“Show respect for all people [treat them honorably], love the brotherhood [of believers], fear God, honor the king” (1 Peter 2:17 AMP).
As we close our look at these four points of duty from 1 Peter 2:17, we now come to this final admonition to “honor the king.” In considering this directive, we should note the difference between “respect” and “honor.” While many government officials may not merit our respect, it is appropriate to honor those individuals in recognition of the offices they hold.
One commentator expands upon this difference with the following observations…
“Respect is not the same as ‘honor.’ We may not respect someone, but we can and should still honor him or her… Similarly, we may not be able to respect certain government officials because of their personal behavior or beliefs. Still, we can and should ‘honor’ them, because they occupy an office that places them in a position of authority over us. We honor them because they occupy the office; we do not just honor the office.
Peter commanded us to honor the king and all who are in authority over us, not just the offices they occupy. We may not respect someone, but we can and should honor them by treating them with respect. Respecting people and treating them with respect are two different things. Feeling respect for someone is different than showing respect for someone. Honoring others is our responsibility; earning our respect is theirs. This is especially difficult when those in authority are persecuting us.” (1)
Thus, we honor God when we demonstrate respect for governmental leaders. As we saw in our earlier look at Romans 13:1, “Everyone must submit to governing authorities. For all authority comes from God, and those in positions of authority have been placed there by God” (NLT).
Finally, another source helps us apply this directive to “honor the king” in a political structure that does not incorporate a monarch…
“When there is no exact modern equivalent to some aspect of a command (such as, ‘honor the emperor’ in 1 Peter 2:17), then we are still obligated to obey the command, but we do so by applying it to situations that are essentially similar to the one found in the NT. Therefore, ‘honor the emperor’ is applied to honoring the president or the prime minister.
In fact, in several such cases the immediate context contains pointers to broader applications (such as 1 Peter 2:13–14, which mentions being subject to ‘every human institution’ including the ’emperor’ and ‘governors’ as specific examples).” (2)
(1) Constable, Thomas. DD, Notes on 1 Peter 2023 Edition “1. Respect for everyone 2:13-17” [2:17] https://www.planobiblechapel.org/tcon/notes/html/nt/1peter/1peter.htm
(2) Wayne Grudem, “Review Article: Should We Move Beyond the New Testament to a Better Ethic?” Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society 47, 2 (June 2004), 302–303. Quoted in, Sola Scriptura: The Protestant Position on the Bible © 2009 by Ligonier Ministries, Reformation Trust Publishing [pg. 64].