Q1. God's Glory

[Old Jerry]

The way that God

[pastor neal]

Q1. (2:15-16) In what way is God's glory dependent upon us living submissive, obedient lives? How is God hurt when we get rebellious?

Man is doing what is right in the sense of fulfilling Christian Moral Law and being a good citizen.

God id hurt when we become rebellious because we demonstrate that Christian slaves are unreliable and unusable.

[Charms Towell]

Q1. (2:15-16) In what way is God's glory dependent upon us living submissive, obedient lives? How is God hurt when we get rebellious?

As belivers we reflect Christ to the world. Our good deeds or our rebellious actions reflect the nature of the Kingdom which we represent. If we reflect disobedience, it is as though Jesus himself was rebellious, which is not His character (vs 22-23)

- Living in rebellion hurts God as we are going against his word; to submit to God and His appointed civil authorities.

- It damages Heavens reputation

- The world may say that it eliminates the need for a Saviour, afterall Christians are living in just the same as the pagans.

[Stan]

Q1. (2:15-16) In what way is God's glory dependent upon us living submissive, obedient lives? How is God hurt when we get rebellious?

God's glory comes from our obedience as we chose to obey and serve Him we bring Him glory. When we fail to serve Him and become rebellious we take away His glory and cause those who don't know Christ to justify their reasoning because of our actions.

[Guitar Jim]

Q1. (2:15-16) In what way is God's glory dependent upon us living submissive, obedient lives?

To live a submissive obedient life is to obey the law of the land and not make trouble for others. In this way we will hopefully gain a good reputation for right living. This in turn will bring glory to God who inspires such behavior.

How is God hurt when we get rebellious?

People who are always rebellious generally get a bad reputation for unreliability. Everything we do reflects back on God. People are always looking for ways to deride Christians. Having said that, sometimes we have to side with rebels so that right will prevail.

[wifee]

4a)God has put people in authority to punish wrong behaviour and encourage right behaviour, to govern and bring order to society. Ephesians 6:5 Slaves, be obedient to those who are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in the sincerity of your heart, as to Christ. If we become known as reliable usuable people with good Godly standards, we bring glory to the Lord’s name in place.

b)God is saddened when we do wrong things,and let pride rear its ugly head, and dishonour his name.If we rebel this reflects directly upon Jesus, &his reputation, it shows our lack of love for God, and hurts God. It also gives non christians a wrong impression of Christianity.

[elizabeth kerr]

It is not easy to look back at my own past at the times when I did not obey the civil authorities, and it is even more difficult to look back on the rebellions by my ancestors, whether biological or political.  Since my country is the USA, I will only refer to examples from its history.

 

First, I need to consider some questions about the people involved:  Were they truly Christians who were committed to obeying the God of the Bible?  What were they really protesting in their rebellion?  Was the government acting against the commands of God or requiring that the citizens/residents do so?  Those are not easy questions to find the answers to back in time; so, all our judgments must be  tentative, not absolute.

 

Other participants in this study mentioned:

1)  the American Revolution.  Supposedly the reasons the colonists rebelled were a) they did not want to pay the taxes the English government imposed to pay for the defense of the colonies during the French and Indian War and they just wanted to be independent.   [Would God approve of those reasons for rebelling?]   Many or maybe most of the colonists actively rebelling against the king's government considered themselves to be Christians, but not all of them.  {Did they obey God's commands in other aspects of their lives?   No, some of the rebelling colonists attacked and imprisoned their neighbors who did not actively support either side in a pre-emptive move.  Can we judge those who were not Christians by God's standards?}

2)  the civil rights movement.    Those who disobeyed the government in this rebellion were disobeying governing authorities that oppressesd, abused and exploited black people just because they were black, by custom and by local law.  A  non-black person who wanted to treat a black person in a godly manner was too often forbidden to do so by law.   Most of the rebels did not physically attack or attempt to kill other people but those whose behaviors they were protesting did.  And again most of the people  on both sides thought they were Christians.  

3)  the Vietnam War protests.   Some protested the war by refusing to be drafted and accepted their punishment (imprisonment).  Others reacted violently and caused many others to suffer greatly.  

4)  the Iraq and Afghanistan Wars.  I supported the first Iraq War to drive the Iraqis out of Kuwait after they invaded it, but I strongly opposed the second Iraq War and the war in Afghanistan. I also have observed that there has been very little protest against these wars.  Could it be because most people's lives are totally unaffected by the wars -- they do not have to fear being sent to fight since we have an all-volunteer military, they continue to work and live as they wish, even the economic problems we have have not been blamed on the wars?  Only some military members and their families are negatively affected by the wars; the rest of us can pretty much ignore them. 

