On Your Honor

“But the LORD of hosts, him you shall honor as holy. Let him be your fear, and let him be your dread.” [Isa 8:13 ESV]

“Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor.” [1Pe 2:17 ESV]

honor: verb 1 (a): to show great respect for someone or something, especially in public.

Cambridge English Dictionary

All of us desire to be honored, to be treated with respect, don’t we? On our wedding day we vow to love, honor, and cherish our husband or wife. We are all familiar with the command to honor our father and our mother. Along with our parents, as a society we have a general more to honor and respect our elders. Most nations also honor their military service men and women for their willingness to sacrifice for the greater good. The world just witnessed the honor given to Queen Elizabeth II upon her death, honor that is usually reserved for those in government leadership. Just as a general rule, we even expect at least a modicum of respect, to be honored and treated with the recognition that we are all valued by God, so much so that He sent His only son to die a horrific death to redeem us from our depravity of heart and mind. As we look at the spirit of our present world, does it reflect these ideals? Do you, Christian, reflect the value of giving honor to others?

In the United States, I fear the value of honoring other people is eroding ever so quickly. For example, in 2020, over 1.2 million people divorced. The percentage of U.S. marriages that end in divorce varies from 40 to 50 percent based on recent statistics. The reasons for divorce include a lack of commitment (a whopping 75 percent who once vowed “until death do us part”), infidelity (near 60 percent–so much for our intent to love our mates), and domestic violence (just under 25 percent–almost one quarter of those who promised to cherish each other are physically abusive!).

Not only do we see honor and respect deteriorating among married people, but also among children and their parents, and, in general, between the younger generation and the aged. It is no longer shocking to hear the F-word directed toward a parent or authority figure these days. I know a 99-year-old lady who says she never would have dreamed of speaking like this to her mother or father, showing a real disintegration of societal norms. We can also look at how people view or treat their bosses on the job, where everything from gossip to wasting company time to purposeful scheming to make them look bad happens. Remember the song, “Take this job and shove it, I ain’t workin’ here no more” from the late seventies?” The attitude nowadays is to spew the F-bomb.

Speaking of the F-bomb, it is being used much more freely these days in the political wranglings of our country. According to an article in the Associated Press, the Republican’s use of “Let’s Go Brandon” as a euphemism for “F*** Joe Biden” is well known. A GOP ad maker thinks this euphemism is “hilarious,” “done with class,” and that those who disapprove are taking it “too seriously” and should “go away.” Before Biden took office, graffiti was seen being painted on the sides of buildings that said, “F*** Trump.” It is not uncommon to hear some of our representatives respond to current events with a “kiss my a**” retort. The spirit in our country is so flip about this! Now, it is not like we’ve never had insults hurled at politicians throughout our history, but thanks to the internet and social media the behavior of a few influences the many, and voila, we have the roiling pot of American politics today and so much discord it is palpable.

Enough said about our society. The Bible is the only faithful witness that attests to the fact that mankind is not all that it is cracked up to be. It is quite evident that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” [Rom 3:23 ESV] It also makes clear that the spiritually dead walk in darkness, so we should not be surprised at their behavior. [Luk 9:60 NLT; Rom 1:28-32 ESV] So, I’d rather like to address now all those who call Jesus their Lord and Savior.

Do you know that Christians are supposed to honor everyone? Peter states this in his first letter: “Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor.” [1Pe 2:17 ESV] It is clear that the Lord is directing His Church to honor people of all sorts so that the name of our Lord is not blasphemed among unbelievers: “Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation.” [1Pe 2:12 ESV] Even Paul told the Jews who rejected Jesus that they dishonored the God they claimed to serve: “You who boast in the law dishonor God by breaking the law. For, as it is written, “The name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you.” [Rom 2:23-24 ESV] We can see a parallel in Christendom now–the apostate church bringing the way of truth into disrepute. Peter warned the Church:

“But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction. And many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of truth will be blasphemed.” [2Pe 2:1-2 ESV]

The Bible, in case the word “everyone” is unclear, names some specific people we should honor.

