These next few verses are impactful, humbling, and provide further context of Christ-honoring behavior.
“Remind them to be submissive to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good work, to speak evil of no one, to avoid quarreling, to be gentle, and to show perfect courtesy toward all people. For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another.” (v1-3)
Paul reminds us of who we were before God’s grace at the cross: lost, broken, foolish, disobedient people prone to the sin and evil of worldly ways. Unfortunately, we likely still have some of those tendencies because we have this thing called ‘flesh’ (our sinful nature) which will not be fully removed until we get to heaven.
The most impactful statements in these verses for me are “speak evil of no one” and “show perfect courtesy toward all people”. Almost every day we hear more stories of “malice and envy… and hating one another”. There are constant atrocities from one ethnicity to another, one gender to another, one social status to another, etcetera. Left unchecked, hatred will run rampant, creating even more hatred in this world.
Paul calls us to break this horrendous cycle of bringing hatred and violence upon other people (whether that’s physical or emotional). We are encouraged to “speak evil of no one” and “show perfect courtesy toward all people”, setting the example of Christlike love for others (loving our neighbors). Jesus showed the utmost respect to everyone, especially the outcasts and downtrodden, and we can model this as well.
I encourage us to examine our hearts and look for any ways in which we disrespect others, especially those ‘different’ from ourselves. To this day I still struggle with judgements on certain people groups – not because they deserve my dislike (because they certainly don’t), but because the flesh (and our broken culture) make hatred easy and natural. Perhaps you have a similar experience.
In order to overcome these default bigotries we can ask the Holy Spirit for guidance and help, and take intentional steps toward true reconciliation. The more conscious steps we take to love our neighbors (eg. praying for them), the easier it will be to respect them, and the harder it will be to hate them. It is definitely a process and a journey, one that may take a lifetime, but loving those who God loves (which is everyone, by the way) is well worth the effort, and may begin to break the cycle of hatred in this world, one person at a time.
Father God, our glorious Lord and Gracious King, please have mercy on us. We have sinned greatly against You and Your people. It is so easy to harbor hatred in our hearts, despite the fact it is not deserved or earned. All people have been equally created by Your hand, and they are worthy of honor and respect since they bear Your image. Please change our hearts O Lord, transforming and refining them into hearts that love and not hate. May we consistently show perfect love and courtesy to others in Jesus’ name, from this day forward, amen.
~ Conqueror in Training