A Word about Knowing Right from Wrong

Today I want to share a word about how to reach our potential in Christ by knowing right from wrong as I comment on 1 Corinthians 6:9-20. This passage reads:

Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.  “All things are lawful for me,” but not all things are helpful. “All things are lawful for me,” but I will not be dominated by anything. “Food is meant for the stomach and the stomach for food”—and God will destroy both one and the other. The body is not meant for sexual immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. And God raised the Lord and will also raise us up by his power. Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ and make them members of a prostitute? Never! Or do you not know that he who is joined to a prostitute becomes one body with her? For, as it is written, “The two will become one flesh.” But he who is joined to the Lord becomes one spirit with him. Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body.  Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.

We live in an age that is at best amoral, but which is often immoral. We will hear many voices that say, “I don’t know what is right, nor can I tell you what is right.”  Others will say, “This is right for me, but you must decide for yourself what is right.” The concept of objective moral truth is alien to a large portion of our population. We have returned to the days of Judges 21:25 which records that, “In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.”]

The fact is, however, we have a king, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Our God is sovereign over all creation, and He has given us His Law, the Scriptures. What does our Holy Book teach us about how to tell right from wrong?

First, we should learn the holiness principle. We have been set apart for service to God.

We often set aside items for specific uses, for example, surgical instruments, or the clean rooms where space satellites are assembled. Jewish families who keep kosher will have different dishes reserved for dairy products, for example, so that meat would not be mixed with it in accordance with Exodus 34:26. On their own, these things are not precious, except for the purpose to which they are dedicated.

When we set things apart, and when we reserve them for specific purposes, we are declaring ownership of them, and our control over them. We are protecting them from contamination, and we are preserving them.

God has set his people apart, and He has reserved them for specific purposes. He has declared His ownership of us, and His control over us. He is protecting us from contamination, and He is preserving us. We are a sanctified people; do we live as if we are?

Next, we should learn the help principle. We must discern what helps us to serve God.

Paul told us that all things were lawful for him because of salvation in Christ, but that not all things are helpful.  We can do things that don’t hurt us, but that also don’t help us. These are things like eating chicken soup when we have a cold, or carrying a rabbit’s foot. Other things we can do not only don’t help us, they actually hurt us. These are things like drinking and smoking and eating too much.

Fortunately, some things we can do help us tremendously, like Bible study, worshipping God, fellowshipping with other Christians, and getting exercise on a regular basis.

We can do anything we desire, but we must realize some things are a waste of time, and others are wasteful of our spiritual health. We need to embrace the concept of liberty, which is the freedom to do what is good, not just anything we want.

We also should learn the habit principle. We must practice what helps us to serve God.

Habits are powerful. They can trap us, but they can also make us more consistent in our walk with God. We must be careful in forming habits, because they are hard to break. It is true that we can form bad habits, like not worshipping God, exposing ourselves to the wrong material, not exercising, or eating too much of the wrong foods. It is equally true, however, that we can form good habits, like attending church regularly, reading the Bible, and spending time with family and friends.

Addictions, which are very difficult to overcome, are a type of habit where we resort to destructive behaviors in an effort to feel better about ourselves. We can find ourselves in a descending spiral as we turn to our addictions to feel better, which results in guilt and feeling bad about ourselves, after which we turn to our addictions to feel better again, and so forth. The beat goes on, ad infinitum, until we destroy ourselves.

We must intentionally develop good habits, or we will fall into bad ones!

Finally, we must learn the honor principle. We must practice what honors God.

We must give honor to God. In our passage for today, Paul said we are to glorify God in our body. This means more than just praising God with our lips, although we must do that also.

This reminds me of the question asked during the song, “My Tribute.” The first verse asks,

How can I say thanks

for the things You have done for me?

Things so undeserved,

yet You gave to prove Your love for me;

the voices of a million angels

could not express my gratitude.

The first verse ends with this statement:

All that I am and ever hope to be,

I owe it all to Thee.

We must give honor to God because He redeemed us from slavery to sin and He now owns our souls. He demands and He deserves our praise, but not just our lip service but also by living our lives for Him. We owe God our best in every aspect of our lives, from our thoughts, to our attitudes, to our behavior, and yes, our praise.

In conclusion, if you want to know right from wrong, we need to know God. 