 

More importantly than looking back at the past, we Christians need to look at ourselves and at the future.  We cannot change the past, but we decide what we will do in the future.   So, we must study the Bible now; then, when there is a situation in the future where we think the government is doing something ungodly, we can judge it by God's standards, and not our own preferences, and then decide if God would want us to obey or disobey the government in this particular situation  - - and if we decide He would want us to disobey the government, what form that disobedience should take. 

 

I want to obey the civil authorities because God has so commanded in the Bible.  I pray and hope that when I am called to disobey them because they are ordering me to do something that God has commanded me not to do in the Bible, I will stand firm on God's side and  not  deny Him and give in to the civil authorities to avoid the suffering.   Above all, I want to obey God because that pleases Him and shows that He is my Lord, not me.

[Craig]

Q1. (2:15-16) In what way is God's glory dependent upon us living submissive, obedient lives? How is God hurt when we get rebellious?          

 

The conduct and lives of God's people glorify Him.  As we live according to the Word God, the inability of the world to slander or accuse Christians of being irresponsible, lazy, disobedient, etc. is silenced.

 

When we are rebellious we diminish the glory of God in our lives and witness to the world around us.

[van]

God is being glorified through our complete submission and obedient and choosing to serve to only God. After all He gave His own Son life for us. I knee down before Christ every day to humble myself before Him.

[van]

God expects us to glorify Him living the way He taught us through His Word. God is t he Almighty with power and strength and He deserves my obedience and submission. I don't like God shuts down on you. That's why I have to be obedient to His Words.

[lighthouse2014]

Q1. (2:15-16) In what way is God's glory dependent upon us living submissive, obedient lives? How is God hurt when we get rebellious?

God's glory is dependent upon us living submissive and obedient lives. We are to be obedient to all government authorities, we are to obey all Christian moral laws and be good citizens. Thus no one can say we are immoral or rebellious against authority, doing good at all times displays our faith in Christ.

If we are rebellious in our Christian belief we bring hurt to God, because then anyone can say Christians are not loyal to their belief. This causes others to discredit God and diminish his glory to the world.    

[freeman3:5-6]

Q1. (2:15-16) In what way is God's glory dependent upon us living submissive, obedient lives? How is God hurt when we get rebellious?

 

This is a question that garners many different thoughts and ideas, and has been debated throughout the ages, as believers ask, "How now shall we live."

 

Jesus makes this statement in John 17:4, as He is praying;  ^"I have brought you glory on earth by finishing the work you gave me to do."

 

God has given us all work to do on earth, but it doesn't involve fighting with the government He has placed over us.

 

Whatever we do good or bad as believers reflects onto God. He is hurt when we go against the government, because it reflects negatively on Him.

 

We are called to love God and to love our neighbors as ourselves.  Go and make disciples of all nations. Matthew 28:19

[Joe_Applegarth]

It’s our faith that brings us to obedience to Christ Jesus, and when our submissive, obedient lives are viewed by others it serves to glorify God.  “Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.”  (Matthew 5:16)  

 

Christ Jesus IS our hope and our salvation, when we believe and are baptized we become a brand new being, our sins are washed away and all things become new.  That brings glory to God but, glorifying God is infinitely more than just offering praises to Him.  It’s certainly easy enough to praise Him with words when our heart and our deeds are elsewhere.  We are His personal representatives to the people whose lives we touch every day. God loves us all very much and when we continue to glorify evil by our sinful ways we are bringing dishonor on Him I imagine that must break His heart. 

 

“If you are willing and obedient, you will eat the good things of the land; but if you resist and rebel, you will be devoured by the sword.” (Isaiah 1”19-20)

[David from NZ]

In what way is God's glory dependent upon us living submissive, obedient lives? How is God hurt when we get rebellious?

Jesus offended many when he said that he was the true messiah. Judeans at that time had misinterpreted their scriptures and thought the messiah was going to be a military leader who would free them from Roman rule. This was used as justification by various troublemakers and terrorists to start rebellions, none of which was successful and which eventually led to the destruction of Jerusalem, over half a million deaths of God's people, destruction of the temple and the enforced scattering of the Jews over the whole Roman empire. Jesus advocated acknowledgement of Roman rule, "Matthew 22:21 Then he said to them, “So give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.” After all, whatever faults the Romans had, they provided a long period of peace and stability to Judea. He also advocated following the Jewish Law, in other words, freedom comes from God, not from the sword, or following "foolish men" as Peter says. Peter is reminding us that we should follow Jesus' example, by following secular laws and taking part in democratic processes and have faith in God to help us right wrongs.

