RESPECT: HOW AND WHY

Avery Leshan

Central Truth

Loving others is respecting others, and God calls us to respect the authorities in our lives by doing what they ask willingly, realizing God put them in our lives for a reason.

Owe nothing to anyone except to love one another; for he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law. (Romans 13:8)

Submission to the Authorities

1 Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. 2 Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. 3 For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, 4 for he is God's servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God's wrath on the wrongdoer. 5 Therefore one must be in subjection, not only to avoid God's wrath but also for the sake of conscience. 6 For because of this you also pay taxes, for the authorities are ministers of God, attending to this very thing. 7 Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed.

Fulfilling the Law Through Love

8 Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. 9 For the commandments, “You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,” and any other commandment, are summed up in this word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 10 Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.

11 Besides this you know the time, that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed. 12 The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light. 13 Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy. 14 But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.

How often do we disrespect people? Not just authorities, our coaches, teachers, or bosses, but everyone else, too? Romans 13:10 (NLT) says, "Love does no wrong to others, so love fulfills the requirements of God's law." This verse reminds us to respect everyone.

"Respect" can mean different things to people with different points of view. Some people may think respecting people is doing what they ask or not insulting them to their face. The Bible tells us respect is willingly doing what someone asks (if they are in authority) or not gossiping about someone if you think they are doing something wrong. Proverbs 26:20 (NLT) says, "Fire goes out without wood, and quarrels disappear when gossip stops." This means if you stop gossiping and go talk to the person you are unhappy with, you will get a much better result than if you never discuss the reasons why you are unhappy. If you leave it to gossip or other means, then you will end up talking behind each other's back, and it will just make the situation worse.

If people are in a position of authority, however, then we have no right to contradict them unless what they are telling us to do violates God's instructions for us. God has put them in that position over our lives to do what is best for us. Romans 13:1 says, "Every person is to be in subjection to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God." If God has put someone in a place of authority, and you disrespect that person, then you are disrespecting God's decision. That said, we still must follow God's commandments if the one in authority over us requires us to do something that violates God's commands.

Respecting people is loving them. As the key verse says, love is the law. Love summarizes the Lord's commandments, with love for the Lord, your authorities, your peers, and your enemies. Because love is God's law, it is important that we love and respect everyone.

1. Have you been disrespecting someone lately?

2. Have you not acted lovingly to someone lately?

3. What can you change so you can start respecting and loving that person?

WEEKLY FAMILY ACTIVITY

Romans 13-1 Corinthians 1 (June 11-15)

Read Romans 13:8-10.

• What is a debt?
• What does verse 8 say we should do with our debts?
• Why do you think we have a debt to love others?
• Who paid our debt by dying on the cross?

We can show how thankful we are for what Jesus has done for us by following His command to love our neighbors.

• Who is your neighbor (not just your "neighbors" who live near you)?
• What does it mean to "love your neighbor as yourself?"

Activity: Make a list of the ways that you take care of yourself. Think about everything from eating healthy foods, to wanting to be listened to, to memorizing Scripture to combat the enemy. Be exhaustive. Pick five of your "neighbors" and choose something for each of them from your list of how you love yourself and love them specifically in that way this week.