14 or to governors as sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and the praise of those who do right.
15 For such is the will of God that by doing right you may silence the ignorance of foolish men.
16 Act as free men, and do not use your freedom as a covering for evil, but use it as bondslaves of God.
17 Honor all people, love the brotherhood, fear God, honor the king.
This is a continuation of the living above reproach theme considered in the previous verses.
vs. 13-14 - "Submit yourselves..." - Obey the rules and laws set down by those who govern, to glorify Jesus through your obedience. Do not let your actions, such as flaunting the law or willful disobedience to the laws, cause people to denigrate Jesus's church. How many times have we heard of someone say a negative comment about a 'Christian businessman'? That's a bad witness. If there is no difference in behavior, why would anyone want to be a Christian?
It is much easier to be a non-believer than a Christian because good behavior is not expected from someone who is not Christ's follower.
vs. 15 - "ignorance of foolish men" - Foolish people, before they know you, may bad-mouth you because of your faith. Give them no reason to do so. See: 1 Pet. 2:12, 3:17. In today's culture in the United States, the term 'conservative', or 'fundamentalist' is a pejorative. (Note: The Puritans who escaped England to come to North America were despised. To call someone a 'Puritan' was a slur. And this was simply because they wanted to 'purify' the Anglican church from its apostasy.)
vs. 16 - "Act as free men" - We now are free from the law of sin and death. We are free in Christ; yet we are voluntary slaves of Christ. He bought us, and paid a dear price. See: Gal. 5:1, 13; 1 Thess. 5:22; James 1:25; 1 Cor. 7:22; Rom. 6:22; Eph. 6:6; Col 3:24.
"do not use your freedom as a covering for evil" - What an odd turn of phrase. How does freedom cover up evil? It does not. I think this means 'do not use your freedom as an excuse to sin.' Believers are now free from the power of sin, the power of shame and guilt. Free to live as you wish. No more looking over your shoulder (metaphorically) to see if you are being caught doing wrong. In theory, once you have accepted Christ as Savior, there is no more penalty. You are saved, your life is hidden with Christ in God. Eternal life is yours. In theory, this means you may live any way you want. After all, there is no second death!
Wrong! Wrong way of thinking. Wrong motivation. A terrible price has been paid for you - individually. (If you were the only human on earth, Christ would had to be sacrificed for you!) You are no longer a slave to sin. Live like that! Remember when you buy a new car? Remember how careful you are with it - after all you've put out a lot of money for it. Treat your new life in Christ with the same type of care and reverence. Live your life worthy - see Col. 1:9-13, Rom. 6:6-15.
vs. 17 - "Honor... Love... Fear" - God first, Others second, Me third. Love your fellow believers, they are saved as your are by the mercy of God and Jesus's sacrifice. Be respectful (honor) all people - both the saved and unsaved are loved by God. Fear God - your life is in His hands. Your eternal life is in His hands. If you are Christ's - your eternal life is with Him. If not, the 'certificate of death' which is on all of us, will be executed (Col. 2:13-14.)
Give respect to the king (President, Prime Minister, whoever is leading your country) because your life here on earth is in their control.
This is a good lifestyle: Respect and love those you live with. Fear and respect those who are your masters.
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