Rebellion on a national level leads only to war, death and destruction. Over a century of religious wars after the reformation in Europe caused much death and destruction, but worst of all, hurt God because people realised that the churches of the time were the worst sinners around, because they had started the wars. I believe this was the start of the mass turning away from God which is increasingly prevalent today.

On a personal level, rebellion may hurt us individually, but also sets a bad example, which turns more people from God and hurts Him. Having said all that, being too submissive (except to God) is wrong too; we all have a duty to speak out against injustice. "Whistleblowers", social campaigners and anyone who fights injustice is doing God's work, even if they have no personal faith in God. Julian Assange and those who provide information to wikileaks have often questionable personal morals, but they take considerable personal risks to expose political corruption, fraud and tax evasion by the rich and crimes perpetrated by governments. This is definitely God's work. For most of us, a good example to follow, would be the lady in the US who refused to issue a marriage licence to a same sex couple. Even if we do not agree with her actions, we should admire her commitment to her faith by standing up for what the Bible says is wrong.

In my own life, I stood up for what is right in a small way when I found myself sidelined in a well-paid and previously productive science research job. I had little useful to do, but there was nothing my employer could do to force me out. I could have stayed for many years, getting well-paid to waste my time pretending to be busy. I realised that this was wrong and decided to take early retirement, thereby enabling myself to spend more time with God and family and hopefully freeing up money for a young scientist to get a useful job.

[Celtic Wanderer]

Q1. (2:15-16) In what way is God's glory dependent upon us living submissive, obedient lives? How is God hurt when we get rebellious?

We are witnesses of God before the court of our world. We represent God and His Name. If we are unruly and antagonistic we misrepresent God.  We are to live as free men but we His servants. We may not do as we please and act in a manner that is detrimental  to our Lord's Good Name.

We work for our earthly masters honestly, diligently, and are willing to go the extra mile at all times. We are to bear unjust treatment with dignity and in a spirit of non-retaliation. (A very simple illustration reflects on this – if someone cuts you off or does something aggressive when you are driving how you do act? I have been reminded by my wife that my behaviour sometimes does not bring glory to God. Let’s respond to the call and live/act as the Lord would have us to.  I use the excuse (to my wife) that if someone stands on my toes I say “Ouch”.  This is a trivial example, however, when someone make a mistake I should be gracious and  forgiving.

We should stand out as model citizens and employees that bless our country and our employers. To be a Christian should be recognised and being a great asset and attractive to all who deal with us.  This brings glory to God!  It is His Name that we are representing. 

Lord thank you for this message – help me to fully assimilate these principles into my daily life. 

[Celtic Wanderer]

On ‎7‎/‎11‎/‎2016 at 11:25 AM, David from NZ said:

In what way is God's glory dependent upon us living submissive, obedient lives? How is God hurt when we get rebellious?

Jesus offended many when he said that he was the true messiah. Judeans at that time had misinterpreted their scriptures and thought the messiah was going to be a military leader who would free them from Roman rule. This was used as justification by various troublemakers and terrorists to start rebellions, none of which was successful and which eventually led to the destruction of Jerusalem, over half a million deaths of God's people, destruction of the temple and the enforced scattering of the Jews over the whole Roman empire. Jesus advocated acknowledgement of Roman rule, "Matthew 22:21 Then he said to them, “So give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.” After all, whatever faults the Romans had, they provided a long period of peace and stability to Judea. He also advocated following the Jewish Law, in other words, freedom comes from God, not from the sword, or following "foolish men" as Peter says. Peter is reminding us that we should follow Jesus' example, by following secular laws and taking part in democratic processes and have faith in God to help us right wrongs.

Rebellion on a national level leads only to war, death and destruction. Over a century of religious wars after the reformation in Europe caused much death and destruction, but worst of all, hurt God because people realised that the churches of the time were the worst sinners around, because they had started the wars. I believe this was the start of the mass turning away from God which is increasingly prevalent today.

On a personal level, rebellion may hurt us individually, but also sets a bad example, which turns more people from God and hurts Him. Having said all that, being too submissive (except to God) is wrong too; we all have a duty to speak out against injustice. "Whistleblowers", social campaigners and anyone who fights injustice is doing God's work, even if they have no personal faith in God. Julian Assange and those who provide information to wikileaks have often questionable personal morals, but they take considerable personal risks to expose political corruption, fraud and tax evasion by the rich and crimes perpetrated by governments. This is definitely God's work. For most of us, a good example to follow, would be the lady in the US who refused to issue a marriage licence to a same sex couple. Even if we do not agree with her actions, we should admire her commitment to her faith by standing up for what the Bible says is wrong.

