J.L. Williams, USA
“Those who honor Me I will honor, but those who despise me will be disdained.”
1 Samuel 2:30
When I was a Boy Scout, the first thing I had to memorize was the Boy Scout Oath. We began every meeting by standing with the Boy Scout salute and reciting this oath as a reminder of the code of honor of scouting. It begins with a presupposition of honor to God and country: “On my honor I will do my best to do my duty to God and my country and to obey the Scout Law; to help other people at all times; to keep myself physically strong, mentally awake, and morally straight.”
The Bible teaches that, first and foremost, every person is to honor God as the Ultimate Authority in the universe. As our Creator and Sustainer, He alone is worthy of total honor and glory. There is no middle ground here. It is either honor or disdain when it comes to our attitude about God and His authority.
It does not take a lot of discernment to see what the growing national attitude is in America. God is becoming more and more passé, old-fashioned, outdated, and irrelevant. Any serious belief in God and His restrictive rules and regulations is becoming irrelevant to modern life, especially when it comes to issues like sexuality and marriage! References to God have been reduced to vile invectives and negative descriptive verbs of profanity. He is given anything but honor!
The most dangerous form of dishonor taking place in America today is the dishonoring of Christ. If you in any way dishonor Mohammed in word or deed you face the public scorn of Islamophobia. Say anything negative about gays and you are accused of homophobia. Raise any concern about immigration and you are disdained as un-American and suffering from xenophobia. Make any observation about any other ethnic group and you are branded a racist. Say or do anything that appears to denigrate women and you are branded a misogynist.
But suggest anything about the uniqueness of Jesus Christ and you are dismissed as a right-wing extremist and fundamentalist bigot! You are free to use Christ’s name as a swear word or vilify Him in any and every way, and no one will raise an eyebrow! In fact, you will probably be applauded.
To dishonor Christ in any way is to dishonor God (John 5:18, 23) and put ourselves under His certain judgment if we do not repent. Ultimately, we will banish ourselves to hell if we do not humbly honor Jesus as the total incarnation of truth, the only route to God, and the only means of eternal salvation (John 14:6).
While our highest honor is reserved for God, He also commands us to love and honor each other. Vertical honor always results in horizontal honor. One is a prelude to the other. Paul exhorts us: “Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves” (Romans 12:10). Likewise, the writer of Hebrews asked others to “pray for us . . . to live honorably in every way” (Hebrews 13:18).
To “live honorably” is not just the oath of a Boy Scout. It is the commitment and lifestyle of every authentic, mature follower of Jesus Christ!