We’re recipients of grace
But for all that, as followers of Jesus, we are recipients not of honor but of grace. There is a higher principle than honor – it’s the principle of grace. If God gave us what we deserve, all of us would fall short. Honor may be important for civil society, but grace is the Kingdom code we live by.
Honor is a selective posture. Honor is a response. Honor can be measured by how low you go relative to another person. Grace does not require a measuring stick. Grace assumes all have fallen short. Jesus lambasted those whose position in the church required honor. And at the same time, he lavished grace on the meek. He began by centering his whole ministry on the meek and declaring that they would inherit the Earth. He knew that all of us need grace, so he gave it liberally.
Grace before honor
Yes, we need to learn to honor those in positions of authority. Our culture is broken that way. But we must first lay hold of our kingdom birthright that was given to us not because we deserved anything but because we deserved nothing.
Honor is an Old Testament concept, while grace is a New Testament one. The problem with honor is that it requires judgment, and we often judge wrong. James 2 shows where honor alone is inadequate. A poor man and a rich man come to a meeting. If we use the principle of honor to guide our behavior, James tells us that we’ll make a wrong judgment. His conclusion: “Mercy triumphs over judgment!”
Honor may be rare in our day and age, but grace has been and always will be amazing. You can find honor in every other kingdom or religion in this world, but you’ll only find grace in Jesus’ Kingdom. Begin by showing grace to people and honor will naturally follow.
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** 1 Tim. 2:1-4
