Silence the Ignorance
“For so is the will of God, that with well doing ye may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men: As free, and not using your liberty for a cloke of maliciousness, but as the servants of God. Honour all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honour the king.” (1 Peter 2:15-17)
A. God can take care of Himself; never forget Who is in charge. “And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying, alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth.” (Revelation 19:6)
B. God can also take care of His people. “Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.” (Philippians 4:6) “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.” (Philippians 4:13)
C. Attacks on God’s servants cannot succeed in the end. “No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is of me, saith the LORD.” (Isaiah 54:17)
D. People who speak from ignorance class themselves with unthinking animals. “But these speak evil of those things which they know not: but what they know naturally, as brute beasts, in those things they corrupt themselves.” (Jude 1:10)
E. The Master Builder has contempt for people who attempt to build on a platform other than the one He has selected. “And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand:” (Matthew 7:26)
A. Take detractors in stride; God’s insiders began as outsiders. “For we ourselves also were sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another.” (Titus 3:3)
B. Knowing the truth sets people free to live well. “And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” (John 8:32) “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” (John 14:6)
C. Detractors promise what they cannot deliver and become worse than what they condemn. “While they promise them liberty, they themselves are the servants of corruption: for of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage.” (2 Peter 2:19)
D. Sometimes people who have left the truth are dangerous but their real problem is with God, not His people. “For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Jude 1:4)
E. Ultimately, only God’s opinion matters. “Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ.” (Colossians 3:24)
A. Always live as servants of God. “As free, and not using your liberty for a cloke of maliciousness, but as the servants of God.” (1 Peter 2:16)
B. Avoid corruption. “Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.” (Galatians 5:1)
C. Show respect for leaders. “Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble.” (1 Peter 5:5)
D. Give particular respect to those who have struggled for the church and the truth, maintaining the church to this point. “Thou shalt rise up before the hoary head, and honour the face of the old man, and fear thy God: I am the LORD.” (Leviticus 19:32)
E. Affection and respect encourage the faithful and disarm enemies. “Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another;” (Romans 12:10)
+ Dr. Edwin P. Elliott