In my own life, I stood up for what is right in a small way when I found myself sidelined in a well-paid and previously productive science research job. I had little useful to do, but there was nothing my employer could do to force me out. I could have stayed for many years, getting well-paid to waste my time pretending to be busy. I realised that this was wrong and decided to take early retirement, thereby enabling myself to spend more time with God and family and hopefully freeing up money for a young scientist to get a useful job.

Hi David,  I appreciated reading your response to this question. Neil

[elaineer]

Q1. (2:15-16) In what way is God's glory dependent upon us living submissive, obedient lives? How is God hurt when we get rebellious?

So that others can come to know God.

 

His name is not honored.

[haar]

Q1. (2:15-16)
Q. In what way is God's glory dependent upon us living submissive, obedient lives?

A. God created and ordained leaders and wants us to obey them. Thus when we obey constituted authorities, God is pleased and the people in authority will be happy and recognize that we are children of God and this glorifies God.

Q. How is God hurt when we get rebellious?

A. God is hurt when we disobey authorities because we simply disobey Him by disobeying the authorities He Himself put to rule.

 

[Christopher Olamiji Taiwo]

On 2/21/2004 at 0:15 AM, Pastor Ralph said:

Q1. (2:15-16) In what way is God's glory dependent upon us living submissive, obedient lives? How is God hurt when we get rebellious?

God's glory dependent upon us by living submissive and obedient lives by our voluntarily submitted to civil authority and by doing good so that we can silence the ignorance talk of foolish men of this world. Christians rebellion hurts God because the unbelievers will see Christianity as unreliable, unusable and soon been crushed as against society, this would reflects upon our Lord Jesus Christ.

[JanMary]

On ‎2‎/‎20‎/‎2004 at 4:15 PM, Pastor Ralph said:

Q1. (2:15-16) In what way is God's glory dependent upon us living submissive, obedient lives? How is God hurt when we get rebellious?

1. When we live "in our flesh" and in rebellion against God, we are just like the rest of society. When we are surrendered or submitted to His will and allow Jesus to "walk the earth" through our feet, hands and lips, we reflect Him and His love and care to those we meet or live with and He is "visible" and is glorified.

2. When we are rebellious we cannot be differentiated from "the world whose father is the devil" (as Jesus said). God's image is concealed by our actions contrary to Him and He is hurt. Our purpose here according the Bible is to know and love God and to make HIM KNOWN. That will not happen while we are in rebellion.

[Christopher Olamiji Taiwo]

On 2/21/2004 at 0:15 AM, Pastor Ralph said:

Q1. (2:15-16) In what way is God's glory dependent upon us living submissive, obedient lives? How is God hurt when we get rebellious?

God's glory dependent upon us by living submissive and obedient lives by our voluntarily submitted to civil authority and by doing good so that we can silence the ignorance talk of foolish men of this world. Christians rebellion hurts God because the unbelievers will see Christianity as unreliable, unusable and soon been crushed as against society, this would reflects upon our Lord Jesus Christ.

[Tyreek]

God set in place civil institutions to rule and organize society. He placed people in authority to punish wrong behavior and encourage right behavior. When we are rebellious we reflect Jesus in us.

[Old Jerry]

The way that God’s glory is dependent upon us living submissive, obedient lives is that when people see us and we are working hard and obeying the laws they will know that it was God inspired. If we lead a rebellious life then we will be like the rest of the world and we will fit in.

[blezed]

(2:15-16) In what way is God's glory dependent upon us living submissive, obedient lives? How is God hurt when we get rebellious?

God's glory is dependent upon us living submissive, obedient lives to silence those who condemn the gospel.  We are free to live our lives for evil or as servants of God.  If we choose to take that freedom and live our lives doing evil, God is hurt.  

[aliya721]

1 hour ago, blezed said:

(2:15-16) In what way is God's glory dependent upon us living submissive, obedient lives? How is God hurt when we get rebellious?

By voluntarily submitting ourselves to authority, we give honor to the one who instituted it. We are not to be concerned with their actions whether unjust or not, as the submission is done by us. Jesus voluntarily submitted to His Father even though He could have said no I'm not going to put myself through the humiliation of death on the cross. When we choose to submit, we are honoring God. When we rebel we are hurting God because we are not reflecting Him. How can others see the light in us if we, through rebellious actions, give off darkness and not the love of Christ.