A Proper and Honorable Life With Good Deeds For You!

It is commendable and expected that one be passionate about one's belief. This is especially true when resisting evil doers in government, business, health care etc. However, we have a kind of passion which is not righteous at all. Peter speaks of this passion:

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.

(1 Peter 2:11-12 ESV)

These sinful passions of the flesh seek only to ridicule in an unkind manner those who are promoting wrongdoing in order to do something right.  This takes the form of gleefully promoting political cartoon and other forms of speech which only destroys the person at whom it is directed. Nothing good can come of these expressions, The only thing they do is cause those who are backing the persons at whom they are directed to dig in the heels and not listen to reason. This is what those held captive to the flesh will do anyway to get his or her point across.

For a believer in Jesus to engage in these activities commits violence against our souls. Both those who are making these things and promoting them and those who see them knowing it is a fellow believer doing it.

“I consider myself fortunate that it is before you, King Agrippa, I am going to make my defense today against all the accusations of the Jews, especially because you are familiar with all the customs and controversies of the Jews. Therefore I beg you to listen to me patiently.

(Acts 26:2-3 ESV)

Here we see the grand example of St Paul before sinful and unbelieving King Agrippa. He is not railing against him. Rather he defends himself in an honorable fashion giving him the respect due his vocation as king. Later on when Festus accuses Paul of being out of his mind Paul calls him excellent Festus.

If we were honest with ourselves we must admit we have found perverse joy seeing a political cartoon, listening to a talking head's sarcastic personal attacks and have used this destructive speaking ourselves. This is breaking God's command to honor father and mother referring to those Our Lord has called into office. This fleshly response deserves God's temporal and eternal punishment.

But we have good news. Christ came and perfectly obeyed the commandments perfectly and his holiness is given to us as a gift. For the sake of the innocent suffering and death of Our Lord we have this trespass removed from us. Jesus' resurrection is also for our justification.

Trust this good news and live in its peace. Amen. †