We need to know Him personally, spiritually, and experientially. Once we do, He will give us His Spirit to guide us from the inside of our lives.

Thanks so much for visiting with me today! I'll be back soon with another word from the Bible that we can share together.

Every blessing,

Dr. Otis Corbitt

A Word about the Principles of Positive Parenting

 

Today I want to share a word about how to reach our potential in Christ by following the principles positive parenting as I comment on Psalm 127. This passage reads:

 Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchman stays awake in vain. It is in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest, eating the bread of anxious toil; for he gives to his beloved sleep. Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward.  Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the children of one's youth. Blessed is the man who fills his quiver with them! He shall not be put to shame when he speaks with his enemies in the gate. 

Parenting is the toughest job in the world. I once saw a t-shirt on a Navy base that said, “Navy Wife-Toughest Job in the Navy.”  Navy wives have to be solo parents for much of the time and that just makes the task of parenting that much harder. Like every other aspect of our lives, the Bible provides us valuable wisdom about positive parenting, and today we can see a portion of that wisdom in Psalm 127.

First, in Psalm 127, we see that we must be authentic.

The rise of e-commerce has allowed our economy to be flooded with fake or imitation goods. A sign that an item listed on-line may be fake or imitation is the word “type” in the description. For example, an “air force-type” survival knife indicates that it is, without a doubt, a cheap imitation or knock-off of the real thing.

Imitation goods are often great bargains, but they are also often not worth what you pay for them. The are not made of the same materials as the original, they don’t work the way the original does, and they cheat the purchaser of their hard-earned money.

God our Father is the real thing. When He creates something, it is the genuine article, and it works just like it is supposed to work. And, like God, parents need to be authentic also. 

Children are very perceptive. They know when a person is being genuine or not. They will see right through a phony attitude or deceptive language. When we model ourselves on God our Father and when we are the real thing to our children the way He is the Real Thing to us, it makes the task of parenting much easier.

Next, we see in Psalm 127 that we must be attentive.

Children are compared to arrows, which are weapons, and weapons need attention. Arrow heads need sharpening, and their shafts need fletching with feathers. Bows need restringing, and guns need cleaning and oiling. Weapons that don’t get attention don’t work. Guns fail to fire, and arrows fly errantly. Both may hit the wrong target, and ill-treated guns can even explode.

Our children also need our attention. We must spend time with them so we can play with them and teach them and lead them to the Lord. It has been said that the way to spell love with a child is T I M E or “time.” “Quality” time is good, but we also must realize that “quantity” has a quality all its own.

Third, we see in Psalm 127 that we must be affirmative.

Being negative as a parent is easy because our children do many things that we must say “don’t” about. Children must be corrected. God, Himself corrects us, as Hebrews 12:6 tells us, “For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives.” Proverbs 13:24 also reminds us that “to spare the rod is to spoil the child.”

That being said, our discipline should not be harsh. A teacher asked the children in her class what they wanted to be when they grew up. One little boy said, “I want to be possible.” His teacher was confused and asked him what he meant by that. He said, “My parents always say that I’m impossible, so I want to grow up to be possible!”

In truth, with only a little effort, we can be positive with our children. We can brag on our children for their good qualities and their good behavior, not only in front of others, but also in front of them. In addition, we should reward them for doing good in the same measure, if not more, as we punish them for being bad. Some school systems call this, “catch them being good,” and it is a great way to reward positive behavior.

Finally, we see in Psalm 127 that we need to be affectionate.

Warmth is better than being cold. Who finds a cold cup of coffee appealing? Who finds a cold bowl of stew appetizing? Who finds a cold shoulder assuring? Hear the warmth in Psalm 127: “the heritage of the Lord,” “the fruit of the womb is a reward,” “blessed is the man,” and “a full quiver.”

We need to be warm and affectionate with our children. We need to love them, laugh with them, hug them, and spend time with them. We need to treat them as the special blessings of God that they are.

In conclusion, we don’t have to be perfect parents. 

We can’t be perfect parents or be perfect in any other way. We do have a perfect Father, however, who has sent us His perfect Word, and also His Holy Spirit to teach it to us and empower us to live by it. 

None of us are perfectly authentic and attentive and affirmative and affectionate, but we know Someone who is. He is also eager to help us, if we would only let Him. Will you let Him help you apply these principles of positive parenting?

