17 Honor all people...
______________________________________________
As a Christian, I want to obey The Word of God, but verse 17 in that passage has bothered me for decades. How do you honor a child molester, a drug dealer, people who destroy families and lives.....? How does one “honor” them?
You honor the office, not the person.
One of the reasons Our Lord was silent before Herod was because of his generally awful behaviour.
In this country, the Constitution, not the president, not the judges are the Supreme Law of the land, and that subject to Natural Law, which Scripture also tells us about.
I am as you are and not your teacher.
It means this much at least: Defraud no one. Lie to and deceive no one. Speak the truth with love to everyone.
These are parts of honoring all people.
Our interactions with higher authorities are very limited and when there’s an opportunity, we ought to allow the Holy Spirit to speak through our lips which should bless and not curse.
Would a WWII German soldier be complying with that verse if he was ordered to stuff Jews into a boxcar to be sent to a death camp?