5:12
Heb 13:17 contains a somewhat similar injunction for us to respect our leaders, and to make their task as straightforward as possible. I am sure that we all know people who make a leader’s task as difficult as possible! So we are to respect our leaders. The implication here is that leaders will work hard, they will care for the people, and they will also admonish the people. we are perhaps not always that keen on the latter aspect! Let me say something about leaders and respect. Sometimes people say leaders (or some other group) need to earn respect. This is not true. They should live lives worthy of respect, this is absolutely true, but we are to give respect at the outset, not wait for it to be “earned”. This is the only way an organisation or society can function. If we so wish we can always find some reason why someone has not “earned” respect, we are all sinners after all! Proper functioning of society depends on us respecting positions, respecting leaders, respecting teachers, respecting parents. We give respect from the outset. Now if the person in that position is manifestly not living a life worthy of respect then action needs to be taken, but we are to start from a position of respect. To do otherwise leads to a collapse of society.
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