Thanks so much for visiting with me today! I'll be back soon with another word from the Bible can share together.

Every blessing,

Dr. Otis Corbitt

A Word about the Principles of a Happy Marriage

Today, I want to share a word about how to reach our potential in Christ by following the principles for a happy marriage as I comment on Genesis 2:21-24. This passage reads:

So the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and while he slept took one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh. And the rib that the Lord God had taken from the man he made into a woman and brought her to the man. Then the man said, “This at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.” Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.

The most common adult relationship is marriage. In truth, is it often the most difficult one also. Many marriages fail, and while most first marriages last, the odds of a marriage failing increases as the number of marriages one enters into increases. “Third time’s a charm” is not true for weddings!

While some people despair about marriages, the Scriptures tell us how to have effective and fulfilling marriages. Our focal passage reveals some Biblical principles for happy marriages.

The First Principle is Association.

God recognized that that is not good for people to be alone. People are made for companionship and fellowship. We certainly need a relationship with God, but we also need human interaction as well. Some people can thrive as hermits, but very few can live and serve God happily in isolation.

To meet this need for association, God put Adam and Eve together. He did this so that they could:

• Be together
• Share life with each other
• Love each other
• Encourage each other

Rodney Dangerfield once joked, “My wife and I sleep in separate rooms, we eat separately, and we take separate vacations. We’re doing everything we can to keep our marriage together.” The truth is that being apart from one another on a regular basis marriage is not healthy.  Absence is said to make the heart grow fonder, and it does, until it makes the heart grow numb.

The Second Principle is Affirmation.

In marriage it is easy to take one another for granted. Life, over time, becomes routine, and over time, marriages can become routine also. Our appreciation for each other becomes numb and dim, and too often, as the saying goes, “Familiarity breeds contempt.”

It is easy to be critical; being negative comes easily to us. It takes little effort to be critical. Instead, we should learn to be positive. Look at what Adam said, “Bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh!” In other words, he proclaimed, “Lord, did you get it right or what?!”

In our marital relationships we should cultivate a positive attitude towards our mate. They must have many good points, otherwise we would not have married them! 

A practical suggestion about this would be to make a list of your spouse’s positive aspects, and mention them, casually of course, in a conversation from time to time. Also, make it a practice to praise your spouse whenever they deserve it . . .  and better yet, when they don’t!

The Third Principle is Allegiance.

Our spouses must see that they are a priority for us: God is first, our spouse is only second to him, and the remainder of our relationships can fall into line after them. This is a good place to note that while our families of origin are important, marriage requires that we must leave them behind. Your wife or husband must take priority over the family that raised you.

This can be hard, and it does not imply that we should disrespect those that nurtured us and who mentored us into adulthood. That being said, we must let go of them and they must let go of us. Not only is this socially and psychologically sound, but it is also a commandment of God as we see in Genesis 2. 

Setting priorities is easy but managing them can be difficult. As important as associating together as husband and wife is, it is a fact that most people can’t be physically with each other all the time. Simply making a living and other demands of life in the 21st Century intervene and require our attention. This is certainly true when we have children. Still, there must never be any doubt how important you spouse is to you!

The Final Principle Here is Affection.

Everyone needs love. We need to receive it and we need to give it. We need to feel a loving touch and we need to give a loving touch.

An insurance company in Germany reported some amazing results from a survey of their customers. They found that husbands who kissed their wives daily as they left for work lives 5 years longer than the average man. They also made 25% more money, had fewer accidents, and lost half as much time to illness.

We need to show our spouse affection. We need to give them hugs and kisses, and we need to hold their hands. And, we need to allow them to show us affection as well.

Conclusion.

God’s Word is lamp to our feet and a light to our path and it is the best source of wisdom for our everyday lives. Today we have seen some Biblical principles for happy marriages. All that remains is for us, as empowered by the Holy Spirit, to implement these principles in our lives. They worked for the first man and woman, and they will work for men and women in the 21st Century as well!

