Honoring the Right Authorities

Here’s a description that Peter was giving of people who are flying toward judgment. “The Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment until the day of judgment, and especially those who indulge in the lust of defiling passion and despise authority. Bold and willful, they do not tremble as they blaspheme the glorious ones” (2 Peter 2:9-10, ESV).

This defiling passion he talked about is the carnal desire of our natural self that is in opposition to the Holy Spirit and the Word of God. 

These are the people who say, “If it feels good to me, I do it. I sleep with whom I want. I switch partners when I want. I harm my body if I want. Hey, it’s my body! Don’t tell me drugs are bad for me. It’s none of your business. Don’t be judgmental. I hate the haters.” Underneath it all, these people are saying, “I ain’t giving up having my way. End of story, but I don’t want to say it like that because it sounds bad.” 

God said that judgment is coming on these people. They’ll answer for their lies, hate in their thought-life, racial prejudice. It’s interesting that Peter points out something else about these people, though. They despise all authority, whether it’s the authority of the Bible, their own parents, police officers, government, sexual restrictions, whatever. They want no authority over them because they want to be their own authority. Everyone should be allowed to do whatever they want! Except that would be a real nightmare. 

When we pray, “Oh God, help me follow the desires of the Holy Spirit within me”, that goes against defiling passions. It puts us under the authority of God and his Word. He created us, and in the end, we must see him and stand before him. So why not just listen to him? Saying no makes us like children, and it will cost us for an eternity. 

So let’s take the path of humility today. Let’s not follow the desires of our flesh; it’s a wretch. Let’s submit to proper authority, especially to God and his Word. That will honor God and give us peace and joy. 

^{Jim Cymbala began the Brooklyn Tabernacle with less than twenty members in a small, rundown building in a difficult part of the city. A native of Brooklyn, he is a longtime friend of both David and Gary Wilkerson.}