. ‘Honor them’ may mean that you extend mercy and grace to two people who may never deserve it.”
See Dr. Roger Barrier’s full article here.
Episode Highlights
The United States government is still shut down. President Trump is receiving a lot of the blame and getting all kinds of negative publicity. People have been quick to disrespect and blame him entirely.
When the gospel is deeply rooted within us, we begin to treat people differently. One practical change is showing honor to those who may not deserve it.
Immature Christians look for every opportunity to be right, while mature Christians look for every opportunity to glorify God.
Why does showing honor matter? What difference does it make? It keeps people unified and working together.
It would be disappointing to be known by our criticisms — we should be known by our love. Sometimes, treasuring the truth involves calling out falsehood, but this should not be something we strive to be known for.
— Discern Daily (@DiscernDaily) January 18, 2019
How well do you remember to honor others? Examples of people we must show honor to:
- Parents
- Siblings
- Boss
- President
- Teachers
- Pastor
- Coworkers
- Spouse
The gospel should transform the way we view ourselves and others. We often see the actions of terrible leaders as evil or rebellious. However, we fail to see that we were once evil and rebellious against God. But Christ died for us while we were sinners.
Because we are forgiven much by God, we are empowered to forgive others much.
Showing honor to those in authority does not mean we endorse everything they do anytime.
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