Every blessing,

Dr. Otis Corbitt

A Word about Finding Peace

 

Today, I want to share a word about how to reach our potential in Christ by finding peace as I comment on Colossians 3 verses 12 through 17. This passage reads, 

Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another, and if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other, as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these things put on love which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful, let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

The motto of Apollo 11 was, "We come in peace." The astronauts found a peaceful scene on the moon when they landed because there were no people there. Our world longs for peace, but peace is not found. We can't create it, and truthfully, when we stumble upon it, we soon ruin it. So, if you're looking for peace, if you want to reach your potential in Christ through finding peace, we need to look for it together in God. Because verse 15 tells us that peace is created by God. 

Peace is Created by God.

Peace among nations today is beyond human ability. There's been a war every year since World War II and probably before that. Since the Cold War, we've had a number of military actions that we ourselves have fought in the United States. The war in Afghanistan went on for 20 years. We're still having soldiers deployed to the Middle East. The United Nations, which was created to stop wars going forward, the United Nations has proved incapable of ensuring peace. So, peace within between nations is impossible, but peace within ourselves is also impossible. 

Drug and alcohol use is rampant. People are depressed and question the reason for living. Some people turn to suicide. Others turn to seek power and money. We can't find peace within ourselves. If we can't find peace within nations or between nations and we can't find peace within ourselves, what do we do? Well, we turn to God because with God, nothing is impossible. 

God is the sovereign Lord. He does the impossible regularly. And so when we're unable to do something, God is to whom we should turn. When my son was young, he often wanted to do things for himself. He'd say, "I'll do it myself." But then when he couldn't, he would turn to me and say, "Daddy, I can't do it. Help me." We need to turn to God because God creates peace. He's the only one who can. But also verse 15 tells us that peace is commanded by God. 

Peace is Commanded by God.

God knows how much we need peace. Jesus calmed the waters, giving the disciples peace and Jesus promised us peace which passes all understanding. Our God is a God of decency and an order. I remember reading a news article about the messiest dorm room in America where nobody wanted to visit that student in that messiest dorm room. I understand that.

God knows we need peace, and He knows we need order and decency in our life. He knows we need to bring our chaos under control. No one wants to visit the messiest dorm room in America, and no one wants to live in a life full of chaos. Thus, God insists that we accept His peace and let it rule our lives. He's the wise parent. He knows what's good for us. He commands that we accept it. 

Parents, of course, often make their children do things they don't want to do like go to school or go to bed at night and get a good night's sleep. To eat food that's good for them or even take baths sometimes. So, God creates peace, and He commands us to live in His peace. So how do we find His peace? His peace is outlined in the word of God. That's what verse 16 tells us. 

God’s Peace is Outlined in The Word of God.

How do you know how to fix a car? Well, you can take it apart by trial and error. Some people do that. Usually, it ends badly.  You can get someone to tell you how to do it. You can read a book. You can look on YouTube. You can take your vehicle to a place that has a diagnostic machine, and you can plug in the diagnostics and find out what's wrong with the car and what needs to be repaired. 

So how do we find out about peace? We know that trial and error hasn't worked. People can't tell us. No YouTube creator can help us find peace. The best way is through God's instruction book, the Word of God, the Scriptures.  We need to take His Word seriously. We need to study it. We need to apply it to our lives, and we need to help other people apply it to their lives also. 

The operators of a nuclear reactor ignore the manuals for that nuclear reactor at great cost and so it is with us. Our lives suffer when we ignore how to find peace through God's manual for life, His Word. 

God commands us to have peace. God creates peace in us. He does it through His Word but, also peace is provided to us through the Son of God, as verse 17 tells us.

Peace is Provided to Us Through the Son of God.

All books on losing weight say the same thing: there are two keys to weight loss, exercise and reduced calories. They just differ on how to achieve these things. Some authors will point to one kind of nutrition. Others will point to a different kind of nutrition. Some will point to a particular kind of exercise. But still, they only point to those two key things of diet and exercise. 

The Bible also points to the key to peace and that key is Jesus. Only Jesus can save us from our sin. Only Jesus can reunite us with God. Only Jesus can send the Holy Spirit to comfort and to guide us once we are part of God's family through receiving His sacrifice for us. Only Jesus can give our life meaning.

Conclusion.

 Do you do everything in the name of the Lord? Is Jesus your Savior? Because without Him there's no peace. If Jesus is your Savior, do you live for Him? Without living for him, our peace will be fitful, and it will be frustrating. God offers us peace by living for Jesus. 