As mentioned previously, we are to honor our parents: “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the LORD your God is giving you.” [Exo 20:12 ESV]

We are to honor our elders: “You shall stand up before the gray head and honor the face of an old man, and you shall fear your God: I am the LORD.” [Lev 19:32 ESV]

We are to honor our employer: “Let all who are under a yoke as bondservants regard their own masters as worthy of all honor, so that the name of God and the teaching may not be reviled.” [1Ti 6:1 ESV]

Husbands are to honor their wives: “Likewise, husbands, live with your wives in an understanding way, showing honor to the woman as the weaker vessel, since they are heirs with you of the grace of life, so that your prayers may not be hindered.” [1Pe 3:7 ESV]

Wives are to honor and respect their husbands: “Likewise, wives, be subject to your own husbands, so that even if some do not obey the word, they may be won without a word by the conduct of their wives, when they see your respectful and pure conduct.” [1Pe 3:1-2 ESV]

We are to honor those in leadership within the Church: “Let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in preaching and teaching.” [1Ti 5:17 ESV]

We are to honor our brothers and sisters: “Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor.” [Rom 12:10 ESV]

We are to honor our governmental leaders as Peter states above: “Honor the emperor.” [1Pe 2:17 ESV]

We are to honor Jesus: “…in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame.” [1Pe 3:15-16 ESV]

We are to honor God: “…but now the LORD declares: ‘Far be it from me, for those who honor me I will honor, and those who despise me shall be lightly esteemed.” [1Sa 2:30 ESV] “But the LORD of hosts, him you shall honor as holy. Let him be your fear, and let him be your dread.” [Isa 8:13 ESV] “A son honors his father, and a servant his master. If then I am a father, where is my honor? And if I am a master, where is my fear? says the LORD of hosts to you….” [Mal 1:6 ESV]

And the lack of respect we see in our society, doesn’t it all come down to this: no desire to honor God? If you want to honor all people, dear brothers and sisters, honor God first and foremost!

So, how do we apply these scriptures in our modern day world? First, we need to agree that when Peter says to honor everybody, he means everybody, instead of wiggling out of it like the Jewish lawyer who wanted to justify himself by narrowing down his definition of “neighbor.” [Luke 10:25-37] Does this mean we admire everyone? No, as is evident today by so many people’s lack of admirable behavior. But we can value a person and respect them for the image of God that they bear. We can choose to treat people we don’t admire with humility, not returning evil for evil:

“Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all.” [Rom 12:17 ESV]

“See that no one repays anyone evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to everyone.” [1Th 5:15 ESV]

“Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless, for to this you were called, that you may obtain a blessing.” [1Pe 3:9 ESV]

When we do this, we are imitating our Lord and Master: “For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps. He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth. When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly.” [1Pe 2:21-23 ESV]

We can also honor our parents with obedience and care for them in their later years. We can value the wisdom that older people have because they’ve had more experience with life and have seen more troubles than we have. We can refrain from doing personal work on company time. We can refuse to gossip about another brother or sister–better yet, defend that person and rebuke the person spreading the gossip. We can be gentle with our wives and respect their ideas and value their opinions. We can honor our husbands by not gossiping about them and airing their foibles at the latest women’s retreat. Ladies, let’s save real concerns about our husbands to a trusted friend or pastor. The temptation is to vent–please refrain. Husbands, let us likewise not expose our wife’s shortcomings at the men’s prayer breakfast. We can express thankfulness to our church leaders who labor for the good of the sheep, and suggest solutions for a valid problem instead of merely complaining. We can be respectful of people we disagree with instead of automatically treating them as if they are stupid. A person’s response to a given situation at one time can change drastically over the years as their life unfolds, and should not be a reflection on their lack of intelligence, but rather a lack of wisdom, of lessons not yet learned. I’ve known people with very high IQs that do very dumb things, and I’ve heard developmentally disabled folks and children say some pretty profound things. Natural intelligence means little in the spiritual realm, but love means everything.

These are just a few ways we can live out God’s direction and wisdom in our lives. Ask the Lord how you can best honor Him. The Holy Spirit may reveal a sinful attitude in your heart that needs to be corrected. Be humble and know His correction comes out of love and His forgiveness and mercy are new every morning. If you are being pulled along with the crowd to behave in ways that do not honor Jesus, choose to listen to His still, small voice and not the roar of what is popular. Christians should imitate God, not the world:

“Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you. Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.” [Eph 4:29-5:2 ESV]

“Beloved, do not imitate evil but imitate good. Whoever does good is from God; whoever does evil has not seen God.” [3Jo 1:11 ESV]

Above all, in your heart honor Christ the Lord as holy. The things that the world finds hilarious and in good taste do not reflect the holiness to which God’s children are called:

As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.” [1Pe 1:14-16 ESV] Amen.