Do you want to reach your potential in Christ? Do you want to achieve peace today? We do that by living for Jesus. Are you ready for some peace? Jesus tells us how; it is on us to pay attention to Him!

Every blessing,

Dr. Otis Corbitt

A Word about For God and Country

 

Today I want to share a word about God and Country as I comment on 1 Peter 2:9-17. 

 

It was my privilege to serve God and country in the United States Army for 26 years. In the last 17 of them, I was a chaplain in the Alabama Army National Guard. Our Chaplain Corps motto is "For God and Country."

I was blessed to serve in some excellent units with some outstanding soldiers and great commanders, but there is a sardonic meme in the Army that says, "In the Army, every day is a holiday, and every meal is a feast." That's manifestly not true, but I was glad I served. I have no regrets about serving. Over the years in the Army, I did ponder what "for God and country" meant, and I decided there were some emotional explanations and some social explanations, some political explanations, and even legal explanations. In fact, the Chaplain Corps exists because the law of the land, the United States Constitution, virtually demands it.  The First Amendment to the Constitution says, 

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof, or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press, or of the right of the people to peaceably assemble and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.

Title X United States Code is the federal law which organizes the armed forces as we know them today. And that, along with AR 600-200 Army Command Policy, requires commanders to allow their soldiers the free exercise of religion under the First Amendment of the Constitution. The religious support plan in every Army unit is the Commander's Plan, but they don't have time to do that. And that's why God and General George Washington created chaplains. 

That's fine for chaplains, but what does "For God and Country" mean for the rest of us? We need to search out a biblical answer, and today we are going to consider 1 Peter 2, verses 9 through 17. This passage reads, 

But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you were God's people. Once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul. 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. Be subject, for the Lord's sake, to every human institution, whether it be to the Emperor as supreme or to the governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good. For this is the will of God, that by doing good you should silence the ignorance of foolish people. Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God. Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the Emperor.

In light of that passage, I want us to consider several elements about serving God and country. 

First, I want us to consider the element of passion. 

It's good to love your country. My mother was born and raised in Phenix City, Alabama. If you know anything about Phenix City, it was at one time a rough place, a place of gangs and corruption and crime and all kinds of bad things. But my mother was born there and was raised there, and she loved Phenix City. And you never said a bad word about Phenix City in her presence unless you wanted a quick and sharp rebuke. Ask me how I know . . . 

People love the country where they were born. That's a natural thing, but some of the most patriotic people I know in the United States have come from other countries, for example, he Cubans that escaped the Castro regime in their home country of Cuba. They are passionate about the liberty and freedom that they have here in the United States. And they wish that for their own home country as well. Even God loved his home country of Israel. Jesus was born in Israel and God loved Israel. The Scriptures tell us in Deuteronomy 7 verses 6-8, 

For you are a people holy to the Lord your God. The Lord your God has chosen you to be a people for his treasured possession out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth. He was not because you were more a number than any other people that the Lord said his love on you and chose you, for you are the fewest of all peoples. But it is because the Lord loves you and is keeping the oath that he swore to your fathers that the Lord brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the house of slavery from the land of Pharaoh king of Egypt.

Isaiah 49 14-16 also talks about the Lord's love for Israel. 

But Zion said, 'The Lord has forsaken me, my Lord has forgotten me.' Can a woman forget her nursing child, that she should have no compassion on the son of her womb? Even these may forget, yet I will not forget you. Behold, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are continually before me.

It is important to love where we were born and raised. It is important to love our country, but it is more important to love our God. God demands the first place in our lives. I mentioned the First Amendment to the Constitution, but the First Commandment is even more important. Exodus 20 verses 2-3 says, 

I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. You shall have no other gods before me.

God not only demands first place in our lives, but He also deserves first place in our lives. Romans 5, 6-8 says, 

For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person, though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die. But God shows his love for us, and that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

It is good and right to love our country, but we must never love our country more than we love our God. 

You know, I'm glad people love our country. No one endures basic combat training in the army just to learn how to weld or repair air conditioners or become a chef. Many of people can find ways to find trades outside the military. You don't join the military just simply to learn a trade. Yes, it's a good thing, but everyone joins the military to defend our country, the country they love, and I'm glad they do that. Still, God must be our first love. 

Next, we need to consider the element of perspective. 

We need to adjust our perspective on this situation. You see, the readers of 1 Peter were in a difficult situation. They had learned a sad fact about human relationships, one that was revealed in the movie From Here to Eternity. 

The main character in that movie, Private Robert E. Lea Prewitt, was persecuted by his company commander because he wouldn't fight for his company in the Scofield Barracks boxing league. When he told his girlfriend about how much he loved the army, she couldn't believe it because he had been persecuted and troubled by his commander the whole time he was in that company. Considering all he had been through, he still said he loved the army. Private Prewitt said, "Just because you love something doesn't mean it has to love you back." 

Jesus loved Jerusalem, but it didn't love him back. Matthew 23, 37 says, 

Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you kill the prophets and stone the messengers that God has sent you. How many times I wanted to put my arms around all your people, just as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you would not let me.

The churches Peter wrote to in Asia Minor were under persecution, not only from the local society, but also from their government, the government of Rome, which was dominating that part of the world. Peter wrote them to encourage them in their difficult situations, and yet, he said to them, "Honor the Emperor." 

It's important to remember who Peter was. He was a proud Jew from the Galilee. He had lived all his life in an occupied nation. We've never had that experience here in our lifetime for sure. We really never have been occupied by an outside country since we became the United States. But Galilee, Jerusalem, was occupied on several occasions by several different armies, and yet Peter was a proud Jew. He was the one who rebuked Jesus about his death in Jerusalem. He was the one who proffered swords during the Last Supper. He was not Paul. He was not a citizen of Rome, and yet he told them, "Honor the Emperor."

So what about our situation? Daily, weekly, monthly, our situation as Christians in the United States and in the rest of the world is becoming more and more difficult. Our government is not really our problem. Our society is our problem. Our society does choose our leaders through elections, but really our government won't persecute us the way the Roman government did the early church in Asia Minor. The First Amendment of the Constitution is going to protect us from that, and it should. It's right and good that it does. It recognizes, it just simply recognizes God-given rights. But our society will definitely persecute us. 

We shouldn't be surprised by that. John 15 tells us that the world hated Jesus, and it's going to hate us. So what would Peter tell us to do? Well, he already told us. We already read what he told us to do.

And that's when we come to the element of prescription. 

Next, we also to consider the element of prescription. 

Peter prescribed how believers should behave in society. Some of these are about society in general, and some of these are about government in particular, and these are not suggestions. Just like it wasn't the “10 suggestions” but the 10 Commandments, Peter was directing these folks here to do something, and he's directing us today with the same authority of the scriptures, of the inspiration of the Holy Spirit as an apostle. He gave us some directions, and we need to pay attention to these. 

First he prescribed remaining calm. Our society today is an angry society, and there are actually some people predicting a second civil war. God forbid. Peter knew the destruction that came from unbridled passion. We saw that in 2020, and we don't need to see it again. We don't need to have uncontrolled passion, and we must control our own, even if no one else does. If all the world around us is losing their mind, we need to control our passions. 

Peter also prescribed that we should act honorably. Another old army saying I, “If you ain't cheating, you ain't trying.” What that really implies or should imply is what Jesus said. Jesus said to go the extra mile. Really what that Army expression means is you need to understand everything about a task you have to do and get all that information and use that information to your best advantage to achieve that task. That's not what it says on the surface. It says, “If you ain't cheating, you ain't trying.”

There are people who cheated in the Army. I know them, and I know their sad fates. Paul told the Thessalonians to avoid even the appearance of evil, so we must do everything above board and with transparency. 

Peter also prescribed submitting to our leaders. Now remember, this is Peter who cut off the ear of the high priest's servant. This is Peter who brought those swords to the Lord's Supper. Yet, he said we need to be submissive and submit to our leaders. 

What we need to understand about this word be subject to or submit to or be submissive to is actually a military term. What it means is to take your place in the ranks. When the commander calls, “Fall-in”, you go and take your place where you're supposed to stand. It's not a really very high standard. It's really the requirement for a private show up at the right time and the right place with the right uniform, with the right attitude to do the right job. That's all that that really means. It's not a very high standard. We also need to remember that rebellion, according to 1 Samuel, is akin to witchcraft. 

We need to listen to Peter here. Our country was born in rebellion, and we have a tendency toward that even today, but Peter said you need to cooperate with your leaders. God knows they're in charge. God knows they're there. He's not ignorant of who our leaders are. 

At the same time, Peter prescribed living as free people. “Liberty” is the power to do what is right, not just what we want. We are being” libertine” when we do exactly what we want, but liberty is the power and the ability to do what is right. Liberty is the power to appeal to Caesar like Paul did, but also liberty is the power to sing hymns in the bowels of a prison. Jesus said in Matthew 10.28,

 

And do not fear those who can kill the body, but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both the soul and body in hell.

We need to realize that we can live in liberty whether our bodies are in captivity or not. We've never had necessity. We've never had that experience as a free people, but Peter did, and he knew he could be free of his soul whether his body was free or not. 

Peter also prescribed honoring people, people inside the church, people outside the church, people in power, and people who are powerless. The word everyone here means all, every, each. The whole lot of them, the totality, complete, every kind. You've heard people say, "He's not my president. He's not my governor. He's not my pastor." Well, maybe not, but he or she is someone that Christ died for. And therefore, we need to treat them with respect. 

Finally, today, we need to consider the element of praise. 

Peter's concern was not whether the Christians in Asia Minor could live in freedom. His concern was that God would be praised. He was not concerned about political liberty or economic liberty. He was not concerned about social liberty. He was concerned about all peoples everywhere gaining spiritual liberty. You see, Christian behavior is the only Bible some people will ever read and our comportment, our behavior needs to be a positive one, one where we honor people, where we honor God and where God is praised by our actions.

Remember, also, that Rome, as evil as it could be, was used of God to spread the Gospel. The Pax Romana, the peace of Rome, helped spread the Gospel. Wherever Rome was in charge, it was pretty safe to go. The Roman military roads were like our interstate system, designed for the transportation of troops, but the Roman military roads helped spread the Gospel. By the way the modern internet was created by the military for its own purposes, and yet we're using it every day to share the Gospel. The Roman control of the Mediterranean Sea helped spread the Gospel. The Roman adoption of Koine Greek helped spread the gospel. Rome didn't have to use Koine Greek as its language of business, but it did. And that's one powerful way the gospel was spread through the word of God across the Roman Empire. 

Did God approve of the Roman emperors? No. He used them for his own purposes, however. And does God approve of the United States? Well, that's not the right question. The question is, can God use the United States for His own purposes? And of course, He can. We need to use our liberties to praise God and to share the gospel. Ephesians 5, 15-17 says, 

Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.

We must take every opportunity to share the gospel, not only in our own country, but around the world. You see, nations only become Christians one soul at a time. We must take every opportunity provided by a United States passport to go to places where the gospel has never been heard and share the gospel. We must take every opportunity to pray for our nation and for her leaders.  In AD 312, although the emperors to that point had been a disaster in terms of persecuting the church, in AD 312 everything changed. Emperor Constantine became a Christian and his endorsement of Christianity resulted in its widespread adoption. 

We must remember our mission as Christians. When I was on the International Mission Board, I was part of a group called the United Kingdom Baptist Mission. That was what we were called, the United Kingdom Baptist Mission. We had a speaker come to speak to us to our mission meeting, or meeting of the mission. He said to us, "You need to remember something. You're not the mission. You're not the mission."  Spreading the gospel in this country is the mission. Our mission is not our personal liberty. Our mission is not the prestige of our country. Our mission is not the prosperity of our economy. Peter tells us our mission is to inspire praise for our God.

In conclusion, during World War II, President Roosevelt wanted the United States to become the arsenal of democracy. Today, let us covenant together to make the United States the launching pad to take the Gospel where it's never gone before. 

As we transform ourselves by the renewing of our minds, we can transform our government by voting according to biblical standards. I'm not going to tell you to vote for it. I'm telling you to look at the scriptures and see what the biblical standards are and vote for people who hold those standards. We also can transform our society by sharing the gospel and making disciples. 

We must remember what our mission is. It's great to love our country, and we need to do it. But the best way we can love our country is to help her take the role that God wants her to have in this world to share the Gospel to all nations in making disciples of all peoples. 

Every blessing,

Dr. Otis Corbitt